Capturing Ella

Chapter 16 - Ella

It was about half eight in the morning, and the second I regained slight consciousness from my dreams I made a vow to myself never to drink again. I winced at my headache even though I hadn't opened my eyes yet and knew that I was the definition of hung over. Bloody hell, how much did I have to drink last night? I attempted to remember what had happened last night, but it was very patchy. I remember spending the beginning of the night with Crystal, Sky and Phoenix. It was all very good – they kept their drink simple. Coke and vodka, or just diet Pepsi whilst I kept up an interesting range of any alcoholic beverage. We were in the middle of talking about what colours suit who and everything when Crystal simply nodded over my head. Jake, Joe and Quinn had all walked into the party, each of them looking amazingly good looking but in the brief second I looked around to see them. Joe came over to me, and I left the girls and said hello to some others before turning around and falling literally into him. I cringed at the memory. We talked to each other, mainly joking around whilst drinking and after that I couldn't remember anything. I couldn't even remember how I got back to the hotel.

Speaking of hotels, this mattress I was laying on was incurably lumpy and hard and had the biggest ridge in it. Note to self; file complaint to hotel. I sighed slightly, opening my eyes in order to find my bottle of water I left strategically left next to my bed, hoping to find the pack of painkillers but only too find out why what I was laying on wasn't soft.

Joe was lying in the middle of the bed with no top on, fast asleep. Oh. Shit. He had an arm around my back and resting on my hip, his other hand resting on top of my hand where it was on his expose chest. His head was turned like it was resting on top of mine as we slept but as I moved away he made no attempt to wake up. Oh God what did I do last night? I could roughly guess. And guess from the slight hickie on his neck that I probably gave him that. Trying to move slowly so I didn't wake him up and have to deal with awkward conversation, I noticed I was in just a long grey shirt that didn't belong to me, which was slightly rolled upon my leg, but that was it for the amount of clothes I had on.

I pulled a face, very slowly moving out of Joe's arms before standing up, swaying slightly. Clearly, whatever happened after I got into my room this morning I didn't do the normal thing I do of drinking lots of water and taking painkillers before I stayed up all night and felt myself sober up – but I immediately hesitated. No, I fell asleep last night. I must have fallen asleep for a considerable amount of time because I couldn't remember many hours of the night. Normally, my nap is at the hour of three and four, even under the influence of alcohol. But I woke up at half eight in the morning and felt great for it. I guessed that somehow I managed to break the insomniac pattern for one night because I drunk so much? There wasn't any hidden meaning – was there? My insomnia didn't clear up for one night just because I got very touchy feely with my Soulfinder. No. It was just a coincidence.

I crouched down on the floor slightly, downing my bottle of water, only stopping to take two ibuprofen from the packet. I looked at myself in the mirror, quickly letting down my hair, shaking it out slightly to break the remaining curls that were just caught flat from the hairspray before tying it up in a low ponytail. I quickly grabbed the packet of wet wipes from my floor, wiping off the rest of my make up watching the elegant left over's of blusher and mascara was away. The angelic me as no more, and now I was back to shitty old me. I grabbed my pair of skinny jeans, pulling them onto myself and doing up the button before grabbing my key card from the side of the bed and walking towards the door.

I paused, as the door opened, I looked back at Joe who was still fast asleep. I'm pretty sure if I just upped and left, he would have no idea that I was ever here. He would probably just get up and leave and know nothing. But if I stayed, was there a chance this whole Soulfinder thing could work? I knew he was no threat, and if anything that made it all a load worse. Joe was easily one of the kindest, down to earth people I have ever met and I felt, well, I felt at home when I was near him and this felt like a lobotomy. I had to decide what to do. Joe was lovely, and I knew that he would do anything to try and make the chemistry between us two works but I didn't want to put him through that. I closed my eyes slightly, and as there was loads of Savant's who were in the hotel I managed to find someone who's gift was to tell the past, and borrowed it for a second, quickly scanning Joe's past. I saw him, in Year 8 when he was 13 crying in the mirror in the boys toilets in what I could only guess was the school he went too. He was very overweight and quite small – maybe only an inch or two taller than I am now and was way below the UK average for a boy his age. It was then he decided he never wanted to meet his Soulfinder looking like he did then and he worked so hard to lose all the weight and get fit, and using his gifts in Maui for good use. He did all of that so he wouldn't let his Soulfinder down. He did all of that for me before we had even met. He did all of that, and the only way I could repay him would be to let him into a relationship with a depressed, anxious girl who can't sleep and is probably deemed psychotic. I couldn't do that to him, it would just be unfair. I cared way too much about him to do that. And what was the truth. I cared about him, I cared about him so much and I was falling in love with him (albeit slowly...) which is the reason I didn't want too tell him about what was resting on us. I cared so much that I didn't want to hurt him.