When The Sun Sets In The East

031| The hour of reveal 2

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"Let's go."

Elliot lifted his eyes and saw Victor taking hold of his wife's hand, and before he knew it, she was being dragged away with him. Elliot couldn't say a word. He was hardly given a chance as he watched his friend storm away with his wife. A sigh left his lips as he shifted his eyes away from them and back in the direction Victor had ventured off with his sister. There, he saw her walking back to him. Her face said it all, and Victor's attitude said it all. Their discussion hadn't gone very well.

He hurried his steps to her. She barely looked up at him. Elliot wasn't sure. He didn't know what words were right enough to comfort her. Maybe there was really none. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her in a warm hug. For the meantime, that was all Genevieve really needed.

"I'll talk to him." Elliot stated once they let go of the hug, and Gene shook her head.

"Don't bother. He won't listen... he hates the idea of what we share." She explained, and Elliot stared at her for a second. He didn't know what else to do. The woman he loved was in so much turmoil because of him and there was nothing much he could do about it.

"The movie has started. We should go." She weakly pointed out as she took hold of his hand and tried to stir him in the right direction. Elliot took his hand, causing her to look up to him.

"We don't have to do that. Right now, I know you don't feel like it... let's go home." He urged, but she simply shook her head.

"We're here because we want to have fun for a change, plus walking away would just be a waste of our money... don't worry. I'm fine." She summarized, flashing a brief smile in the end. Elliot stared at her. He could see she had made up her mind to do it. Mostly, he couldn't understand why. She pulled him along once more and that time, he went along after picking up his popcorn and drinking off the table.

By the time they got into the theatre, the movie had already begun and they had to excuse themselves as they walked past a few people. Finally, they took their seats. Halfway into the movie, the viewers laughed at the comedy played out by the characters. Elliot whipped up a brief smile and when he shifted his eyes to Gene, her face was straight. She'd barely cracked a smile, regardless of the fact that her gaze stuck to the screen ahead.

He knew it. Her mind wasn't there, not really. She was deep in her own thoughts and she was trying hard not to show that fact. They shouldn't have come. He shouldn't have asked her out. They should have stayed indoors, like always. At least he could see her smile and be herself. Not a shadow of herself. Gene was going to tell the world the truth someday, but he knew deep down, maybe not then, and truthfully, he was ready to wait for her.

"Popcorn?" He asked as he stretched his hand to her. She spared it a glance as well as him before she lightly shook her head. A brief and weak smile played on her face. Her horrible attempt at pretending. He stared at her whilst her gaze fixated on the movie she wasn't really watching.

Unable to bear it anymore, he let out a sigh and took her hand in his. As he stood to his feet, he made her the same. "Sorry, excuse me." He nearly chanted as he made his way out of the row and soon they were going down the stairs and out through the door.

"Why are we leaving?" She queried once they were out, and he spared her a glance.

"Because you need to rest, maybe cry if you want..."

"I don't want to cry." She declared, and he stopped, so did she. He turned to her.

"It's okay to yell at me or even blame me for the situation you're in. I promise, I won't feel upset."

"Why would I yell at you? No matter how it might seem, you're one of the best things that ever happened to me... I would never wish otherwise." She expressed and as he stared into her eyes, he could see she meant every word and a slight smile curled up on his face.

He drew closer and wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her in a comfy embrace. "Thank you." He appreciated, grateful that she didn't see him as a curse or anything of that sort.

"I promise... I'm going to make everything better." He added, and she wrapped her arms around him as well.

~ ~ ~

Elliot walked into the apartment space that was being used as the office headquarters and the moment his eyes met Victor's, Victor was first to look away. He was quick to round up whatever he was doing before heading off into the office.

"Elliot." Funmi cheered the moment she saw him and hurried to his stand.

"How are you doing? You rarely come by these days." She added, and he spared her a look before returning his gaze to the door into the office Victor had walked into.

"I'm fine. I just prefer to work from home." He replied, and she whipped up a brief smile.

"Oh, great. I'd thought maybe you were trying to avoid me..."

"Can we have this discussion some other time? I need to speak to Victor." He interrupted and before she could reply or say any other thing, he ventured forward.

Elliot placed a knock on the door and only pushed the door open after he heard Victor's voice allowing entry. Once Victor lifted his eyes and saw who it was, he looked away in annoyance before getting up to his feet to leave, but Elliot had already shut the door behind him and he was more than ever determined to have a conversation with him.

"Let's talk." Elliot stated as he stood in his path, yet Victor looked anywhere else but at his friend. He was trying hard to contain his anger.

"There's nothing left to say." Victor countered and tried to walk out through another direction, Elliot stood in his path again.

"There is, and it's prime time we address the elephant in the room."

"I don't want to. Anything I had to say, I already told Gene and now, it's up to her to decide."

"Whatever you said to her, it's affecting her. Can you at least try to understand us?"

Victor suddenly chuckled. "Understand? Fine, I can understand Genevieve might be desperate enough for a partner to be with someone nearly ten years younger than her, but you... why are you doing this? Why are you helping her ruin her life?" Victor vented out and truthfully, he'd spent sleepless nights trying to figure out what was going on in his sister's mind.

He'd even thought about sharing the news with his parents, perhaps, they could help him caution her before things escalate faster than she would like, but he'd held off on that thought. He gave her more time or rather, maybe it wasn't his place to say.

Elliot looked away, drawing in a deep breath as he shut his eyes for a moment.

"You might not believe it, but... I love Gene."

Victor scoffed as he looked away.

"Despite what you think or say, she's beautiful, she's funny, and she's stronger than any of you think... I want to make her happy."

Victor's eyes shifted back to his friend. His brows furrowed at Elliot and gradually he shook his head.

"I can't believe you're doing this to me, to my family... to Gene. Do you even have the slightest idea what is going to happen to her if you guys pursue whatever it is you believe you have? I don't know how it is back in the U.S., but here, the society is part of your life whether or not you want it... she's going to be called names and no matter how many times she tries to put up a strong front, she'll get scorned because she was doing something abnormal." He expatiated, without breaking his gaze with Elliot. Eventually, he looked away. A while of silence lasted between them.

Victor let out a sigh before he shifted his eyes back to his friend. "If you love her as you say... you'll do the right thing." He added before walking past Elliot, who that time, did nothing to stop him.

Once the door slammed shut behind him, he let out a loud sigh just as he shut his eyes. He'd come there intending to make him understand, but it would seem he'd hardly achieved any of that. Instead, he felt conflicted and slightly scared. The fact is, there was truth in all Victor had said.

Elliot wants nothing more but to make her happy all the time, and he worried he might hurt her.