To Endure A Little More

SEVENTEEN

"So... this means he knows..."

"He knows." Aelia's heart skipped a beat as a shiver of unease quivers down her spine at her realization about the situation. Terrans verification causes for breathing to get deeper as she tries to remain calm at her best.

"Fault is indeed ours... we shouldn't have abandoned him when he needed us most." Terran sighed. Eyes darted to the floor. Unsure of how to feel about the situation, he didn't know to face the actuality. Aelia too couldn't dare make eye contact either or else she'd break. She knew she would. She felt sensitive and fragile and that caused her to be terrified by the truth before her eyes. She had already been in a state of shock at discovering the truth about Jeremy's condition but now seeing that Luan has revived his memories, which was something she has prayed for not to happen, she was in a state of incredulousness with the inability and refusal to accept everything that has turned out to be true and real. 

Jeremy sat on the bed, back to being tied to the machines. Except the only difference was that this time, he was awake. Albeit, his mind still couldn't process the reality his eyes were picturing to him. He felt caught in bewilderment.

"W-we broke the p-promise we swore we would never give up on. No matter what, we were to stick together." Aelia finally cried. She had grown tired of holding herself together when in actuality she was shattering internally. "Looks like fate was more determined to keep our bond tied, more than we ever tried."

When all was said and admitted, she at length lets hers tears flow out. Terran begins to grow sensitive and immediately holds her tightly in his embrace. He decides to be strong for her because he could not stand to see his best friend break in front of his eyes, once again. Even though, he himself was feeling weaker by every painful, passing second there were managing to stay alive through. By hook or crook, in one way or another, life somehow kept hitting them again and again. And Terran no more had the strength and patience in himself to withstand the constant pain life has been offering ever since, while surviving through with hope to see the end of it someday; not any more when his sister in heart was barely capable of holding on, let alone he himself. Their pain was overwhelming them like there could not be any more pain, for all one knows, could they imagine for them or anybody else to have to go through.

Jeremy too could not bear to see his two friends he cared beyond words about, break in front of him; not when he had no clue on how he could make them feel better. He clenches his fists just like his heart did inside his chest as he tries to simmer down and get hold of himself, nails digging into the skin of his palm. He never knew he cared this much; until this point as he realized how even seeing them lose tear caused him to be as he notices Aelia break into cries.  

"Sshh Sun, we will figure it all out, mm?" Terran gives her a soft, feathery kiss on the forehead to bring her comfort. "For now, let's focus on all the things that need to be figured out today. To look over, not everything that happened today was bad." He smiles faintly at Aelia to console the latter, his motioning her towards the befuddled man on her bed who was glancing at the two with doe eyes of an innocent bunny, blinking cluelessly. She wipes her tears away as well as her best friend's before getting up to sit next to Jeremy on the soft comforter of the bed.

"Yes. We got Jun back. Best thing that has happened out of all" She said, beaming out a weak grin at Jeremy; the kind of smile that seems to radiate happiness. The man's heart skipped a beat; also at the new nickname he got from Aelia, he noticed. She'd usually call him simply Jeremy, or Jer if the entire name felt too long to say which he was used to. The name Jun is of Chinese origin which means King, Handsome, Talented and et cetera. Albeit perhaps Aelia herself was not aware of the meaning of the name she had given to the young man but the latter's heart still fluttered at every time the new name rolled out of Aelia's lips for him. It meant to him more than anything he ever expected to receive from Aelia as a response to his feelings from her. Having her call him with a new nickname had him feel some type of way. He takes her small hands in his larger ones and massages it with pure love and consolation as Aelia flutters her eyes close, feeling better and comforted next to man who loved her blindly.

"Whatever it takes, I won't leave you I promise." Jeremy spoke with sincerity, looking her deeply in the eyes; his ones gleaming with adherence and affection which touches Aelia's heart. Processing the moment, she couldn't help but blush as her heart flutters in solace that his words brought her.

A knock on the door drags their attention away towards it and Terran opened the door to see Lilith, the secretary of Aelia's mother. She managed all the business work for Estelle Dallarosa on days she couldn't since she would be busy distracting herself or simply breaking down at the loss of her husband and friends instead, even though it has been long since the awful event. Lilith had supported them through the harsh time for long and had eventually turned to an elder-sister figure for Aelia... as well as for Terran too.

When Terran's brother would be out getting drunk and hooking up with ladies from the clubs he's made home in which was the result of losing his mother and his father who would break at home, getting drunk and ruining things out of anger just because he survived the fire his friends and his wife didn't, Terran would stay with Aelia to escape. The two best friends supported each other through the worst but after all gone and done, they were just two kids, terrified of the world after losing a parent each and their best friend too who lost his entire family. Lilith couldn't let them suffer alone so she stepped up to take care of them, turning into a almost foster family for the two teenagers.

While Lilith took care of Aelia's family business, Andrew took care of Terran's family's. Since Andrew studied in the medical line and was a doctor himself, he volunteered to take care of their business to help Terran's father whose company was of making medicines and owned one of the largest hospitals in the country. Lilith was Andrew's fiancé. They had got engaged just a month back. The two were like an older brother and sister for Terran and Aelia but the latter two respected them like they were their another set of parents because of the pain Lilith and Andrew took for their families when they were going through the harsh and the support they offered to the two helpless families.

"Aelia, the Peterson family believes you've returned from the trip. You guys must join the ball tonight, it's one of the most important events for the family and since we haven't responded to the invitation, they are growing worried if you guys are alright."

Oh right, the ball... Terran and Aelia thought at once. They look at Jeremy who finally seemed to serve attention after hearing his surname in the conversation.

"...what are the looks for?" He spoke innocently, flustered from being in spotlight all of a sudden, until it hit his mind. "...Are you guys talking about the party we through every year for father's birthday?! How long have I been out!"

Terran chuckled at the younger's response which made Jeremy let out another dramatic groan. He wanted to be the one throwing his father the party this year but as it seemed he failed to do so, it had him upset now.

"Looks like Jeremy's brain is working perfectly fine so I think we can risk attending the party then." Terran said with a hint of mock which cracked a laugh on Aelia's face. That smile warmed Jeremy's heart and he couldn't help but smile back and get over being upset for he couldn't prepare tonight's ball himself.

"Then I'll tell the production house to deliver the gown and suits for you three in an hour. Since it is a massive formal party, shall I call a makeup artist?"

"That'd be lovely, Lilith. And yes, please do call over a make up artist if you can. I'm sick of this blonde hair, I think grey would suit me better." Terran said, earning a glare from Aelia because she knew him well enough to know he'd dye his hair because its a dull and dead color. "Fine nevermind...I'll just dye my hair pink!" Aelia laughed for real this time at her best friend's expression and Jeremy could couldn't help but admire the bond between the two. He was glad Aelia had someone like Terran in her life, she is lucky.

"Yeah, it'd be great if the make up artist knows how to style the hair actually. My relatives would prefer my hair perfectly gelled and combed behind, they have a thing for tidiness and perfection and I am anything but that." Jeremy says as Aelia rolls her eyes.

"They probably just wanna see a shiny forehead to work as their mirror." Aelia jokes to console him although finding the urge in herself to state how wrong he is for lying about not being perfect.

At seeing Aelia bonding well with Jeremy, Terran was glad to see Aelia was ready move on. Jeremy was a good guy, despite his crazy attempts at looking cool just to impress her. Lilith smiled at the two, glad Aelia was letting a new future begin. All they could all hope was for it to be a better future.