simplicity ✩ pm

five

elle's pov
i opened my eyes, groggily. i smiled thinking of the brand new day, but i was confused as to why dahlia wasn't sleeping next to me. hmm, i thought she slept over? then i remembered what happened yesterday.
*"dahlia?" i asked. she was kissing austin, they looked so into it. what the hell?
"elle, oh my god. i'm so sorry, i didn't want you to find out this w-" austin started, but i just walked away. i slammed my door shut, confused. i couldn't hear them, but i knew they were arguing. i knew she was so sad i found out, i bet he kissed he and held her, telling her it would all be okay. i didn't even mind that they were a thing, just the fact that she never told me is what hurts the most. a soft knock came upon my door.
"elle, can we please talk?" she asked, nervously. i sighed and slowly turned the doorknob, revealing her with her head bowed down in shame and sympathy.
"i don't know what to say or think, but i think you should leave. go home dahlia, i don't want to talk to you right now." i said sternly, not looking her in the eyes. we stayed silent for a second before i was about to speak. when i looked up, she was gone already.*
i shivered at the memory. i know i was upset and hurt, but i really shouldn't have kicked her out. it was, like, midnight; she didn't deserve that. i guess i'll text her now.

dahlia's pov
i woke up to my phone dinging, groaned, and opened it to see who it was.
elle🦋💓: i'm sorry for how i reacted yesterday, can we please talk?
i sighed.
"good morning, beautiful." austin said, rolling over and kissing my forehead. yeah, i never left, i slept in austin's room. last night, after elle told me to leave, i walked to the front door before i was stopped by austin hugging me as tears were streaming down my face. he wouldn't let me leave because it was so late and he was worried about me being so sad, so i wore one of his big t-shirts and we cuddled until we fell asleep.
"hi, blondie. elle just texted saying she's sorry and that she wants to talk, what do i say?" i asked, nervously. he sat up, running his hand through his long hair.
"i don't even know, i guess you need to talk to her, but you have to make sure she doesn't find out you slept over." he said. i nodded and got up, grabbing my clothes from yesterday and quickly changing. i walked up to austin, planting a short kiss on his lips before racing down the stairs and leaving. i drove home, changed into my black halter top with ripped jeans, my pair of old skools, and a denim jacket. i texted elle back, hoping i didn't have my read receipts on.
me: im sorry too, we definitely need to talk about this. meet me at lola's in 5?
lola's was a cute little cafe that elle and i always loved going to; we were friends with the owners who always made us cute latte art. my thumbs tapped nervously on my phone, awaiting her response.
elle🦋💓: down, see you soon
oh thank god, now i have some explaining to do. i drove to lola's, praying this would go okay. i walked into the cafe, hearing the signature bell ring above the door.
"lia, sweetheart, long time no see! lavender latte as always?" lola immediately welcomed me in.
"hi, lola! nice to see you! and that would be great, thanks." i replied, smiling. i sat at our table, waiting for elle to get here as i dipped my warm, frothy drink. soon enough, elle walked through the door with a conflicted expression on her face.
"hi, dahlia."
"hi, elle." this was worse than i imagined. it's like we're suddenly strangers?
"so, i cant stand small talk and i know you can't either. let's get right to it, you and austin?" she said, a worried tone in her voice. i had this lump in my throat, so afraid she would judge me.
"we're, well, i guess i don't really know what we are. all i know is i do like him a lot, elle, and i guess i was just waiting for the right time to tell you. i know it was stupid but just know i'm sorry. i was afraid you'd be mad at me." i admitted. she looked down, i started to sip my latte.
"dahli, you can tell me anything, always. i only cared because you didn't tell me first. please, i don't care if you date austin just like i don't care that you slept over last night after i kicked you out." she said smirking. i choked on my drink as she laughed.
"what?! how'd you even find out?" i asked.
"girl, did you even consider the fact that your car was in front of my house all night or that i was literally sitting at the kitchen table when you scurried out this morning? i thought i was bad at hiding things, damn." we both laughed and talked about her and brandon. we decided that if she was gonna be with her step brother's best friend, then i could be with my best friend's step brother. it was complicated, but i didn't care. i couldn't believe i felt this way about someone, i had never felt this way in my whole life. we chatted and laughed for awhile before we decided it was probably a good idea to leave. while we were leaving, i spotted a tall brown haired boy with glasses sitting with a short blonde girl. his arm around her shoulder, i pointed it out to elle. she huffed and walked over.
"so this is why you've been dodging my calls?" she asked, hurt in her eyes.
"no, baby, it's not what you think." he pleaded, pushing the blonde girl to the side and standing directly in front of her.
"whatever, brandon." she said, walking away. we sat in my car, silently. my hands gripped the steering wheel, i decided to try and break the ice.
"he's so dumb, im sorry elle." i spoke up softly, waiting for her to say something back. she didnt.
"elle?" i asked. while not paying attention, we drove quickly as a driver in the oncoming opposite traffic sped out of control and hit us. the impact was insane, i felt my head hit the window extremely hard. shards of glass pierced my hands and legs, and the car finally came to a stop. i heard faint sirens, the scene was tragic. i felt my eyes starting to shut unintentionally. before i knew it, i was passed out.
-
i woke up in a hospital bed, austin sleeping in the chair next to me. i smiled, zion walked into the room with two coffees.
"oh thank god, you're okay lia. thank god, i was so worried about you." he ran immediately to me, embracing me in a bear hug.
"i'm okay, thank you z. how long have i been out?" i asked, seeing that the sun was just starting to rise.
"well you guys crashed yesterday around 4 in the evening and it's 6:30 ish right now, the doctors let us in last night. your nurse told us you have a minor concussion, but nothing serious. you just have bandages over your hands and legs from the glass, but that'll heal in a few weeks. and austin, he was so worried, he cried the whole time until finally he fell asleep about 2 hours ago." zion said, chuckling to himself. brandon walked through the door, rushing to me as well.
"dahlia, you're awake! how are you?" he asked, hugging me lightly. he looked absolutely awful and sleep deprived, poor guys.
"i'm alright. where's elle?" i asked. they looked at each other with sad eyes for a moment before zion spoke slowly.
"she's in the intensive care unit, her impact was much worse than yours. she hasn't woken up yet." i started to panic, hoping she was okay.
"i need to see her. can you grab my clothes, please?" i asked, brandon handing over my outfit.
"i don't think you can just leave, should we ask first?" zion suggested.
"that's my best friend in there, i don't give a shit about the hospital rules. if she's hurting, i need to be there with her. we all do." i argued. i walked behind a curtain and quickly changed before the other boys walked out and i walked over to austin. i cupped his cheek lightly and kissed his forehead.
"wake up, love. we're gonna go see elle." i said, his eyes fluttering gently. he saw me, and his reaction was priceless.
"dahlia! oh my god you're okay. i was worried out of my mind, i'm here for you now." he yelled, picking me up and spinning me, placing kisses all over my face. i giggled.
"c'mon, blondie, we gotta go see elle." i said. he set me down, placing his hands around my waist. he leaned in and kissed me slowly, more passionate than ever. he pulled away, leaving me speechless like the very first time.
"let's go see elle, then." he said, smiling. we flung his arm over my shoulder and we walked to elle's room to see her attached to tons of IV's and monitors. my heart aches seeing her this way. i grasped her hand, a stray tear rolling down my cheek.
"god, im so sorry, this is all my fault. i hope you're doing okay, we're gonna get you out of here alright? you're gonna be okay. i love you, e." i said, beginning to sob. austin rubbed my back, i released my grip on her hand and buried my face into his neck, letting myself cry naturally.
brandon's pov
i cant even believe myself right now, standing over elle's poor, aching body. she's hooked up to all this medication. she should be at home right now, in my arms. we should be arguing over which disney movie is best, she should be telling me all about her day right now. i needed her more than i thought, more than i've ever needed someone in my life. she was so different, it was refreshing. so gorgeous, so extremely caring. her poor, lifeless being lay there, i wish i could take all the pain away. i choked up, wiping the tears away.
"elle, baby, im here. i know you're upset with me, but i'm here for you. i'll always be here for you. please, i need you to wake up. i'll be by your side. call me crazy, but i love you." a tear rolled down my face, dropping onto her hand which i was holding tightly. her eyes began to open, her heart monitor increasing. incredibly, she was awake.
"elle? did you hear what i said?" i asked.
"yes, bu-"
"no, it's okay. i'm sorry, im so so sorry. i didn't mean to hurt you. i don't know what happened. i love you." i said, gripping her hand even tighter.
"i'm sorry, who are you?" she asked. i felt all the color drain from my face. oh my god.