With Or Without You (Completed)

Chapter 15

Elli wiggled in the bear hug she was engulfed into. "Can't breath...," she mumbled, patting a hand soothingly at her older brother's back.

The next moment she had to gasp at the sudden movement as she was gripped on her arms gently but firmly, and was held to a distance so that his brother could look at her well-being properly.

"You're paler than ever," John stated his observation grimly. "Daddy was right. You're definitely not well, Elli."

"It's the jet lag." Elli rolled her eyes. "And daddy is just paranoid, John, you know our old man, don't you?"

She could tell however that John wasn't convinced, thankfully though he chose to end the topic for then. Soon, and after a couple hours long car ride to the town she was born and grew up, Elli stood before the door of the Marques household.

The door flew opened, she didn't even had to knock.

And once again she was engulfed into yet another bear hug by the daddy Daniel himself.

"Oh, my little girl!" Daniel rasped. "I was seconds away from setting out for the airport."

Elli chuckled, her tone muffled in her father's chest, suddenly she was feeling very emotional again. "The landing got delayed, it's been a foggy morning."

"Welcome back my favortie sister." The voice made her look up still very much enveloped in daddy's arms. It was her favorite brother Misha smiling, peeking at her from over their father's shoulder.

"You've only got one sister, Misha," Elli said, grinning, but Misha probably couldn't even see that for most of her face was hidden because of her father.

Misha moved his attention to the quiet father, frowned and poked on his shoulder. "Dad, stop crying. And please, release Elli so she can breath."

Elli inhaled a long breath as Daniel snorted and released her immediately.

"I'm not crying," Daniel protested heatedly.

John walked past them carrying Elli's luggage inside the house, all of them at once. "And you're an old liar, dad. By the way, Elli, have you packed stones and bricks in these? God damn it!"

And then John stumbled over the threshold and collapsed face first on the floor, her suitcase and bags flew away to different directions. One of them might have landed in Daniel's exquisite glass coffee table for the shattering noise of glass and wood was humongous. Everyone cringed.

And right at that moment, why did Elli suddenly got reminded of a certain fool she left behind in the city of badluck?

"Misha!" Daniel's roar was like a bucket of cold water for Elli. "Bring out my shotgun this instant, you're going to lose one sibling."

Elli groaned but couldn't help but smile at the same time, unknowingly putting a hand around her belly, as if trying to channel the feeling of being finally at home to the still secret newcomer of the group.

-- -- --

Elli was gone!

Where? Why? How? Too many questions but no answer was in sight.

Oliver sat inside his dark room. From his window he could see the empty house across the street. With all the lights off, blinds closed and no noise that would simply be there as a sign of a human being living in a place... the house looked - haunted. More haunted was his heart now that she left - his one crazy frenemy, with no address left behind and her phone switched off. Not that it stopped him from sending her text messages or trying to call her again and again to see if she had finally switched her phone back on. But no luck till now... and it had been more than a week.

His acidity got worse, so much that it wasn't even funny anymore. Nurse Lily was saying something about this was a disease of heart and no doctor could cure it, she then tried to tease him with some weird ripples. Oliver ended the call right then, not wanting to think about what was right there before his eyes, not wanting to accept the obvious, acknowledge the truth. How could he when he learnt that lesson years ago!

But his resolute didn't mean that he could stop worrying about Elli. Because he was going freaking crazy over here.

He picked up his phone again and dialed another number this time.

"Hey, Oliver!" Brandan, his best friend and boss's cheerful voice came from the other side."What's up?"

Clutching his hair, forcing himself to concentrate, Oliver announced quietly, without caring to be formal. "I quit. I'm sending my resignation letter."

There was a short pause after which Brandan grunted and said, "Now what kind of joke is this?"

"This is no joke. You'll get that when I fax you the letter."

"Why this drastic decision?" Brandan queried.

Oliver grumbled. "As if you already don't know."

Brandan sighed before speaking in a tone as if he were talking to a small child, "I would have told you where Elli had gone to, Oliver, that is if I had known."

"Emma surely knows, why don't you freaking ask her and tell me!" Oliver yelled out.

"Why don't you do that yourself?"

"She wouldn't tell me. Your fiance is so irritatingly stubborn."

"She wouldn't tell me either, she's promised to Elli." Brandan calmly explained. "And I respect that she wouldn't betray her friend."

Oliver dragged a hand down his face. "But I need to make sure what has happened to Elli that she had to leave like that. I'm totally, utterly and completely at loss here, Brandan. And I can't help but have this feeling that she has left because of me. But what have I done? Arghhh...," he was like speaking to himself at the end.

"Don't give yourself so much importance, Oliver, it could be not connected to you whatever it is."

Oliver could clearly imagine Brandan's smirk. Raising up to his feet, Oliver stood in front of the window, his eyes still firmly set on Elli's house. "Just please, ask Emma. And once again, I'm very much serious about the resignation letter. I don't wish to work for a motherfuc**er who refuses to help his own best-est friend."

"I won't accept it."

Oliver cut the call, grinding his teeth in annoyance.

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Did you like Elli's family? Let me know, huh. Thanks everyone for you support. Bear hugs to you all (just like the ones Elli received in this chapter) 

Take care. Love yaa all. 
- Lara.