Page 18 of Gaining the Heart of a Gemini (BLP Signs of Love #15)

If I could take all of Klay’s pain away, I would.

The pain had made him become distant. He was almost a shell of himself, and I didn’t know what to do to help him other than staying by his side.

Javier had fallen into a coma. A whole week had passed, and there weren’t any signs of him getting better. Each day, it seemed like a new organ was failing. His brain activity lessened, and it was only a matter of time before his soul reunited with his parents.

My heart ached for Klay and Karmen. The thought of losing Daddy literally made me sick to my stomach.

Much like me, Karmen was a daddy’s girl.

To see her sit by his side every day, holding his hand and crying did something to me.

No longer did I have any ounce of remorse toward my father for the arranged marriage.

The only thing I needed to do was cherish him while he was still here.

My heart ached for Pamela. I couldn’t imagine spending your life with someone and slowly lose them to cancer.

You witness firsthand the person you love more than yourself lose a battle you prayed for them to win.

I noticed my mother clinging to my father more, and I imagined she was thinking the same.

My heart ached for Daddy. He and Javier had been best friends since before any of us were born.

They were thick as thieves. I remember Daddy telling us stories about them getting in trouble back in the day or how they snagged their wives.

They told stories about building an empire together.

In a way, like Pamela, my father was losing his other half.

Javier had been moved to one of their sitting rooms in the house since it was bigger and everyone could occupy the space at once. My family had been surrounding the Ramirezes with an immense amount of love and support, doing all we could to hold them up during this time.

Klay hardly left Javier’s side. He would only leave to go use the restroom.

He wouldn’t eat. He wouldn’t talk. The only emotion he showed was when he was consoling his mother or sister.

Other than that, his expression was stoic, but those eyes of his told off on him.

They were no longer the deep, beautiful amber color.

The spark in them was gone, appearing like pools of black.

I tried showing him affection, but he rejected it.

No kisses. No hugs. No hand holding. It was tough on me not to force it on him.

Deep down, I knew Klay needed it, but I also wanted to give him the space he silently asked for.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to go without.

The cracks were beginning to form around him, and I wanted to seal them before they broke him.

Since Klay was nodding off in the chair, I got up to throw a blanket over him before going to the kitchen with the rest of the ladies. Mommy was helping the chef cook, while Pamela and Karmen sipped on their drinks. I washed my hands and started helping my mother.

“He’s going to be okay, Parrish,” Karmen spoke, circling her finger around the rim of her glass. “He’ll open up eventually. Just give him time.”

“It’s hard watching him like this. It’s hard watching all of you like this, but with Klay, it’s different. I’ve seen him break down, so I know he’s cracking, trying his best to hold it together on the inside. I know the rejection isn’t personal, but it hurts,” I expressed.

Pamela leaned forward with her chin resting in her hand. “You’ve seen Klayton cry before?”

“Yes. The night of the dinner.”

She and Karmen glanced at one another with lifted brows. For the first time in days, their lips curved at the corners. I peered over at Mommy who winked at me.

“Well,” Pamela started, crossing her arms over one another, “I haven’t seen my boy shed a tear since he was a kid. For him to be able to express such a strong emotion in front of you means he loves and trusts you.”

“Wait, loves?” I asked for clarification.

Karmen nodded. “Yes. Klay loves you, Parrish. I mean, it’s hard not to, honestly. You bring out something in him no one else can. Only a true soulmate can do that.”

“They’re telling the truth.” Mommy chimed in, checking the boiling potatoes. “I remember how Javier was with Pamela. Patrick was shocked at the things he said and did with her, but it was because he knew she was for him.”

The sound of glass breaking silenced the entire kitchen.

All eyes were on Pamela whose head was lowered as her chest heaved up and down.

Seconds passed before she lifted her head, staring at all of us with her hand over her heart.

Without uttering a word, she got up and raced down the hallway.

We followed her to Javier’s room where the men and the hospice nurse were surrounding him.

Pamela stopped in her tracks and asked barely above a whisper, “He’s going, isn’t he?”

The nurse gave her a sympathetic stare and nodded.

Mommy and I stayed back while Pamela and Karmen went over to Javier’s bed.

Boston and Lance joined us. Daddy reached out for Mommy while Karmen waved me over.

Hesitantly, I went over and stood beside Klay.

He was fighting. His knuckles were pale from how hard he gripped the side of Javier’s bed.

Carefully, I ran my nails up and down his arm.

To my surprise, he didn’t push me away. He allowed me to comfort him in a way I comforted myself until Javier took his last breath.

July 1 st

Javier’s homegoing service was beautiful. Everything turned out exactly how they planned.

The hardest part about it was watching my father break down. Up until the funeral, he’d been strong, but when they started lowering Javier into the ground, he sobbed. He wept for his friend, and it would take some time for him to grieve just like everyone else.

Klay had continued to be distant, and not just from me but from everyone else as well.

He comforted his mother and sister the best he could.

When I or anyone else tried to do the same for him, he refused.

So, I stayed close by him, watching his every move.

I’d been staying the night at his house as well.

We didn’t sleep together because he wanted to be alone and have his space, but I wasn’t too far away.

Usually, after funerals, there was a repast. Pamela asked to be alone, so everyone went their separate ways.

I got in the truck with Klay. As it had been, the ride to his home was silent.

I stole glances at him, only to find him blankly staring out the window.

If I could take all his pain away, I would.

Once we made it to his house, the driver was about to get out, but Klay stopped him.

“You can let me out and take Parrish home.”

I whipped my head around to glare at him. “Excuse me?”

Klay didn’t acknowledge me. He waited for the driver to open his door and got out.

The driver gave me a sympathetic glance before closing the door behind Klay.

I understood Klay had his own way of grieving, but he had me completely fucked up.

There was no way I’d allow him to push me away for him to spiral out of control.

So, I opened my own door and trailed behind Klay. He didn’t realize I was following him until he tried closing the front door, and I stopped him. His brows met in the middle as he mugged me. Slowly, he raced his hand down his face and sighed.

“Move, Parrish.”

“No, Klay. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I don’t want you here.”

His words stung, but I knew he didn’t mean them. There was no way he could.

With one hand on my hip, I looked him up and down with a shake of my head.

“Quite frankly, I don’t give a fuck what you say you want.

I know what you need, and you don’t need to be alone.

I’ve been doing good by giving you your space, but what you’re not about to do is push me away when you need me the most.”

“And who said I needed you?”

Those words stung even worse. I had to take a step back and swallow the lump in my throat.

This was a side of Klay I needed to see before we got married so I would know how to handle it properly.

He was grieving. Sometimes, grieving made people mean.

While it was tough not to take his words to heart, I decided to give in and give him what he was asking for.

It took everything in me not to cuss him out. Instead, I bit my tongue with a slight bob of my head and turned around. A part of me wished he would’ve called out to me, but when I heard the door slam, I knew he was too deep in his feelings to do so.

The only thing I could do was pray for him until he came back around.

If he came back around.