Part I
"What do you mean, we're moving? Is this a joke?" James asks, standing up at the table.
"James honey, can you please take a seat," Tita Gia pleads, grabbing his right arm.
"Just tell us what the hell is happening!"
I shift uncomfortably in my seat. They're moving to London? Sure, I was expecting Tito Danny to leave again soon for some business thing, but I wasn't expecting this.
He harshly removes his arms from his mother's grip and this time, Tito Danny stands up. "I think we need to talk somewhere else."
James shakes his head in disbelief but proceeds to walk away from the table. Tito Danny and Tita Gia excuse themselves before leaving the room. They leave the rest of us, stunned and confused.
None of us speak until Seb bursts out crying, "I don't wanna leave! I wanna stay here!"
My mother tries to calm him down. She gets up from her seat and takes him in her arms. "Shh...Oh honey, it's okay. Don't cry, it's gonna be okay."
As you would expect, the poor boy continues to cry into my mother's shoulder. She and my dad take him out of the dining area, into the living room. That leaves my sisters, Gabe, and I.
The awkward tension pushes the twins out of the room, and they end up going who-knows-where. The three of us, Illa, Gabe, and I, sit in silence.
Gabe finally pipes up about this whole fiasco. "I really don't want to go. This is my home."
Illa slumps her face on her hand, which is held up by her elbow on the table. She sighs, "I don't want you guys to leave either."
"All of my friends are here and I've never lived anywhere other than this house," he shippers in a weak voice.
Illa lets a tear slip, but immediately wipes it away. "We still have to finish that science project," she mentions, but her sad laugh breaks my heart.
"We won't be able to go to the same high school." Gabe adds, repeating that same sad laugh.
"You're my best friend." she finally says, crying this time.
He walks over to the other side of the table and they share a cute hug. Nice moment, really. Actually, it's more upsetting than nice... I find that to be my cue to leave, so I exit the dining area and sit on the staircase.
The sound of muffled yelling reaches my ears and I turn to the direction of the noise. It's coming from the study room. As my nosy self is, I walk over to where the sound is coming from.
The voices get louder and louder, until I find my ear pressed against the large wooden door, leading to Tito Danny's study.
"You can't just randomly decide this for the whole family!" James bellows.
"There's no there way! Your grandfather's sick and the business is sinking!" Tito Danny yells back. I've never heard him this angry before...
"That doesn't mean that we all have to move there permanently!"
"I can't fix all of this on my own! You need to learn the inner workings of our family business!"
"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to take over your stupid business!"
"Honey, it's only for now. It's just your father needs someone to help him." Tita Gia buds in. I can imagine her pulling the two hot headed men apart. Yet, I know she won't succeed.
"For now? You've been forcing this on me forever!"
"You don't even have any plans in life, James! Do you even know what you want to study in university?"
"Danny, you're going too far-" Tita Gia tries to interrupt.
"No! If he wants to do something with his life, then he better speak up about it! Go ahead!"
There is silence.
"Exactly! So don't argue with me unless you have some other great plan yourself!"
Footsteps sound behind the door. I assume that it's James walking away. They get louder and louder and I start to back away from the door.
Apparently, I don't back away in enough time and when he very harshly opens the door, it slams right into my face.
"Ow!" I exclaim, holding my nose.
"Were you listening?" James asks, frustrated. I make that awkward cringe face before looking up to face him.
"What? No. I was looking for the washroom." I lie, still holding my nose.
"Bad liar." he comments, shaking his head before heading to the front door.
"James wait!" Tita Gia yells, running after him.
"Come back here!" Tito Danny orders, following Tita Gia.
James ignores both of them and flies straight through the front door, grabbing his coat from the coat rack.
"Leave him to me." I say, passing the couple and following James.
By the time I'm out the door, James is already turning the ignition of his car, ready to leave. I run up to his car and frantically tap the window.
"James! Stop! Open this door right now!" I yell.
He looks at me, then shakes his head. The window of the passenger seat rolls down and I stick my head through the window.
"I just need to clear my head, okay?" he sighs.
I can't really blame him for wanting that. The news was a huge, unexpected surprise. None of us are taking it well.
"Well I'm coming with you."
The sound of the door clicking lets me exhale. I step into the passenger seat and buckle my seatbelt. "So, where were you planning on going?"
He shrugs, "I don't know, I was just gonna drive around."
I suddenly remember his gift that I left at home. Maybe it would be an appropriate time to give it to him. I mean, it's not like I can keep it in my room forever.
"Wanna go back to my place? Just for a bit? I just gotta pick something up."
"I guess," he nods, driving along along the street in the direction of my house.
A few minutes later, we get to my driveway. We get out of his car and I open the door with my housekeys. We hear Milani's barking upon entering the pitch black house. I turn the lights on, lock the front door, and lead him up to my bedroom.
He takes a seat on my desk chair and I enter my closet, taking his present out.
Unwrapped, with only a red bow at the top, I hand him the acoustic guitar.
"Oh my God, Lara..." he breathes, taking the finely shaped wooden guitar in his hands.
"It's not high-end or anything, I just got it from a vintage shop. I tuned it too!" I tell him, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. "I bought it before everything happened."
"It's wonderful. Thank you." He stands up and pulls me in for a hug.
"Yeah, no problem. I figured you'd still remember how to play." I watch him hold the instrument in his hands and my mind goes back to simpler times.
"This brings back so many memories."
I smile. There was a time when James loved to play guitar. Growing up, he had a secret musical gift that not many people knew about. His grandad, a terrific musician himself, taught him how to play. At the age of 6, James already had his mini-guitar and played it endlessly. Then, at 15, he composed many of his on songs, in the quiet of his bedroom.
However, earlier this year, he threw out his guitar.
I knew it was because he couldn't bear to play after his grandfather died.
"I always knew he'd want you to keep playing," I tell him, taking a seat on the edge of my bed.
"Deep down, I knew that too."
We stay silent for a few minutes, James admiring his guitar, and me watching him do so. It isn't until he starts talking that I am pulled out of my daydream.
"I have a gift for you too," he pulls out a long, rectangular box from his jacket pocket, "Keep in mind that I bought this a while ago, so don't get freaked out or anything."
I laugh. I guess we both felt the same way.
He opens the box and I almost gasp at the shiny piece of jewelry. There, lies a beautiful silver bracelet, adorned with charms.
"May I?" he asks, unclasping it and reaching for my hand.
I nod.
He clasps the bracelet onto my left wrist and I observe every charm. Ice cream, book, fish, passport, star, and car.
Those are strange things to put on a bracelet, I think to myself, laughing.
"These are really random charms to be honest," I tell him, chuckling.
He lets out a laugh as well. "They're actually not, if you really think about it."
I give him a puzzled look.
He takes my hand in his and starts pointing out the charms. "Ice cream, because I'll always remember your ultimate ice cream order of 'One scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough on the bottom. One scoop of cookies and cream on the top. Everything topped with crushed m&m's and sprinkles, all put together in a waffle cone'."
Thinking about that day at the mall puts a larger grin on my face.
"A book, because we got closer together as you were helping me with my schoolwork."
I nod and he moves onto the next charm.
"A fish, because I was so happy to spend the day with you, at the aquarium."
The meaning behind the charms begins to make me teary eyed.
"Passport, because the kids wanted to go to Disneyworld when we were babysitting but I told them that we didn't have their passports. I also want to travel the world with you someday."
Someday, I think to myself, yearning for that day to be today, wishing that these unexpected bumps would come to an end.
"A star, because we went stargazing for our first date...and you also passed out after eating all that fried chicken, but they didn't have a chicken leg charm so..."
I playfully slap his arm and he laughs.
"Lastly, a car, because you're my favourite person to have in my passenger's seat, even if you're a dictator when it comes to radio stations."
There he goes, making me tear up again. Why is it that he's the only person who can drive tears out of my eyes?
I give him a tight hug, a hug that I never want to part from. A sad hug, because I know that he'll be gone from my arms soon.
"When do you leave?" I whisper against his shirt.
"I asked to stay until the end of the school year, but we all have to go visit my Grandfather on my dad's side soon. I'm leaving after this semester's exams."
A week after the break. So soon.
I nod. "Well, my parents are coming home soon. What do you want to do now?"
His sad face is replaced with a mischievous grin. "Let's go hang out at the Thompson tonight."
I raise my eyebrows. The Thompson Hotel is a luxurious hotel not too far from here, with amazing views of the entire city. Of course, anyone would want to go. But why on earth would we hang out there right now?
"What? Dude, stop being crazy. As I literally just said, my parents'll be home soon." I laugh.
"I'm serious. Let's spend one last night together." he says, no sight of a joke within his facial features. "We're not going to do anything...y'know, but we could just talk all night."
"Do you want my parents to kill me? It's not like you're leaving tomorrow!" I counter.
"But time flies real quick and everything's gonna be packed after this! C'mon, let's get in trouble one last time, for old times sake? Just tell them we're hanging out." he persuades, making an immature pouty face.
I roll my eyes. "Even if we did go, how would you get a reservation right now?"
A smile forms on his face. "Sweetheart, my uncle owns a share of that place."
I roll my eyes again.
"Careful, your eyes might roll out."
"Sure, but you've got to stop with the 'Sweetheart' stuff."
He shrugs, "I've been calling you that since the beginning. We weren't even together then."
I huff. I don't even try to think of an argument. There's no winning against that.
BONJOUR
Okay, so I divided this chapter into 2 parts because I didn't want one part to be excessively long (idk it just annoys me) and I didn't want to end with chapter 51 (because ew why would I end with an odd number) so just continue onto the next part since you. guys wanted both parts posted at the same time. :)
Go ahead, finish the story, don't cry lol.
-Summer ;)
P.S. the song above...idk I was really missing "A Walk To Remember". Also, does anyone have any good rom-coms to watch?