Marabella
I awoke at Jonah’s the following day, three days after the altercation with Eziah. My parents have been annoying the hell out of me, and I swear if I get one more positive affirmation meme from my father, I may just drive up there to shove his phone up his ass. Every day is like clockwork, they all video chat like they are worried I would try to kill myself again.
Although, I am way more concerned about Kyan’s state of mind than my own. We haven’t heard from him since Jonah brought me here to the apartment. Not one word. However, today is Lucas’s funeral, so I will get to see him.
As I climb out of Jonah’s car, he grabs my hand and pulls me to the burial ground of Kyan’s family, weaving us through the cemetery to the back. It is odd. I half expected the service to be held at the manor, since it has its own graveyard.
“I thought more people would show up,” I whisper to Jonah. Looking around, only Kyan and Andrei are standing beside the grave that has already been dug. Not even Sage is here, which I think is odd. Lucas and Andrei were best friends, so I thought she would have come.
“Kyan only invited dad, mom, and us. Mom couldn’t handle it. Stress has gotten to her bad, and dad has been having to sedate her again,” Jonah whispers, and I glance at him.
“Why, what happened?” I ask, worried for Aunty Sage.
“The whole Vince and Casen thing, you know mom’s fragile and not in a good place right now. She thinks Dad is keeping things from her, and her anxiety has been playing havoc,” Jonah tells me.
“Well, he did, kind of keep it from her,” I mumble, and Jonah sighs.
Walking through the small fence, a shudder runs through me as we enter his family plot. Suddenly, an electric current rushes through me and stops me in my tracks. It is an unnerving sensation. Taking a look down at the ground, I realize I have walked right past the grave of his father. My brows furrow, and my footsteps falter as if something is halting me from going any further.
Andrei, noticing us, walks over, and he grips his son’s shoulder. Yet, my eyes go to Kyan, who stands silently next to his uncle’s coffin. Kyan is wearing a dark blue navy suit, the jacket is open and his hands are fisted in his pockets. His jaw is clenched while he stares blankly ahead. I peek up at Jonah, who is talking to his father.
With one last glance down at his father’s tombstone, I let go of Jonah’s hand and wander over to Kyan and stop beside him. He still has his hands in his pockets. Without thinking, I slip my hand into his and grab his hand in mine. He looks down at his pocket before pulling his hand back out and squeezes mine gently.
“I didn’t think you would come,” he whispers.
“Kind of owe my life to him; it would be a bit rude not to. Plus, he made good scones,” I tell him, and he chuckles.
“He did and jams,” Kyan laughs to himself.
Jonah walks up behind us and grabs Kyan’s shoulder and pulls him back against him. Jonah wraps his arm around his chest from behind, and rests his chin on Kyan’s shoulder. Kyan, surprisingly, reaches up with his free hand and grips the back of Jonah’s neck.
“Love you, bro,” Jonah says, smacking Kyan’s chest softly.
Kyan nods, then lets him go and grips Jonah’s hand on his chest; he squeezes Jonah’s hand before letting him go. Jonah moves beside me, his hand goes to my waist, as we listen to the man holding the small service.
Andrei says a few words, but Kyan just nods and clenches his jaw as the coffin is lowered. When it is done, he turns to me, leans down, pecks my cheek and lets my hand go. I peer up at him, but Kyan looks away from me, so I step closer, wrapping my arms around his waist and pressing my ear against his chest. His heart stutters but Kyan remains frozen for a second before one arm goes around me while his other hand goes to my hair.
We stand there like that for a few moments, and I don’t want to let him go, but eventually he pries my arms from around him. “Kyan?”
“Not now, Ella,” Kyan murmurs, before he walks away. I stare after him, and so does Jonah. Jonah’s brows furrow with worry as he pulls me closer to him.
“Want me to check on him before I go home?” Andrei asks Jonah, and he nods. His father quickly hugs him before hugging me and walking out of the graveyard after Kyan.
We follow, although the same thing happens again when I pass Dominic’s grave. The same violent shudder runs up my spine, and Jonah stops looking down at me when I pause. I try to make sense of the strange sensation that has once again overwhelmed me.
“What’s wrong? Your emotions are strange,” Jonah murmurs, leaning down.
I shake my head and suck in a breath. “Nothing, just got a strange feeling when I walked past it,” I answer.
Once we are back home, Andrei rings to say Kyan went to work, and I move to the couch. My phone starts buzzing as my parents try to ring me. Shaking my head, I toss it on the sofa beside me and ignore it. I am not really in the mood to feel like talking and I’m definitely not in the mood to hear about pack drama.
Jonah comes to sit with me, flicking on the TV and scanning through the apps for something to watch, when we hear a knock on the door. I glance over the back of the couch when the sound of keys turning in the lock reaches my ears. Jonah tugs me against him, kissing the side of my head.
“It’s just Kyan; I thought I felt him getting closer,” he whispers, and the door opens.
Kyan steps into the apartment and shuts the door. I watch him and he moves toward the kitchen. He drops his keys on the bench, then walks into the living room. He says nothing, just sits down beside Jonah and me, and I wait for him to say something, but he doesn’t.
Kyan just stares vacantly at the TV, not really watching it like he is stuck in his own thoughts. Jonah orders takeout when it is dinner time. Kyan looks over the back of the couch to where Jonah stands in the kitchen on hold with someone downstairs.