Hello dearies!
Today marks the end of our journey with Keith and Damon. I wanted to thank you all for reading and I'd love to see you in my other future stories. I know this is a rather short story and my explanation for that is that this is my first book on wattpad. It even is the first book I published for the world to see. So I wanted a short story to get used to writing in English and how Wattpad works.
Special thanks to Infinite_Galaxies817, JustMe_Evie and overdagmar for their comments and support.<3
With love, BlackRoses

Keith's pov

To say that I was nervous is an understatement. I was shaking because of the anxiety that took over me.

Today was Damon's funeral, and I had been asked to speak a few things. Of course I had prepared something with my mom, but I already knew that I wouldn't be able to say a thing.

Yesterday I saw Damon for the last time, before they closed his coffin. I hadn't even cried, but I just stood there holding his hand which was cold as ice.

His family, I never got to meet them while Damon dreamt of introducing me to his family. Well his dream came true, but not in the way we expected.

Rachel had been crying, and every now and then she had put het arms around me and hugged me. But I felt like with Damon a part of me died and I couldn't return her hugs.

His father, brothers and sister, they all had puffy eyes like mine. But none of them held the guilt that laid in mine.

It ws after all, my fault. I had pushed him this far. I had been too late. The Knives killed him because of me.

The Knives had been caught, all of them. Of course Cameron would be judged for a heavier crime. But I actually didn't care. It was too late anyways.

I starer at the mirror as I knotted my tie. The emptiness in my chest was familiar and feared, even hated, but nonetheless it was there. And I knew it would stay with me for a while.

"Keith?" My mother asked warily through the door of the bathroom.

The moments she left me alone she still checked on me every fifteen minutes. Probably to make sure I didn't kill myself.

I wasn't even sure myself if she exaggerated or not.

"Keith?" My mother asked again already opening the door and sighing in relief. "Come my dear, let me help you." She said soft and did my tie while I let my trembling hands fall.

"Rachel asked me to buy a white rose to put on his chest on the way to the funeral." She said and fixed a few strands of my hair.

She put a hand on my cheek. "Are you ready to go?" I just nodded even though I would never be ready to bury my boyfriend.

When we stopped at the florist I got out to buy the flower. But when I saw the roses, I changed my mind. Instead of a white one, I picked a red one and went to pay.

"Hello, just this one?" He florist asked and I nodded.

"This doesn't happen to be for your boyfriend, does it." She said jokingly. I flushed, how'd she know?

"It actually is." I said with a hoarse voice. Her eyes grew big. "Omg! You're the boyfriend! No way that dark haired boy is your boyfriend?! He bought all his roses for you here at this shop. It's so nice finally meeting you. How is he?" She chattered.

My face dropped and I held back a sudden sob. "He is dead." I whispered. Then it was her turn to let her face drop.

"What happened?" She asked soft.

"The thing in the newspaper. About the Knives killing a boy. That was him." I said and when I glanced at her she wiped away her tears.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry, sweetheart." She said and gave me the rose. "It's free. Stay strong, okay?" She said and gave me a sad smile.

I nodded, mumbled a thanks and left the shop. My heart ached at the thought of Damon buying his roses for me in the same shop I bought him his last. There were no tears, just more emptiness when I reached the car.

My mother said nothing about the color and just drove away from the shop.

~^~^~^~^~

The funeral was beautiful with family sharing their memories and love for Damon. I was seated next to his siblings, Rachel had insisted me to.

Sam leaned against me with tears constantly streaming down his little face. I had put an arm around him, wanting to cry with him. But there were mo more tears left.

When it was mu turn to say something I clutched to my paper as Sam let me go and I walked to the front with his red rose in my hand.

I did not look at the crowd, but at the trees in the distance, imaging how Damon would have loved to sit there with me to enjoy the silence and each others company.

I looked at the paper, but the words didn't make sense anymore, so I just tried something else.

"I loved Damon, I did and still do. I loved him for his caring nature and had this thing about him that always made you at ease when you were with him. I loved him for his chocolate brown, amber dotted eyes and his cheeky smile that made me smile as well. I loved him for introducing me to his family who treated and still treats me as if Im one of them. I loved him for helpinge, being there for me and dragging me out of the dark pit I was in. I loved him for his words of love in the poems he wrote to me. For the roses he sent me and for the opportunity to love him. I loved him for loving me, and I still do." I said and stopped short for taking a shaky breath.

"I hated the part of him that consumed him with fear. Yet he even tried to fight that for me, like I fought my darkness for him. He never was weak like he said, he kept on trying and fighting and struggling for me, for his family and for everyone else. Bit I'm afraid, fear has a nasty way of finding it's way into your mind and breaking it down from the inside. I wish I never said those words the day before his death. Maybe he wouldn't have stormed away, maybe we wouldn't have met at that cafe and maybe he was alive then." I looked down and controlled my quivering lip.

"I can't even tell him how much he means to me. I can't tell him I'm sorry. I can't let him go. Because letting go is forever. He told me in his last poem to me that he'd still love even if he died, so I will love him even now he's dead. Therefore I won't let him go, I will say goodbye. Cause when people say goodbye, it means they will see eachother again. And I truly hope I will meet you again Damon. Goodbye Damon, and I'm sorry." I finished and turned to his coffin. I put one hand on it as I placed my red rose amongst the other white roses. I murmerd a goodbye before I hurried back to my seat, but halfway I was stopped by Rachel who gave me hug and held onto me as she cried against my shoulder.

When she let go she smiled at me and we took our seats. Sam clung to me but had stopped crying. "I'm sure you will meet again, Keith." He whispered with a hoarse voice and I just pressed the little boy against me in a grateful gesture.

The last speaker was Rachel herself with support of her husband. But I wasn't focused, I hadn't been for the whole funeral, until she said my name.

"I thought Damon would always stay the damaged boy he was when we moved. But when he met Keith, I saw glimpses of my old happy son who had always been cheerfully, with his head in the clouds and caring heart. His friendship, and relationship with Keith did him well, really well, but the damage his anxiety had done wasn't healed yet. But I am so grateful for Keith, because of him Damon kept fighting and was willing to go on and face his fears. I will never ever blame Keith for the choices Damon made and the consequences they had. I can only hope that you, my lovely son, have finally found peace. That fear may never fill your heart again. Goodbye, sweetheart." She said and put her white rose with the others, a sign for her children to stand up and put their roses on it too.

As everyone sat down again it was time to say goodbye and let Damon sink in his grave.

~^~^~^~^~

It wasn't until that night that reality hit me. Damon was officially gone. I sank down on my bed and felt how my whole being felt like it shattered as I thought about him.

The thought of never seeing him again, never touching him, never... I broke down and screamed against my pillow. I screamed until I had no voice left and exploded in sobs and drowned in tears.

Somewhere it had all felt so distant, so unreal. But it was real, it was a living nightmare. On the chair next to his bed laid a hoody that once had belonged to Damon. He grabbed it and sniffed his scent.

"Please don't leave me. Please, please." I begged and begged. I knew it would be Christmas tomorrow, a white Christmas. But it would be a Christmas without Damon.

And a New Year without Damon, and every holiday after that would be without Damon.

I felt like I was choking and stumbled to the window, looking out over the fod white streets and trying to breath. I heard the ruffling of paper behind me and when I looked I saw Damon's poem.

I grabbed it and read it again and again and again. And I thought of the promise I made him. I had to be strong. I had to be strong for him and for my mother.

I had to make him proud. I wouldn't let him go, I would never forget him. But he said he would be with me and I believed him. Somewhere he was there, somewhere in the emptiness Damon would take place and be with me until I was ready to join him.

I took a deep breath. I had lived with pain for the past years, but I had learned to live with it and even became stronger. I would not let Damon down. I could do this, for him, for my mom, for his family.

So I went down the stairs and found my mother curled up on the couch with a tearstained face.

"Keith?" She asked. "I'm gonna be strong mom, I promised him. I will miss him, cry for him and yearn for him, but I will be strong and go on." I promised her as I took a seat on the couch.

"Oh honey." My mother sighed and embraced me. And I cried, together we cried, as always."

~^~^~^~^~
6 months later

I sighed. It was a hot summer day, but instead of spending money on ice cream like other kids did, I spent money on a single red rose.

I had parked my mothers car and walked over the graveyard in shorts and a green shirt. As soon as I found the relatively new tombstone I sat on the ground next to it and put the rose in front of it.

"Happy birthday." I whispered and touched the tombstone. Today it would've been his birthday.

I couldn't believe we never got to celebrate his birthday together. This was as closest as it would get. Me and his tombstone.

I was still sad of course. I never had known the depth of my feelings for him until he died. I had barely made it through th rest of this school year but I made it.

And I did as I promised. I was being strong. I didn't forget him, I probably still loved him. And that was probably the reason I was pulling through.

Last couple of months had been hard. Me and my mother had visited the Stones regularly. Partly to check up on them, partly to find comfort in one anoter.

"I know you're the one who always gave me roses, but now it's my turn." I said. "But I don't have the ability to write poems like you do."

"I really miss you, Damon. I really do. But I did as you say, I kept holding on and tried to be strong. Your family has been an amazing support and I hope I can help and have helped them as well."

I just sat there and closed my eyes. I enjoyed the sun and the smell of mowed grass. In the distance I heard children laugh.

Suddenly I heard something else. The meowing of a cat, and it sounded like a little one.

I looked around me and suddenly my eye fell on the kitten not far away.

"Hello, what are you doong here?" I asked the kitten. I didn't even worry about the fact that I had started to talk with cats.

The kitten meowed again and came closer. "You're a curious thing, aren't you?" I said when the kitten sat in front of me.

She had a brown fur with stripes and beautiful amber eyes. Amber eyes, they reminded me of Damon's. But instead of sadness, like I had felt the past time, I smiled.

As soon as I started to pet the kitten it started purring. There was no collar or anything else that indicated the kitten had an owner.

So in an impulse I called my mom. "Keith, are you alright?" She asked when she picked up.

"I'm fine mom, I've found a kitten and she, I think it's a she, has amber eyes and a brown fur. She is so pretty and reminds me of Damon. Can we please keep her?" I rambled.

I heard her chuckle on the other side of the line. "Of course, Keith. If she is coming home with you we can take her to the vet and buy stuff." She said.

"Thanks mom!" I said and hung up. "So pretty kitten, do you want to come home with me? I promise I will take good care for you." I said.

The kitten purred and meowed and carfully I took her in my arms. She didn't seem to mind.

"I think I'm calling you Rose." I said and snuggled my nose in her fur.

"Bye Damon, I'll see you soon." I said to his tombstone. I smiled and hoped Damon was smiling too. That he was happy too.

And with that thought I walked away from the graveyard with Rose in my arms.

Damon's pov

And smiling I did and happy I was, because he was too.

And he really seemed to like my last rose to him.

~^~^~The End~^~^~

Here it ends! Thank you all for reading, I really hope you liked it!

Final question:

What are your thoughts. Pleaaase let me know. :)

And now it's time to say goodbye, and wish that we see eachother soon.

Byee Xxx BlackRoses

~^~^~