Fomalhaut [COMPLETED]

32|| Nothing More

A month passed since Alexander's departure. I haven't heard from him through the entire period. I don't know whether he is doing well or not. I don't know what I was expecting, really, when I let him go like that. I just hope he knows that I gave him the choice to decide whether he wanted to leave or not and he didn't just leave because he thought I didn't want him with me.

Because I do. A lot. And I miss him.

There were moments where I woke up in the middle of the night and burst into tears after seeing him in my dreams. I did learn to accept my reality and try to let him go at one point, though. He deserves his own freedom and by being with me, he'd be getting tied down. Just like a bird, he needs to flap his wings and soar through the sky while seeking his true place.

Perhaps he is enjoying his life more than ever. I wish he'd miss me from time to time just like how I miss him.

That night after we visited Mike, I went back home by myself. Yazan was petrified at the sight of me all alone bawling. He figured Alexander left from how I reacting. I told him he was free to go too. He couldn't stay even if he wanted to because to him, Alexander was like his only family. He just couldn't leave him alone. I totally accepted that.

My apartment is so empty. The silence was killing me the first week. There were no noises ringing in my ears from morning till night, no sounds of laughter, no sounds of the frying pan as Alexander cooks. It was completely noiseless. It broke me apart. I was once again left all by myself.

Going to school is even harder. Looking at my surroundings and remembering all the memories we shared was painful. Yeah we weren't on good terms the first days we met but we learned to to depend on each other.

Hanging out with our squad isn't as fun as it used to be. There are times when we speak with each other but then a slip of the tongue would make us remember how we enjoyed our lunch breaks. Everything reminds me of Alexander. His very first outburst, his fake personality, his quirky behavior with Yazan, his real smile which I barely got to see and his kind self.

As I go back home, my boring basically lifeless life is once again back. I end up watching TV, not really focusing on the content of whatever is on. My phone rings signaling that I have new messages which I scan through and end up responding to the very important ones. I chat a little with my friends.

A sudden ring of the door bell brings me out of whatever I am thinking as I quickly walk towards the door.

Who could this possibly be?

Alexander?

Is he back?

No. It's only wishful thinking.

But I still run to the door and burst it open in hopes of getting surprised.

The disappointment is prominent on my face as I come into contact with my former parents and a little girl. My sister?

"Valentina!" My mother shouts acting as if she missed me. "My beautiful baby. You have grown!"

She cries as tears continue to slip from her eyes.

When I was younger, the thing I considered the worst on earth was seeing my mother cry. I would never be able to control my tears and end up bawling with her. I loved her so much that seeing her hurt physically hurt me.

But in the end, she failed me.

"Valentina! How are you, sweetie? We missed you so much." My so-called father says as he steadies my crying mother.

"Sister! Sister! Where have you been?" Asks my 7 year old-I'm guessing- sister as she clings to my leg.

My parents try to approach me for a hug but I immediately step away to avoid their approaching hands and send them a glare.

"What are you doing here?"

"What else? We are checking on our daughter," my father answers despondently.

"What daughter? I don't remember ever being your daughter," I grit my teeth as I release a humorless chuckle.

"Val-" my mother starts but is stopped by me.

"Don't call my name all lovingly when you were the ones who threw me away. And now that everything is down you want me back? It's not that easy."

"We are your parents," my mother says.

"No! I am not your daughter. Yeah maybe 5 years ago I was but not anymore. Right now, I am Michael Emerson's daughter!"

"He is not your biologica-" my father shouts.

"Yeah he isn't my biological father but he was still a better parent than you two will ever be."

"Val-"

"Please leave. I can't ever forgive you for what pain you put me through. Please leave. I don't want to see you ever again."

They stand still for a second, as though hoping I'd change my mind. "Go!"

They grab my sister and walk out and I promptly slam the door shut before I fall to the floor and cry my heart out. I should have expected this. Now that they realized that John Griffins no longer holds any power they want me back. I don't know how long I spend sitting on the floor. I stand up only to stop dead in my tracks when I hear knocks on the front door.

Are they back?

Will they never leave me alone?

I hesitate on whether to open the door or not. I hear another knock. Thr anger suddenly comes back in full force and I brutally push the door open.

"What-" the words get stuck in my throat when I see that I was in fact, wrong, and it's not my former parents.

Here they are, the two people I have been longing for for as long as I can remember.

"I'm back!" Yazan exclaims.

The tears and what happened earlier that day are all forgotten the moment Alexander approaches me and hugs me. I hold him tightly and breathe him in, not believing that it's him. Alexander lands a kiss on my temple and I melt into him and tighten my hold on him even more. Yazan stands aside with a huge smile on his face as he watches us before I motion for him to join us—which he does immediately.

They're back. My family is back.

We are back together and I want nothing more.