THREE | CONDOLENCES

"There's nothing wrong in being curious, Toni. It's human nature,"

Third Person POV:

Toni had driven them both from the restaurant back to her loft. It was beautiful, amazingly big, and very exquisite in all its entirety. Once they'd reached the inside, Justin was questioning how one person could have such a beautiful and very spacious place to call home. He's always been so accustomed to his apartment, not this mansion, it seems like.

"Would you like something to drink?" Toni asks him, setting her purse on the couch and taking the bag of food into the kitchen. He shakes his head in a no, and she nods her head, looking down at the bag momentarily, tapping her foot nervously on the ground. She wants to spark up a conversation, she wants to talk about what happened at the restaurant, but she can't seem to find the right approach. She bites her lip and takes the takeout boxes out of the plastic bag and into the fridge, shutting it directly afterward.

"I see you've done well for yourself," Justin says for the first time since he'd sobbed Natalia at the restaurant. Her ears perk up at the sound of his raspy voice, having not heard it for a minute. She lifts her head up slowly to meet his hazel brown eyes, which are so full of hurt and humiliation. Toni doesn't know how she could see it... but she could, and that made her heart drop in her chest.

"What do you do for a living?" He murmurs in question, not meeting her eyes but instead looking down at the ground, seeming to have found a great interest in it, all of a sudden.

"I'm a criminal law investigator," She says, her voice coming out very hoarse and low toned, her clearing her throat afterward. She finds herself turning around and propping her arms up on the counter, sucking in her lips and leaning forward.

"You're very successful."

"Thank you," She says, licking her lips and sighing heavily, turning back around to find him sitting down on the kitchen island, gasping slightly. She'd just seen him by the doorway, and he'd made his way over to her so discreetly, that it had surprised her. He just nods his head, with his hands interlaced in front of him.

"How is it at the restaurant? Do you like working there?" She asks curiously.

"I guess I do. Helps keep my mind off of things."

She doesn't wish to come off as nosy, but she's very curious as to what those things are, and if it has anything to do with what happened at the restaurant. The name Natalia had to have meant something to him, she was somebody important, and it seemed to have really got to him, so much that he'd broken down in a public place.

"You can ask. I know you're wondering."

"Oh... no. It's not my business." She speaks, feeling her heart rate pick up in her chest.

"There's nothing wrong in being curious, Toni. It's human nature," He says, shrugging his shoulders and placing his hands in the pockets of his dress pants. Toni pokes her tongue against the inside of her cheek and taps looks down at her manicured nails.

Then, she says something.

"Who's Natalia?"

Flashback

"Daddy, daddy! Come push me on the swing!" The little girl giggles, skipping her way outside, her brown locks bouncing on her shoulders the more she moves. Justin runs after her, laughing to himself at how excited she is to be able to have some fun with her dad. They reach the swing set together, Natalia jumping up onto the seat and positioning herself correctly, so she doesn't fall. Justin walks behind her and presses his hands up against the back of the swing and pushes lightly, causing Natalia to erupt in giggles and squeal loudly.

She rocks back and forth, Justin admiring how her dark hair is being thrown all over the place, and how the small, yet indulging giggles leave her mouth.

"Daddy, higher!"

Justin does as she wishes and pushes the swing higher, causing her to swing even higher and faster than before. She screams a loud scream of pure enjoyment, Justin smiling at her happiness, which, in turn, makes him happy as well.

"Not too high, Jay. Wouldn't want the princess to fall."

Justin turns his head in the direction of the voice to see his wife, Sheila, walking over to them with a tray full of snacks.

"Ooh food! Daddy, can I get down?"

"Sure baby," Justin says, pulling firmly on the chains of the swing set and having it come to a complete stop. Natalia jumps off, landing on her two feet, before turning around and running toward her parents with a huge smile on her cute little face. She jumps into Justin's arms, and he picks her up, chuckling happily at the beautiful daughter he'd created with Sheila.

"Ooh grapes, my favorite," She giggles, taking a vine of them and turning a small circle, her locks of hair bouncing all around her.

And there they stand, Sheila holding the tray of food, smiling at her husband and daughter, while Justin holds Natalia in his arms, enjoying these small moments with these two special women that make his heart whole.

Flashback Over

"She was my daughter. And Sheila was my wife." He chokes out, his voice cracking in the midst of his sentence, Toni's heart panging inside of her chest at how his words were laced with so much pain.

"Wow," Toni breathes out, the smallest of a grin coming upon her face at the beautiful memory he'd shared with her, of him and his family, "they sounded amazing."

"They were," Justin sighs, licking his lips and placing his hands on his dress pants, "they meant the entire world to me."

"I know saying I'm sorry isn't going to make anything better. So, just know you will power through this. That they're watching you from above, they'd want you to be happy. They'd want you to continue life, that would make them find peace, Justin. To be able to watch you live your life," She smiles, Justin seeing the gleam in her eyes and creasing his eyebrows, sprawling his hands out on the counter. She seems to have noticed that she was tearing up and sniffles, turning back around and facing the refrigerator.

"Toni, turn around."

She shakes her head, with her backside to him, whilst wiping the tears out from under her eyes, trying not to ruin her mascara. Her stomach drops when she hears some shuffling behind her and the screeching of the chair skirting against the ground. Justin sighs, Toni finally processing that he was directly behind her and carefully wiping her under eyes. She feels his hands on her upper arms, her gasping quietly and feeling him turn her around in place.

Justin hesitantly takes his arms and wraps them around her, about to pull away and curse himself out mentality for lying a hand on her, but he then just does what he feels is right and hugs Toni. She feels butterflies fluttering in her stomach at the kindhearted action and puffs out a breath of relief before responding to the hug and wrapping her arms around his waist.

They both needed that hug.

Justin had lost his wife and his daughter, that's something that isn't ever going to be forgotten. Those where the people he loved the most in the world, and when they died, he felt like his entire world had come crashing down, that he had no reason to live anymore.

And Toni could empathize for him. She'd also lost someone dear to her. She'd never wanted to discuss it with anyone, it was such a touchy subject to her. It hit her hard, but she would always remember her brother, Marcus.

Her mind takes her back to the funeral service her family, along with his wife's family, had arranged. All the mournful faces, sorrowful thoughts, and the flowers. Gosh, the flowers were everywhere. Beautiful arrangements of white and other brightly colored flowers were set around his grave, everyone showing him their undeniable love and care. He'd just been at the wrong place at the wrong time, and had gotten shot in the chest. He'd bled to death, the families not finding out until some stranger called the police, saying that there was a man lying down on the sidewalk, blood spewing out of him, as he lays down unconscious.

The last few moments of his life, hadn't even been spent with his loved ones.

He'd bled to death, alone, with no one to say his goodbye's to. Not even his daughter, Brianna, who's currently struggling throughout school since her father's unexpected death. Those beautiful moments they'd spent together, with Marcus and Toni always joking around with each other, playing games, being the usual brother and sister. But at the end of the day, they were always very close.

She misses him, more than words could describe. That was her blood brother. Not like Lauren, who has a different father, although she does love her dearly. He had the same mother and father, and ever since he died, her parents have tried to move past this big tragedy and just become appreciative of what they still have left. They may have lost a son, in a very tragic way, but they still have two daughters and another son, although he isn't around much. He is serving in the army, which explains why he didn't attend Toni's engagement dinner. Anthony had told her through a video chat that he wished he could've been there in person, but he was currently deployed some place else.

"I'm sorry for your loss," He says, which causes Toni's head to snap up at meet his glossy eyes, which in turn has her heart thump in her chest, "you don't have to elaborate. I understand."

She sighs, "I know what it's like to have someone special pass away. Just know you're not completely alone. You could talk to me."

"T-Toni--"

"It's alright. Take your time." She assures, expecting herself to have to force a smile. What surprises her is that she didn't, the smallest of a smile came to her naturally, Justin feeling inside of him that she's being sincere, that he could take his time with her.

And suddenly, at that moment, he realizes he could confide in her completely. He'd only just met her, but her way with words... just takes his breath away. She knows exactly what to say to make him feel like he should continue on with life, pursue what he would've originally pursued if his wife and daughter were still alive. Something fantastic, so he could become the person he'd hoped to be. The fact she'd told him about her brother just proves she has as much of a reason to be truthful with him and tell him such personal information, especially about losing a family member. He feels his heart flutter inside his chest as he stares into her dark eyes, her smiling before she blinks, her mascara coated eyelashes casted to his eyes.

"Thank you." He says, with all the thankfulness in his heart, "for all the kind words. My condolences for your loss, Toni."

"Of course, Justin. Thank you too."

***

Toni lets out a heavy sigh, slipping on her leather jacket before pulling her hair out of her backside. Shrugging on the jacket so she's more comfortable, she grabs her phone from the bed and slips it into her pocket.

She's startled when there's a knock at the door, her snapping her head to her bedroom door and furrowing her eyebrows. She doesn't know who it is, she'd told her mom she'd meet her at her house for dinner, and Noah was working late. Leaving her alone. She shrugs her shoulders, pursing her gloss coated lips, before leaving her bedroom. She walks down the stairs, making sure to be careful with her steps. Her Nike's pad against the ground as she gets closer to the doorway. Her right hand reaches out and holds onto the cool, brass doorknob, turning it and pulling the door open. She gasps, a hand clasping over her mouth at who was standing right before her.

"Anthony?"

"Hey T." He smiles brightly, his eyes pinching at how big his smile is on his face.

Her older brother had just shown up at her doorway. Somebody she hadn't seen in six months, ever since he'd gotten deployed to Somalia in the summertime. He was dressed in his army suit, with his hat on too, and his right hand to his forehead in a salute.

"Anthony," She breathes out, "it's you."

"Think of it as an engagement gift." He sighs, opening up his arms for Toni to walk into. She smiles, running to the doorway and jumping into his arms, Anthony chuckling softly. He wraps his arms around her instinctively, and her mind flashes back to last night, when Justin had hugged her, to show sympathy for her loss. The hug that made her inexplicably giddy on the inside.

"I love it," She laughs, snapping herself out of her small daze and pulling away from him, "how long are you staying?"

"Ten days," He said, "then another six months out there."

"Gosh, I honestly can't believe you're here. I wasn't expecting this at all."

"That's why it's called a surprise."

She scoffs playfully, pushing his left shoulder with a small amount of force, "shut up, smart ass."

He laughs, bowing his head, "well, are we going to stand here or are we heading out?" He asks, pointing a thumb behind him and licking his lips.

"Have you seen mom yet?"

"No. But I saw dad."

"I remember him coming to my engagement party." The memory of her dad showing up in a tuxedo with everyone in the room saying hey Myles right as he entered, rushes through her mind. The thought brought a smile to her face.

"I'm sorry for not showing up. Honest. I knew that was a very important party for you. You did get engaged and all," He speaks out sincerely, sticking his hands into his pockets and sighing heavily.

"It's okay, really. I'm just glad you're here now," She says, watching Anthony's smile grow that she's happy to see him, "But let's go, mom's expecting us at her house for a family dinner. And given she doesn't even know you're here, is a surprise for her too."

"Yeah, we'd better go," He breathes out, chuckling directly after and draping an arm over her shoulder and snuggling Toni's head into his chest as they walk out to the car.

***

Anthony presses a finger to his lips for Toni to be quiet just as she's about open the door to the house. She slowly retracts her hand and he reaches forward, pressing his tongue to the roof of his mouth as he carefully opens the door, the hinges not daring to make a sudden sound. He goes in first, Toni following behind him, closing the door slowly, before licking her lips and hearing distant conversation being made in the kitchen.

"Toni should be here in a little while. She takes some time to get ready," Roxanne says, laughing directly afterward. She sounds as if she's cutting something up, her laugh floating all throughout the room, Toni smiling a toothless smile in turn. Her laugh seems to brighten up a room, fill it with energy.

"What about Lauren?" A voice asks. Toni furrows her eyebrows at the extremely familiar sounding voice, looking over at Anthony, seeing if he might recognize it. Just as she's about to ask, he lifts his head up and there's a certain gleam in his eyes. She then remembers who she is; his girlfriend Angela. The girl he'd met it high school.

"Oh don't even start with Lauren. She takes forever to get ready. And I assume she's bringing her boyfriend, so there's another person I have to feed," She says, not sounding annoyed about it, but rather pleased that people are coming to enjoy her dinner. At the sound of her food, people would come running. It's just that delicious.

"She's a very nice woman."

"She truly is," Roxanne says, Toni picturing the smile on her face as she said that.

Anthony picks this time of momentary silence to come out from behind the wall and walk into the kitchen where his mother and girlfriend are. Toni hears gasps and small screams leave her mother's mouth, giggling to herself quietly at the exact reaction she'd expected from both of them.

"Jesus, Anthony!" Roxanne exclaims, Toni taking that as a perfect sign to exit from behind the wall as well, walking into the kitchen with a big smile on her face. She spots Anthony hugging their mom and takes the opportunity to say hi to Angela. She hugs her tightly, before releasing each other and Toni going to greet her mother.

"Hey ma,"

"Hey baby," She says sweetly, opening her arms to offer her a hug. Toni immediately accepts, walking into her warm embrace and humming in bliss. Roxanne kisses her forehead before pulling away.

"Sit down. Dinner's almost ready."

Toni follows the order and takes a seat next to Anthony, with his girlfriend on his other side. There's a doorbell that chimes throughout the whole house, and Toni gets up to go answer it. She twists the cold doorknob and pulls the door open, revealing Lauren and her boyfriend Donny.

"Hello, soon to be Mrs. West."

Her stomach twists at the new last name she'll be taking in several months from now. She knew it was supposed to make her smile, or make her feel excited, but she feels more frightened about it. Her emotions aren't heightened, like they used to be when they'd started dating. They didn't mean as much to her now... she didn't know if they meant anything at all. And she can't figure out why she's feeling that way. It's like her emotions for him have been muted.

And she feels horrible for it.

"Hey," She mumbles simply, hugging her with one arm. Toni notices the small glint in Lauren's eyes as she walks by her, her lips held open the smallest bit, before Lauren turns her head away and heads further inside. Toni furrows her eyebrows, before turning to Donny and hugging him too.

"Toni, right?"

"Yeah, nice to see you again," She says, her lips quirking up in a small smile, signaling for him to pass. Once he's inside, Toni shuts the door behind him.

"You too. And your fiancé?" He asks curiously, peeking into the living room to see if he might be sitting down watching sports or something.

"He's working late. I don't know if he'll make it to dinner."

"Oh, well tell him I said hi."

"I will. But my brother--"

"No fucking way! Anthony?!" Lauren says loudly, screaming loudly right after. Donny and Toni cringe at the loud screech that came from Lauren and scoff playfully afterward.

"... Anthony is here," She finishes, laughing lightly and palming her stomach as she walks into the kitchen. She's not surprised to see Lauren taking a Snapchat video with Anthony. She assumes they're doing the dog filter because they keep opening their mouths wide.

"Hello everyone," Someone announces from the doorway. Toni turns her head around the corner to see Thomas at the entrance of the home, with a wine glass in his hands. She halfheartedly smiles, fully expecting to see her father.

"Hey Thomas." Anthony says with a mouthful of chips in his mouth. Thomas turns his head to the voice and jerks his head back. He definitely wasn't expecting to see him.

"Whoa, hello Anthony." He laughs, greeting him by shaking his hand firmly.

"Hello hello." A deep, way too familiar voice says from behind Toni. She gasps, turning around and seeing her father there with a glass of champagne. She smiles erratically, attacking him with a hug. He laughs, one muscular arm wrapping around her shoulders, Toni humming in satisfaction.

"Hey baby," He says, kissing Toni's forehead lovingly. She smiles, pulling away from him and leading them both to the table.

"Alright. Everyone's here. Let's eat. Someone want to say grace?"

***

heyy, ik i haven't been updating. but thank you for reading. 💗