Save each other // Joel Miller

To Me

"So..." Ellie drew her voice out, "what's the plan?" She didn't look at Joel as she asked, opting to watch herself kick a rock around as they walked along the dirt road. Her hands intertwined behind her back gave her the nonchalant look that matched her question.

Joel clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, trying and failing to push down the annoyance he felt by her demeanor. He shoved his hands into his pockets, using his middle finger to pick at the skin on his thumb. There was no clear answer and Joel doubted that there was a right one, specifically for Ellie.

"See? It's that attitude that's going to scare her back into the woods." She groaned out. "You have to be a little less..." she looked at him and gestured to his entire body, "and a little more... well... I don't know. But definitely not all that." She ended it with a lazy pat to his chest with the back of her hand.

Joel's face scrunched in confusion.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" He grumbled out. Ellie scoffed and rolled her eyes, kicking the rock a little harder than before.

"It means that you need to be less grumpy and more happy to see her." She said with absolute.

"And what if I'm not happy to see her?"

Ellie stopped in her tracks, but Joel continued, even as she stared him down with disbelief.

"What do you mean by that?!" Ellie jogged a bit to catch up, closing the distance between her and Joel. She twisted her body slightly, angling so she could see his face as he stalked forward. It was an awkward walk and if this were better circumstances, he would laugh.

When Joel just shrugged and grunted, Ellie turned back forward, her face pinched in thought.

"Oh come on man. You can't fool me. Okay, yes, she ran... again.. but that doesn't mean you don't still love her."

Now it was time for Joel to stop in his tracks, this time though, Ellie stood her ground, looking Joel directly in the eyes. Confidence wafted off of her, making her stand taller and look stronger.

Joel took a minute to just look at the girl he saved years ago. She was a full grown woman, one not to be reckoned with. He admired her and loved her like his own daughter. And in this moment, no matter how annoying she was being, he also felt proud of her. And he would be forever grateful to see her grow.

"I'm not having this conversation with you." He said. His sentence deflated Ellie like a balloon. He stepped past her and she struggled to get her footing straight to catch up once again.

"You didn't deny it though!" She said. Joel just shook his head, unwilling to budge on the subject.

"Joel... Joel!" She tried to get his attention. He sighed and closed his eyes tight before turning and looking at her. His raised brows, pointedly waiting for her usual snarky response.

"She makes you happy. That's all that matters. You guys can fight but you have to promise something." Her tone threw him off. This was gentle, soft even. She was being almost vulnerable with whatever request she was making and something about that made Joel's palms sweat.

He looked at her expectingly, waiting for whatever she had to throw at him.

"Promise that you will forgive her."

His heart panged against his chest. It didn't help that Ellie's determined eyes were now pleading, a silent beg that she didn't show often. Of course he wanted to forgive her, but he was also tired of chasing a girl who didn't trust him enough to take care of her. He wanted to both wrap her up and tie her down. Joel ultimately knew what forcing your feelings on someone would do and the idea crushed his entire soul.