Starting Over 💙

Chapter 8

~~ One Year Later ~~

Chris tried calling and messaging Ellie for months until she finally blocked him. After she blocked him he would send flowers to Emily's place once a week, just trying to get her to talk to him. She knew Emily was in contact with him, how else would he know where she was. She wanted to contact him but thought it was far too late now. Emily had convinced her to go to therapy after arriving back in New York and that along with self defense classes was helping. She still didn't feel like she was going to be good enough for Chris though.

"We're going out tonight." Emily enters her sister's room without knocking, "dress cute."

"Dress cute?" Ellie quickly stood up from her bed, eyeing her sister, knowing she was up to something.

"Yes. I'm taking you out, just you and me. Wear. Something. Cute." She enunciates each word with a smile and then leaves the room.

"I really need to find my own place. 34 is far too old to be living with your sister and her family." Ellie mumble to herself as she grabs the necklace Chris had given her last year and lays back down on the bed. She couldn't deny she missed him even now. She just didn't know if she could get past her own insecurities. She didn't know if she could let him in. It was probably far too late for it anyway, he had plenty of time to move on to someone better suited for him. She sighs when she hears a knock on the door as Emily re-enters.

"Come on! Hot yourself up." Emily starts rummaging through her closet.

Ellie sits up and groans. "Fine. Where are we going?"

"Out. I told you. A show." She throws a red dress on the bed. "Wear this." And then she's gone again, closing the door behind her.

Ellie picks up the dress, it was the same dress she was wearing when Chris entered her office after she left him at his New Year's party. She actually hadn't worn it since then.

~~~

Ellie steps out into the living room of Emily's condo, fully dressed in the red dress and some black heels. She decided to wear her hair half up and half down with some tendrils in her face. She spins as she sees Emily, "How's this?"

Emily grins at her sister and nods her approval, "perfect, ready?"

"Let me just go grab my clutch." Ellie goes back to her room and finds her clutch. She finds the shield necklace and puts it in the clutch.

~~~

As they arrive to the theatre, Ellie and Emily are handed programs. Ellie follows her sister to the front as she open the program. "Fuck." They sit down and she leans in to her sister. "I hate you. This was all a set up wasn't it?"

Emily just smirks and shrugs, "I really don't know what you're talking about."

Ellie looks down at the program and sees Chris's name. She knew why she was here, they had planned this. Together. She didn't know who she was more angry at. "I'm leaving." She gets up to leave as Emily grabs her arm to force her to sit down just as the lights go down implying it was about to start. Ellie groans and sits back down in her seat.

After the play, the sisters get up to leave but Ellie is stopped by a girl, "I'm supposed to escort you backstage to meet the cast."

Ellie looks back at Emily, but she just nudges her forward. She follows the girl to a door backstage which the girl opens, motioning for her to enter. Ellie enters the room and finds it empty as she hears the door behind her shut. She couldn't decide if she should wait for the inevitable or leave. Before she can decide she hears him enter the room behind her.

"Ellie."

She hangs her head down and turns around. "Chris. I didn't know you were in New York, let alone acting on Broadway." She looks up at him, she missed his kind eyes.

He steps towards her, noting that she doesn't back away, "well, if you talked to me more, you would have known." He points to her dress, looking down and then back up at her, "I like your dress."

She takes a step towards him, "yeah, something tells me you had something to do with it."

He grins at her and shrugs, "I don't know what you're talking about." He reaches his hand towards her face slowly, noting again that she doesn't flinch or move away from him. "I've missed you." He runs his hand softly along her shoulder to her neck, "where's your necklace."

She doesn't say anything as she opens her clutch and holds it up to him, "I take it with me wherever I go."

He takes the necklace from her, "It should be here." He places his hand on her chest, making her catch her breath. He closes the distance between them and leans in to put the necklace on her neck where it belonged, his breath lingering on her neck as he does.

She laughs as he finishes clasping the necklace around her. "I'm sorry, I can't take you seriously with that thing on your face." She points to the mustache he now sported over the beard he had the last time she saw him.

"It isn't that bad." He laughs and moves to look at himself in his dressing room mirror before turning back to her. She sets her clutch on his table as he watches her.

"I'm sorry Chris."

He steps back towards her again, tucking some hair behind her ear before grabbing her by the waist, pulling her body firmly to his. "For what."

She puts her arms around his neck with a sigh, "for leaving the way I did." Her breathing begins to quicken. All she wanted was to melt into him. She wanted to let him in, but she wasn't sure if she knew how.

He seems to know what she's thinking as he places a hand at her jaw, running his thumb across her lips the way he knew she liked, parting her lips. He pulls her lips to his making her moan. His tongue dances urgently with hers as he backs up to press her against the wall. They both groan when there is a knock at the door. Chris lets her go and answers the door, someone from the cast wanted to see if he wanted to have drinks with them. He looks back at Ellie and then back to the door, "I can't tonight." The person leaves as Chris makes his way back to her. He grabs her hand, "come on. I'm renting an apartment in the city while I'm here." She grabs her clutch and follows him without a second thought.

She walks with Chris back to his apartment, their lips finding each other as soon as the door closes behind him. He pressed her against the door as his tongue darts into her mouth making her moan before she pushes him away. "Chris, wait."

He backs away as they both try to catch their breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how much I missed you until I saw you tonight."

"What are we doing Chris? You don't even know me. As far as you're concerned I was just a lost, hurt puppy you took in. And that's not me. It's not who I am now. It wasn't who I was before James. So I don't even know if you'd like me as I am."

Chris had never heard her actually say James's name so casually before. She really was moving on. "Then let me get to know you. I told you, I don't need to know that your favorite flowers are gardenia or that your favorite color is green in order to know that I love you. Please." He pulls her into a hug, wrapping his arms firmly around her.

He said it again, he loved her. She didn't know what to do with that. And he had obviously been talking to Emily still. She finally lets out a sigh, pulling away from his as she holds out her hand, "give me your phone Chris." Chris grins at her and gives her his phone and watches as she types on it and hands it back. "My new number. Call me tomorrow." She grabs her clutch and walks to the door.

"I will. Answer this time."

She turns and chuckles at him, "I will. I promise." She walks back to him and kisses him one more time before leaving. "Goodnight Chris."