for you; || c.gallagher

twentysix;

We all became silent as the door swung back and slammed into the wall. Corbin had tears streaming down his face as he now sat on the floor in the hallway with Margaret trying to comfort him.
"Is everything ok?!" the boy asked. I knew it was him. I saw his face. It's almost exactly how I remembered it. His voice is definitely different. It's deeper. I had turned my back towards him.
"Yes, Carl, everything is fine. You can go back home," Margaret said while staring at me. I must have looked frightened to see him, I think she knew I was taken aback.
"Who are you?" Carl asked. I heard him start to walk towards me. It felt like my body was frozen. I was not expecting to have to see him today. I wasn't ready to see him. Not yet. I broke out of my trance and raced past Margaret and Corbin up the stairs to my room.
"Hey!" Carl yelled as I heard him begin to chase after me.
"Eliana, wait!" Margaret cried out. I continued up to my room but Carl had stopped coming after me. I threw the door open and then closed it and locked it behind me. I brought my hands up to my face. Tears? When did I start crying? I looked around my room. It was just how I had left it that night. The night of the party... it makes it feel like it was yesterday and not almost 4 years ago. I shook the thoughts out of my head and strode over to my closet and began stuffing some clothes in an old backpack. The doorknob started jiggling behind me and I quickly whipped my head back and then ignored it as I continued packing.
"...Eliana," a voice said, almost too quiet for me to hear. I didn't stop to listen. I knew who it was and I didn't want to hear anything he had to say. The doorknob jiggled again.
"Please, Eliana, open the door."
I frantically began to zip up my bag and threw it over my shoulders. I walked over to my window and pried it open. I lifted myself onto the threshold and was balancing in a squatting position as I steadied myself to jump towards the tree. This feels oddly familiar. I was about to jump when a crashing sound boomed from in my room. I turned my head to see Carl on his side on the floor, my door barged open. He opened his eyes and stared at me from the floor. I couldn't help but smile at him sadly before I turned back and leapt out towards the tree branch. I climbed my way until I was a couple feet from the ground and dropped to the grass. My knees buckled and I crumpled on the grass. My body was aching. Walking around was already difficult for me. I picked myself back up and did my best to jog over to Wesley's car. I got to the passenger door and glanced back up at my window. Carl was standing in front of it and staring at me. I couldn't tell what the expression on his face was. I swiftly opened the door and got in the car.

"Was everything ok in there? I heard yelling and I thought I saw someone run across the street into your house but I wasn't sure..." Wesley asked. He turned towards me for a moment. "And, we can't forget your grand escape through the window," he said almost with a smile, "but please don't do something like that again. At least not for a while. You had me worried," he trailed off. I was hoping he was parked far enough away that he wouldn't see any of that.
"Yeah, um, my brother was... scared to see me. The neighbor ran over to check on us," I said flatly. He looked over at me once more, his green eyes piercing through mine. Why did you run? is what I know he wanted to ask. But he turned back towards the road without saying a word. The rest of the drive back to his apartment was silent.

I slumped back onto the couch after we got inside the apartment. I felt exhausted. It was already getting late.
"You hungry?" Wesley asked me from the kitchen. I laid back on the couch with my legs hanging off, my feet touching the floor.
"Maybe a little," I said back. I'm not sure what allows me to trust Wesley so much but something about him is so familiar. When he looks into my eyes I feel calm. It feels like I'm returning somewhere I had been so many times before.
"You said you would explain everything to me," I said as I sat up. I propped my elbows up behind me to hold myself up. He stopped whatever he was doing at the stove and faced me as he leaned against the island in the kitchen. He sighed, but not in an exhausted way but almost like he was preparing himself. Gathering his thoughts.
"We were both patients in the same hospital. Both in comas and both in the same room," He said. I furrowed my eyebrows.
"You and me, we... were with each other."
"Obviously," I said back. I didn't know where he was going with this.
"No, we were with each other and saw each other while we were still asleep," He said. He was staring directly at me. I didn't know what to say, he didn't make sense to me. I think he could tell that by the way I was looking at him.
"I told you I would come back to you when you woke up," he said. Those words triggered something inside of me. I sat up straight and continued to stare at Wesley. So familiar.
"I think I understand now," I said slowly, "I'm just not there yet." I looked down at my palms. They were covered in scars.
"But I think I understand enough to know I'm safe with you," I whispered as I continued to stare at my hands.
"Okay," Wesley responded. I looked up, not realizing he had heard me. He was looking at me with a grin on his face. I felt my face get hot. He has a pretty smile. He turned back around and continued to prep for dinner. I brought my hands up to my cheeks. Warm. I slid them up in my hair and stopped. I forgot what I looked like until now. I wave of embarrassment washed over me.
"I was wondering... could you cut my hair for me?" I asked.
"Me?" Wesley asked, his back still to me. I rolled my eyes.
"Um, yeah. It doesn't need to look good, I just want it to be even," I said referring to my half short hair and half matted hair. They had shaved it off I assume when I was first admitted. It had grown a little bit but not very much.
"Sure," He responded.

After eating dinner, Wesley and I had made our way into the bathroom. I had a towel draped over my shoulders and he was using kitchen scissors to chop off my hair. The snipping sound became gradually less aggressive as he began cutting off smaller pieces. I was sitting on the edge of the tub, my legs in the bath while Wesley was sitting on a stool behind me. I would feel his leg brush against my back every once in a while. It made me shudder.
"Okay, I think I'm done. But just to remind you, I'm not a hairstylist or anything," he said in a nervous tone. I smiled gently to myself as I got up and stretched. I shifted in the tub and stepped over the edge and the hair on the floor and peered at myself in the mirror.
It was longer on the top and in the front than the sides, but also longer in the back. I grinned.
"You kind of gave me a mullet, you know?" I said as I looked at him in the reflection of the mirror.
"I'm sorry-"
"No, it's fine. I actually like it," I said with a chuckle. I stared at my reflection. The scar is still a little visible, peeking off my scalp and onto my forehead but as my hair grows longer it won't look as harsh.
"Turn towards me for a sec," Wesley asked as he placed his hands on my shoulders to guide me. He brought them up and started running his fingers through my hair, checking the length. I stared into his face. I felt a little less self conscious than I did before.
"You know, for someone who isn't a professional you're being awfully thorough," I teased. He grinned as he continued to look at what he was doing but glanced down at me.
"Whatever, I'm making sure I did ok," he said. I think we both realized how close we were to each other in that moment. I think I felt his breath against my forehead. His hands were resting on the sides of my head. I blinked and looked away.
"Well if it looks good I'm gonna shower now," I said awkwardly.
"Okay, go for it. I'll get you a broom and a towel. If you need help turning the water on I'll just be in the living room," he responded as he scratched the back of his neck and made his way out the door.
I turned towards the mirror once more. My cheeks looked a little pink.
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Y'all idk how I feel about this update 🤨 I kind of hate it. I kind of know the direction I want this story to go but also... we'll see. Kind of going off a whim here lolz anyways hope you enjoyed an update after being dead for like 4 years! I hope I can make this story into something good.