Want You Back

Chapter 9

•Ashton•

Eliza wondered around the living room looking at things while I cook breakfast. She had insisted she come over this morning so I could continue telling her the story. I'm still not sure how this is helping me, but I suppose I fell better with having someone around to keep me from being self destructive.  If I let my mind wonder I know how dark it could go especially without her here to force me to think about other things.

I couldn't help, but wonder if she was eating breakfast alone like I do most days as I flip the eggs in the pan. Part of me hopes that she is because if she has someone else seeing her messy curly hair and those dark blue eyes that look as if someone bottled the ocean in them in the morning I couldn't bear it.  I'm desperate to know if she is just as broken and damaged as me. If she experiences long restless nights because she thinks about of all our memories like I do? If our hearts are broken in the same places. I just want to know if she can ever forgive me and let me take away all her hurt. I just want to call her and tell her to come back because I love her and will treat her better.

Eliza walks over holding a black wooden picture frame that has one of my favorite pictures in it. No one knew the picture had been taken, so it was a prefect candid moment. Ronnie had taken it to remember everything and then given us each a copy of it one day so we each had one. Michael was flipping Calum off while Esther rolled her eyes and she was laughing at something I had said. It described almost everyone perfectly.

"Is this Michael, Calum, Esther and her?" She asks looking down at the frame. I nod in response. She turns the frame back to her inspecting the picture.

"Who's who?" She asks still staring intensely at the picture. I point everyone out. She nods with a interested look. That was actually the picture she had gotten. Mine is lost in a box somewhere in this flat. She always kept up with pictures and they are everywhere in our flat. Their are stacks of photo albums under our bed filled with our adventures to the park or the beach.

"She and Esther are really pretty. I see why Ronnie wanted them around him," Eliza chuckles. I nod in response. I'd be lying if I said that when I first saw her I didn't think she was exceptionally pretty.

Eliza sits at the small table watching me cook and asks, "So what happened after detention?"

"Esther was even more pissed off than before. I get she was mad about the lying, but things got out of hand. She just couldn't accept us being around each other."

Eliza nods not seeming surprised by this. It had seemed from the beginning the odds were always against her and I. When ever we thought we could finally just be together something else happened. The beginning was our past and our next obstacle was partly us and partly Esther and Taylor. It took nearly a week after we had gotten back from our weekend trip and Esther and I broke into an argument for me to finally be able to talk to her. At the time I had thought I was standing up for her, but I was so caught up in fighting Esther I didn't realize I had hurt her.

"So what did Esther do?" she asks as I set down our plates of eggs and think for a moment.

I think about what happened that day of detention. I had explained exactly what happened that weekend to Michael. I excluded the detail of our kiss and my rising feelings for her. I wasn't ready to admit to myself why I always wondered what she was thinking or why I always had the urge to grab her by her waist and kiss her.

I begin, "Taylor, the girl who I fooled around with a bit, wasn't stupid. She knew something was up and together her and Esther could create the perfect storm."

-2 years ago-

I finished my story and glanced in front of me seeing Elli's dark hair draped over her shoulder. Esther's head was down. I had heard them whispering about something and assumed they were arguing again. Esther was out of control. I could understand why she was pissed off about Elli lying, but other than that she was over reacting. The situation was making everyone uncomfortable and she needed to get over it and soon.