His hands on my neck - Joel Miller.

1.

A warm autumn evening in Jackson was coming to an end, as the dark clouds took the city over and the drops of rain unexpectedly hit the ground. Hope closed the window as soon as the cold wind entered the kitchen, and came back to her cup of tea as she sat at the table.

- I want to be more independent – Ellie's voice was heard from the living room with the echo of the creaking sound as the girl sat down on the couch.

- What do you mean? – For not so long Joel was spending his time on the couch with the book in his hand. His eyes made eye contact with Ellie's as he tried to understand what was the matter of the conversation.

- I am moving out. A while ago one family was killed outside of the city and their house is vacant now, - A sight of hard conversation came out of Ellie's mouth. She knew that this conversation will come sooner or later, but none of them will ever be ready for this moment. From now, she is taking responsibility for her own life, just like the adult she was now.

- If that is what you want I am no one stop you from it, - A man put his eyes down back to the book, trying to be unbothered by the conversation. But deep inside, of course, he was worried. From the beginning, Joel tried not to find an attachment to Ellie, but the longer their adventure was, the harder this mission became. And now, he felt more like a father to her and this conversation was a drop of poison for his heart. This had to happen, and he had no right to keep her from making this decision.

- I will be still here, it is not like I am running away to the other side of the country, - Despite the coldness in Joel's voice, Ellie still felt that she had to tell it, to make things softer and not to make him feel betrayed by her by any means.

- It's okay Ellie, I do understand, - Joel put the book aside with an unusually soft smile on his face. At one moment, Ellie was in his arms as if it was a goodbye hug for the both of them.- And you know that if you'll need me, I am always here.

Hope was a part of the conversation in the other room. The absence of the doors in the living room and the thin walls made her hear the whole conversation. The tea was getting colder and rain was hitting the ground even harder. The whole house felt the sadness of emptiness that Ellie's decision brought to all of them. But, it would eventually happen when the girl grows up, and now it was the time for it.

On the next day, Elle packed all her things in the backpack. The girl gave the last glace to her bedroom on the second floor, that now had only an empty old creaking bed and an empty closet that once was full of her belongings. Ellie closed the bedroom door and this chapter of her life. Hope and Joel were waiting for her in the living room, the give their goodbye hugs to the girl.

- Are you okay? – Hope was standing in the doorway after closing the front door after Ellie. She noticed how Joel was looking at the same point on the coffee table at least for the last minute.

- Yes, just as always, - Joel tried to push a smirk on his face to end this conversation. The last thing man ever wanted was someone trying to run through his mind and understand his complicated feelings.

- I can see you are worried, but you can't always keep her under your roof. The birds always fly out of the nest, - She sat down on the couch next to the man. Despite the age difference the two had, it was easy for them to connect since the first day when Joel and Ellie decided to settle down in Jackson. However, Hope was never pushing herself into his world, but deep inside she wanted to comfort him, and make sure that at least he doesn't blame himself for what just happened. Her hand landed on his shoulder as the lady was carefully creasing his back with the palm of her hand.

- I know. Just if anything happens, I won't forgive myself, - The man seemed softer now, as the hint of a smile appeared on his face. Joel looked into Hope's eyes with all the thankfulness and soft feelings he had in his soul toward the lady.

Now, as Ellie and the last bag of her things left the house, it was just Hope and Joel. Maybe it was the end of their small three-person circle and the beginning of something new between the two.