And then he stopped. Shane leaned his forehead against mine, breathing heavily, our eyes still closed, and he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Astra," he mumbled against my lips. "Please don't hurt yourself."
And all at once, his body fell l...
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C H A P T E R N I N E T Y - F O U R
A s t r a *.✧
I arrived at his house bright and early in the morning. His mother was busy packing what little they had scavenged and I helped her sort the last few items into boxes. She appreciated the help and I got free cookies at the end anyway, so what was there not to love? I'd somehow been accepted into freaking UPenn to major in English by some miracle - my grandma was so excited, she threw a party and invited half the block. I was given aid and a part scholarship so I didn't have to worry too much about money.
Shane had been accepted into an Ivy League too and his major was mathematics. Leila and Kyrie were getting married in a few months and they were both accepted into the same college, so they'd be moving in together after they got married while they both pursued their dream lives.
Shane's mom gave me a tight hug, not in a sense where it was overly tight, but the type that was just right.
"I'm going to miss you. It's been a pleasure having you around, and you are a wonderful, wonderful young lady with a bright future."
"Thank you so much. God, you're making me tear up," we both laughed as I rubbed a tear from my eye.
Shane's mother had been there for me in so many ways; she was there when Brad died, she occasionally helped babysit Finley, she always checked up on me to make sure I was doing okay. She complimented me regularly on how beautiful I looked and she always helped my grandmother and aunty with everyone - they seemed to like her just as much as I did, which was why she always seemed to be around at ours as of recently.
She stared at me for a few moments, smiling, before embracing me in one last hug. She pecked my cheek and waved goodbye to me. His mother loaded the last of her personal items in the boot and disappeared into the car, revving the engine and starting it on and off to check it was working.
Natalia was here too to see them off. Her mother had brought her over to help her sister pack too, but they were a tad bit too late. But ultimately, it was the thought that counted. Vince had been awake bright and early, slowly taking his time to eat breakfast as he paid more attention to his phone than his food.
And as for his twin, he'd woken up around about two minutes ago and you could hear banging and thumping sounds from upstairs as he ran and attempted to get washed and changed and dressed, all under five minutes.
I was going to miss his spontaneous, crazy and caring self.
Shane sprinted down the stairs, running to the kitchen to grab a banana and a cereal bar. He stuffed most of it in his mouth before his eyes caught mine. He suddenly froze. A furious red colour flooded into his cheeks, contrasting to his blond hair that was yet to be combed.
He snapped out of whatever trance he was in and with his mouth half-full, he waved and mumbled, "Hey Astra!" I laughed and waved back.
"You look disgusting when you talk with your mouth full. Do us all a favour and never do it again," someone shuddered from beside me. Kyrie had just arrived and judging by the opening of drawers and fridges, Gray had too. The two boys salvaged whatever was left of food in the house and stuffed it down their throats.
