[Twice Featured Noteworthy Novel & Staff Pick on Tapas.io] ✔
[Previously featured on Tapas.io's LGBTQ+ Community collection] ✔
One night. That was all it took for Senn Reyes' life to change drastically--and permanently.
Senn Reyes is a seventeen-y...
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Wednesday
It was an understatement to say Senn felt relieved when Julian went home around eleven in the evening, and he could go to bed without feeling guilty for leaving. Julian seemed so glad when Senn told him they could definitely hang out to see just exactly how Senn felt about him while missing a lot of memories.
Senn too was kind of excited since he was definitely interested in Julian, and curious to figure out his feelings.
But there was still Elio, and the fact he missed the boy ever since they left the bathrooms and went separate ways. Elio made him feel better without putting much effort into it, and he had been the one who got Senn to go out a little more. He was the one who stuck sticky notes in his diary to give him reasons to continue; to help find a purpose. He was the one who seemed to really understand the guilt Senn was dealing with.
But when he went to bed, turning of his nightlight, there was a gentle knock on his door.
"Yeah?" Senn asked, expecting Killian to be the one to enter his room. It was, however, aunt Tessa, and she brought cookies and milk with her.
"I'm just checking in," she said, placing the late-night snacks on his nightstand. "To make sure you're doing okay, not to check on you." She chuckled, awkwardly standing next to the bed.
There really wasn't any other place to sit, so Senn scooted aside to offer her a place to sit on the bed.
"I'm okay," Senn told her, sitting up to grab a cookie. "You know, not happy, but... okay."
She simply nodded, grabbing a cookie of her own. "It's normal not to feel happy. I understand that. It's hard, and missing Felicia every day reminds me of the void in your life. Or Killian's for that matter."
"I never really realized you lost your sister," Senn muttered, feeling embarrassed. It felt selfish for how much he had made things about him. He wasn't the only one dealing with a loss. Yeah, he had been there, but that didn't mean Tessa wasn't grieving either. "I don't think I ever asked how you're doing."
"No, but I don't expect you to look after me, Senn." Tessa smiled warmly, pushing hair out of his face in a loving way only a mother could. Senn missed that, and he allowed himself to enjoy the warmth it caused inside him.
"I know. I've just been dealing with so much, I don't think there was room for other people's problems or feelings," he admitted with a sigh, grabbing a glass of milk. "I'm not sure if I could deal with it already."
"Which is why we shouldn't be talking about me, but about you. If you want to talk at all."
"I don't know what I should talk about."
"Anything you want to tell me."
Senn bit his lip, looking at Tessa. Did she expect him to talk about the accident? Or about how much he still missed his parents every day? Or was she aiming for something completely different? The answer came after a short silence in which he contemplated on actually telling her more about what he still remembered, and his fears to forget more about his parents while time passed. Tessa, however, spoke before he could.
