Dreams Can Come True

21. I don't wanna fight

"Good morning," I greeted, my voice a bit hoarse. Elise looked up from her laptop and smiled weakly. "Hey," she said.
I decided to cautiously gauge if the atmosphere between us was still tense. "Did you sleep well?" I asked with a slight hesitation.
Elise nodded briefly and looked back at her laptop, her expression somewhat closed off. It felt like an invisible wall between us. I wanted to apologize, to bridge the gap between us, but it seemed like the words were stuck in my throat.
Tom, noticing the situation, broke the silence. "Coffee?" he asked, as if trying to break the tension.
I nodded gratefully, and Tom got to work making coffee. As I sat down at the kitchen table, I felt the distance between Elise and me growing. I could see the pain in her eyes, and it made me realize how much damage our words had caused.

Elise looked me straight in the eyes, and her words hit me like a cold gust of wind. "I just thanked Tom for letting me stay here," she began. "But I also told him it's only a temporary solution and that I'll leave as soon as I find something for myself."
The anger within me began to bubble, and I couldn't hide the disappointment. She pointed to her laptop. "I've already found a few apartments I want to view," she said with determination.
"Are you still doing that?" I exclaimed, my frustration unfiltered. "I thought I made it very clear yesterday that I wasn't open to that," I added, my voice trembling with restrained anger.
Elise rolled her eyes and sighed, a gesture that only fueled my frustration. "Oh Bill, you're really impossible."
As Tom handed me my coffee, I felt the tension between us rise. He looked at us uncomfortably, aware that he was caught in the middle of our argument. "Uh, I'll go take a shower," he stammered to escape the situation.
Elise quickly responded before Tom could leave for the bathroom. "You don't have to run off, Tom. I'm heading to the studio anyway. See you later." She got up and left, leaving behind an angry and frustrated version of me.
I stared at the door she had just closed behind her, and the coffee in my hand suddenly felt too hot. The walls of the apartment seemed to close in on me, and I felt trapped in a situation I had no control over. What did I need to do to convince Elise that we could solve this together?
Tom, a bit bewildered, patted me on the shoulder and quickly disappeared towards the bathroom. I heard the bathroom door slam shut and slumped into a chair, my head in my hands. The tension in the air was almost palpable. The realization that our argument wouldn't just disappear dawned on me. I knew I had to set aside my pride and find a way to reach her before everything we had fell apart.

On the way to the studio, I sat silently next to Tom in his car, he focused on the road while I tried to sort through my thoughts. The silence between us was deafening since Elise had left the apartment earlier that morning. "What was all that about?" Tom eventually broke the silence, his gaze fixed on the road. My response was a deep, unintelligible growl, an attempt to convey that I didn't want to talk about it.
"Damn it, Bill," cursed Tom, briefly taking his eyes off the road to look at me. "If Elise is living under our roof, I want to know what's going on. I don't want to end up in such an embarrassing situation every morning."
I sighed deeply and rested my head against the back of the car seat. Tom was right. I couldn't keep everything bottled up and to myself. It was time to lay all my cards on the table and communicate, even though it felt like an immense task at the moment.
"I don't know, Tom. Sometimes I just don't understand what's going on in her head," I muttered, my gaze fixed on the passing streets.
Tom nodded understandingly, but I could feel he wanted to know more. "Why? What happened?"
I sighed deeply and stared out the window, my thoughts gathering in an attempt to find the right words. "It's just... we don't understand each other," I began, my voice hesitant. "I want her to stay with us, Tom, but she seems determined to go her own way, and I don't understand why."
Tom looked at me for a moment before turning his gaze back to the road. "Bill, you need to talk to her, really talk to her. Not just say you want her to stay, but try to understand why she doesn't want to."
I nodded, acknowledging that he was right. "Maybe I should indeed do that," I muttered. "It's just so damn frustrating. I just want everything to be normal again."
Tom briefly placed his hand on my shoulder as a sign of support. "I get it, buddy. But talking is the only way to find out what's going on in her head. Otherwise, this will just keep going on."
I nodded hesitantly, knowing that Tom was right. "I know, but it's just... difficult. I don't want her to think I'm trying to force her to stay with us, but I also don't want her to just leave."
Tom gave me a understanding look and nodded slowly. "Bill, maybe it wouldn't hurt if Elise had her own place. You guys have just gotten back together, and it's understandable that she wants to maintain her independence. Maybe you just need some space for a while, so you can grow without suffocating each other."
He tried to get through to me, emphasizing that I shouldn't smother Elise and that our relationship was still young. He reminded me not to rush things and to take it slow.
Slowly, it began to sink in. Maybe I was moving too fast, and living apart didn't mean I wouldn't see her anymore. I felt the tension in my shoulders ease and a hint of relief seep into my consciousness. Tom had a point.
"You're right, Tom," I admitted, staring out the window. "Maybe I got carried away. It's just that I don't want to lose Elise. I need to learn to give her some more breathing room."
Tom smiled and gave me an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Exactly, buddy. Everything will be okay. Just talk to her, and I'm sure you guys will figure it out."
I thanked Tom for his wise words, and the realization that I didn't have to rush and force everything made me feel calmer.