The Guy She Never Met

CHAPTER 29: Meeting my brother

"So, what's up with you and Eric?" My mom asks me as soon we were left alone.

"Nothing mom."

"Don't lie to me Elizabeth, I can clearly see the hickey on your neck." She points to my neck.

Shit! I totally forgot about it! Curse you Eric!

"Honey, it's absolutely fine by me. Just don't lose your virginity before marriage." She mentions it casually.

"Don't lose what?!" I turn around to see my father with wide eyes and Eric was standing beside him having a small tint of red in his cheeks.

"Nothing!" I shrieked. "We were talking about...about loosing my earrings on Abby's wedding."

"Who's Abby?" All three of them ask in unison.

I have no idea...

*****

"So, Lizzy any boyfriend?" My father asks me.

"No." I deadpanned and continue eating my lunch.

"Any crushes?" He asks.

"No."

"Any long distance relationship?"

"No."

"Are you a virgin?" My mom asks.

"No." Wait what?!

"What?!" My father shrieks.

I choke on my chicken and Eric pats my back, handing me a glass of water.

"Mom!" I shout as my mother continues laughing.

Seriously sometimes I do wonder about how I even ended up here.

We continue eating our lunch in silence while my mother tries to make small talk with Eric.

"Elizabeth?" My father says.

"Yes, Dad?" I look up at him and see that there is a certain emotion in his face.

No, I don't want to see that emotion. Not now. Not yet.

"Don't you think you should visit him?" My father asks me.

"Joseph, not on the table." My mother scolds but I could see that she is trying her best not to break down.

"Who?" Eric asks.

I look down to my plate. "I don't want to. At least not yet."

"Who?" Eric asks again.

"Baby, you had the courage to come back home and have a great time with us. I'm pretty sure you have the courage to go there and meet him." My mother said.

"Just go, meet him, talk to him and take Eric with you." My father advises.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

"Okay. We'll leave after lunch." I turn to Eric and he realizes that it is something serious as he looks at my stoic expression.

"I'm driving."

*****

"Liza, can you tell me where we are going?" I take a sharp left as we reach a familiar ground.

Eric's face turns from a curious one to a sad one.

"Liza..."

"You can stay in the car if you want to. I'll be back soon." I can't even recognize my voice.

I get out of the car without waiting for his reply and open the gates. A shadow follows behind me.

"I thought I told you to stay in the car." I speak without looking back.

"You said if I wanted to but I didn't." He replies.

I stop at the very familiar tombstone and sit on the ground.

"Thomas Green." Eric whispers. "A beloved son, friend, fiance and brother."

I take a sharp breath. "It's been almost ten months." I began. "He had proposed to Maria, his girlfriend of three years. I liked her. Everybody liked her. She was supposed to be the perfect addition to our family." Eric places his hand on my shoulder.

"Everything was going perfect. Then one night, we get the news of becoming Thomas becoming a father. Everybody was over the moon. Everybody could see how happy they were. Sometimes, I envied my brother and wish for someone like Maria, obviously from the opposite gender." I chuckle at those jealous memories.

"Both of them decided to go a restaurant to celebrate the happiness, but they never reached." My breath hitches.

"You–You know there's a saying that after sadness there is always happiness but nobody says that before sadness there is happiness. That is exactly what happened with us too."

"Elizabeth, you don't have to—"

"I want to!" I snapped. "Just let me finish it." He nods.

"The next morning we get a call that they're both in the hospital. When we came there, w–we realized it was too late. T–The baby was already gone and so was Thomas." I choke on my sob.

Eric falls on his knees and wraps his arms around me. I continue to sob and hold his shirt tightly.

"It's–It's my–my fault. I always got jealous of him. I could have asked him–him to stay back and–and—" I start hiccupping.

"Shhhh. It's not your fault. It was inevitable. Nobody could have stopped it." He rubs my back trying to calm me.

"The truck hit the windshield of the car. There was no chance to save the baby but–but there was little hope–hope to save Tom but they were too late."

"What happened to Maria? If you don't mind me asking."

"She went into depression. After finding out that she lost everything, she tried to commit suicide but her parents found out in time. They left the state two weeks after the funeral. I never saw her again." I take a deep breath and calmed my overwhelming emotions.

"And what about you?"

"I left the state weeks after the accident. I got tired of people giving me their sympathy and wanted to start fresh. Ari had already left for New York and she even invited me to come with her but I didn't. After the accident, I had to leave. So I did what I could, I took the first flight to New York, said goodbye to my parents and left. A month later, I met you." I give him a small smile.

He smirks. "I'm thankful to the human resources department for that."

I sigh loudly, wipe my tears and look at his shirt. I frown.

"What happened?" He asks worriedly.

"I–I ruined your shirt." He looks down at his wet shirt and rolls his eyes.

"This—" He points to the wetness of his shirt. "—is nothing compared to this." He points to my puffy eyes and red nose.

"I don't want you crying again and I'll make sure of it." He promises me, cupping my face and giving me a small kiss on my nose.

Just don't give me a reason to cry again and I'll be fine.