Chapter 4: Walk Among the Stars

*Aqua*

Grandpa passed away that night. 

We received the call from Grandma early the following morning. 

“He went peacefully in his sleep,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “He was happy. He wouldn’t want us to cry.”

Despite her words, as soon as we ended the call, Ari and I did just that. We cried. Long and hard, clinging to each other. 

Mom cried with us, one hand over her mouth as she sat curled up on the couch. She likely did it to muffle her sobs but it wasn’t helping much. Her cries were deep and guttural. 

Dad didn’t move for several minutes. He stood in the middle of the living room, staring at nothing. Eventually, he stumbled over to the couch and gathered my mother up in his arms. 

He never did shed a tear, even though he just lost his father that day. 

The funeral was a few days later but it wasn’t enough for me to even begin to process the loss of our beloved patriarch. 

We took the rest of that week off school. After the third day of just rotting in my room, I dragged myself to the high school. I made it through the entirety of first period before having a breakdown and having to walk back home after the nurse essentially ordered me to go. 

I straightened my black knee-length dress and bit my lip hard to keep the tears from falling. Grandpa didn’t want us to cry so I was going to do my best to be strong. 

“What did I call the last few days of nonstop tears then?” asked a tiny voice in my head. 

I told the voice to shut up before looping my arm through Ari’s so we could enter the little church. 

It was no use. As soon as I locked eyes with my mother cousins, I knew I wasn’t strong enough to do this. I wasn’t even aware of the tears until they dripped off my chin and onto the front of my dress. 

Strong arms wound around me and I looked up at my cousin, Pri. Her thick dark hair was pulled into a messy bun on top of her head, making her shimmering sea-blue eyes completely visible. I realized they looked especially shiny because she too was crying. 

“We should sit down,” she murmured to me, tugging both Ari and me down the aisle to where the rest of the family was sitting. 

My blood ran cold when I raised my head and saw Grandpa’s casket. It was closed but I still felt something race through me, as if his presence was reassuring me somehow. 

I inhaled sharply and turned to offer the rest of my cousins a watery smile as I slid into our row. Most of their eyes were red-rimmed, probably mirroring my own. Even Ollie and Cori’s were bloodshot. 

It was amazing that we all had loads more tears to spare by the time the service started. I zoned out while the pastor spoke, spewing some nonsense about how we shouldn’t cry for those who have moved on from this world. I just stared at Grandpa’s casket, unable to believe that his still form was really inside. 

A large part of me was still waiting for him to burst through the doors and apologize for being late. Or rush in and tell us all this was some huge misunderstanding, or a joke, that he was alive and well. 

I was doing pretty well at staying strong until I watched my grandmother ascend the steps to stand next to Grandpa’s casket. Somehow, the fact that she was smiling made the whole thing even harder. 

“My husband might not be standing before you today,” Grandma started. “But I can assure you that he isn’t gone. I ask that you remember that going forward and I thank you for the love you’ve shown him. He was an eccentric man, passionate about everything and loved by many. One day, we’ll all walk among the stars together.”

“My condolences. He was a good man.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Just let us know if there is anything we can do.”

My head was spinning from the number of people I hugged over the last couple of hours. Many of them I recognized as distant relatives of my grandparents. Others were co-workers of Grandpa’s who had worked with him at the observatory. 

“No one loved the stars more than he did,” one of these men told me. “He will be missed. That kind of passion just doesn’t exist in many anymore.”

I reeled backward at the next guest who approached me. 

“Vin?”

Vin Elliot gave me an almost sheepish grin. “Hi, Aqua.”

I just stared at him for a moment, trying to process what was happening. “What are you doing here?”

“Your grandmother invited me,” he said, which only confused me further. When it was clear that I didn’t know what to do with that information, he continued. “I knew your grandfather a bit. I used to help out with their yard on some weekends to earn some extra cash.”

“But how could I not have known that?” I asked in dismay. 

He looked a little uncomfortable by my rising confusion. “I think he was embarrassed that he wasn’t physically able to keep up with the garden on his own anymore.”

I shook away the shock and nodded. Grandpa was like that. He didn’t like to admit that he couldn’t do certain things anymore, even going out of his way to prove he could still go on hikes and build things. 

“Well, thank you for coming,” I said, feeling gratitude toward my classmate. He was helping our grandparents and I had no idea. 

I gave him a brief look up and down, noting that he was dressed in an all-black suit. It was strange to see him dressed up since he usually opted for loose-fitting dark jeans and t-shirts at school. 

He cleaned up nicely. The dark suit made him look even taller than he already was. His thick, dark hair was actually styled too, some of the more stubborn strands slicked back away from his forehead. 

“I was happy to,” Vin said. His gold-colored eyes darkened slightly then with an intensity that had my eyes widening slightly. “If you need to talk or anything, I’d like you to call me.”

I looked up at him in surprise. This was different from the requests from other guests. Something about his tone signaled that he wasn’t just saying this out of principle or politeness. He really meant it. 

For some reason, I felt heat creeping up the skin of my neck. I swallowed thickly before nodding. “Sure, thank you, Vin.”

Vin nodded before turning to go. I watched him cross the room so he could greet other members of my family.

“What is that kid doing here?”

I turned to see Ollie and Cori, their eyes trained on our classmate. 

“Grandma invited him,” I answered Ollie’s question, my eyebrows furrowing at their dark looks. “What’s wrong?”

“Why would Grandma have invited him?” Cori asked with a scoff. He looked down at me and raised a thick eyebrow. “Isn’t that the kid who keeps harassing you at school?”

“Shut up,” I hissed. “You can’t say stuff like that in a place like this, Cori. And no, Vin has never harassed me. He’s a good guy.”

“Are you two friends?” Ollie asked me, his voice full of doubt. 

I looked down, considering that for a moment. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s my friend,” I said. “He’s just in a couple of my classes.”

“Then you can’t really know what he’s like,” Cori pointed out firmly. He narrowed his eyes in Vin’s direction. “I don’t like the way he looks at you. Maybe you should steer clear of him.”

I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling, throwing my hands up in frustration. “You guys don’t know anything about him either,” I snapped. Officially tired of the conversation, I stomped off, knowing I looked a bit childish and not caring in the slightest. 

I slowed my steps and realized that my two bullheaded male cousins were right to some extent. I didn’t really know Vin that well but for some reason, our paths keep crossing. And now I was learning that he had known my deceased grandfather. 

I watched Vin from across the room before shaking my head hard. 

It had to be a coincidence. That was the only explanation.