Right Here, Right Now

Chapter Six

*Ella's POV*

"Maybe now I'll actually be able to get some sleep," Charlie said referring to our late night conversations. He looked down at me and smirked.

"Oh shut it Gillespie, you're so going to miss me!" I stuck my tongue out at him before uncontrollably wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face into it. He stumbled for a moment, caught off guard by my sudden display of affection, before wrapping his arms tightly around my waist. We stayed like that for a moment until he released his grip, still leaving his hands lingering at my side.

"I should probably go. I don't want to miss my flight. I'll FaceTime you when I get to Vancouver, promise." He lifted his duffel bag off the ground and flung it over his shoulder.

"I'll probably have forgotten about you by then," I winked at him and playfully pushed him away. He rolled his eyes at me as he ran a hand through his hair. I struggled to fight the urge to grab him one more time.

"See ya later Elligator," Charlie's eyes lit up as he laughed at his own joke, causing me to shake my head.

I sighed as I watched him walk away and disappear through the airport doors. He had just left and my life already felt more dull. The laughter and light Charlie brought me over the past couple weeks is unlike any other and I'm worried I will never have it again. I spun the car keys around my finger before getting in the Prius. Owen has trusted me to keep the Prius while him and Charlie are away.

"You said forever
In the end I fought it
Please be honest,
Are we better for it?
Thought you'd hate me
But instead you called
And said 'I miss you'
I caught it"

I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel as "I miss you I'm sorry" by Gracie Abrams played from the car radio. As I got to a red light my phone went off and told me that I had a snapchat from Charlie. I laughed at the fact it had only been 10 minutes since I'd left.

My face turned red as I stared down at the photo of Charlie that said: "I miss you ya dork". I quickly took a picture of the red light in front of me and captioned it:"you won't have anyone to miss if you keep snapping me while I'm driving".

"I know you said that we're not talking
But I miss you, I'm sorry"

The song continued and I didn't realize that I was crying until a tear fell onto my lap.

/////////////////////////////////////////////
Two months later
///////////////////////////////////////////////

My room was dark, the only light coming from my computer screen as it played episodes of Friends on repeat. My body laid buried under piles of blankets and my beloved sweatpants that have been much more challenging to change out of lately. The only time I really moved was so that I could clap along to the theme song. A sudden knock at the door caused me to jump.

"Come in!" I shouted at the door. It opened, revealing Josh standing there with a look of pity on his face. My eyes squinted at the sunlight that came in with him.

"Ella, I'm starting to worry about you. You've barely left your room the past two weeks," Josh walked in and sat at the end of my bed staring at me.

"I'm fine. It's just a Friends marathon," I shrugged my shoulders before unpausing the show on my computer. He quickly grabbed my computer and shut it. "Hey!" I sat up straight and reached for the computer but he pulled his arm away.

"You can watch Friends any time. Right now I need you to be my friend and tell me what's going on with you," It wasn't hard to see the worry in his eyes as he begged me to be open with him. Josh is one of the only people who knows what I've been through and I'm not surprised he's trying to avoid that from happening again. I took a deep breath before allowing my head to fall backwards again onto my pillow.