Recovery (Sequel to Been You)

Chapter 54: Movies With Me

JUSTIN'S POV:

It's been almost a week since the breakup, and I still feel like hell. I just finished smoking a blunt in the shed, and the pain is dulled, but still there. As I make my way back into the house, I play with my lighter absentmindedly. Walking through the living room to get to the staircase, I purposely ignore whoever is sitting there. That is, until a familiar mess of curls hanging over the back of the couch catches my eye.

"Elysandra?" I ask disbelievingly, stepping in closer. The owner of the hair stands up from the couch, turning around to look at me. It is in fact Ely, and she seems just as shocked to see me as I am to see her. I quickly hide my lighter away in my pocket, ashamed of what I'd just been doing.

"Hey, Justin," she greets softly, giving me a slight smile. I walk over to her, hugging her. I could probably attribute my forwardness to the weed I just smoked, but I'm not mad at it if it gives me the opportunity to hold her again. It takes her a moment, but she eventually hugs back warmly. "Oh, god, what's that smell," Ely asks disgustedly.

"He's high," Atifa answers, judgementally from the love seat. I pull away from the hug to look at her. She's seated in Za's arms, both of them looking on disappointedly. If it were anyone else who said this, I'd be mad. However, I know that Atifa is naturally a sweet person and this is just her being protective of Ely. For that, I'm grateful, so I try to not let her transgressions upset me. I look back to Ely to see her searching my face worriedly.

"Are you?" She asks in a whisper. "Are you high?" I roll my eyes, frustrated with myself. If I'd known Ely was coming over, I wouldn't have lit up earlier. I'm embarrassed for her to see me like this.

"I did just smoke a little, yes," I admit apprehensively. Her eyebrows furrow worriedly; her mouth forms a pout.

"Why?" she asks sadly. I can't bring myself to tell her it's because missing her hurts too much.

"I dunno. I was bored," I shrug. I can tell she doesn't believe me, so I change the subject. "What are you doing here?"

"Za bought 'Everything, Everything," and me and Ti have been wanting to see it for months," she explains. I assume that's a movie.

"Oh, I wanted to see that, too," I lie. She looks at me skeptically.

"You did?" She asks, unbelievingly.

"Yeah," I confirm. "Mind if I join?"

"No, I mean... it's your house," she allows, reclaiming her seat on the couch. I fall into the seat next to her. I'm surprised when she snuggles in closer to me during the movie. I'm also surprised when she starts crying. It could be a reaction to this movie, I think it's supposed to be sad. I'm not sure, I haven't really been following it. I'm either too high or too distracted having the love of my life cuddled up to me. My ex-girlfriend cuddled up to me. My heart physically aches at the thought. By the end of the movie, Ely's blubbering, her face soaked with tears. I don't know what else to do, so I just rub her back. As soon as the movie ends, Ely gets up, wiping her face. "I'm gonna wash my bowl," she excuses, taking her dish with only popcorn kernels left into the kitchen. I spot Atifa about to follow her in with a bowl of her own, but I act quickly, taking the bowl from her.

"It's okay, I'll take it," I offer, running after Ely before Atifa can stop me. When I enter the kitchen, I see Ely crying messily at the sink. "Babe, are you okay?" She looks up, noticing my presence. She quickly wipes her eyes, inhaling deeply.

"Um, yeah. Just... the movie..."

"Oh, well, I mean... have you been okay?" I ask, nearing her.

"Me? Yeah. Of course," she answers. I can't believe she's being honest. "You?"

"No. I miss you, El," I admit, closing the gap between us, placing my hand on her hip. She breathes in sharply.

"I miss you, too, Justin," she admits quietly.

"Stay the night? It feels like I haven't seen you in forever."

"Justin..."

"It doesn't have to mean anything," I rush, not giving her the chance to say no. "We can... Can we just like, keep each other company?" She opens her mouth to answer, and I can see her expression softening.

"Cmon, El. We've gotta go."