𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭.

𝐗𝐋𝐕𝐈

"Are you ready?" She spoke softly to him, taking his slight nod as enough of a response to begin on walking towards the entryway of the church.

Upon arrival, Xyden was taken straight to his grandmother since Syre was too zoned out to really pay attention to all of what was going on. The atmosphere took a toll on him, always. For every year of the 30 he'd been living, his only times ever stepping foot onto the grounds of a church were in the names of a funeral. All with a connection to the things he made a life out of.

These were the only times he uttered the word of "God," or rather acknowledged it. This was why he didn't like church, nor have the strongest relationship with who was said to be the higher power. He was only ever here in times of grief, it seemed that was all that constantly plagued him.

His footsteps followed Amerie's lead the entire way they walked into the packed church. He felt like all eyes were on him, from her family at least. They knew who he was and the role he played in Cheyanna's life, and the tension was no secret. Not even to Amerie who could feel and see it, but ignored it completely.

She held his hand in hers to lead them up towards the casket that held the peacefully laid body. She looked beautiful confined in the casket, almost as if she was just sleeping.

A lone tear rolled down her own cheek, seeing as Cheyanna was finally just trying to make peace with everyone. But in the back of her mind, after this, Amerie felt like she knew her death was coming. Making everything more sad and disheartened considering regardless of anything, a young child just lost his mother senselessly.

She forgave Cheyanna a while ago, and still held that forgiveness even with all that was in her note of departure from this Earth. She made some bad decisions, terrible ones, which left her in so much guilt she felt living just wasn't worth it anymore. So she did what she felt was best, ending everything which Amerie empathized with from how many times that could have been her in this casket from the same cause of death.

But Syre, he didn't react to seeing her body laying there. His hand reached out to touch against her face that was cold, and a little pale despite the attempt at hiding it from the makeup which matched her skin color perfectly. He held so much anger towards her, yet regardless, he couldn't fathom the fact that the girl he first fell in love with was in this position right now.

He never would have imagined to be seeing Cheyanna laying within a casket, after taking her own life. But he didn't feel sadness, nothing close to that. He instead felt an emotion unidentifiable, and it was enough for him to not want to see her any longer.

"Come on." He tapped Amerie for them to walk towards the back of the church where he wanted to sit. He went as far as they possibly could, until being seated in the very last pew.

He had Amerie sit along the inside, taking the space right next to her that was closest to the aisle. His leg bounced from his feet that tapped along the ground, looking around at the sorrow and grievances that happened before him.

"Do you want water or something? Are you okay?" She whispered, laying her hand along his thigh gently.

Shaking his head no, his body slouched in the seat and arm wrapped around Amerie's shoulder to bring her body closer. His lips pressing against her forehead forced her eyes to flutter shut just briefly.

"Thank you for being here." Was all he mumbled out, just before the funeral service finally began. Opening with scripture from the pastor who stood amongst the podium.

-

She stood next to him as they lowered the casket into the ground, and it was then she finally seen a tear slowly trickle down his cheek from under the darkness of his shades. But only one, and one that dried up so quickly it was like it never appeared. Her hand ran along his back gently to soothe him of whatever he was feeling inside.