Otherside

Chapter 6

Elle lay on a large bed, surrounded by Anthony, Chad, and John. It had been a few weeks since they had met up with John and they had shacked up in some grungy motel for the night, pulled out their stash of weed, and begun smoking. They lay around, talking about everything from what sports teams they liked to the universe and the meaning of life itself, occasionally bursting into fits of giggles. Anthony had his arm underneath Elle, Chad had his head rested between hers and Anthony's, and John lay to the other side of her, his arm barely brushing hers.

"So John," Anthony began, "Why don't you tell Eleanor here what happened to make you leave us. She's dying to know." he nudged her and her face flushed red, embarrassed that she had been called out.

John flipped to his side so he could face Elle directly. "You see, I was a real dumbass a few years ago and I got real bad into drugs. I thought it was somehow making my music better-"

"Even though it just turned him into a giant asshole!" Chad giggled.

"Yeah, that." John continued, rolling his eyes before recapturing Elle's gaze. "Anyway, I almost died pretty much, but when I finally got clean I felt so... Enlightened. I was on a higher plane not only physically, but mentally and spiritually as well. And now I'm back writing better music than ever, and I'm even considering rejoining these guys. That's actually why I'm here now." He grinned at her.

"Jesus," Elle breathed turning to her side to face him, "That's some heavy shit. I'm so glad you made it through that though." she returned a smile, placing a hand on his upper arm.

"Ditto, man. We all are." Chad added, which earned a grunt of approval from a half-asleep Anthony, whose mouth had already opened with the beginnings of snores. Elle chuckled in amusement at the man and continued talking with John until she heard heavy breathing from Chad, indicating that he too had fallen asleep.

Their conversation ran dry and soon they were just laying there looking at each other, the effects of the marijuana as strong as ever. John smiled once more at Elle, a soft and sweet smile, and once again she returned it, her cheeks flushing a bright pink. John's face quickly became serious, and he glanced intently down at her lips, subconsciously licked his own, and placed a large hand on the side of her face. The pink in Elle's cheeks deepened to more of a red now, and slowly John leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. The kiss was fleeting, and for a moment she wasn't sure if it had even happened until he leaned in once more, more purposefully this time. She held the side of his face as their lips worked together, her fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him closer to her. 

John pulled back without warning, a confused look in his eyes. He turned to his other side without a word and quickly fell asleep, leaving a quite stoned Elle to wonder what the hell had just happened.

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The next few days went by without a word spoken between John and Elle, an obvious tension between them. The boys continued rehearsing, leaving the women to sit around doing all but twiddling their thumbs. At one point, the kiss was brought up, leaving Cassie dumbfounded.

"What? Oh my gosh, was it like just a little kiss, or like a real kiss?" Cassie asked, intrigued.

"We- we kind of made out." Elle said, turning pink.

The next hour (although it felt like days to Elle) was spent talking through all the details of the night, from what he wore to the way he smelled, and after Elle was sure that Cassie had asked every question possible, she let slip how the night had ended.

"He just rolled over? What the hell?"

"Yeah, it was really weird, but he's gone through some shit lately and maybe that had something to do with it?" Elle wasn't even sure if she believed herself.

"You need to talk to him, like yesterday." Cassie ordered, and proceeded to talk Elle through the specifics of the talk she apparently needed to have with John. When the boys returned, Cassie and Flea disappeared the their room and Dave went outside to smoke, leaving the same group of three as a few nights before in the room. 

Elle cleared her throat. "John?" the man looked over at her, obviously nervous. "Can we talk for a minute alone?" The man nodded and they went into the back room of the motel suite, both of them taking a seat on the bed.

"John, can we talk about the other night? I mean, I know we were high or whatever, but what exactly happened there? Did I do something?" Elle asked, brows furrowed in concern, placing a hand on his leg.

John sighed, resigned. "Listen, Elle, I like you, I really do. I just- someone like me- I don't want to hurt you. My chances of relapsing are insanely high, and I know that if I do, it'll kill me for sure this time. And I don't want to hurt you, that's the last thing I want to do." he shook his head.

Elle leaned her head down so she was forced into his line of vision, "John, you can't be afraid of living because of a big 'what if'. I really like you too, and I'd love to try and make something out of us if you're willing. But you can't hold back on me if we do. You have to live your life, John. You're strong enough that I know you won't relapse. You've been through so much. Please, let me in." Tears welled up in Elle's eyes, and John nodded his head hesitantly. 

"Okay" his voice was barely a whisper. She smiled and leaned in to quickly kiss him, and he pulled her back so they both lay on the bed, her head resting on his chest. "Okay." he repeated, and softly stroked her hair. Elle didn't know what the road ahead held for her, but she did know that this man would be worth it.

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A/N: Wow I'm so sorry that it's been so damn long!!!! Also sorry that this chapter is shit, I kind of forgot how to write this, but it'll get better I swear. Thanks for reading!!