HER

GRIEF AWAITING

MUNA'S POV

As I gently placed the cup of fruit juice on the tray, the weight of today's tragic event crashed down on me. Dealing with all the emotions and having to bring Lex home after a series of persuasions seemed like a blur now. But one thing remained etched in my mind: the pain of losing Mrs. Sonia, the woman who had become like an aunt to me.

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I thought of her warm smile and her kind heart. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to see Ted standing behind me, his eyes red-rimmed from unshed tears he had tried to hold for long.

"You seem lost," he said, his voice cracked and barely audible. It was a result of the shouting at the hospital when Lex wouldn't stop hitting the door and anything else he could hit.

I tried to brush off the emotions, but they threatened to overwhelm me. "I'm okay," I lied, my voice cracking, and I know better. Ted knows when I lie. His grip on my shoulder tightened. "Is he asleep now?" he asked, nodding towards the room where Lex lay. His heart shattered into a million pieces, and I could read that, even though they both still had some unfinished fight, they were friends. We were once inseparable friends.

I nodded, feeling a lump in my throat. "He's...he's so heartbroken," I stammered, my voice breaking. "He won't stop crying, even in his sleep." I bit my lower lip as tears showered down my face.

Ted turned to face him, his eyes searching for mine. He placed a hand on my forehead. "You're burning up, Mun," he said, his voice laced with concern.

I tried to move away from me, but he held me back and cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs caressing my cheeks. "Once I take a shower, I'll be fine," I lied, feeling the tears spill down my face again. As much as I kept forcing myself to stop the tears, they kept rushing in, but I tried my hardest to make it stop as I dried my face with my palm.

Ted's eyes locked onto mine, and I felt like he could see right through me. He gently planted a kiss on my forehead, and I felt a wave of emotion wash over me again.

I couldn't contain it anymore. The pain of losing Mrs. Sonia and watching Lex suffer so much – it all came crashing down. I buried my face in Ted's chest, and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close as I sobbed uncontrollably.

At that moment, I felt like I was drowning in a sea of grief, and Ted was the only lifeline I had, but the question kept reeling in my mind: 'Who could have killed Mrs. Sonia?'

As Ted disappeared into the guest room, I collapsed onto a chair in the kitchen, my legs trembling beneath me. I mindlessly scrolled through my phone, noticing the missed calls from my mom. She was probably worried sick, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her about Mrs. Sonia's passing–not yet. She'd never approved of Lex and me, but she never hated him. I know she's only dancing to Mrs. Stella's tune. She'd be devastated by the sad news.

Just as I was about to get up and head to the sitting area, Ted's voice echoed from the guest room. His tone was hushed but urgent. I froze as I tried to take another step, my ears tilted up as I tried to make out the words he was saying. "She wasn't supposed to die," he muttered, and my heart skipped a beat for a moment.

I crept closer to the door, pressing my ears against it as I strained to listen. "Can you just stop it!" Ted's voice rose again, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. What was going on? Who was he talking to? Questions rushed through my head, but I couldn't be certain just yet. He could be talking about business, 'What the hell am I saying?'... he just mentioned 'die' right now.

I contemplated, but struggled to hear the other words. "I feel so bad for Alex... You should both figure it out... Just leave me and Mun out of it. That's the plan, right?". My mind reeled as I tried to process what I'd just heard. What plan? What did Ted have to do with Mrs. Sonia's death, and why am I involved?

The door swung open, and I stumbled backward, my heart racing as I locked eyes with Ted, who just looked as shocked as I was while maintaining a long stare at each other.