I Love You to Death(35)

"Hey," I squealed with delight. "I thought you weren’t getting in until tomorrow morning?"
"Nah, bit of a lie that was, wanted to surprise you!" Both he and Lara were clearly delighted at my obvious shock.
I turned around and saw Sam smiling. "You knew about this?" I asked him.
"Of course," he said as if it was no big deal, even though he and I both knew it was. I pulled him towards us, hugging all of them and feeling happier than I had in a long time.
Eventually Seth said, "Okay should we dump these bags and hit the town?"
I reluctantly let him go. I’d missed him so much. I hadn’t seen him since Dad’s funeral when he’d had to leave town almost straight after. We went out that night to a local pub down the road that Sam and I liked to visit. It was one of the best nights I’d had in a long time. Just the four of us having a great time with good food and a lot of laughs. I couldn’t stop hugging Seth, I was so happy to see both him and Lara.
After Christmas had come and gone, they were supposed to go. They both wanted to try and catch up with friends for New Year’s in San Diego. "You don’t want to just stay here," I asked again, repeating what I’d been saying ever since they first arrived. "Stay and spend it with us."
Seth stood there looking at me and just smiled.
"What?" I asked confused.
"It’s already done," he said. "We changed the tickets weeks ago." He laughed when he saw my reaction and I was never more grateful. I knew what both of them were giving up for me. They had so little time together or with their friends. I knew it was a big deal for them to stay on with me, to know I would need them this year.
By the time New Year’s came around, a snow storm had hit the city. It was pretty wild and they were closing more and more streets to traffic as the plows couldn’t cope with the combination of party goers and snow. Most people were walking anyway, no chance of getting a taxi. We went to a party someone from Sam’s work was throwing. It was a great night. We rang in the New Year and partied until 6am. By the time we staggered home, all of us were drunk and the snow was still falling. What should have taken us fifteen minutes took over an hour. But we didn’t care.
We all crashed for the day and when we woke sometime in the afternoon, Seth and Lara were already running late for their flight. The snow was still falling and a lot of the trains weren’t running, so they’d have to get a car to the airport.
"The plane probably won’t even take off," I said to Seth, a hangover pounding its way into my head.
"Yeah you’re probably right," he answered. "But we still need to get out there and get something sorted."
"When are you coming back?" I asked. "Will you be back soon?" I was already missing him and he hadn’t even left yet.
He smiled at me, his eyes bloodshot and barely open. "How about summer, we can come back then. Maybe we can head out to the Cape or something?"
I gave him a hug, standing on my toes to tell him, "Thank you Seth that would be perfect."
"Of course Smash, we’ll get it organised."
When he finally found a car company that would take them to the airport, they packed their bags and I waited downstairs with them.
"Thanks for a great couple of weeks Ash," Lara said. "We really had a great time."
I smiled at her. "Thank you for staying on. Really, I appreciate it more than you can know."
Lara pulled me into a hug, "Anytime Ash, you know that. Send me some of the photos you took."
"I will, definitely."
Seth smiled sideways at us. "Come on my turn."
Lara and I said our goodbyes and then I wrapped my arms tightly around Seth. "Thank you," I whispered. "I love that you would stay here for me this year."
He tightened his arms around me whispering, "Aw sis, you really don’t have to worry about that. You’re my baby sister and I mean it when I say I’d do anything for you."
I pulled him into a tighter hug. "I know that Seth and it just makes me love you even more," I said quietly.
When the car eventually showed up, I reluctantly let Seth go. The last thing I remember is his big goofy smile as he waved at me from the back seat of the car, blowing me a kiss as they pulled away. I watched as the two of them drove off, Seth turning back in and wrapping his arm around Lara and pulling her close to him. I went back inside with a smile on my face, despite the pounding in my head.
They told me they died instantly.
The roads were covered in ice from the previous night and the snow was still falling. An SUV they said, from out of nowhere, just as their car was leaving the tunnel and turning towards Logan. An SUV, which was travelling too fast on ice-covered roads and ploughed into Seth’s side of the car, forcing it against the safety barrier and crushing them both.
They didn’t even give him a military funeral. Not killed in action, they said. Sam argued with them. He tried to sort out everything for me. I didn’t fight it, I just couldn’t. All I cared about was my brother. All I cared about was that my brother was dead and I was never going to see him again.
We buried him in Providence a few days later. It was freezing, the ground frozen solid as I laid him to rest, right beside my mother and my father. I’d sworn I wouldn’t go back there again. Lara’s family had her cremated, but they let me bury some of her ashes with Seth. It was the first time I’d seen her family since the engagement party and it was agony. And in the end, it was her parents I gave the photos to, some final reminders of the last days of their daughter’s life. I haven’t been able to pick up my camera since that day.