31They had more than just friendship between them. She was the strong one before, but now the tables have turned. He's still in love with her, but is she strong enough to take another chance? Sequel to OWaCD.
In case you guys forgot from OWaCD, David is Danielle's older brother. He appeared in chapter two of OWaCD if you need to go back and reference.
David walked into his parents' house and sighed, breathing in the scented candles his mother burned constantly. The house was quiet, except for the sound of shuffling feet in the kitchen. This wasn't David's home. He hadn't ever spent much time in the house; he was definitely more comfortable in his little apartment. The furniture was the same from his childhood, though. He smiled, memories flooding him.
Then, David frowned.
A deep, gut wrenching hurt swept through him. His throat tightened and his eyes threatened to tear.
Had his mother really passed away two days ago?
David pulled at the cuff of his suit. Black—that was the only color his wardrobe consisted of. Even before his mother had passed away, David knew. All of the Hilson family, including Mrs. Hilson, knew that the end was near. Mrs. Hilson's battle with a brain tumor was a rough and ugly one. Nothing could have prepared the family of four for something so nasty.
The tumor had gone unnoticed for God know how long. David remembered receiving a phone call from his father, and feeling the dread in his body. It only took two months for the tumor to take his mother's life.
The hurt of losing his mother had taken a severe toll on David. It felt as if a hole was punched into his chest, and his head wouldn't stop thinking.
He just wanted to stop thinking; he wanted to stop remembering.
"David," his father said, voice sounding strange. David looked up slowly from the couch he had been staring at and moved his eyes to his father. Mr. Hilson had aged considerably since the knowledge of his wife's tumor. He was more jagged look: dark circles encompassed his eyes and his lips pulled to a constant frown. David could practically feel the hurt rolling off of his father.
"Dad, I-" David stumbled over his words, willing his tears to stop forming. Mr. Hilson's frown deepened as he watched his son fall apart in front of him. Mr. Hilson had cried his share of tears, and his son had been there for him. His daughter, Danielle, had barely shown her hurt to the remaining family members.
Mr. Hilson hadn't seen his daughter's tears since the day of Mrs. Hilson's death. The memory plagued him every moment of every day. The sound of the heart monitor leveling was a fermata Mr. Hilson never wanted to hear. He pulled at his hair, the little that he had left, trying to rid himself of the feel of his wife's hand. He couldn't stand remembering her last tears, her last words, and her last touch. Mr. Hilson breathed a heavy sigh each time his wife came to mind.
David fell into his father's arms, clutching at the soft cotton of the worn black t-shirt. That was the only color that seemed to exist in the house. It wasn't even a color. Black is the absence of color. David cried, a heart-wrenching moan that started in his gut and fell from his lips. His chest hurt.
It felt so good to hurt, though. David would rather hurt than feel apathetic to his mother's death. The hurt reassured him that the world wasn't revolving without him. It reminded him that mourning was a process, and often times a very long process. At least I'm going through it all, Mom.
Danielle sat on the stairs, watching as her brother broke apart in their father's arms. David had never cried before, never in front of other people at least. In the past two days, Danielle had seen more than enough tears. The family was sad, and it made Danielle angry.
She wouldn't be sad. She would mourn, but on her own. The world keeps revolving. Danielle wouldn't stop moving. She wouldn't allow herself to break down. Her family needed her.
Mr. Hilson cried into his son's shoulder silently, praying that his daughter would cry also. Please, Emily, help our daughter mourn.
A/N: This is a more somber chapter. I'm sorry for throwing a lot of death in everyone's face, but that's just how it is. Apologizes for a short chapter also, but I didn't want to drag out all of the emotions and events leading up to Mrs. Hilson's death. I thought it'd be better to just bring you guys to the "now" or present of the story.
ALSO! I have a new story up entitled "The Romantic." I'd really appreciate some feed back for it. Thanks for favoriting/story alerting/reviewing LaC!
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lots of love, Lana