Fixing Broken Hearts

55

Warnings:
-Only mentions

Elliot's POV

~ A Month Later ~

Tristan, Clay, Cecilia and I were sitting on the side of the lake, Tristan's arm wrapped tightly around me. 'Hi, cutie,' he whispered in my ear as he gently laid his hand on the fading scars on my arm. 'I love you.'

I smiled softly and gave him a kiss. 'I love you too, Tris. So much more than you can imagine.'

He giggled shyly as I looked at Clay, who was laying on the grass with his arms under his head, eyes closed to enjoy the sun. It was one of the first times he felt comfortable enough to wear swimming trunks without hiding his chest under a shirt.

Cecilia glanced at the scars caused by our father and the stab wound that was still a pinkish spot on his chest. She leaned closer and gave him a gentle kiss on the place he was stabbed, Clay opening his eyes with a sweet smile.

'Do you mind my scars?' he asked insecurely. 'I know this is the first time I felt comfortable showing my body because of all the things my father did to me...'

'You're gorgeous, Clay,' she replied. 'I just noticed you're muscular, my goodness.'

Clay rolled his eyes and sat up. 'I've been working out to forget my negative emotions, it was a tip from my therapist and it seems to help quite a bit. I also wanted to say something...'

He stayed quiet for a bit and shrugged.

'It's not a big deal, but the reason I invited you to go swimming is because I wanted to celebrate my four months clean from heroin and Elliot's two month clean from drugs, alcohol and cigarettes... I'm just very proud of you, little brother.'

'You remembered?' I asked as I felt tears in my eyes. 'That really means a lot...'

I pulled him in for a tight hug and felt him grab my hand, moving closer to my ear. 'I also know you're three weeks clean from masturbation and watching porn, but didn't want to say that out loud in case you're not ready to tell Cecilia.'

'Thank you...' I whispered, a tear rolling down my cheek. 'Thanks, dude, now I'm crying.'

Clay chuckled and suddenly grabbed my shoulders, playfully pushing me to the lake. I lost my balance and fell down in the water, grabbing his hand as I sunk down to pull him with me.

He screamed as he fell down into the water as well and started splashing water at me, eventually diving into the depths. I frowned as suddenly, I felt him swim under me, causing me to sit on his shoulders as he moved back up.

'I've got you!' he yelled with a sweet smile. I glanced at Tristan and Cecilia who were both looking at us with the biggest smile on their faces as well.

'Holy crap, now I'm going to cry,' Cecilia suddenly groaned. 'I literally love your bond so much, it makes me sob.'

'He's my little brother and I love him to death,' Clay exclaimed as he started running around with me on his shoulders. He jokingly pushed me and made me fall into the water again, where we decided to fight each other in a playful way.

I was laughing loudly as I went back to the edge of the lake, hearing Clay cough as he swallowed some water.

'Don't be boring, come too!' I yelled at Tristan and Cecilia. They looked at each other with doubt in their eyes, but Tristan grinned and stood up.

'But don't be surprised when you lose the battle from me,' he said with chuckle. 'I gained weight, remember. I'll crush you!'

'You'll never crush me, you're still thin,' I replied seriously as I realised his eating disorder seemed to be speaking. 'You gained necessary weight and look absolutely gorgeous like you always do.'

Tristan laughed shyly, his cheeks getting slightly more red as he glanced at his shirt with long sleeves to cover his scars. Slowly, he took his shirt off, which made my cheeks turn dark red.

'Holy crap, I'm so gay,' I scoffed, pulling him into the water to kiss him and hold him tightly. 'I'm going to passionately make out with you if you don't get away from me.'

Tristan rolled his eyes and pecked my lips, Cecilia chuckling. 'If I didn't know you were saving up for marriage, I truly would have expected differently. I'm glad I found friends who are also saving themselves, my old friends lost their virginity pretty early.'

I swallowed and glanced at Clay, who also turned his eyes away. Cecilia pulled her eyebrows up and then giggled.

'You know you're all virgins, right?' she asked, even though she knew about our past.

'No, we... had sex too,' I muttered awkwardly, but she shook her head and swam over to me.

'You didn't,' she said with a confident voice. 'And so didn't Clay, nor Tristan!'

'But why?' Clay stumbled as well.

'Because Tristan was raped, which never counts as losing your virginity. Elliot was completely lost and in psychosis, which makes you unable to think and process things well. You were pushed into something by your ex, who didn't know anything about your severe attachment issues and addiction.'

'So you don't mind that?' he mumbled. 'I always thought it bothered you that I had already lost my virginity and... yeah.'

'Same,' I whispered as I looked at Tristan.

'The mentally unstable, high, drunk and severely depressed Elliot lost his virginity, but that's not even close to the person you're now,' Tristan comforted me. 'The Elliot I know is still saving himself until marriage.'

Clay and I both had eyes filled with tears, an intense feeling of regret we both shared getting validated. 'Thank you, love, and thank you, Cecilia.'

'Alright, Clay. I'm so awfully jealous that you've seen these two guys fall in love. That must have been the cutest thing to see ever existed,' Cecilia groaned, making me giggle softly.

'If months of denial, crying session and severe self hate is cute,' I replied as a joke. 'Either way, I accept myself more now. I'm just terribly gay so there's not much to deny.'

'I had to walk in on them making out three times...' Clay scoffed with a teasing smile. 'Did you ever tell Elliot I kissed you?'

'Excuse me? What?' I yelled out with a gasp. 'When, why, how?'

'What?' Cecilia exclaimed as well. 'You're bisexual as well?'

'No!' Clay answered with a loud laugh. 'I was teasing that guy after he... actually, I don't know if I have permission to tell them this.'

Tristan shrugged. 'It's alright. I was hopeless and felt alone so I tried to kiss Clay when Elliot was in a clinic, and then that dude kissed me to show me I had to stop feeling so awfully embarrassed.'

'First of all, that made me fall in love even more, second of all, why are you both so cute?' Cecilia said with a dramatic voice. 'Imagine a hot guy who is comfortable in his sexuality and isn't a homophobic dick!'

'You're very sweet,' I answered. 'But I'm gay as hell so... I have my love here.'

'Keep it that way, stay off her!' Clay exclaimed, which we all laughed to. He swam back to Tristan and suddenly tackled him so his head went under water.

I laughed and looked at them fighting, finally feeling like Elliot again...

1247 words