IT STARTED WITH A WHISPER, Elizabeth Olsen

Little crash

Driving home while being so upset probably wasn't my most clever idea, but in that moment I couldn't think of anything else. I just wanted to get out of there, to leave. Brie called me, like a thousand times as I drove through the mostly empty streets, but I didn't pick it up. Until she called again and I gave in, letting out a long sigh before reaching for my phone without ever looking away from the road. The last thing I remembered was a loud noise and suddenly, it all turned to black.

I woke up on an uncomfortable bed after what felt like a few hours, although I couldn't tell for sure. The lights, the smell, the colour of the walls... I was in an hospital room. Brie's purse was there, laying on the floor next to the only chair in the room, so I assumed she'd just left to get herself a snack or something to drink. She was the type of person who got hungry in stressful situations. When the door cracked opened, I shut my eyes closed. I don't really know why I did it, perhaps I was just too tired to handle any sort of social interaction. Herperfume hit my nostrils as she sat on the edge of the bed and gently took my hand.

"Hey..." Lizzie soft, shy voice filled the room. "I, uh... God, I don't even know what I'm just-" she started, stopping herself to take in a long, shaky breath. "It really sucked, the date I mean, it was awful. That guy was the most boring person I had ever met and I- I couldn't stop thinking about you and the fact that... He wasn't you. And that, feeling that way, it- it scares me. I'm terrified, Y/n" she admitted, taking a short break. I fought to keep my eyes closed, knowing she wouldn't be sharing all this if she thought I was awake.

"I remember the day we met, back in high school, you- my whole world collapsed. No one had ever made me feel that way, and to this day that's still true. I looked at you and after three seconds, I knew it was you. It's you, it's always been you. I know I acted like a jerk back then, and I'm probably still acting like a jerk right now... I'm so sorry. I should have fought for you..." she whispered, gently squeezing my hand.

"You better wake up soon, you idiot. I can't do this without you..." she said before leaning closer to place a soft kiss on my forehead. She stayed there, close to me, for a few more seconds before letting go of my hand and walking out of the room. When I heard the sound of the door shutting close, I slowly opened my eyes and watched as Brie came out of the bathroom, surprise painted all over her face.

"That wasn't some kind of fever dream, right? You heard it too?" I asked, scared that my brain might have made it all up.

"Oh, it definitely happened, the shock wasn't that bad" she reassured me, obviously still surprised.

"What shock? What happened to me?" I asked, glancing towards the few cables hanging here and there around me, connecting me to a machine.

"You got into a car accident. A truck hit your car and pushed you off the road... Don't you remember?" she explained, tilting her head slightly as she looked at me.

"I... I remember you calling me. I remember reaching for my phone but I swear my eyes never left the road, there- there was anyone else on the road" I recalled the previous events.

"You couldn't have seen him coming, he completely lost control of his truck and... boom!" she imitated the sound of two cars bumping into each other, making me chuckle quietly despite the sharp pain in my ribs.

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked, suddenly aware of the fact that the man's state might be worse than mine.

"From what I've heard, one of his legs is pretty damaged and the doctors weren't sure they were going to be able to save it or that he'd make a complete recovery. Other than that, he is okay" she explained, being completely honest. I did feel bad for him. "Hey, you need to rest too, okay? You've got a few broken ribs, but nothing too serious" she added, handing me a bunch of scans and papers.

Brie stayed with me for the next few days while I rested and recovered from the accident. Of course, Caity visited me, as well as Scarlett and a few other cast members. The only one who didn't was Lizzie. After three long and boring days in that dull hospital room, I was finally cleared to go home. I knew Caity and Brie had been taking turns watching over Loki, but I just wanted to squeeze him in my arms and take him for a long beach walk.

Brie drove me home as my car had definitely suffered from the shock more than I had. Plus, I was advised not to drive for a couple weeks, just until my ribs started properly healing. I looked out the window as the blonde turned into my street. I noticed that there were a few more cars than usual but I didn't pay too much attention to it, I was too tired. She parked into my driveway and helped me out of the car, carefully guiding me towards the door. She unlocked it, cracked it open just enough to reach the light switch before opening it completely. "Welcome home!" everyone shouted.

Most of the cast was there, the one I was close with. Most importantly, Lizzie was there. Everyone came up to me, asking how I was doing, carefully hugging me, until her turn came. When Lizzie wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into this familiar warmth, making me feel safe, feel at home. I wanted to talk to her about what she said in the hospital, but I was terrified that she would deny it and run away from me. Eventually, the night went on and I made sure to talk to everybody until I noticed Lizzie standing alone in that kitchen and thought that was my chance to go talk to her.

"Hey, I think we need to talk" I said hesitantly as approached her. I sounded way more serious that I intended at first which seemed to scare her a little.

"I don't like that, is everything alright?" she asked, visibly worried.

"Yeah, sorry, everything is fine, it's just... It's about what you said to me in the hospital" I watched as her eyes widened slightly before she looked away from me.

"Oh... So, you heard that?" she whispered, pinching the bridge of her nose as she let out a quiet sigh followed by a nervous chuckle.

"Lizzie, this is no joking matter. Did you mean any of it?" I asked, keeping my tone as steady as I could despite the fact that I was scared I might just lose her in that moment.

"I meant each and every word of it and... and it scares me, it really does. I don't know what to do, I just... I really don't want to lose you again" she admitted, still avoiding to look at me. Her words did reassure me a little although I knew it wasn't going to be easy, at least she made it clear that she wasn't going to give up and leave.

"You never lost me, you know. You could have called in the middle of the night, any day, and I would have picked up" I said, making her smile softly.

"I don't want to hurt you again..." she whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear.

"So, what do you want?" I asked, hesitantly taking a step forward.

"I want you" her voice barely reached a whisper as her eyes finally met mines.

"Then, you know what you have to do" I said, not wanting her to feel pressured to do anything. It was my way of letting her know that she was in control of the whole situation, although that probably was a huge mistake on my part.

"I... I can't. I'm... I'm too scared" she sighed, lowering her gaze to the floor. I gave her a warm smile, not wanting her to feel bad about not being ready to embrace her feelings. I slowly turned around and took a step towards the door leading to the leaving room, but I was immediately stopped by a firm grip on my wrist.

"Y/n, wait."

(Originally published on Wed. Oct. 13, 2021, rewritten on Wed. Feb. 12, 2025).