A Silhouette and Maybe More

The Proof

My mind thought back to when I mentioned Elise to Dan and how he groaned at the mention of her name. What was so bad about her? I decided to head to library to find out, there had to be a reason behind it, plus Elise always cheers me up in the darkest of times.

Her eyes lit up when she saw me walking through the entrance.

"Hi Amelia, what's up?" She greeted.

"Elise, do you have a minute?" I muttered quietly.

"Of course, what's wrong?"

"Was there ever any...conflict between you and Dan?"

"I...erm...no?"

Her answer wasn't as convincing as she had hoped it to be. I knew her well enough that I could tell when she was lying; the slight raise of her eyebrows and the shrugging of her shoulder. Every single time.

What was Elise not telling me? She quickly changed the subject to make sure my mind wouldn't question her uncertainty, she asked me why before I could say anything else.

"No reason. Just wondering."

We knew each other too well, now the position has changed. She could tell I was lying.

"That's a funny thing to wonder..." She replied as smug as she could. "Tell me, why are you asking?" She insistently asked.

"Tell me, why are you lying?" I teased. I folded my arms knowing that I'd won. She stuttered when she started but she eventually gained her courage to reveal her secret. I was eager to listen.

"Dan and I may have had a small argument before...all that. His ex-girlfriend, Angela, I knew of her wicked ways and I knew about the cheating that she had been doing behind his back, but because he was so madly in love with her that he didn't believe a word I said and accused me of being jealous of how he was happy and I wasn't. So, I left him to find out the hard way, but what I didn't realise was how hard the 'hard way' was going to be." Her final words slowly faded into silence as if she was replaying it in her head. This was more sincere than I expected.

"Woah..." I was utterly speechless, how were you to find the words that would fit the response to that?

"But it doesn't matter, serves him right anyway, he never listened to anyone." She sighed, going back to clicking away at her computer. It's not true I thought, but only if she knew. I wonder how she'd react, but I couldn't betray Dan, but she's family she deserves to know. I was constantly debating with myself to let the secret slip.

"Do you miss him at all?"

"Of course I do! Before his bad phase I was close friends with him, and admittedly, I miss him." She replied almost instantly, a hint of sadness in her voice. She doesn't deserve this, it's not fair.

"What...if I were to tell you that...Dan...is...alive."

Have I done the right thing? Her eyes widened with shock, but after a minute her eyebrows knitted together, beginning to believe that I was lying.

"But h-how? How do I know you're not lying?"

Fuck it.

"I'll show you." At that moment I whipped her away from the librarians desk and rushed out the library. She was constantly calling my name but I ignored her knowing that if I were to pay attention to her she would stop me and turn back around.

We both arrived at my door, taking deep breaths before we enter. I was slightly hesitant, maybe this would push Dan over the edge meeting Elise. Elise had convinced herself that since I had taken her all the way to the flat that it would be a waste of time to lie.

"Amelia, I'm not really sure I can do this, Dan and I didn't really end on good terms..." She whispered.

Before I opened the door an idea popped into my head.

"You don't have meet him, you can just listen." A nod of her head and I proceeded into the flat. There was no sound coming from inside meaning either two things: Abigail and Dan have both killed each other, or they have finally gotten along. The door opened to an empty room, there was no one insight.

"Dan?" I called out. "Abigail?" Still no one answered.

"Abigail knows?!" I heard Elise's angered voice coming from behind me. Shit, I forgot about that...

I didn't say anything else, I simply wondered through each room of my house trying to find someone. Until finally I found Dan, in my bedroom, sitting alone. Elise stayed waiting outside in the hall, out of sight from Dan. It was as risky as anything.

"Dan? Are you okay? Where's Abigail?"

He looked mentally and physically drained, the colour from his cheeks had faded into a pale white colour. It worried me how he was slouching, head bowed and his hands clasped together. What has he done?

"Dan. Where. Is. Abigail." I said gritting my teeth.

"She's not here, she left." His voice was low and groggy, almost like he was about to burst into tears. I managed to hear a gasp coming from Elise, now she believed me. We were lucky enough that Dan didn't pick up on it. Dan looked so upset, it was just the way his bloodshot eyes glistened in the light, his quivering bottom lip pouted and his shaky breathing was something that was putting me on edge. What did Abigail do or say to him? He looked at me with shame and regret in his eyes. I had never seen him so upset in my life. I crouched down beside him and placed my hand on his knee.

"What's wrong?" I calmly asked, showing as much support as I could.

"I'm so sorry Amelia. For everything."

"What do you mean? W-what..."

"Abigail told me. She told me how hard life had been for you over the past year. How you told her everything the very first day you arrived here, how hard you found it to fit in, how everyday you told her how much you couldn't handle life without me. I was being so selfish!" His voice was getting louder and louder by the second. I could only stare at him, I was utterly speechless.

"She also mentioned how she found you on the kitchen floor crying your eyes out when you received that letter from me." His voice kept breaking. He was being consumed by guilt and complete regret, I never knew he could feel this bad about himself.

"It was knowing that I caused all this. Knowing that it was a mistake to let you go and completely ignore you. Please trust me when I say that I thought it was for the best. I never intended to make you feel the way you did." Now the tears had spilled, his head was now resting on my shoulder. I tried shushing him to calm him but he was completely inconsolable. I turned to face the doorway seeing Elise making her appearance leaning against the doorframe. She was almost the same: eyes full of regret and emotions that were all over the place. I guessed she couldn't handle it, she stormed away and left through the front door.