when we collide ✰ l.h.

Chapter 36

"I told you, I would've parked in our space if some asshole didn't take it." Luke said, both of us complaining about the not so long walk that we had to take to get to the right side of our apartment. He dug around in his pockets in search for something, getting us both to stop walking in our tracks. He rolled his eyes and groaned, "I left my keys in my car."

"Only you could manage to do that." I joked.

"You know what?" He asked, glaring at me. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" I replied as my lips curled into a smile. He groaned again and went back to his car, leaving me in the middle of the sidewalk that wasn't too far from our building. I would've already gone inside myself but today had been the day where I left my keys to my house at home.

I looked down to my phone, realizing that it was getting pretty late. We left for home tomorrow since tomorrow was Travis' wedding and we would need all the sleep we could get for such a hectic day tomorrow.

The second I looked up I saw someone jogging towards me with a cardboard box being held tightly in their arms. I recognized the floppy blonde hair and began turning around, only for him to start calling out my name.

"Autumn!" Ellis shouted, this time leaving me with no choice but to face him. I glanced over to Luke who hadn't even made it back to his car yet and met Ellis halfway, giving him a look that lacked any emotion.

He set the box down by his feet and flattened out his messy hair, "Hi." He breathed out, giving me a gentle smile.

"Hi," I shortly said. I peered down to the boxes at his feet. "Moving in?" I asked, hoping that I wouldn't have to see him everyday again.

"Out, actually." He replied. He awkwardly coughed, "I'm, uh, moving back in with my brother." He explained. I nodded my head, trying to show a lack of interest without coming off as too rude.

"So how are you?" He tilted his head slightly to the side, looking down to me.

"I'm good." I quickly answered. "You?"

"Same." He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand as he continued. "Cianna and I broke up, but what can you do." He laughed this time to much of my surprise which I barely smiled at, nodding my head again.

He sighed as he noticed my crossed arms and small amount of words coming from my mouth, taking it as I wasn't interested in anything he had to say to me.

"Autumn," He began, looking into my eyes for the first time. "I know what I did was really stupid." He told me, making me roll my eyes. "Just please, hear me out." He begged. I tapped my foot on the ground, leaving him without any word and let him make the decision of wanting to continue on his explanation or not.

"I messed up, a lot. And I regret it more than anything." He explained, shoving his hands into his front pockets. It was silent for a few moments, the only thing being heard with the normal sound of the city. His hands fell from his pockets and he looked around, shaking his head then continuing on.

"I don't know how else to put this," He said, then continuing to trip over a few words. "I love you, Autumn. It's as simple as that."

I was taken back from his words, expecting an apology rather than an 'I love you'. I was at a loss of words for myself, mostly because I couldn't split my feelings right now. I couldn't tell if I was angry or sad or embarrassed or anything. Then there was the feeling of a boy telling me that he truly loved me for the first time. As the that thought settled into my head, the dominating emotion lashed out on him.

"You think you love me?" I asked rather harshly, pointing a finger at him. Ellis took in a sharp breath and nodded at my words. I let out a loud laugh which seemed to have no effect on him. I shook my head as I looked up to the dimly lit sky, a smile appearing on my face as I looked back up into his nervous eyes.