"I'm so sorry for your loss. They were great people." Said some other person that knew them.
"Thank you. That means a lot." I said, but I didn't really mean it. I just didn't really know what else to say.
We were leaving the cemetery where both of my parents were just buried. There was a car accident about two weeks ago, leading to their deaths. My mom died instantly, and my dad died a few hours later in the hospital.
My aunt Claire wraps her arm around my shoulders, leading us to her red Tahoe. I'm thankful for her support as I'm still in shock from laying my parents to rest forever.
Aunt Claire isn't really my aunt, well not by blood anyways. Her and her husband, James, are my godparents. My parents designated them to be my guardians if anything were to happen to them. So, in a few days we will be heading towards their home in Orlando, Florida.
They have five children, so my life is going to drastically change as I was an only child. I was born in Orlando and we lived there for the first ten years of my life. I spent almost every day at the Moore's household, or vice versa. Claire and James were my parents best friends in high school and continued to be for their entire lives. My dad got a new and better paying job in Dallas, Texas, so we moved here, and have been here ever since.
"Do you want to get some food before we head back to the house?" Uncle James asks me, bringing me back to reality.
"Um sure." I say quietly, knowing that they are probably hungry. I, on the other hand, am not sure I'll ever be hungry again. All I feel in my stomach is knots constantly twisting together.
James drives through the Chick-Fil-A drive through and orders two thirty counts and a bunch of fries, as their children are meeting us at the house as well.
They all came for the funeral, and we are going to pack up my house here and get it ready for the buyer before we leave in a few days.
Before long, we get back to the house that I've called home for the last seven years. A house that was a happy and alive home just two weeks ago, but is now sad and haunted with memories of what can never be again.
I climb out of Claire's car and walk inside, heading straight to my room to change.
As I throw on some comfortable clothes, my eye catches sight of the picture frame that I have on my nightstand. It was my sixteenth birthday and my parents surprised me with a Chevrolet Equinox, a car I had wanted ever since I was little and my mom had one. They have their arms wrapped around me, and our smiles are contagious.
Tears prick my eyes as I look at it, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders once more. I'm only seventeen years old, how am I supposed to continue on without my parents?
A knock on the door takes me from my thoughts and I set the picture down and wipe my tears before opening the door.
My boyfriend of two years stands in front of me, and the second he sees the tear marks, he pulls me in for a hug.
"I'm right here baby." Blake mumbles softly as I fall apart in his arms.
He holds me for a little while longer before letting go and we walk downstairs to the living room, where everyone else is.
Everyone already has food and is sitting around the living room, a solemn look on almost everyone's face.
"Hey El, do you want anything to eat?" Liam asks me, as he's the closest one to me.
Liam Moore is the twin brother to Abigail, with black hair and green eyes. He's the third oldest in the Moore sibling order. He's always been a caring soul, wanting to make sure everyone is okay no matter what. He's the same age as me, both of us and his twin going into our senior years.
I shake my head. "I'm not hungry."
I can tell they want to say something else, probably that I need to eat, but they don't.
Blake and I take a seat next to Grayson and I pull my phone out, responding to the thousands of messages I've gotten apologizing for my loss.
Grayson is the firstborn of the Moore children. He has black hair and gorgeous brown eyes. He's a senior in college and last I heard, he was working towards a law degree, taking after his parents. For as long as I've known him, Grayson has always been a very serious and quiet guy in public, but when he's with his family he's a fun and loving brother. He was always super nice to me growing up, and is probably one of my favorite brothers of the Moore kids.
"So we probably need to start packing everything soon, right? I just want to get it over with and out of here as soon as possible." I say, breaking the silence.
"We were planning on doing as much as possible today if you were up to it." Abigail says, putting her black hair up in a bun on top of her hair. Her and Liam are almost identical with their black hair and stunning green eyes.
"Yeah, I'm good with that." I say, standing up and heading into the kitchen for a water.
"Hey girl, are you sure you're okay to do this today? We can wait until tomorrow." Sophia says, coming in behind me.
Sophia is one of the prettiest girls I've ever known and she always has been, with her blonde hair that falls absolutely flawlessly and her hazel eyes. She has a really sweet personality that makes you feel as though you're always welcome with her, as well as always being there to listen to you.
"I'm sure. This house isn't my home anymore and I feel as if it's suffocating me with all of the memories. I'm just ready to leave." I tell her honestly, hoping that she understands.
"Of course, where do you want to start?" She asks me, and I give her a grateful smile.
+
"Elora?" I hear someone say, but I'm too frozen in place to respond.
I hear footsteps come up behind me, and arms wrap around me from behind.
"How are you doing?" Blake asks me, and I can't stop the tears from falling as I stare at my parents room.
"I can't do this." I practically whisper through my tears. "I can't just pack up this room like they aren't coming back."
"Baby, they aren't coming back. I know that hurts, but they aren't. We can do this room if you can't do it." He says softly, turning me around to hold me to his chest.
I shake my head because as much as I don't want to do this, I can't just leave their stuff in the hands of others without me here. What if something ends up in the donation pile? I'm not ready for that yet.
"Elora? Blake?" I hear Claire call and Blake yells where we are at.
Everyone comes in and I quickly wipe my tears, trying to be strong.
"This is the last room." I say quietly. Between the nine of us, we've managed to pack this house up relatively quickly.
"No donations?" James asks me quietly. I shake my head.
"I can't donate their stuff yet." I mutter quietly.
"That's okay dear, we can bring their stuff with us." Claire says to me, and I smile gratefully.
Bringing all of their belongings from their room isn't the best idea, and I know that, but it warms my heart that Claire still offers it.
We tape the dresser drawers shut, so that when we load it into the u haul, the clothes don't fall out.
It takes us about an hour to pack up their room and bathroom, and when we finish I feel even emptier. One hour to pack up their life? That's it.
"I think that's all for tonight dear." Claire tells me quietly. I just nod.
"Um, I'm going to go with Blake to meet Rosa to say goodbye before we leave." I tell them, and they nod understandingly.
Blake and I head outside to his truck, and I quickly climb into it.
"We're meeting Rosa?" He asks me and I shake my head.
"Not for another hour. I just needed to get out of that house." I tell him.
He nods, reaching over to grab my hand.
"Where do you want to go?" He asks me softly.
"Our spot?" I ask and he nods, putting his truck in reverse and driving us to our spot.
Blake and I's spot is this open field in a secluded area. He took me there for our first date and we had our first kiss there. It's also the place where I lost my virginity to him, under the stars. It was the first place we went when my parents were both confirmed dead.
Once he parks, we grab blankets and head to the bed of his truck, making a makeshift bed of blankets and he helps me up before we get comfortable, watching the sun set.
"I'm going to miss you." He says softly, running his fingers up and down my arm.
"I'm going to miss you too. I hate that everything is changing and I can't do anything about it." I say quietly.
"As soon as I graduate, I'm going to come to school in Orlando. We just have to make it a year baby." He says, and I nod.
"I know."
We sit quietly together as the sun sets, and before my brain begins to fill with unwanted thoughts, I lift my head from his chest and our mouths meet.
He kisses me back immediately, twisting his hand in my hair and holding my head tight.
I shift so that I'm straddling him and our cores meet, causing us both to groan.
"El, we shouldn't." He says breathlessly, pulling away as I begin to unbuckle his belt. "You aren't in the right headspace."
"Please, Blake. I need a distraction." I say desperately, not caring how pathetic I sound.
He doesn't say anything at first, his blue eyes searching my green ones. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." I say, grinding against him, causing his grip on me to tighten.
His lips meet mine again as I frantically pull off his shirt. Mine follows next and before I know it, we're both naked and he's on top of me.
"Are you sure baby?" He asks me again, lining himself up at my entrance.
"Yes." I say breathlessly, and he nods before delivering.
+
"I'm going to miss you." Rosalie says, hugging me tight.
"Not as much as I'm going to miss you." I whisper quietly, hugging her back with the same force.
Rosalie has been my best friend since fifth grade. She was the first friend that I made here, even though we hated each other in the beginning. She was the popular fifth grade girl and I was the new girl who was stealing her thunder. But, we discovered that we had the same birthday, and it was like all drama left.
We've been best friends ever since, and we've gone through hell and back together. This is just another hurdle we have to go through.
"This isn't goodbye okay? It's just a see you later." She says through her tears.
"A see you later, I can handle that." I tell her, pulling back with a sad smile.
"I love you so much El." She says, making half a heart with her hand.
"I love you more." I say, completing her heart with my other hand.
"FaceTime me every day okay?" She says quietly.
I just nod and pull her in for one more hug before Blake and I leave and head back to my house.
When we get to my house, I unbuckle and turn to face him.
"I'll come visit as much as I can." He tells me, cupping my face with his hand.
I just nod as tears fill my eyes again. How is it that in losing my two parents, I have to lose my best friend and boyfriend too?
"It's not fair." I say quietly. "I don't want to leave you."
"It's not forever baby, we'll get through this." He says quietly, but I can tell he's sad as well.
"I know." I whisper through my tears.
"I'll walk you up." He says, letting go and getting out of his truck.
I climb out of his truck for the last time and grab his hand as we walk up to my door.
"I love you Elora Jane." He tells me softly before kissing me.
"I love you too." I say when we pull apart.
He pulls me in for a hug and holds me tight as if it's the last time he's going to hold me.
After a few minutes, I pull away and kiss him again before saying my final goodbye to him, and turning to go inside.
I watch him drive away through the window and I can't stop my tears from falling, no matter how hard I swipe them away.
"Elora?" Jacob's voice says from behind me, but I can't find it in me to respond.
I feel arms wrap around me as Jacob hugs me, and I hug him for a few seconds before pulling away and wiping my tears.
"I'm fine." I tell him, giving him a fake smile.
His dark green eyes narrow and he runs a hand through his blonde hair as he sighs. "You don't have to pretend El, it's okay to not be okay."
"I know, but really I'm fine." I say, and he hesitantly nods.
"Okay then." He says and gives me one more hug before walking away.
I walk through the entry way and into the living room where Claire and James are sitting, working on their laptops.
They're both lawyers, working together in a firm that they've been in for years. However, my mom told me a few weeks ago that they're planning to open their own firm together. It was really hard for them to get time off work to get here for the funeral, but I'm so glad that they did.
"Hey dear, how was Rosa?" Claire asks, closing her laptop and patting the couch cushion next to her.
"It was good. Sad, but good I guess." I tell her.
"I bet. So, we called the movers and they're coming tomorrow morning to get all of the stuff that we aren't bringing to Florida and moving it into the storage shed. Once they do that and we load up the u haul, we can get on the road if you're still willing to go tomorrow."
"Sounds good." I tell them before saying goodnight and heading to my room for one last night.
Claire and James are staying in the guest room, Sophia and Abigail are sleeping on the floor in my room, and the three boys are sleeping on the couches in the basement and living room.
I change before climbing into my bed and turn off the lights. I'm not sure how long I stare up at the ceiling before I can't take it anymore.
I quietly grab my blanket and leave my room without waking up Abby or Soph and move to my parents room.
Climbing up on their bed for the last time has my heart clenching.
Memories of our Saturday morning cartoon sessions in this bed come flooding back and I cry for the loss in my heart.
I cry for my parents and the life that they lost. I cry for me and for the loss I have to carry for the rest of my life.
I cry and cry until I slip into darkness, sleep taking over the crying.
+
The next morning, I wake to the sound of movers in the house. It's a wonder I even slept that late, seeing as how I've barely gotten any sleep since the accident.
I grab my phone and see that it's nine in the morning. I reply to Blake and Rosa before getting out of bed and heading back to my room.
Abby and Soph aren't in here anymore, so I quickly change into the clothes I left out before heading to the bathroom to do my daily activities.
After I finish, I head downstairs to see the entire floor empty with the exception of the belongings I'm bringing to Florida with me.
I stop in my tracks, feeling my heart begin to race. How am I supposed to do this without them?
I can still hear their voices echoing off the halls. I still hear the early morning talks between them before they went off to get ready for work, the talks of how our days were, the dinner talks, family time. I can't believe they are really gone.
A hand touches my shoulder and I turn to see Grayson smiling at me.
"It's gonna be okay." He says softly and I nod, putting on my brave face again.
"I know, I'm fine." I say, moving to the living room to start loading up my car so we can leave as soon as possible.
Grayson and Liam help me move the stuff we stacked in the living room and then they go upstairs to get the stuff from there.
The movers are here for about another hour and once they are loaded up, Claire and I follow them to the storage shed to make sure they place everything where we want it.
Once we get back, we all load up in our cars to head back to Florida. Claire, James, Jacob, and Sophia ride in Claire's car. Abby rides with me in my car and Grayson drives the u haul, Liam riding with him.
"I'll be right back." I tell Abby before getting out of my car and going back inside for a last walk through alone.
I start upstairs and say goodbye to the room that was mine for the past seven years. I go to my parents room once more, the memories hitting me in full force knowing that I will never again come into this room and lay with them.
I go back downstairs and the memories of Friday night movie nights with my parents and Blake make me smile as I recall the fights over the remotes and what movie to watch. I smile as I remember how more often than not, the popcorn was spilled due to a heated fight.
When I'm finished, I close my eyes to push back the tears before opening the door and locking it up for the last time.
----
Hey guys!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey! I hope that you find joy in this book and these characters!
Not all of the chapters will be as heavy as this chapter, but this book will not shy away from hard topics. Please be patient with Elora as she has gone through a traumatic loss, and everyone heals differently.
I'm not sure what the schedule will be for this book, but as soon as I figure it out, I will let y'all know!
QOTC: What's your favorite Wattpad book?
Don't forget to leave a comment and vote!
~Kelsi :)