Recovery (Sequel to Been You)

Chapter 53: Stay Strong With Me

ELYSANDRA'S POV:

Last night, I drank way more than I should've to cope with the pain of breaking up with Justin. I miss him more than anything, but the real him. Not the Justin he's been lately. It hurts not knowing how to get him back to the way he was. It hurts even more than the headache I have from this hangover. I sit up, hand to my head, in an unfamiliar bed with a new, yet familiar face.

"Morning, sleepy head," Jaden greets. The sunlight streaming in through his window hurts my eyes.

"Ew, what time is it?" I groan.

"Three," he answers nonchalantly.

"In the afternoon?" I ask incredulously. He just nods, invested in something on his phone.

"Ugh, I feel like hell," I groan.

"Of course, you do. This Justin guy had you drinking vodka like water last night," he muses.

"Ew, don't remind me," I reply. My stomach grumbles unhappily.

"Wanna go get something to eat?" he offers.

"I'd love to, if I had more clothes than a bikini and a pair of jeans," I retort, gesturing down at my body.

"Shut up, I can give you a shirt," Jaden offers.

"Okay, cool. What do you wanna eat?"

"I need wings, desperately."

"Huh. I haven't had wings in forever. Sounds good," I agree.

"Good. Grab a shirt from my dresser and we'll go," Jaden says. I get up, slide my discarded jeans on, and pull a t shirt from his dresser. Once I'm ready, he and I walk to the sports bar on campus, getting a table. We're arguing over which season of American Horror Story is best when I'm stopped mid-sentence. I see Justin walk in the restaurant, and my heart stops. I wanna go over to him, pull him in close, and just kiss him passionately. I miss his touch so much.

"Uh uh, honey," Jaden asserts, breaking me out of my fantasy.

"What? I just wanna go say hi," I defend.

"After what he said about your bulimia? Nope. I can't let you," Jaden maintains.

"I told you that?" I ask. He nods. "Well... I guess you're right. Distract me."

"Season two definitely -" he starts, before I cut him off.

"Oh my god, he's looking over here," I whisper, panicking. He has a blank expression, but his eyes are locked on mine. He's disheveled with red eyes. Has he been crying? My heart hurts for him. I want to go over to comfort him.

"Don't do it," Jaden advises, grabbing my hand and bringing me back to reality. I break my gaze away from Justin, turning back to Jaden.

"So, what were you saying about season two?" I ask.

"It sucked," he says blatantly. My jaw drops, considering it's my favorite. We continue bantering, but I can't help but watch Justin out of the corner of my eye. He's alone, standing at the pick up station. He's there for a while, until a large order is ready. It must be for the whole house. He struggles to carry it, while I fight the urge to go over to offer my help. I want so badly to help him. "El?"

"Hm?" I ask, redirecting my attention as Justin leaves.

"I'm so worried for you," he sympathizes.

"Me too. I miss him so fucking much. Like, yeah, he messed up, but... I love him," I whine.

"And if you don't show him what's what, he's gonna keep messing up," Jaden advises.

"I know you're right, but -"

"No buts. You can't go back. At least not until he learns his lesson," Jaden says. "Show some self respect, El." I frown at this.

"You're right," I agree. "I need to stay strong... but how cute did he look just now?"

He rolls his eyes at me. "That's not staying strong, Ely," he observes. I pout. "But, yeah, I guess he did look good in a tired, I don't give a fuck type of way."

"Why didn't he come talk to me?"

"What would he say, El?" Jaden counters. "You dumped me, and that sucks, but how are the wings?"

"Shut up. He could've said hi or something..." I mumble disappointedly.

"Stop, El. He's your ex, now. Exes don't do that," he explains.

"Ugh, please don't call him that," I cringe, covering my ears.

"He is. He's your ex, and you're his. Accept it."