Capturing Ella

Chapter 27 - Ella

Overlapped perspective with Chapter 26

'Wait, Ella,' I heard Joe said the second I was around the corner of the doorway.

I hesitated slightly, wondering what he wanted this time so carefully I stepped back, awkwardly hovering on my heel poised to run if I was uncomfortable. Oh my God why was I reacting like this? I frowned at Joe, where he was sitting forward on the sofa. It was clear to anyone he was agitated and anxious about the situation - but who wouldn't be? There were death threats against us both from someone who much have been in that room as the news broke. I didn't mention it to anyone apart from Michael, and then in that room so someone who was in those fifty people made the threat or be associated with those who made the threat. So, of course, we had to get the flipping hell out of there. I was scared, yeah, but I was okay at hiding it well. Joe wasn't. He was absolutely terrified, he has just had to say goodbye to his two brothers only half an hour or so ago for what he thinks could be the last time. When I had to say my goodbyes to Michael back at base I was absolutely heartbroken and the second the door of the helicopter closed I full on cried when I was on my own, only forcing myself to stop when they were mentioning coming into land, knowing I could have an emotional release tonight when Joe went to bed and I was up in a house I don't know, in a location I don't know on my own in the early hours of the morning. Joe, however, was struggling to keep his emotion to himself and was therefore on the edge of the sofa, in confusion and in fear but at the same time there was a slight hint of appreciation – so either he loved the place we was in and was a massive fan of the interior design or...

'Can you make sure my brothers are back safe as well?' He asked me, and I looked at him intently. His eyes were brimming with concern as he said it to me. I frowned slightly at him and how close he was to his family without them being distinctly close when they were together. Joe clearly was a family man, who cared and cherished his family deeply and preferred to be with his family and Jason when he could. He was a very contradicting person, his looks and his personality not matching up. He looked like someone who would go around every weekend to a different party to hook up with one or two new people, and to hang out in a massive group of friends and was involved in those stupid Whatsapp conversations between forty off people. We all knew the type of person I was on about. But when you got to know him (or more like, research thoroughly one night when I couldn't sleep) he was dedicated to his family and the only friend he was incredibly close too was Jason. He was incredibly dedicated to those he was close with, and I wished I could be a part of that circle. I was so confused what I wanted from Joe, so it wasn't fair to have that conversation with him yet.

I realised I had been staring at him for a whole, so I quickly replied, 'Yeah, alright,' before quickly walking down the corridor, into my dedicated bedroom for the month. It was lovely and I had preferred it the second I walked into it; with two large open windows looking out across the sea where I could see some of the sand where the tide was going out. It lit the room up and was bright and just looked clean but cosy. I kicked the door closed behind me and it slammed. I flinched against the noise, before sinking down on the edge of the bed. How did I expect Joe to fall for me when I was a mess myself.

Trying to distract myself from the new torrent of incoherent and conflicting thoughts that acted as a torpedo in my brain, I grabbed the giant backpack they had sent out with me and started to unpack it. Forchunately for me, my suitcase and carry on bag were still at Maui headquarters and I brought the backpack that had my change of clothes and personal belongs with it back when Michael picked me up, so this backpack was filled with my own items. I opened the zip on the large top pocket, undoing the drawstring bag and had started to take out the items inside. A few vest tops and camisoles which went straight into one of my drawers, a few bras and underwear which went into a separate draw, and a pair of leggings. Okay, so far so good, I thought as I undid the other compartment. As a traveller backpack meant for hikers, the top pouch I had just unpacked was for plates and things they would need on the walk. The giant compartment now was for the main items of the hikers. I unzipped it, the zip struggling not to burst against the content that was overflowing.