WHAT COMES AFTER THE END OF THIS

Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Yrene's PoV

"Hey!" Mishy squealed in my ear as she pulled me in for a hug, momentarily forgetting her now large belly. My face split into a smile only thinking about how my niece or nephew would arrive within the next three months.

"Hello, Yr." Raymind kissed my forehead, pulling me in for a hug before he was rudely pushed away by Ross and Joss, who literally threw themselves at me, making us fall to the ground where we, particularly I, am attacked by Aelin and Katie. A thousand squeals of excitement and 'I miss you's' later, we get up. Apparent disappointment clouds my features as I realise that there is no Bear in sight. Oh well. I look at the door, for a while longer before I make my way to turn around, plastering a fake smile on my face but a hand on my shoulder stops me.

"Turning away so soon, sister?"
Joy and ecstasy fills my heart as I turn around to face the bearer of the voice. And this time it's not Katie, Aelin or Mishy that squeals in excitement but me as I launch myself into Bear's widespread arms, hugging him.
"Bear! You came!"
"I did!" He lifts me off my toes for a while before putting me back down again and closing the door.

Now I fully turn around to face my blood family and the family I chose,
"You guys... I'm so fucking happy to see all of you in flesh!"
"We are happy to see you too, Nene."
"Okay, pleasantries and formalities aside, what do you guys want for dinner?"
"What do you have to offer?"
"I have a few leftovers of pasta from lunch, some chicken stew from dinner last night and baked chicken with lemon and tartar sauce in the oven which I baked just now. Other than that we can always order takeaway or whatever."
"Look who learnt how to cook!" Ross screams and ruffles my hair which earns him a smack from Katie and I while his girlfriend only stares at him, shaking her pretty head.

"Anyhow, what do you guys want?" I whine and they all start to decide amongst themselves, becoming comfortable and at home, placing themselves onto the sofa.

"You know what? I'll heat up whatever I have and we can also order something? What do you guys say?"
"Sounds good to me!" Joss raises his hands.
"Of course it sounds good to you! Anything with food sounds good to you, Joss!"
"That's what you love about me Kat!" Joss counters which earns him a disgusted look from his girlfriend.
"Alright, then I'm about to head to the kitchen to warm the food; make yourselves at home and help yourself to any of the drinks in the drinks cabinet," I point directly at Bear, "yes, I have scotch and bourbon both, mix it up yourselves, tumblers in the shelf below the cabinet."

With the end of my monologue, I tie my apron around my waist and begin reheating the food and adding final touches to the baked chicken, praying to God that it turns out good, the reviews on YouTube said it was good, so it better be good. Sending a silent prayer to God, I place the dish on the dinner table along with the other dishes and arrange the napkins and cutlery.

"Dinner's ready!"
I call out and as soon as I do Joss and Ross rush into the dining room pushing and stumbling over each other, like ravenous dogs.
"It smells delicious, sis. Even if it tasted half as good I don't think we'll need takeout."
"Thanks Rossy." I give his cheek a peck and await for the others to enter.
"Look at you, all dressed in an apron!" Raymond kisses the top of my head as he takes a seat on one of the dinner chairs.
"Never thought I'd live to see the day when a retarded psycho would be standing in an apron, welcoming me to her dining room."
"Safe to say I'd never thought so too, Bear."
Now that everyone is seated, I excuse myself to go to the kitchen and clean up. Mishy joins me in an instant,
"Hey!"
"Hi!"
"How've you been?"
"Good. You?"
"Good? Yr, have you looked at yourself lately because if you have then good is not the word you should use."
"Babe, I'm serious, I'm good. The air has done me well, so has the rehab centre. I'm doing fine."
"I'm not buying it but I guess if you're so adamant I have no other choice but to accept it, have I? How are you holding up with the Chase news?"
"It has nothing to do with me, so I guess there's no need for me to feel anything about it." I clean the tabletop with a wet cloth and start picking up the spices and other things scattered here and there.
"Oh."
"You tell me, have you guys found the gender yet? How's my niece or nephew coming along?" I give a pointed glance to her belly.
"This little fellow," she pats her stomach in pure admiration, "is coming along just fine! Doesn't let mommy sleep with its kicking and thrashing around all night but we're doing fine, aren't we?" She gives another playful glare to her rounded belly.
"Mishy, you aid 'it' not she or him, have you not found out the gender?"
"Oh, Ray and I want it to be a surprise for us, so no, we haven't found the gender yet. We're shopping in all off whites and whites."
"That's cool. I wish I could be there."
"Don't worry, you're always with us in your heart and we love you anyways."
I give her hand a tight squeeze and when she squeezes back I know that she understands why I don't want to return.

"I'll have dinner late, when I come back from the centre. See you guys then!" I undo the apron's knot and put it on the kitchen island.
"I'll walk you."
"Oh don't bother yourself."
"Yr, I'll walk you." The finality in Bear's voice leaves no room for argument and we both begin to pile on layers of clothing.

"So...?"
"So."
"Talk to me, sister."
"What about?"
"Anything. How you've been? What you're doing? Like old times. You do remember we had a relationship before you got involved with my brother right?"
"Yes, of course. But let's not talk about your brother."
"Yes, let's not talk about him. So, tell me: why were you pissed at me when I told you Chase left?"
"I wasn't pissed at you, Bear."
"Was."
"No."
"Just tell me because I know that you were pissed and you were pissed because I was right about you not being happy! Pissed because my brother left!"
"Your brother? Why would I be pissed at your brother?" I scoff and Near grabs me by the elbow.
"You were pissed at my brother because he left without telling you, without saying goodbye." I lower my gaze and he knows that he has hit the exact spot.
"No."
"Yrene, I know that you hate that because you associate that with Nick and Jason, leaving without saying goodbye, without any explanation."
"I'm getting late."
"Accept it, Yrene: it broke you. It broke you when Chase left without telling you."
"Why would it?"
"You're unbelievable, Yrene. Keep on lying to yourself, but you can't lie to me!"
"Fine! What the fuck do you want to hear!? Yes! It broke me and I felt horrible for days, weeks after you delivered the news because of the reason you mentioned! He was my friend before anything else and he left! He left like everyone does, Bear!" Traitorous tears fall down my face as Bear pulls me into a hug, stroking my hair.

"I know, sweetie, I know. Once you admit it to yourself, the pain becomes easier to accept, it makes it easier to heal. And Chase is an asshole for doing this to you and I did give him an earful about it but he's a stubborn bastard, was adamant to take over father's business."
"I don't want to talk about him. Let's talk about something else." I say, wiping my tears.
"Okay; after all your wish is my command, madam."
I nod and tucking myself under his arm, we begin to walk to the rehab centre, talking about anything and everything under the sun except his brother and my deceased lover.

"It'll get better, Yrene, I promise. You'll be happy; you deserve to be happy and some day, and some day soon you'll get that. But focus on it, focus on yourself, your happiness and what matters to you."
"Bear, what mattered to me has been taken away from me multiple times now, I don't think I want anything to matter to me anymore."
He pulled me in for a hug outside the centre and hugged me before kissing my forehead,
"It'll be okay, Yrene; it'll get better. Don't lose hope, don't lose yourself; you're too precious to be lost and what matters to you and what you want is also too precious to be lost honey. So, promise me that you'll move on from everything, start your own life, focus on you and not assholes like my brother."
I laugh at this and I know that he's happy for having made me smile. I'm just glad that this was a decision I had made a little while ago, the decision to focus on me, myself and I, nothing else.

"Yeah, I promise. Now leave you goof, I'm getting late!"

I push him away after grabbing ahold of his shoulders and sighing I walk into the rehab centre.