“And well…” Jimmy began, his voice softening as he leaned back in his chair. “Time passed, just like that. Those days were simple him always smiling, laughing, and spreading that annoying positivity everywhere. But then, something started to change. That kid so full of light and optimism started to dim. Little by little, he wasn’t the same anymore.”
Jimmy’s brow furrowed slightly as he went on. “It was slow at first. He’d look a little more tired, a little more drained. Then, as the years went by four or five, I think he wasn’t the same kid at all. He became… sad. Tired. Exhausted, even. That endless positivity he used to have? Gone. It was like he’d lost something inside him, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t find it again.”
He paused, his voice tinged with sadness. “He smiled less and less. Sometimes, he looked outright depressed. And then he started putting distance between us. We used to meet all the time, but suddenly, there were gaps long stretches where he’d disappear. I didn’t know what was going on, so one day, I finally asked him: ‘What’s wrong? What happened?'”
Jimmy sighed deeply, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. “And you know what he said? Nothing. Just brushed it off, muttered something about ‘family problems.’ And I thought to myself what kind of problems could a kid like him have? He’s from a rich family, right? I figured his life should be perfect. No struggles, no worries. I mean, all parents love their kids, don’t they?”
He chuckled bitterly, shaking his head. “But he didn’t tell me much, no matter how many times I asked. Eventually, he admitted that his mother and sister had started acting… strange toward him. Cold, distant. He didn’t explain it fully, but I could see it was tearing him apart.”
Jimmy’s tone grew heavier as he continued. “Day by day, he grew quieter. More withdrawn. More… lonely. And no matter what I did, I couldn’t bring him back. I tried everything talking, joking, even dragging him out to places. But nothing seemed to work. That sadness stuck to him like a shadow.”
He paused, running a hand over his face as if the memory physically hurt. “He stopped coming around as much, too. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family, like he was trying to fix things with them. But every time I saw him after that, he looked worse. Like he was fighting a battle he knew he couldn’t win.”
Jimmy sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping slightly. “It went on like that for a while a year, maybe more. And then, one day, he came to see me. And this time…” Jimmy’s expression softened, a small, nostalgic smile forming on his lips. “This time, he was smiling. A real smile. The kind I hadn’t seen in years.”
Continue your journey with empire
Avey sat up a little straighter, her curiosity piqued. Cassandra leaned in slightly, sensing the shift in Jimmy’s tone.
“He told me he’d made a new friend,” Jimmy said, his smile growing. “And, honestly, I was shocked. Up until that point, I thought I was his only friend. Turns out, he’d found someone else. Someone special.”
Jimmy glanced at Avey briefly, a knowing look in his eyes.
“It was a girl,” he said, watching Avey closely.
Avey’s heart skipped a beat. For some reason, she felt a flicker of hope, a small spark of expectation. She didn’t say anything, but she couldn’t help but wonder was it her?
“Yeah, he wouldn’t shut up about her,” Jimmy continued, his tone both amused and slightly annoyed. “He told me everything how she came up to him, started talking to him, sat beside him. All this little stuff I honestly didn’t care about, but to him? It was everything.”
Jimmy chuckled, shaking his head as if he could still hear Lucian’s voice. “He just kept going on and on about her. ‘She’s amazing, Jimmy. She’s so smart, so funny, so kind. She can do this, and that, and this other thing too!’ It was endless. The guy couldn’t talk about anything else.”
He paused, his gaze softening further as he looked at Avey. “And then, he told me her name.”
Avey froze, her heart pounding.
“He said her name was Avey,” Jimmy said with a faint smile. “He described everything about you. Your hair, your eyes, the color of your shoes every little detail, like it was the most important thing in the world. It was honestly impressive how much he noticed.”
Jimmy sighed, his smile turning a little exasperated. “But, man, it got annoying after a while. Every conversation became about you. It was ‘Avey this,’ and ‘Avey that,’ and ‘Did I tell you what Avey said yesterday?’ I thought I’d lose my mind.”
Despite his tone, there was a warmth in Jimmy’s expression that gave away how much he cherished those memories.
“Still,” he said, his voice softening again, “it made me happy to see him like that. To see him so… alive. After everything he’d been through, after all the sadness and loneliness, you brought something back into his life. Something I couldn’t.”
Jimmy leaned back, letting out a deep breath. “I won’t lie, Avey. At first, I thought you might be just another temporary thing something to distract him from the pain.
“Honestly,” Jimmy said, leaning back with a sigh, “the way he talked about you, even I started to get jealous. I mean, seriously, what the hell was this guy up to? He’d go on and on about you like you were the best thing since sliced bread.”
He shook his head, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “It wasn’t just the compliments either. Sometimes, he’d straight-up complain like, actual complaints about the smallest things. ‘She took a holiday today, so I can’t meet her,’ or ‘She’s too busy to talk to me.’ Blah, blah, blah. The guy wouldn’t stop.”
Jimmy threw his hands up for emphasis, his voice taking on a mock-impatient tone as he continued, “And then there was the endless ‘That, and that, and oh, also that.’ I swear, it was like listening to a lovesick puppy who didn’t know when to quit.”
Avey, sitting across from him, couldn’t help but smile. Despite the teasing tone, there was a certain fondness in Jimmy’s voice that made the moment feel lighter, warmer. The way he described Lucian’s enthusiasm was so genuine, so full of life, that it painted a clear picture in her mind.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Jimmy added, glancing at Avey, “it was annoying as hell at times. But looking back?
He leaned forward slightly, his expression softening. “You know, for someone who went through so much, Lucian had this amazing ability to focus on the things and the people that made him happy. And for a long time, Avey, that person was you.”
Avey’s smile faltered slightly at those words, her chest tightening with a mix of emotions. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d meant to Lucian back then, or how deeply he’d cared for her.
—
sighhh guys writing too much today almost exausted ahhhh fkkk sighh