Chapter # 61
Back in his apartment, sitting on the ground, hugging his knees close to chest, Nathaniel was staring at De Villiers' corpse with tears glistening on his cheeks for the past two hours.
In his black shirt with three buttons opened, an uneven collar, roughly rolled sleeves, scattered hair, in an absolutely messing state.
'Hey… still not going to wake up?" He called painfully, poking him a little, receiving no response in return.
He spent his entire life with him, he was the only permanent part of his life.
And watching him lie there lifeless had overwhelmed him.
'Not you too, my brother,"
Whispering weakly, his eyes stopped at Amanda who was sobbing miserably.
'Why did it have to be you?!"
She was holding De Villiers cold hand, pressed against her forehead as her tears were coating it.
'Please come back to me, my love, please!"
For once she believed to have attained her felicity, the life she imagined, that she found the man who loved purely and in a heartbeat- all of it was stolen from her.
'Please, for our baby, for me, for all of us, De Villiers, don't do this,"
Compassionate for her state, he placed his hand over her head as a sign to express his blessing yet she kept on weeping agonizingly.
At the mourning sight, his chest constriction, recalling how these two used to be with him all the time.
His childhood, his teenage, adulthood, all the time, sharing first drink together, joining the dark side once again together.
He was so used to his presence that it was too hard for him to accept his demise.
His lips quivered and his state worsened when Cinzel, his sister, arrived the second she heard about the news.
'Nathaniel,"
The moment he saw her, his posture broke.
Shifting to her knees, she embraced her brother who abruptly broke into the sob he held back to remain austere which he knew he couldn't
'Cinzel, look, look at him, what is wrong with him? Tell him to get up. I need him, he can't leave me like this,"
Shattering, the tears rolling down as a mark of his raze. He pointed weakly at the corpse while clinging onto his sister desperately.
"He was my only friend, my best friend, I grew up with him. We used to play together, how could he leave me alone?"
Whispering, he rested his head on her shoulder, holding her as his support and unshackled the grief he subdued.
'He was the only permanent person I had in my life."
But, failed miserably, not when his most precious friend was gone.
Zariah stayed at the back, tears shining on her face, well aware, her coming would deepen his scar yet the resonance of his sobbing pierced her.
'I lost our parents, Persephone, you were dead for me too, Alice, Zariah, he was the ONLY one who stayed since the beginning,"
Instinctively moving, she gave Cinzel a glass of water she could help Nathaniel to drink and got back immediately so he wouldn't notice her.
She would never desire his anguish.
'He can't fucking leave me when my good days were about to come!!"
'It's going to be alright, my brother, here, drink some water, this is going to be okay,"
Cinzel rubbed his back, helping him to drink but he shook his head in denial, holding his chest to express his ravage.
Breaths become unstable, abysmal darkness caging him, purloining his senses, his ability to react.
'It's going to be alright, don't worry, you two will get through this,"
Cinzel spoke in a low tone, kissing the top of his head and giving Amanda's shoulder a squeeze.
Sniffling, Nathaniel pulled away a little, pushing his scattered hair behind and wiped his tears.
'Please, for me, drink some water," She insisted, helping him to drink.
He didn't want to but knew if he would be fragmented, no one would be able to hold themselves together so he drank some water.
Taking a few deep breaths, he turned to Cinzel, staying beside him, rubbing his back for consolation. Shifting to her ear, he whispered.
'Help Amanda, she hadn't eaten anything, her condition is already like this. Take her with you and…"
Pausing, his dead eyes stopped at a certain woman who was too ashamed and afraid to lift her eyes from the ground.
His jaw clenched yet spoke out of care.
'And her too. Tell someone to change her bandage and eat something,"
Cinzel noticed something odd between them but it was not an appropriate time to ask about it. She nodded and went to Amanda for consolation.
Soon the time to take him for his final ceremony arrived. They knew they couldn't keep him with them forever.
The time to bid farewell came.
'Get up, Nathaniel, we have to take him,"
Prince called softly, giving his back a soft pat to lift from the ground.
'Here? Our home is in New York, we don't belong here," he whispered, hugging himself more.
'Be grateful at least he is having a proper funeral unlike your late family. Get up," He reminded sternly.
He frowned, left with no choice and forced his weakened state to lift from the ground and followed his brother-in-law as they picked up the casket.
Amanda began to sob again, unable to witness the burial. Cinzel and Zariah held her close, with tears smeared as she followed them heavily.
After the burial, Nathaniel was staring at his grave, tears pricked in the corner. Heart and mind were empty.
He used to hold complaints from life and now his friend, the one who always listened was gone, words from his tongue too.
Things felt hollow.
'I will forever be grateful to you, De Villiers, for your companionship, for being here for me even when I gave up on myself which I did a lot," He whispered sincerely.
Laughing a little emptily, he squatted to stare at his grave longer.
'And you used to bring me back to my senses using excuses, always lifting me up,"
But, his lips ended up quivering followed by an endless stream of tears mutely. It was too difficult to let him go.
'Thank you for sticking with me, for making me your friend and… never abandoning me, I will never forget it, my friend,"
Covering his mouth, he fell on his knees, touching his grave slightly, breaking into cry.
Gripping the soil when the destructive sound echoed in the air, displaying his powerlessness.
'Thank you, thank you for everything you had ever done for me,"
He stayed there, others stood beside him, paying their condolences to him and Amanda.
Amanda decided to stay, eyes locked on him with salty tears, staying there for the next few hours as well.
He couldn't bring himself to stare longer and lead to another breakdown.
Forcing his crushing steps, he rose and his steps retreated.
Away from his grave, knowing he will never return…