Signal of Distress

5 - Caution

~ Talk - Khalid ~
❤︎❤︎❤︎

Knocking at your door, won't you come out?
-Elijah Chambers

"Is that a hickey?"

My hand immediately smacks over my neck. "Is what, a hickey?" I have a hickey? I immediately take out my phone while Ebony and Marcus laugh. "It's not funny."

There's a faint purple bruise on my neck right under my jaw. "Son of a bitch," I curse. I pull my hair over my shoulder hoping to cover it.

"Sooo," Ebony trails off.

"Owen?" Marcus asks.

I snort at his assumption. "Yeah, right. I burned myself with my straightener this morning," I lie. I could kill Eli. I have dinner tonight with my dad. He canceled on the last one because of work.

Marcus and Ebony both laugh. "Sure, sure. We won't question it, darling," Marcus assures. I roll my eyes as we walk down the street.

We finally reached my dorm and I bid them a goodbye before walking in. I walk down the hallway and open my door. Ashlyn is crying her eyes out. I try to ignore it and place down my stuff but her crying increases.

"Uhh, Ashlyn," I call out.

She lets out a whimper as she cries. "Are you okay?" I ask. She sits on her bed, criss crossed, against the wall, squeezing the pillow in her lap. She shakes her head and pats the spot next to her on her bed.

Please don't make me regret this.

I take a seat right next to her. She lays her head on my shoulder and continues to cry. "Eli broke up with me," she sniffles. I pat her back lightly.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I whisper.

She shrugs. "He kept making up these assumptions and lies about me. Like I was crazy. I hate him!" She cries out. I bite the inside of my cheeks not knowing what to do.

"There, there. You'll be okay." I rub her back in soothing circles. What the hell am I supposed to say now?

A phone starts ringing and I immediately look over at her phone. Owen's name flashes her screen with a heart next to the contact name. "Is that my phone?" She asks as she wipes her eyes.

"No," I lie.

I'm confused. I hear a knock at the door and Ashlyn groans. "Can you get that?" She asks. She lifts her head off me and I walk to the door.

I open it to see Eli standing with his hands in his pockets. "Eli, what're you doing here?" I ask in a whisper. Look over my shoulder at Ashlyn who's crying into her pillow.

"I came to see you," he says.

I look back up to meet his gaze. "Why?" Why would he be here to see me?

"What do you mean, why?" He questions.

I try to ignore Ashlyn's crying in the background. That doesn't seem to bother Eli. "Why would you be here to see me?" I rephrase.

He removes one of his hands from his pockets and shrugs. "I want to hangout with you. I had fun last night," he says nonchalantly.

I look back to Ashlyn who has mascara running down her face. "That's not a good idea," I whisper. Ashlyn looks extremely hurt.

I try to close the door but Eli presses his hand against the door stopping me. "Come on. Please," he says. I wonder if everyone else was around or could see us, if he'd still talk to me.