The Imperishable Flame⎪✓

❨05❩

♂︎

Pulling into the parking lot I look at Tilly, her confused gaze is quite humorous. It's clear that she is weirded out by my sudden shift in mood, this day has been the best one in a while and we deserve to celebrate. She doesn't know everything, she generally has no clue that my mother tried to get her hands on her, but she knows I'm fighting to be her legal guardian, and eating some good food will give me an opportunity to tell her the news. 

"You're so weird, Elijah. That constant little smile on your face is scaring me," She breaks the silence as we walk inside Edgar's Diner. I don't get to answer her before Edgar is standing in front of us, his grey hair gelled backward and his smile is as apparent as ever. He is about as tall as Tilly, 5'5 I would say, which forces me to bend my neck to look at him. 

"Tilly and Elijah, it surely has been a while! Where is Papa Black?" Edgar asks with a sudden curiosity. 

"Nice to see you, Edgar!" Tilly says. "Grandpa is in a nursing home, he is a little sick and they know how to take care of him."

His eyes widen, "Oh my! I definitely should reach out to him again. Why are you guys back in Barnsley? Last thing I heard you moved to Hetdale."

"We did," I smile. "I guess the two of us missed the memories here and of course your burgers."

He claps his hands together and laughs, "Sit down please, I remember the usuals and it will be out in a second."

He scurries off to the kitchen as Tilly and I laugh at his antics, he really is a great guy to be around. Sitting down in the back, she grabs her phone and scrolls through her Instagram, I never understood the hype with social media. Looking over her shoulder on her phone I suddenly spot a very familiar pair of eyes in the midst of Tilly scrolling down the timeline, grabbing her phone I stare at the picture. 

The grey eyes are looking straight at me, the easy smile on her lips makes me wonder how they would feel on mine now. She has changed a little, there is a new spark in her eyes, some type of light that hasn't been there during the time I knew her. She must have been in the sun a lot, her freckles are very apparent and stick out on her skin. The rosy tint to her cheeks reminds me of how easily I could make her blush, she is absolutely stunning. Just as I thought she couldn't get more beautiful. 

"You really should talk to her sometime, Elijah."

Hurrying to give her the phone, I shake my head. "She is so happy now, Tilly. If there is anyone out there who deserves all the happiness in the world, it's her. I won't ruin that for her, I simply can't ruin it for her."

"Do you want to know about her? We follow each other on Instagram and I do know some things."

"No," The need to ask if she found someone tugs at me, but I won't ask that. "As long as she is happy."

"You deserve to be happy, too. This brooding period of yours with fighting and smoking, it has taken over your life."

"I'm happy, Tilly," I smile easily at her. "Especially today."

She frowns at me in confusion, "What is today? Did I forget something?"

"No, but there is a reason as to why I wanted to come here," I start and she shuts off her phone, listening to me intently. "I had a meeting with the social workers and they agreed to some conditions, if I prove to them that I have your best interest at heart and ensure that your grades stay up along with your social life, then I'm allowed to be your legal guardian."

Her eyes widen in excitement and she looks like she is about to cry, her arms land around my neck as she hugs me tightly. Laughing, I return the hug and squeeze her a little before letting go again. "So I don't have to be fostered?" She asks the relief on her tone is very obvious. 

Shaking my head, a grin threatens to spill onto my face, her happiness means everything to me. "No, you're staying with me and as long as we hold up our end of the deal, you will stay with me until you have to move out and go to college or whatever you feel like doing. We won the case, Tilly."

"You're an amazing big brother, did you know that?"

"Yeah, remember that next time I tell you to do the dishes."

"You never do the dishes though! It's only fair that I protest."

"Who pays the bills?" I tease her and push her shoulder with mine. 

She straight-up pushes me with her hands in return, "You have to since you are my legal guardian, ergo the argument is invalid."

Two plates land right in front of us, Edgar smiles down at us, "Are you two arguing again?"

"No, Elijah is just being a pain. This burger will definitely help though," Tilly smiles and eats a fry off her plate. 

He looks at me with a humored smile, "I removed one of the buns by the way and gave you an extra piece of meat, you still have that weird phase, right?"

Nodding at him in humor, "And you clearly still think it's a phase, it isn't."

"You would think a hunk with muscles like yours would be able to eat two buns on a burger, apparently not though," The teasing tone to his voice is very clear, he always manages to throw in a comment or two about that. Deep down he enjoys it, his dog lives with him upstairs and he gives her the other bun to chew on. 

"Elijah is anything but a hunk," Tilly laughs loudly, the ketchup on her chin makes me laugh along with her. 

"Says the girl with ketchup all over her face."

"I do not have ketchup on my face!"

"Excuse me, but your chin clearly states otherwise."

Edgar hands her a napkin and leaves us with a shake of the head, knowing someone for as long as we have known him makes for a great bond. The three of us can say anything to each other without being offended, it's very refreshing and a breath of fresh air in a world where everyone gets offended over literally anything. 

We eat the food in silence and I relax in it, the burger is absolutely amazing and exactly like I remembered it to be. The atmosphere here is relaxed and cozy, townies talking to each other and watching a football game on the TV. Bustling and chatting from the open window to the kitchen gives for an authentic vibe, everything about this diner screams familiarity. 

When we're done eating we head out after saying goodbye to Edgar, he waves us off and the smile has a hard time leaving me. The parking lot is almost empty before a silver Mercedes-Benz GLA pulls into an empty spot, there is something about it that catches my eye and a feeling in my gut tells me to see who comes out of it. 

"Elijah, unlock the door already," Tilly says impatiently and breaks me out of my trance. Unlocking the car, she sits down in the passenger seat and gestures for me to join her. No one leaves the GLA, that is until the passenger door opens and a girl with intense red hair steps outside. There is nothing familiar about her. Shrugging my shoulders, I sit down in my own car and pull out onto the street. Driving home I have to get some training in before my fight this week, Tilly doesn't seem to mind as she has the TV all to herself. This is our routine now.