Chapter 69

**ARIA**

I feel like my head's going to explode, but it felt good. It's been a long time since I let go, in fact I wonder if it's ever happened to me before. 
I open my eyes with difficulty, groaning. Once I've opened them fully, I sit back against the bed frame. The bed is empty, but a glass of water and two tablets lie on the bedside table. Adam comes out of the bathroom just as I'm about to take them. He looks at me amused as he pulls on his T-shirt while I swallow the tablets. 

“Please don't say anything.” I tell him, putting the glass back down. 

At the same time, Austin enters the room with a tray in his hands.

“Sleeping Beauty has woken up it seems.” He says as he sets the tray down in front of me and kisses me on the forehead. 

“Do you have to talk so loud?” I ask him as I take a sip of coffee.

“Don't worry, love. The hangover will pass quickly... the perks of being a werewolf.” 

"Good thing. I hope I haven't covered myself in ridicule.” I tell them before biting into a slice of toast. Looking up, I see them exchanging amused glances. Damn, it sure looks like I covered myself in ridicule last night. 

“We could see your... total lack of sense of rhythm.” Austin says to me, laughing. I slap him on the arm. 

“I haven't had much opportunity to go out and practice dancing.” I tell him, pouting.

“We could have a party if you want.” Adam says to us before sitting down on the other side. “Getting out of here with everything that's happened is complicated, but we can organize something here, with Sasha, Leila, Cassius and a few others.” 

"I don't see you partying." Austin tells him with a smirk.

“Oh but you know I have a better sense of rhythm than she does.” He responds by showing me with his thumb. 

“Hey I'm here and it's not okay to make fun of me.” I tell him with my mouth full.

“Sorry babe, but Austin seems to have forgotten that I have more experience than he does on... pretty much everything.” 

“Wow okay old man I believe you.” He replies.

It's nice to see them bickering nicely, I can easily see myself spending eternity between these two. I'd almost forget everything that's happened in the last few months, everything I've lost. Suddenly, melancholy overcomes me as my hangover leaves me. My head no longer hurts, but it's my heart that's bleeding. I notice Austin and Adam's alert faces, but I hadn't noticed that tears are streaming down my face and I can't contain them.

“I'm so sorry. I don't know what's happening to me. I can't stop.” I sob.

"Don't you ever apologize for the way you feel, love." Austin says as he holds me close.

The mattress sags on the other side of me and Adam rests his head on mine. “Cry if you need to.”

“I miss him so much.” I sniffle. “I didn't get to say goodbye.” I sniffle. “And besides, I hardly remember my mother. I can't remember her face or her voice.” I can't control the tears or my hiccups. 

Two hands caressing my back all the time and I can't stop crying. I must look awful with all these tears.

“Do you want me to ask your brother to come over?” Austin asks me.

“Yes, please.”

***

The rain tapped softly against the window as I sat curled up on the couch, hugging my knees to my chest. The room felt too big, too quiet, like the walls themselves were mourning.

“Cassius?” I said quietly, my voice barely louder than the rain.

He was sitting in an old armchair, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He looked up at me, his dark, thoughtful eyes meeting mine. His shoulders were so broad they practically filled the chair, and even sitting down, he seemed to tower over everything.

“What’s up, Aria?” he asked, his voice low and calm, like it always was when he was trying to make me feel safe.

I hesitated, biting my lip. “Do you... do you ever forget things about Mom?”

His face softened, his brow furrowing just a little as he straightened up. “What do you mean?”

“I mean...” My voice wavered, and I stared down at my knees. “I don’t remember her laugh anymore. Or the way her hands felt when she tucked me in. I used to, but now it’s all blurry. And I’m scared, Cass. What if... what if I forget Dad, too?”

My throat tightened, and before I could stop myself, I started crying, the words tumbling out between sobs. “I don’t want to forget them. I don’t want to lose them, but I can’t hold onto it all. It’s slipping away.”

I felt the couch dip as Cassius moved beside me, his big arm wrapping around my shoulders. He pulled me in close, and even though I felt so small next to him, I also felt a little less lost.

“Aria,” he said, his voice soft but steady, “you’re not going to forget them. Not really. Those memories—they’re part of you, even if they don’t feel clear right now. Think of them like... like roots in the ground. You can’t always see them, but they’re there, holding you up.”

I sniffled, tilting my head to look up at him. “But what if they’re gone? What if I forget everything?”

He leaned down, his voice firmer this time. “You won’t. Even if you don’t remember every detail, the important stuff—the love they gave us, who they were—that’s not going anywhere. And you’ve got me. I won’t let you lose them, okay?”

I blinked at him, his words sinking in, but the fear still lingered. “How can you be so sure?” I whispered.

He smiled a little, and it wasn’t the kind of smile that ignored the sadness—it was the kind that fought through it. “Because we’ll keep them alive. Remember how Mom always hummed that tune while she cooked? What was it again?”

I hesitated, and then, despite myself, I smiled. “Greensleeves.”

“Yeah,” he said, chuckling. “And Dad with his awful jokes? He’d keep telling them until we laughed just to get him to stop.”

I nodded, a tear sliding down my cheek, but it felt warmer now, less heavy. “He thought he was hilarious.”

“He did,” Cassius said, grinning. “And you know what? We’ll keep telling those stories. We’ll write them down if we need to. We’ll make sure they’re always with us, no matter what.”

I looked at him for a long moment, then leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his waist. His hand rested on my back, big and solid and strong.

“Promise?” I asked, my voice muffled against his chest.

“I promise,” he said, his voice low and protective. “I’ve got you, Aria. Always.”

The rain outside started to fade into a light drizzle, and the room felt warmer, like some of the heaviness had lifted. Cassius held me close, and for the first time in weeks, I didn’t feel so afraid.