Recovery (Sequel to Been You)

Chapter 3: Shoot Your Shot With Me

ELYSANDRA'S POV:

"So... Justin?" I ask after we finally got past the emotional hurdle.

"Hm?" He asks, as he lies next to me in my hospital bed.

"Who's that boy who keeps peeking into my hospital room?" I ask, intrigued.

"Oh, that's just Ryan," he answers. "He's always had a little bit of a crush on you."

"He likes me?" I ask incredulously. "Did I know that?"

"Yeah, El, everyone knows it," Justin answers plainly.

"Wow," I whisper to myself, but that doesn't stop Justin from hearing.

"Oh no, Ely, don't," he warns. I turn to look at him eyes wide, jaw dropped.

"You're jealous!" I deduce amusedly.

"Yes," he agrees, "and you also picked the worst possible guy ever. He's bad news for you, El."

"Then why is he here? If he's so bad, wouldn't you have beaten him up, like you did to Tyler?" I press, confident that this is pure jealousy.

"Because I forgave him, because you made me!" Justin argues back incredulously.

"Well, what could he have done to me that's so bad if I chose to forgive him? Hm?"

"He uh... exposed us... while we were... intimate... and got the whole school to call you a... something not nice," Justin struggles to get out. I deliberate on this, trying to make sense of it all.

"We... slept together?" I ask cautiously. Justin laughs to himself.

"Yeah," Justin says, as if there's more he wants to add, but doesn't. I try to picture it, but the idea of it actually happening in real life seems so far fetched. I mean, Justin is so hot... but I just can't fathom us...

"Did I," I stop to clear my throat, "enjoy it?" Justin smirks. I'll take that as a yes. "How many times?"

"Ely, I'm not even exaggerating when I tell you that I couldn't even tell you how many times we did it last night," Justin says plainly. My stomach flips, even though it shouldn't. I must look shocked because Justin continues by saying, "We were in love, El." I deliberate on this. How do I know he's not exaggerating? I don't, but from the text message history that I read... he's probably being honest.

"Okay, well," I start, but I can't stop thinking about what he said. We were in love. I don't know how, but I feel the same longing that I heard in Justin's voice. "If that guy really did expose us... why would I forgive him?"

"He exposed us because he was jealous. He has self esteem and body image issues, and you could relate to that. You felt that if you were the one forced to deal with your issues alone, you might've done something just as bad or worse. You didn't think it'd be right to hold it against him if you wouldn't want someone to hold it against you," Justin explains. How does he know I have body image issues? That cute boy likes me and has similar issues as me? Wow.

"Huh. Can I... talk to him?" I ask, afraid of hurting Justin's feelings. I don't want to hurt him, I love him. I just... I need to get caught up and I know there're two sides to every story. Justin's lips form a straight line. He's unhappy about this, but he gets up to get him anyway. Guilt itches in the back of my throat. The cute guy walks in. "Hi," I greet.

"Hey, Ely. Do you remember me?" He asks softly.

"I'm sorry," is all I can manage.

"It's okay," he says, not offended. "I'm Ryan. I'm on Justin's hockey team. I don't know what Justin told you, but you're not just his girlfriend to us. We consider you one of us. That's why we're all here." My heart soars.

"I saw you peeking in at me," I say meekly. He blushes at this.

"Yeah," he says, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "I was just worried, that's all."

"Well... I don't know if this is true, but Justin told me that you, uh... like me?" I test. His eyes go wide and his mouth falls slightly open.

"He- he did?" I nod, biting my lip, taking this as a good sign. "Well, I uh, I mean -" he cuts himself off with a deep breath before starting over. "I do."

"I just... I thought you should know that I think you're cute," I reply as nonchalantly as possible. He chokes at this.

"You're kidding." I shake my head at this, starting yet another headache. "Wow, um... look, El. I'm not gonna lie. I do like you, and I think you're a freaking goddess." I feel tingles. Boys don't speak to me like this. "But... you would've never given me the time of day before this accident. You loved Justin and I mean loved Justin. I'd feel like I'm taking advantage of you. And I could never do that to Justin. He cares about you more than anything. Plus, I don't want to spend everyday constantly waiting for you to figure out that he's the one, not me. I couldn't do that," Ryan explains. I pout at this, but still, a guy as cute as him liking me at all is more than I could hope for. He notices me pouting and rushes to comfort me. "Hey, don't be sad. If you get your memory back, and still choose me, best believe I'm taking your pretty ass on a proper date. Deal?" I giggle at this. How can he make something so crass sound sweet?

"Deal," I agree.

"Now, I'm gonna go get your boyfriend," he says rolling his eyes, again making me laugh, "so he can get you home and into something a little sexier than that hospital gown."