When you realise

21. Five minutes

We stared at each other for what felt like hours when in reality it was probably only seconds, I didn't know what to say and considering he was standing there opening and closing his mouth, I figured he didn't know what to say either.

He still had one hand on my hip and one hand on my face, his expression is the same as the one he wore on his face when he looked at me the very first time. For the first time in 3 weeks I felt complete, I felt that being in his arms I was whole.

I wanted to melt into him further but thoughts of the last time I saw him and the pain I have felt in the past 3 weeks, my sanity could not afford for the walls I have built to protect myself to just crumble with one touch, one look, one word.

I reached up and put my hand on the back of his which was on my face and curled my fingers around his and bought it off my face, I took a step back to let his hand drop that was on my hip "Excuse me, I have a meeting to get back to" I whispered, than I tried to walk around him.

I say tried because the moment I was beside him, he grabbed my hand to stop me and looked at me again with pleading eyes "Please Elle, can you just give me 5 minutes" he quietly asked.

I broke eye contact with him, don't give in I told myself, I looked towards Melanie, her and Oliver were now eating lunch together, he looked like he had just said something funny, as I saw her giggle like a school girl with her first crush then her cheeks went a pale shade of pink.

"Please" we whispered again.

Words were not finding me at this moment, my hand where he was touching me felt like electricity which started to move up my arm and was hitting me right in the heart, my heart started beating faster and when I looked up my breath hitched as Hunter was looking at me like I was his whole world, like if I didn't give him this 5 minutes, he would not be able to survive.

I simply nodded my head and without letting go of my hand he lead me to the bar, I sat down on a stool and turned so my legs were against the bar and my arms were resting on it, I didn't dare look at him again, I was afraid that if I looked at him I will see enough to make me crumble right here. I missed him, I have missed him so much but the reality that he didn't want me out ways the hurt that I felt when I discovered the truth.

I guess Hunter didn't like the fact that I was not looking at him because he grabbed the back of the chair and swung it around so that I was facing him, then he moved his legs to either side of mine, like he was trapping me in, I simply just looked down at my hands that were sitting in my lap.

"Elle please look at me" he said as he reached up to my chin with one finger to lift my face up.

I looked at him in the eyes, He does not want you, he does not want you, he does not want you, I keep chanting over in my head so that I wouldn't forget.

"I really wish you didn't have that look in your eyes Ellie, I really wish you still looked at me the same way you used to" he stated.

"God I miss you" he said as he bought his hand down and rested it on my hands.

My eyes darted back to look at him after having only looked away for a fraction of a second.

"Why?" I finally found my voice to question

"How can you ask me why? Elle, right at this moment you have to know what you mean to me, I have left you a message every night for the past 3 weeks, I am living in hell without you, I want to do whatever I have to do to get you back, I want you back Eliana" he said as he squeezed my hand harder

My breathing picked up, heart beat rapid, don't crumble, don't crumble, keep those walls up high, protect your heart, I started shaking my head, "No, I can't do this I have to go", I tried to get up but he wouldn't let me, given I probably would have been able to get away if I had been desperate enough to leave, but my head and my heart were having an internal battle between themselves and I was torn about what to do.