I Love You, Always

Chapter 24

Simon's POV

Dad isn't home when I wake up since he has to work, but he leaves the baked cookies in a plastic container on the counter, along with some flowers, a card, and a note. He must have woken up extra early to go buy the flowers and card even though he didn't have to. The note, however, is addressed to me.

Simon,

Please give Damian my condolences. Hopefully he will enjoy the cookies. Be careful with the card as I've included a check. A small donation towards the funeral costs, if it is needed. If not, they can decide what they would like to put it towards. If you'd like to sign the card, I left the envelope unsealed.

Love,

Dad

Dad is way too generous, I swear. Honestly, he doesn't have to do any of this, especially considering he never even met Lexy, but he's just like that, I guess. Damian is my first real friend in a long, long time, but Dad has always been supportive of Ivan and Evelyn's friends, so it doesn't surprise me that he would do something like this.

Carefully, I pull the card out of the envelope and locate a pen to sign my name on it at the bottom. The check is for a very generous amount, in my opinion, but it's Dad's money and he can do what he wants with it. Besides, I'm sure that Damian and Lexy's family will appreciate it. Since Lexy was my age, I can't imagine they had money set aside for something like this.

After signing my name, I place the card back inside the envelope and seal it, then gather the cookies and flowers, which Dad has so nicely packed inside of a fabric tote bag.

I am still feeling pretty nervous about going to Damian's. I really hope that he won't be upset with me showing up. Hopefully he got my message and knows. He never texted me back saying not to come, so I'm thinking that's a good sign.

Considering I've only been to Damian's apartment twice, it takes me a bit to remember which door is his, but eventually I'm able to find it. I take in a deep breath to try to reduce some of my anxiety before I knock on the door.

There's no sound from the other side for a minute, but eventually I can hear someone shuffling before the door opens revealing Damian's older brother, Derrick.

"Oh, Simon, hey. Dev said you might be over today," he says with a smile.

I smile a little in return as I reply, "Yeah, I was worried about Damian when I heard about what happened, so... Is he up for seeing me?"

"He hasn't been that talkative, but I think it'll do him some good to see you. Come on in." Derrick steps back to let me inside and closes the door behind me. I'm not quite sure of what to do with myself or the bag that I'm holding.

"Um, my Dad sent these over," I say as I hand the bag over to Derrick. "There's homemade sugar cookies, flowers, and a card. He wasn't sure if Lexy's family was needing any, um, assistance with expenses and stuff, so he included a donation. He says if it isn't needed for that stuff, then to use it towards something else."

"Oh man, this is so very nice," Derrick says as he looks into the bag. He reaches for the card and I stand a little awkwardly as I watch him read it before he sees the check. "This will help a lot actually," he continues. "I'll make sure to pass this along to Lexy's mom. She'll definitely appreciate it."

"I wasn't really sure if Damian would eat the cookies, but I know he can't have chocolate, so I ruled that out pretty quickly," I say.

Derrick chuckles at that. "Good call. Um, no, yeah, he likes sugar cookies. Whether he'll be up to eating any, I'm not sure. It's been hard getting him to eat anything, really."