Rhapsody

Chapter:- 16✧*。

Nobody had ever insulted Ella in a way that directly maligned her dignity. Her eyes were puffy from crying all night.

Was she so shabby ? Maybe.... but William Anderson didn't have any authority to judge her on it's basis. He was a nobody and Ella needed to prove it to him. It was time to come out of her insecurities and face the world in the raw and hard way.

She would show it to him and his gang mates that girls like her were neither tissue papers nor scaredy kittens but reigning tigresses. This time Will would be the fly who would be trapped by the bold spider.

The next day Ella walked into Rhapsody with her new-found confidence, thanks to her so-called-date the day before.
The day went by smoothly including a few gawks and stares from her colleagues as she had not tied her hair for the first time in her career.
She was not entirely sure whether she was capable of holding that much attention as she was getting.

Time had come when she changed for the better. She got the address and contact number of Will from Katie and headed to his house ,ready to make him apologize for his deed.

When she reached there it was already dark. She had no idea what sight she would see on entering his home at this hour. But she was not going to back off at any cost.

It was a big house with a front gate. She entered inside through the side gate and began walking to his door, when a sound stopped her. How could she ever forget those sounds?

"Woof woof", Ella got on her knees immediately with a wide grin stretching across her face. It was a female golden retriever. A single collar shined across its nape with the name 'Lola'. Ella gasped having seeing the name before.

"Hey Lols, where are you running ? I think it's time I install a security camera and lock at the front gate", muttered Will.

Ella watched as Will came running outside and stopped in his mid track. He was in shock; thought Ella.

She stood up and waited for him to approach them. Will broke into a smile but then it contorted to that of pain. Will was having problem standing up.

"Please come inside, Ella ", said Will and began walking towards his home. Lola greedily followed them behind. Ella didn't want to believe a dog's owner could be so heartless. Still she needed to stay on her track.

The house was pretty big with a floor above and lots of amenities on the ground floor. She liked the quite and simple ambience it had. She stepped inside and came to a halt. The walls were covered in canvas paintings and sketches. On closer look they looked like......her. They were indeed her paintings. If he hated her why would he choose her face to immortalise it? Her eyes filled with tears. Will was an artist.

Will turned around when he saw that Ella was no longer following him but stood frozen at the door. Her eyes were glistening.

Will began slowly approaching her but then ; Woof ! It brought Ella back into the world and she looked at Will. "You don't need to worry yourself so much with a person like me. Just answer my question. Why ? Who gave you the right to humiliate me in front of your equally worthless gang ?", asked Ella furiously.

"Why do you care anyways ? You already knew you would be humiliated. You said so yourself. It's you who came to meet my friends and turned it into reality",said Will calmly.

"Is that why you invited me in the first place? Is that your real persona what I saw on that day? The thing is, it is not me who accepts a stranger's invitation on a single meet ; but you who shamelessly invites girls and makes a joke out of their insecurities. Now answer me. Why?" ,asked Ella.

"Ella why do you care? Just forget it" , said Will shifting under Ella's stare.

"You are not in a position to dictate my decisions! I am not like the thousands of girls floating in and out of your life. So answer me right now! ", demanded Ella.

"Fine! Then listen! I did it because I wanted to keep you away from my vermin friends. I did it because I didn't want to lose the things I loved the most in my already struggling life. I did it because I wanted to prove it to them that I'm not the Will- the-weeping-willow they think I am. I did it because ...I wanted to prove it to myself that I can sacrifice myself and my love to ensure that the ones I treasure are safe !" , said Will in one breath.

Unable to stand up anymore, Will collapsed on the floor from the unbearable pain. He didn't know which pain was unbearable, the pain in his heart or his body. The aftermath - he passed out.