The hate between us

Chapter 23: Ella's Point of View

I woke up slowly, nestled in the warmth of Caleb's arms. For a moment, I just lay there, my head resting on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing. I wasn't sure how long I'd been awake, but when I finally tilted my head up to look at him, I found myself staring longer than I should have. His face was peaceful, almost boyish in his sleep, his dark lashes resting against his skin. He looked so different like this—vulnerable, even.

Then, without opening his eyes, he spoke, his voice low and teasing. "Are you admiring the view?"

I rolled my eyes, shoving him lightly, but before I could retort, I noticed something that stopped me cold. His hand—covered in blood.

"Caleb," I said, my voice sharper now, sitting up fully. "What happened?" I reached for his hand, but he quickly pulled it back, brushing it off like it was nothing.

"Nothing, really," he muttered, getting up from the bed. "Just a scratch."

I wasn't convinced. "Caleb, tell me what happened." I followed him as he walked to the bathroom, watching as he turned on the faucet, washing the blood away like it didn't even bother him. But the tension in his shoulders told me otherwise.

He wiped his hand with a towel and turned to me, his expression carefully guarded. "It's nothing," he said firmly, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Just... let it go."

I searched his eyes, but he was shutting me out, just like he always did when something was really bothering him. I felt the sting of frustration, but I knew pushing him would only make things worse. So I stepped back, biting my lip, and nodded. "Okay. Whatever."

He watched me for a moment longer, as if debating whether to say something else, but then he just turned away. I sighed and left the bathroom, heading back to my room. The warmth and safety I'd felt when I woke up in his arms had vanished, replaced by a cold distance between us.

I shut my door behind me, trying to shake off the confusion and frustration. But something about the way Caleb had brushed me off left me feeling... hurt. Like I wasn't someone he could trust. And I hated that feeling.

---

I didn't see Caleb again until the evening. I'd spent most of the day avoiding him, nursing the strange ache that had settled in my chest. I knew it wasn't entirely rational, but it still hurt that he wouldn't tell me what was going on.

When I finally came downstairs to eat, I could feel his eyes on me the moment I entered the room. I avoided his gaze, my throat tight. I'd been crying earlier, and I knew he could tell. I sat down at the table, picking at the food in front of me, but I couldn't bring myself to eat.

Caleb, on the other hand, was staring at me, his jaw clenched like he was barely holding something back. He was angry—I could feel it in the air between us. At first, I thought he was mad at someone else. But then it hit me—*maybe it's me.*

Maybe I had hurt him by shutting him out earlier, or maybe it was something else. Either way, he didn't finish his food. He just stood up abruptly and left the room, his movements tense.

---

Caleb's Point of View

I stormed outside, my head spinning. I couldn't stop thinking about how Ella had looked when she came downstairs—her eyes red from crying. My gut twisted with anger, but it wasn't at anyone else this time. It was at myself.

I'd hurt her. I hadn't meant to, but I had.

I couldn't even eat. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a cigarette, something I hadn't done in a long time. I lit it up, feeling the familiar sting in my lungs as I exhaled, trying to calm the storm in my chest.

The screen door creaked open, and I turned to see Ella stepping outside. She walked over to me, her eyes still puffy from earlier.

"You still smoke, huh?" she said, her voice soft but laced with that familiar edge of sarcasm.

I let out a bitter chuckle, taking another drag. "Yeah, well. Old habits, right?"

She didn't say anything. Instead, she reached out and plucked the cigarette from my mouth, flicking it to the ground and stepping on it, extinguishing it with a firm twist of her foot.

"You shouldn't smoke, Caleb," she said, her voice quieter now, the sarcasm gone.

I raised an eyebrow, looking at her. "You don't want me to smoke?"

Her eyes met mine, and for a moment, the tension between us shifted. "No," she whispered.

Without thinking, I stepped closer, my hand gently cupping her face. I leaned down, my lips brushing against her ear as I whispered, "I'll stop. For you."

I could feel her breath hitch, and for a brief second, the air between us felt heavy with something unspoken. But before I could do anything more, I pulled back and turned toward the house, leaving her standing there as I went back inside.

---

Ella's Point of View

I followed Caleb back inside, feeling the weight of his words still lingering in the air. He had stopped smoking—just like that. For me.

It was hard to believe, but something in the way he had said it made my heart race. We sat down at the table again, both of us picking at the food in silence. But the tension from earlier was gone, replaced by something lighter.

"So," Caleb said, breaking the silence, "You cried all day because I wouldn't tell you about a scratch?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, but there was no heat behind it. "Maybe I just hate being shut out, you ever think of that?"

He smirked, leaning back in his chair. "Nah. You just love having me explain everything to you."

I rolled my eyes. "God, you're so full of yourself."

"Hey, can't help it if I'm always right," he said with a wink, which only made me groan in frustration.

"Right," I said sarcastically. "You were so right the day you broke my doll when we were kids, huh?"

He grinned. "Hey, I replaced it, didn't I?"

I couldn't help but laugh, shaking my head. "You're impossible."

Before long, we were bantering back and forth, throwing playful insults at each other like we had done for years. It felt natural, easy, like we'd slipped back into a rhythm we both knew too well. Our parents walked in, catching the tail end of our conversation, and soon enough, they were laughing along with us, shaking their heads at our antics.

For the first time in a long time, it felt like we were a family—no walls, no barriers, just us, laughing and teasing each other until we couldn't breathe.

And for a moment, everything felt right.