"There are only four words that mean so much more than I love you, and those words are I'm here for you."
-----------------------------
•Rae•
"Rae!"
I look up startled and frown at Jess in confusion.
"You're zoning out again," she says with a sigh.
"Oh, were you-- were you talking to me?" I ask, leaning up on the couch.
Jess looks at me with sad eyes. "Yeah, but don't worry about that now. It was pointless anyway."
It's always about Trevor if she calls it pointless.
"No, tell me. What did he do?" I insist.
"I'll tell you later," she says, holding my hand. "Let's talk about you now. You don't seem okay and it's been the same since you heard about the case."
Nodding, I look down. "Yeah, I'm not okay. How can I be?"
"It's been two weeks already. Why aren't the police finding anything? Maybe you should call the detective and ask him about the case?"
I stare down at our intertwined hands and stay silent.
"I know it's hard but don't you think you should help them out so they can solve it sooner?"
Looking up at her, I sigh. "Do you think I don't want to help out? I desperately want them to uncover the truth as soon as possible but I can't offer my help in any way. I don't even remember the names of my parents' coworkers."
Jess is about to answer me but we suddenly hear the front door open. Kyle walks into the living room while taking his jacket off.
"Hey." He leans in to kiss my cheek.
"I'm here too, brother." Jess huffs as he sits beside me.
He just smiles at her before turning his attention back to me. "Did you eat lunch?"
"No, I was waiting for you."
Jess stands up and starts heading to the kitchen. "I'll go make something."
"No need for that," Kyle says, making her turn around. "Rae and I will go out and eat outside. You go to Trevor."
"But why?" Jess asks in a whiny voice. "I was planning to spend my afternoon with her."
"Go spend it with him. It's Sunday, you're both free."
"You always ruin my plans, Kyle."
"Just go, Sis. You'll thank me later."
Shrugging, she grabs her bag from the couch. "Fine, but you'll make it up to me tomorrow. You guys will take me to any club I choose and you'll be paying, bro."
"Only if Trevor's coming along." Kyle smirks at her.
"Trevor, Trevor, Trevor!" She rolls her eyes in annoyance. "He's my boyfriend, not yours. Forget about him for once!"
This one must've been a big fight. Oh Trevor, what on earth did you do this time?
She glares at Kyle as he chuckles. Her expression softenes as she looks at me. "Bye, Rae. Have fun and try to avoid the negative thoughts, okay?"
I nod and she gives Kyle one last annoyed look before leaving.
He looks back at me and brushes my hair back with his fingers. "Should I cook or do you wanna order something?"
"But you just told her we'll be going out." I widen my eyes in surprise.
"Yeah, so she can leave us alone."
"That's so cruel." I shake my head while chuckling.
"Trevor wants to be with her anyway. They had a fight this morning and she turned off her phone. He just called me to ask if she's here so I sent her away for his sake."
"I guess she'll be happy about it once they make up."
"So, do you wanna stay here or go out? You haven't stepped outside in a week so getting fresh air could be good for you." He holds my hand and glances down at my body. "I feel like you're getting skinnier too. You're not eating much."
"You're right. Let's go out today." I nod, standing up. "I'll go get changed. You just got home so get some rest while you still can."
"Okay," He stands up after me and holds my chin with his hand as he gives me a kiss. "Grab a jacket too 'cause its cloudy today."
I nod and walk into the bedroom while he lies back down on the couch. I get dressed in casual jeans and a hoodie and apply a little bit of makeup before going back to the living room.
Kyle is still lying down on the couch with his arm covering his face. I walk closer to him and tug at his hair playfully. "You're falling asleep, aren't you?"
He looks up at me and grins. "Nope. Let's go."
"Get your ass up then." I chuckle, pulling his hand.
But he pulls me down instead. I gasp as I land on top of him. "You're gonna ruin my bun. I worked on it for ten minutes."
He raises an eyebrow while reaching up and pulling my hairband out of my hair.
"You did not just--"
"Oh I did. What are you gonna do about it?"
He chuckles as I stare at him in disbelief. "Let your hair down today. I told you it's cold outside."
"Like that's gonna make a difference." I snort and climb off of him. "My hair barely reaches my shoulders."
I listen to him anyway and leave my hair down as he gets up from the couch.
We decide to walk since it only takes twenty minutes on foot. With my left hand hooked in his arm, we chat about random stuff as we slowly make our way to the diner.
We walk inside and sit next to each other just as it starts raining heavily. We eat lunch and wait for the rain to stop falling which takes about forty minutes.
When we walk outside, the air has gotten colder and the strong wind almost rocks us back on our heels. Kyle glances at me and pulls my hood over my head. He hugs me closer to his side as we walk down the street.
We pass by a public park and two little boys flying their identical kites catch my attention. They're laughing and running as fast as their little legs can go as their mom chases after them.
Kyle grins at me because he knows how much I love children. "We'll have our own, someday."
I giggle like a little girl from excitement. "Yes, we will."
I smile as I suddenly remember something. "I forgot to tell you, but Shelley emailed me last week. She's finally getting married next month and we're both invited."
"Really? That's great." He smiles back and shakes his head. "It's about time. They've been looking forward to this for years now."
"I know, right? I'm glad he finally moved here for good. Do you think the others are gonna be there too? At the wedding? It would be nice to see them all. Especially May and Star."
"I think so. I mean we can't possibly be the only ones who Shelley kept in touch with."
His phone suddenly rings and he takes it out of his pocket. He stares at his screen for a few seconds, and I curiously glance at it. I see the name Shawn and it immediately rings a bell.
It doesn't take long for me to remember why. Kyle had told me that he was the one who helped him find Jess while I was still in the hospital.
"We hadn't talked in more than a year. Why now?" he mumbles.
"Pick up." I remind Kyle, eager to know what the guy wanted from him.
He nods and picks up. "Hello?"
"Yeah, I know, I had your number. How are you?" I can't hear what's being said on the other side of the line, but judging from the frown on Kyle's face it can't possibly be good news.
"What do you mean. What's wrong?"
It seems like Shawn is explaining something because Kyle remains silent for a while.
"So, are you saying--" He gets cut off and quietly listens for a few seconds.
His face suddenly pales and my heart jumps in my chest. But I don't ask anything until he thanks the guy and hangs up.
"W-- what is it?" I manage to whisper.
He blinks and looks at me. And with an emotionless voice he says, "My father died."