Issues

Epilogue

Setting: Rose Hills Memorial Park, Los Angeles, CA

Trey clutched the bouquet of red roses that he had picked up from one of those street vendors who sold every kind of flower imaginable – and oranges for some reason – before exiting his car and locking the door behind him. It had rained last night so his sneakers made a squishy sound against the wet grass as he made his way towards the back of the cemetery. There were no remains actually buried but there was a plaque there that represented him and Demi's son. They had both been convinced that it was a boy, even though the baby wasn't developed enough for them to tell. Just to help with the grieving process, Kris had suggested that they do some kind of funeral for him, but when it was actually supposed to happen, Demi had tried to kill herself. While she was in treatment, Trey completed the project, and he let Demi know, but he wasn't sure if she had ever come to visit.

Trey had. He visited every year on the anniversary of her miscarriage and just reflected on life. That miscarriage had changed a lot. It had been a defining moment in his life, the moment when he truly lost Demi. Since he had been invited to her wedding by her fiancé – that was still weird to him – they had tried to keep in touch as friends but as the years went on, all communication dropped. He didn't see her at a lot of the industry events anymore, and according to news sites, it was because she had taken a break from the spotlight to be with her family. But that was three years ago and she was still kind off of the scene.

Trey continued his trek up the small hill, fiddling with the flowers in his hand as he finally made it over the small hill and near the gate where the plaque was. But there was someone else already there. And judging by the shiny dark waves that tumbled down her back and the Louboutins that had a clump of dirt stuck to the heels, it was Demi.

Trey approached her quietly, not wanting to startle her or disturb her, but he hit a particularly wet patch in the grass, and the sound caused Demi to stand up and turn around.

"Trey..." she said, almost in a whisper, and she looked exactly the same.

She was nearing thirty but he couldn't tell. He had always wondered how she had managed to survive a cocaine addiction and come out looking better than before, but he never asked her about it. It seemed like a rude thing to say. She was dressed in a classic black bodycon dress, probably something expensive that was designed by her husband, and her body had filled out a lot more. Pearls were secured in her ears and even though she got Lasik years ago, she was actually wearing a pair of square framed glasses.

"Demi, hi...I didn't know you came here," Trey said, setting the roses down on top of the plaque as Demi tugged at the sleeve of her Burberry trench coat.

"I don't...usually, but I've been thinking about him lately so..." her hand ghosted over her stomach, and Trey wanted to ask if she had been thinking about their son because she was pregnant again, but it really wasn't any of his business.

"I haven't heard from you in a while. We should catch up," Trey suggested, knowing that he was probably going to get shot down just because that's how Demi was.

"Um," she was probably trying to find an easy way to let him down. "I actually should get going. I have to go pick up my daughter..."

Her phone let out a ping in her pocket so she pulled it out, her nose scrunching up as she read whatever notification had popped up before slipping her phone in her pocket again.

"Actually, catching up sounds great. How about Nobu?" Demi asked with a smile on her face as Trey playfully rolled his eyes.

"You know I don't eat raw fish. Did you drive?" he asked as Demi fixed her Givenchy purse on her arm.

"No, my driver dropped me off. Do you mind if we ride together or should we just pick a place and I'll meet you there?" Demi asked, her head tilting to the side a little bit as she weighed the options.

"I'll drive you. Come on," he said, placing his hand on the small of her back as she smiled at him, then looked away when he caught her staring. He helped her into his Audi R8 and turned the heat on just the way she liked it, watching her get comfortable in the car before he drove off.

Yeah, I got issues
And one of them is how bad I need you

I've really enjoyed writing this story for you guys. It was completely different from everything I've written and I got my confidence back in writing. I'm not going to say I'm not going to post anymore stories bc I said that with young and beautiful yet here we are! Thanks for reading this and coming with me on this journey! I've absolutely loved reading all of your comments. Until next time