As Bright closed the door he felt it again. It was becoming almost familiar. On the way up the driveway he had been thinking about Hannah and then when he stepped inside the kitchen, he remembered and it felt like he was being punched in the gut. His mind seemed to constantly be reminding him of his mom's cancer and after the successful surgery it seemed to be even worse because he had more moments that felt normal, like before.
It was the first day of summer and it was going to be a long one without Hannah. He heard music coming from the living room and he half expected to see his mother in her favorite chair curled up with a book. Instead he found Amy snuggled in a blanket even though it was quite warm and he was sucker punched again.
"Mom's asleep." He could hear the hurt in his sister's voice.
"I can start it over, if you want."
"No need to do that." He glanced at the screen. The two lead characters were holding hands and singing to one another. It wasn't his typical movie type fare but something in his sisters' voice made him sit down.
Wandering around the movie store this afternoon Phantom of the Opera had caught her eye. Her parents had seen the play in New York on one of their rare weekends away and she knew that her mom adored the sound track. She had thought that they could watch it together but she had been tired after a day of doctor's appointments.
Bright settled on the couch, glancing around the living room trying to put his finger on what exactly was different. Everything was the same but somehow it had all changed at the same time.
"Anyone call?" even though he kept his tone casual he still felt almost as if Amy could read his mind.
"You mean anyone, like Hannah?" She was excited for her friend but at the same time she couldn't shake the vaguest hint of jealousy that unwelcomingly crept it's way in. "Yeah, we talked this afternoon. She said to tell you that she will call you tonight."
Who would have thought that he would enjoy any type of opera? Maybe he did have some of his father in him after all. Christine's innocence reminded him a bit of Hannah. His lips curled in an unconscious smile as he thought of the kiss that they had shared.
Credits flashed on the screen as the music continued to play. Bright glanced over at his cell phone on the coffee table almost willing it to ring.
"I really don't get why she picked him? How could she just leave?" She didn't really expect Bright to answer but the question had slipped out.
"Just because you go for broken, genius musician types doesn't mean she does. She was an innocent."
"We're talking about the movie, not my life."
"Please, splash a little acid on half of Ephram's face and he is the Phantom."
"She couldn't save him." For someone who had worn her heart on her sleeve the past year, now she was difficult to read.
She wrapped the blanket around her tighter thinking about how she had tried to save Ephram by getting him another interview to Julliard.
"He wants you to be happy, ya know."
"Yeah" A single tear slid down her cheek. "I know."