The day of the memorial service

Gwen

23rd December

I left the house quietly, wearing a white turtleneck sweater and a black blazer over it with black pants, without waking mom and dad. It was drizzling outside. The morning chilly breeze and raindrops made the day even sad for a handful of people attending the service. Elijah had told me the people who were on the list and it definitely didn't include Edwin and his father. I didn't even expect anyone from Ethan's family to be on the list because he had only known two people as his family who also ditched him.

I wiped off the water from my black blazer which I couldn't save from getting wet even under the umbrella as I got off the taxi. The gates to the cemetery ground were wide open and I could see a few people dressed in black roaming around.

I walked with sturdy steps, because I was afraid I would fall because of how I was feeling as I was slowly approaching the grave of the one I loved. I looked around and saw a group of people standing at the grave of their dear one, not caring if they were getting drenched in rain. It was foggy, but I could see the tears in their eyes.

I continued looking around when I finally spotted Elijah and his father dressed in black tux suits with black bows and their best shoes. I froze and stood where I was. I didn't want to go anymore near Ethan's grave.

I watched Elijah say something to his dad before he started walking towards me. I dropped the umbrella on the side, letting the droplets hit me. Elijah looked at me in surprise as his pace got faster and he quickly approached me. He picked up the umbrella and shielded me from the raindrops while he himself was getting doused.

"You'll catch a cold." He said. I lowered my head, slowly shaking my head in denial and stepped back. He furrowed his eyebrows but the next moment, he closed the umbrella and grabbed my arm to take me along.

I felt relief flush over as the drops fell on my cheeks. I could finally cry without Elijah noticing it.

Elijah

Even though it was hard to tell between raindrops and tears, I knew she was crying.

A few minutes passed as we waited for the fourth and last person to join us.

"I couldn't get flowers." Gwen said in her tiny voice and I looked over my shoulder, finding her shivering in cold.

"It's completely fine." I reassured her.

"It's not." She looked like she was hating herself for not bringing flowers for Ethan. I looked at dad who was talking to another man. I walked over to them and carefully picked out a white rose from the bouquet that dad had brought for Ethan.

I went back to Gwen and gave her the rose," Here. Give this to him." I said and she immediately looked up at me with an expression I couldn't name. It was more than a 'Thank you.'

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" A woman exclaimed as she approached me and Gwen. Dad too walked over to us as we all gathered.

"Ms. Frost..." Gwen uttered as she saw the last person we had invited. She smiled and they hugged each other.

"Shall we proceed?" Dad asked and received a nod from all three of us. We followed him further into the Memorial ground. Dad was leading, I was following behind and Gwen and Ms. Frost were walking together with their arms tugged into each others.

The rain was getting heavier and the breeze was blowing a lot more faster. Dark clouds soon took over. It was the coming of a thunderstorm.

.

.

.

And so we all stood, the thundering rain was beating down upon us. Gwen shivered in her blazer and dad stood absolutely quiet with his eyes shut as he prayed. A droplet trickled down his nose and fell on the soggy soil beneath him. The clouds didn't move on. There was a constant state of depression in the sky.

I clutched my hands together. I couldn't feel the tips of my fingers or my nose. My fists were freezing and my suit was completely soaked.

We all were standing in a line, on the dewy, green grass, staring at the same thing. There, in plain sight, stood the marble carved stone of Ethan Miler.

In loving memory of

Ethan Miler

(2001- 2018)

Gwen buckled first, falling on her knees. We did the same, joining our hands together and silently said our goodbyes to him.

I raised and picked up the bouquet that was kept on the ground between dad and me. Dad joined me and the two of us placed it on the stone together.

"Rest in peace." We spoke at the same time and stepped back for Ms. Frost. She took off her glasses and bent down to Ethan's gravestone, putting her bouquet of lilies.

We all then turned to Gwen, who was still on her knees. She wasn't moving an inch.

Gwen

My chest was filled up with remorse. I knew everyone was waiting for me, but I wasn't able to move. I gripped the stem of the rose tightly in my hand. Ethan's grave was right in front of me. Yet, I couldn't believe we were bidding him a farewell. Knowing him felt like yesterday. Everything felt like yesterday. I felt I had seen him in school like on any other day, sitting and solving papers or chatting away with others in the canteen. Like, just yesterday he had spoken on the stage. Those eyes full of ambitions, that face, who could say goodbye to such a person?

"Gwen," Elijah spoke, lifting me up from the ground," You have to let him go."

I looked down at the white rose and nodded. I took a step forward.

I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry.

But the moment I saw the gravestone and his name written on it gracefully, tears welled up and my heart started pounding loudly. I clenched my jaw and shut my eyes tightly, suspending the tears out.

No. How could he just leave? He's still here. I...feel him.

An arm wrapped around me and pulled me back into a hug. I didn't know Elijah's grip could be that strong before he enveloped me into his arms to make me feel safe.

"Don't go hard on yourself." Elijah whispered.

"I'm...not saying goodbye...yet." I asserted and he patted my back gently before pulling away. I didn't think he was agreeing with me. He was just letting me do what I wanted to because I seemed so vulnerable that anything could break me into pieces. He didn't want to argue with me. But I was glad he had given me the liberty to think what I wanted to.

I turned away from the grave to leave. Elijah's father raised an eyebrow as a question and Elijah just said," Let's head back home." taking the both of them away while I was left behind.

I looked at the rose I was holding once again. I wasn't going to put it on the gravestone. I wanted to convince myself that he was still there by not putting it over.

I tucked the flower inside the large pocket of my blazer and started walking away. I couldn't find the three of them as the place was suddenly a huge rush as people were starting to head back home. The weather was becoming more and more cruel.

The clouds were roaring, followed by loud lightning noises and flashes in the sky. I looked up towards the sky while walking, that was earlier foggy, yet white and now appeared greyish-black.

The moment I focused back on the way ahead of me, I tumbled on the edge of a fresh puddle and lost balance when a man with an umbrella who was coincidentally walking past me at that moment, held me by the shoulder and saved me from falling on the ground. He too was apparently there for a memorial service as he was dressed in black and white suit. I noticed a black rose in his hand, which he almost dropped in the puddle while helping me but saved it somehow.

"I'm so sorry about that." I apologized," Are you alright sir? I asked, trying to look at his face under the black umbrella but failed. I could only see a part of his clean-shaved jaw.

He didn't speak and walked straight into the direction that I was returning from. While everyone else was rushing out, he was the only one, gripping the black rose in his hand tightly and walking in the opposite direction. He was probably late.

"Thank you!" I shouted from behind him, hoping he heard me.

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.

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I walked out of the memorial ground and started looking around for a taxi but before I could spot one, I heard Elijah call me out.

"To your left!"

I turned around and saw Elijah, his dad and Ms. Frost standing across the road at a distance in my left. Elijah gestured towards me, asking me to go to them. I was taken by surprise that they hadn't left yet. I hurried over to them, thinking they had been waiting for me out in the rain.

"Are you okay?" Ms. Frost asked me and I nodded.

"We'll drop you home. Ms. Frost's car broke down." Elijah said.

"The water always gets to the engine. It's very troublesome." She added.

"Thank you." I thanked him as Ms. Frost and I got into the back seat and Elijah on the co-driver's seat.

The drive was initially quiet, or not, because Mr. Cooper was having an important call and the rest of us were sitting quietly. He was talking to someone about how to go about with the case and it seemed things weren't getting through to the person on the other end.

Mr. Cooper finally sighed and hung up," Nobody wants to stand up against that billionaire and his son in court."

"Didn't you have that lawyer friend of yours?" Elijah asked.

"I've long lost contact with him." He answered.

"We only have one option then." Elijah sighed to which his dad immediately retorted," Don't even consider her as an option."

"Dad, everything that we all have done so far was for one person. Ethan. We were all selflessly helping him out and we have to continue doing that even now. Please keep your personal matters aside for once." Elijah said

"I couldn't get through that woman my whole life. Do you think she'd listen to me now?" His dad asked, aggressively honking at nothing but a pole.

"Not even as a friend?" Elijah asked.

"Not even as a friend."

"Then I'll have to ask her as her son." Elijah folded his arms and looked ahead. Ms. frost and I exchanged confused glances and then I understood who they were talking about. I whispered it in her ear and she nodded with her mouth open as she understood too.

"I'll ask her, alright? And if she says she won't take our case, don't expect me to try convincing her the second time." Mr. Cooper asserted and Elijah smiled proudly.

"Ms. Frost, when did you say was your wedding?" Mr. Cooper asked, breaking the silence five minutes later.

"It's on New Year. I was unsure of inviting you all. You must be busy and-" Ms. Frost answered when I remembered she had told me about it in the hospital a month back.

"It's alright, We'd like to come. We'll hopefully get over this sad feeling by coming to your wedding. We really need to catch a break." Mr. Cooper said.

"Right." Elijah agreed.

"Yes...that's right." I agreed too.

"Then I'd be very pleased." Ms. Frost smiled.