cardigan, a. butler

ninety-nine

ninety-nine, the forbidden kiss

elsie rewatched the video over and over again, unsure if her ears were playing a cruel joke on her or if she actually wasn't hallucinating what had escaped past harry's lips.

for many years, elsie never thought that any of his songs were about her but now that he had said it, the proof was hidden right before her eyes.

he had written many songs for her and professing his love for her and she was completely and utterly clueless.

too caught up with luke and the complicated life he brought that she didn't see that her best friend was in love with her just like she was in love with him many years before.

from the moment elsie had met harry, she knew he'd be a very important person in her life, whether it was romantically or platonically, she knew he was very important to her.

many years later, he was still a very important person in her life and she couldn't imagine a world where the two never talked.

he was her better half and she was his.

but now that she knew the secret he had kept hidden for so many years, all of her old feelings for her best friend came rushing back and it was overwhelming for her.

she had just went public with her relationship with hayden and now her best friend of nearly a decade professed his love for her and she didn't know what to do.

what was there to do?

he had made it clear that these were old feelings he was harboring but she couldn't help but wonder if he had lied.

what if his love for her never went away?

what if this was the time for them to be together?

elsie hated the thoughts that were racing through her mind but she couldn't control them.

all the what ifs that were never answered had come back ten times stronger and all she could do was feel guilty because she wasn't 100% hayden's.

some part of her still longed for harry.

elsie snapped out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps approaching so she closed youtube on her phone and glanced up to reveal hayden and briar, an immediate smile being placed on elsie's face.

"hi my briar rose!" elsie exclaimed as she opened her arms for briar to run into.

"hi ellie!" briar beamed as she rushed towards elsie with a warm smile.

"how's my pretty girl today?" elsie asked as she caressed her cheek, unaware of the fond smile hayden had on his face at the twos interaction.

"good! i drew this for you." briar smiled as she handed elsie her artwork.

in the picture stood three figures in a field of flowers under a bright blue sky.

"who's this?" elsie asked as she pointed towards the figures.

"that's me, daddy, paddy and you." briar smiled causing elsie's heart to melt at the girls sweet words.

"i love it!" elsie smiled as she admired the work of art.

but what nearly made her tear up was what briar had written over her figurine.

mommy ellie.

briar considered elsie her mom and this was all elsie could've wished for.

to be a mother.

hayden could see the tears forming in elsie's eyes and so he placed a hand on her upper back as a way to tell her he's here.