Chapter 813 New Keys
Amy lay sprawled on Lucy's bed, her thoughts swirling in a murky haze of grief and numbness. The tears that had poured freely earlier had dried, leaving behind a dull ache, an emptiness that echoed with the absence of Miley's laughter. The world felt muted without her.
A chime of the doorbell pierced the silence, jolting Amy from her grief-stricken reverie.
For a brief moment, a spark of hope flickered in her chest, Maybe it was Lucas, coming to check on her, his comforting presence a balm to her raw emotions.
She hurried to answer it, half-expecting to see Lucas standing on the other side. But when she opened the door and saw Mia, her heart sank.
"Good morning, Amy!" Mia greeted cheerfully and then her smile waned when she saw Amy's physical state.
"Are you alright?" Mia asked with a concerned frown.
Amy tried to flash her a smile, but her face refused to cooperate with the pretense, "Yeah," Amy said in a cracked voice and then cleared her throat.
"You don't look okay. Are you ill? Is something wrong?" Mia asked, forgetting that she had only come to deliver Lucy's car key to Amy, since they had returned past midnight and had been unable to give it to her then.
And she had volunteered to deliver the key to Amy when she saw how reluctant Jeff had been to do it himself.
Amy shook her head, "I'm not ill. It's here," she said touching her chest as tears pooled in her eyes.
"I lost my best friend," she explained and compassion shone in Mia's eyes.
"Oh, dear! I'm so sorry," Mia said as she reached for Amy's hand without thinking.
"Do you need company? Perhaps you'd like me to listen while you talk about her or hand you tissues and hold you while you cry?" Mia asked and even though Amy appreciated her offer, she shook her head.
"No, thanks. I'm sure you have better things to do with your time," Amy said and Mia shook her head.
"No, I don't," she said, since the only thing she had planned on doing was playing a game of scrabble with Jeff, and she was sure he wouldn't mind postponing it.
"Thanks, Mia. I appreciate it, but I think I will rather be alone right now," Amy said, and Mia nodded.
"Alright then. If you need company, you can let me know. I have nothing much to do since Bryan and Sonia are away on their honeymoon," Mia said, reminding Amy about the wedding which she had been invited to but had been unable to attend. The same wedding that had brought Lucas into the country.
"Speaking about Bryan, here. Lucy asked us to give you the car key. She said you can use it to move around while you're here," Mia said and Amy took the key from her.
"Thanks," Amy said and Mia flashed her smile.
"If you need company, all you need to do is ring the door bell, okay?" Mia said and Amy nodded.
"Sure. Thank you," Amy said once again, and Mia gave her a nod before walking away.
Amy sighed as she shut the door and returned to the bedroom. She couldn't help wondering how much longer Lucas would hang around now that the wedding was over.
No sooner had she gotten back on the bed before the doorbell rang and as she rose to get the door this time she couldn't help wondering if it was Mia coming back because she forgot to deliver a message or perhaps Lucas.
When Amy opened the door this time, she saw Lucy standing at the doorstep with a strained smile on her face and a lunch pack in hand.
"Hey, Amy. I hope I'm not interrupting anything. Is it okay if I come in?" Lucy asked and Amy held the door open.
"Of course," Amy said, wondering why Lucy was asking her that in her own apartment.
"Are you sure? It's okay if you don't want company," Lucy said, just in case Amy was letting her in simply because it was her apartment.
"It's fine," Amy said, forcing a weak smile as she gestured for Lucy to enter
As they settled into the living room, Lucy's eyes scanned Amy's face, taking in the telltale signs of grief that lingered there.
"I heard from Lucas. I'm sorry I didn't call to check on you. I just didn't know what to say to you over the phone or how to console you. How are you holding up?" she asked softly, reaching out to squeeze Amy's hand.
Tears welled up in Amy's eyes, and she buried her face in her hands, unable to hold back the flood of emotion. Lucy moved closer, wrapping her arms around Amy in a comforting embrace.
The dam within Amy broke again and the tears which had stopped flowing came back, streaming down her face, hot and raw. "Miley's gone, Lucy," she choked out, her voice thick with grief. "My best friend... she is gone. I miss her so much, Lucy. I know she was dying, but I can't believe she is gone. I feel so empty and lost."
Tears gathered in Lucy's eyes as she tried to offer her comfort. Lucy couldn't imagine how she would feel if she ever lost Sonia. She didn't want to ever imagine it.
"It's okay to grieve, Amy," Lucy said, her voice soothing. "Miley was a huge part of your life, and it's natural to feel lost without her."
Amy clung to Lucy as she cried, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs, the pain pouring out in ragged breaths, each tear a desperate plea for the impossible.
Lucy held her tighter, tears dropping from her eyes as she offered silent support while Amy let out her grief. After a few moments, Amy's sobs began to subside, and she lifted her head, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand.
"I keep thinking about our last time together and I really wish I knew it would be the last time I see her, or talk to her, or hold her. I just wish... I wish I could have said goodbye," she whispered with a sniffle.
Hearing that, Lucy could understand better why Lucas had decided to embark on that trip to talk to Miley's family, and she hoped for Amy's sake that Miley's parents would give him listening ears.
Not knowing what to say to that, Lucy squeezed Amy's hands gently, and just remained quiet as she listened to Amy pour out her heart.
"Thank you, Lucy. You and Lucas have been so helpful and I don't know how I could ever repay the kindness."
"You don't have to thank me, Amy. We are happy to help. And I'm glad Lucas could be here for you when I wasn't," Lucy said and as they sat together in quiet companionship, Amy's thoughts drifted to Lucas, and she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at his absence.
"Speaking of which, how is Lucas doing? I hope he didn't get sick from being under the rain with me," she asked, trying to sound casual even though what she really wanted to know was why Lucas had not stopped over to check on her since the previous morning.
"He is fine. I came over after seeing him off to the airport," Lucy said and Amy's heart skipped a beat.
"The airport? He left already?" She asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"Yeah, he had to take care of some business urgently," Lucy said and Amy felt a knot form in her stomach at Lucy's words, an unexpected wave of hurt washing over her at the knowledge that Lucas left without a word to her.
"I see," Amy said, trying not to look or sound hurt.
She tried to remind herself that he traveled down for something, and she wasn't part of the reason he made the trip. Meeting her here had been by chance and he had been a gentleman enough to offer her as much help as he could during his short stay here.
It was wrong of her to expect anything more from him than he had already done, when she should be feeling grateful for all he did despite their difference.
It was also wrong for her to feel hurt that he left without a word. He didn't owe her anything.
He might have said they were friends, but she knew that had only been a thing of the moment. Lucas had no reason to want to be friends with her considering their past interaction and how she had acted like an idiot and had been rude to him because she was too embarrassed and proud to admit that her choice to support Miley's decision had been wrong.
"Are you okay?" Lucy asked since even though Amy tried to maintain a neutral expression, she had caught the flicker of disappointment that crossed Amy's face.
"Yeah. Sure," Amy said and Lucy smiled.
"You know," she said gently, "you don't have to pretend around me. If you're disappointed about Lucas leaving without a word to you, it's okay to say so. I would be upset too. As a matter of fact, I didn't even know he was leaving so soon until I heard it from Tom after we got home from the party last night," Lucy said and Amy shook her head.
"I don't have any reason to be upset. We are not that close. He was just so helpful and I wish I had the chance to thank him, that's all," Amy said and Lucy nodded.
"Don't worry, I will extend your gratitude to him if that's what you want. Here. I brought you something to eat. I will get out of your hair now since I'm sure you would want to be alone," Lucy said as she rose since she still had to drop by Mia's apartment and go get ready for her date with Tom.
"Thank you again, Lucy," Amy said, rising as well. "For everything."
Lucy squeezed her hand warmly. "Anytime. Call me if you need anything."
"I will. Thanks," Amy said as she walked Lucy to the door and waved goodbye as she watched her go over to the apartment next door.
Turning back into the apartment, Amy's thoughts drifted back to Lucas. She wondered why he hadn't said anything to her about leaving, why he hadn't even stopped by to say goodbye.
As she lay on the bed pondering this, the doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts. This time around she didn't bother wondering if it was Lucas since she knew he wasn't in Ludus.
She went to get the door and was surprised to find a delivery man standing there with a package.
"Delivery for Amy Grant," he said, and Amy's heart skipped a beat.
Who could be sending her a package, especially here, at Lucy's place? A wave of suspicion washed over her. Did Malone find out about her being here?
"I'm Amy Grant. May I know who sent the package?" Amy asked cautiously and watched as she delivery man turned the package so she could see what was written on it.
Confusion battled with a flicker of warmth when she saw the sender's name on it: Lucas Perry.
What could Lucas have sent her? Why would he send her something now, after leaving without a word? Taking a deep breath, she signed for the package and thanked the delivery man.
Her curiosity piqued, she returned inside with the package, eager to open it and see what it was.
Inside, nestled in tissue paper, was a set of shiny new keys. A small note lay beside them. It read,
[Amy,
I know things are incredibly tough right now, and I worried you might not have the energy or remember to change the locks as we talked about. I hope you don't mind that I got it done. Those are the new keys to your apartment.
I understand the pain you're carrying, but please know that this hurt won't stay forever. One day, when you think of Miley, I hope it brings a smile and a warmth to your heart, knowing you were blessed to have such an angel in your life.
Remember, Miley's love for you isn't gone. It lives on in every shared memory, every lesson learned, every laugh you shared. Hold onto those precious moments, let them be your comfort and strength.
Grief is a journey, not a destination. Take each day as it comes, be gentle with yourself, and feel whatever you need to feel. Most importantly, take care of yourself, Amy. - Luca]
Tears welled up in Amy's eyes as she finished the letter. Lucas's words, though simple, resonated deep within her. The weight of his thoughtfulness, especially with everything he was likely dealing with himself, touched her deeply.
She clutched the keys, the cool metal grounding her in the present as her lips curved in a small smile at his reference to himself as Luca.
Lucas was the most thoughtful man she had ever met and she hoped that she would get a chance to express her gratitude to him and maybe repay his kindness some time in the future.
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