Between us • 𝖠 𝖤𝗅𝗅𝗂𝖾 𝖶𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝖺𝗆𝗌 𝖥𝖺𝗇𝖿𝗂𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 (Ellie Williams x female oc)

𝟒𝟒

𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 @/𝒋𝒐𝒆𝒍𝒃𝒆𝒃𝒊 𝒐𝒏 𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒔 ^

𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕
During my almost 4 years at college, I've never gone home. The road wasn't familiar, and the sun on my face felt almost foreign.
Part of me wondered if I'd even remember my old neighbor, exactly which turns to take down which road to get me there, and if the street still felt like how it always did when I'd stumble home at 3 a.m. high out of my fucking mind.

I dreaded it. The closer I got, the worse I felt. And even if we found a way to rekindle this father/daughter relationship that he wanted so much, the guilt of not being there, mixed with the embarrassment for all the shit I put him through...
It's harder to ignore it this way.

My knuckles tightened around the steering wheel, music playing but barely loud enough to make out the beat, and part of my brain- the fucked up part, wanted to prevent this reunion from happening in any way I could- jerking the wheel to the side, and driving into an oncoming telephone pole at 70 mph, keep going until I was in a different time zone, or the less extreme option, turning around.

There was a numbness overshadowing the rest, and I felt my body on autopilot and my mind somewhere back on campus, in my room, playing guitar, and Skyler sprawled out on the bed with me. 

I should call her tonight.

-

I make a final turn, barely pressing on the gas, and creeping along past all the houses that felt like a photograph stuck in time, not one of them looking different from how I remembered.
It was as equally comforting as it was unsettling, or maybe, a better word, depressing.

I turned the key. The silence of the engine cutting made it feel too real, and my heart started to pound.

"Okay..." I breathed, taking a deep breath in and out, relaxing my fist and straightening my fingers, finally moving to grab the handle.

The porch steps creaked under my feet like how they always did, but definitely felt more rotted than before. The paint chipped around the front door, peeling layers of time, and neglect with each passing year, and with enough time, it will also disappear.

I knocked twice, and opened the door, which also creaked, "Hello?" I called out, scanning my eyes across the bottom floor, but it all remained still.

I called out again, this time louder.

"Up here, kiddo!"

I look up to the top of the staircase in the direction of the voice and cautiously start to climb, each step harder to manage, like weights being added to my ankles.

Dust collected in the palm of my hand as I slide it across the banister as I walked towards his bedroom, and all I could think about was how lonely he must feel, how alone I feel.

I pushed the door the remainder of the way open, his old, weathered face coming into frame, "Hi-" A smile etched itself along the creases of his cheeks.
It almost distracted me from the reality of it all, the simple maneuver of getting out of bed, now a struggle for him, and holding his weight up with a crutch as he approached me, arm open, and hugging me before I could reject.

"How was the drive?" He asked, stumbling back to take a seat on the edge of the bed.
I didn't know what to expect coming here, a confrontation, an apology-
But apparently he hasn't changed at all, still wanting to play house, and pretend everything is okay.
So be it.

"Yeah. Fine." I shrugged, his eyes drifted away from mine, and I do the same.
Maybe he does feel guilty.

He hummed, seemingly to fill the awkward silence, trying to think of way to keep the conversation going.