How Can You Just Walk Away From Me?
Amber walked downstairs to get her mail when the postman was delivering it.
"I'm sorry I lost my key," she said taking the mail out of the postman's hand.
"No problem," he said laughing. "But you actually have quite a big package that I was going to call you down for. You have to sign for it."
"Oh sure," Amber said signing the form. "Who's it from?"
"No idea, there's no return address," he said handing her the package.
"Thanks. See ya tomorrow," she said running back up the stairs.
The first thing she did was sit down on the couch and opened up the box. There was a letter on top of a punch of packaging. She opened the letter up and read it.
Well Amber I hope you're happy. You've destroyed our entire family. I hope you and AJ enjoy the present.
Janessa
Amber took a deep breath and removed the packaging from the box. Underneath was a bunch of shredded paper. She looked through them and realized that they were the remnants pictures.
She put the box on the ground and ran to the phone.
"Yeah?" AJ answered.
"Are you busy right now?" Amber asked shaking
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Are you busy right now?" Amber asked.
"No, why?" He asked.
"Would you mind if I came over for a while?" She asked.
"Not at all," he said.
"Okay, I'll see you soon," she said hanging up.
She packaged the box up and drove over to AJ's. He was waiting for her outside when she arrived.
"Hi," she said hugging him.
"Hey," he said kissing the side of her head. "What's going on?"
"This," she said taking the box out of the trunk.
"What's in it?" He asked.
"I'll show you inside," she said walking into the house. They walked inside and Amber opened the box up on the table. "Look."
AJ looked in the box and then looked back at Amber.
"I don't get it," he said confused.
"That's a present that we're supposed to enjoy from your sister," Amber said leaning against the wall.
AJ looked back in the box.
"They're shredded pictures," Amber explained. "Maybe you can tell me what they're of."
AJ looked through the pictures and he looked like he wanted to get sick. He was amazed at what he was looking at.
"These are pictures of me and Janessa," he said. "And Chase is in some of them."
"Chase?" Amber asked confused.
"Our brother that committed suicide," AJ said looking through them. "Wow, I never in a million years thought that she would do that. She took Chase's death so hard. She still cries whenever she talks about him."
"What do you want to do about this?" Amber asked.
"Nothing," AJ said closing the box. "Janessa is very easily egged on. If you ever see her don't even mention it. According to both of us, you never received it."
"So we're going to ignore it as if she's four years old?" Amber asked.
"Basically," he answered. "I wouldn't worry about it. That's probably all she wanted to do."
"Okay then," Amber said standing up. "I have to get to class."
"Bye baby," he said kissing her.
"See you later," she said hugging him.
"Hello?" AJ said answering his phone.
"How are you doing?" A woman asked.
"Mom?" AJ asked.
"Yes AJ, how are you doing?" She asked.
"I'm fine," he said warily. "How are you?"
"I've been better," she said sounding tired.
"What's wrong mom?" He asked almost sounding annoyed.
"Can you come over for a while?" She asked.
He looked at the clock and then thought about it.
"Yeah I guess I can," he said. "Give me twenty minutes to get over there."
"So what's this all about?" AJ asked as he walked into his mother's house.
"How could you hurt your sister like that?" Carol, his mother, asked.
"I'm not hurting Janessa in any way," AJ said. "My relationships are not based on what will hurt Janessa the most."
"She hasn't gone to classes in days," Carol said sitting down at the table. "She's suffering."
"Well that would be lovely if it was any of her business," he said sitting down beside his mother. "She has to learn that she can't have everything that she wants. She would get along so well with Amber if she would just give her a chance."
"Are you enjoying what this is doing to her?"
AJ looked at his mother in shock. "So you want me to throw the best relationship I've ever been in into the garbage because my little sister decided to throw a hissy fit?"
"You're all your sister has," Carol urged him.
"I can't believe that you're helping her with this," AJ said not wanting to believe what she was saying. "I love Amber, mom. I've never felt the same way about any one in my entire life, she is my life."
"And I raised you?" Carol asked. "I thought I raised you to feel that family was more important than anything else."
"This conversation is over," AJ said standing up. "I thought that you would at least be sensible but I guess I thought wrong."
"Don't you walk away from me," Carol said standing up. "I am still talking to you."
"If you were making sense I'd stick around but since the opposite is happening I'm leaning," he said.
"Why don't you ever come around or call?" Carol asked. "The day we lost your brother I felt like I lost you too."
AJ stopped in tracks. If she was right about anything it was that. He hadn't seen her since a few days after his brother's funeral and that was two years ago and they lived in the same city.
"I can't talk to you," AJ said to her. "All you ever feel the need to talk about is Chase. Chase is dead mom, it's been two years. How can still not realize it?"
"I realize it everyday AJ!" She yelled.
"You built a shrine to him!" AJ said laughing. "That is not healthy mom!"
"Get out," Carol said after a few moments.
Without saying another word to her he left her house.
"I missed you," AJ said kissing Amber as she walked into the house.
"I missed you too," she said hugging him. "How's your day going?"
"Pretty shitty actually," he said laying on the couch.
"What happened?" She asked laying beside him.
"I went to go see my mother today," he said sighing.
"That sounds self explanatory," she said looking into his eyes. "What'd she have to say about your sister?"
"She basically said that Janessa was doing nothing wrong," AJ said. "And then she told me that we should end our relationship."
Amber looked at him and didn't know what to say, she actually forgot to breathe.
"Don't worry, I would never leave you," he said kissing her. "You mean too much to me."
"I love you," Amber said snuggling closer to him.
Instead of replying AJ just held her close to him and breathed her in. How could he possibly leave the woman he loved so much?
AJ knocked on his sister's door and waited for her. It took about five minutes before the door finally opened.
"We need to talk," AJ said pushing past her.
"No one said you could come in," Janessa said closing the door.
"I don't need permission, I'm your big brother," he said. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I'm not doing anything. I don't have anyone to do anything for."
"Are you actually playing the victim here?" AJ asked laughing.
"I don't have to answer to you," Janessa said.
"Why'd you send those pictures to Amber?" AJ asked. "Why did you destroy all of those memories that you loved so much?"
"I don't have a reason to keep them anymore."
"Oh poor fucking you," AJ said aggravated. "You know why I didn't tell you about Amber, Janessa? I didn't tell you because I knew you would react like this. You're an extremely jealous person! And you get jealous when it has nothing to do with you! I am your brother Jan! I have never in my entire life done anything to hurt you."
"You're dating Amber!"
"You have no reason to hate Amber! She's done nothing to you! And what you're doing is killing me because now I have to choose between you or the woman that I love," he said looking at her. "And the thing that's really low down and dirty, the thing that I hate to admit, is that you know I'd choose you because you're my sister and I could never stand to see you hurt!"
"Do whatever you want," Janessa said walking into the bathroom and closing the door.
AJ sat down in the recliner in his living room, completely confused. He had a thousand thoughts running through his head. His picked up the phone and dialed Amber's number.
"Can you come over for a while?" AJ asked.
"Yeah," Amber said. "What's up?"
"Just come over here," AJ said and hung up.
Amber knocked on the door and waited. AJ opened it and hugged her tightly. She could sense that something was wrong.
"We have to talk," he said taking her into the living room. They sat down on the couch together and AJ took a deep breath. "Amber, you know that I love you with all my heart and I would never do anything to hurt you."
Amber took his hand in his, knowing what was coming next.
"But being with you is tearing my family apart," he said obviously struggling to find the right words. "This was the last way I imagined us."
He looked at Amber. The poor girl was dying inside. It was almost as if he could see her heart crumbling piece by piece. She bit on her lower lip as her eyes filled up with tears.
AJ took her into his arms and held her tightly. He didn't want to let her go because he knew that once he did he would never hold her again. He kissed the side of her head and tried to comfort her.
"I love you Amber," he said kissing her cheek. "I never wanted to hurt you like this."
Amber wanted to talk to him but she couldn't think of anything to say. She could only cry on his shoulder. How could it be that the man that she loved so much was leaving her? How could the best thing in her life end so quickly? She knew that AJ didn't want to hurt her but it was so hard to take.
"You were the best thing that ever happened to me," AJ said holding her tightly.
"I love you so much," Amber said snuggling close to him.
AJ closed his eyes. He couldn't believe what he was doing. How could he throw away the most important person in his life?
"I should go," Amber said standing up.
For the first time since AJ said the words she looked at him. His eyes were just as red as hers.
He just nodded and walked her to the door.
"I guess this is goodbye," she said feeling awkward.
"I wish it didn't have to be this way," he said.
"I know," she said.
"Are you gonna be alright to drive?" He asked walking outside with her.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said leaning against the driver's door. "Promise me something?"
"Anything," he said taking her hand.
"If you ever need someone you'll come to me first," she said.
"Of course," he said hugging her again.
"Hopefully your sister comes to realize what she's doing," Amber said as they pulled away from each other.
Before either of them could think about what they were doing they pulled each other into a deep passionate kiss. They held on to each other as tightly as they could. But Amber pulled away abruptly.
"I can't do this," she said pushing AJ away from her.
She got into her car, turned it over and backed out of the driveway as fast as she could. She squealed the tires down the street as she took off.
AJ stood in the driveway for a while longer and then went inside. He still couldn't believe what he had done.