Clare's Pov

She honestly didn't know how she survived that evening without either losing her mind, or choking Eli but somehow it went off without a hitch and her heart was intact. He chose to stay there with them even having plenty of money to have gone to a hotel nearby, and that was okay as far as she was concerned. Her sister however had pulled her aside before she went off to find Peter to ask if it was going to be workable with there being so much tension, and also to ask about the book. That was a topic she was going to not discuss until she spoke with Eli alone. If she got that chance however, but as soon as the thought processed in her brain the chance came up after Adam had to run to his mother's for something she requested.

The music was still flowing throughout her house as she slipped into the backyard to relax after such a tense few hours. His proximity wasn't the cause for the tension, mainly her overblown emotions were working overtime. She was back being the unsure sixteen year old again, unsure of anything when he would just look at her and that really did begin to bother her mostly because it took a lot to recover as an eighteen year old from heartbreak.

"May I intrude on your reverie for a few moments?". A voice interrupted the train of her thoughts as she glanced up to see the very many she had been brooding about in front of her, glass of wine in his hands and a confused look upon his face. She swept her hand towards one of the chairs she had in the small area and sighed deeply, brushing back her now long hair that had been freed from it's confines.

"By all means". She replied softly, unsure what else she could begin to say to him. Her eyes followed him to the chair he chose across from her and watched as he settled himself quickly. The years had been good to him she thought quickly seeing not an ounce of fat anywhere, but she always knew he would never have that problem. His hair was still a little too long for conventional circles, but it was always one of the things she loved about him. Clothing was another thing to have changed slightly, not the all black clad youth, but now he added some small bits of color to throw off that somber air that sometimes followed him. She wanted to ask questions to him but somehow her voice failed her.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay here, I suppose I could have went to a hotel and not have bothered but Adam, being Adam... Well You know how he is. I'm sorry if it's put you out or anything. I wasn't sure how many were staying here and all. If you tell me that it's going to cause any problems I'll call a hotel.".

She tilted her head as he began to speak quickly as she heard the faltering in his speech and wondered what was going on deep in the recesses of his brain to even possibly be nervous.

"Eli, it's not a problem in the least to offer You my other guest room. In fact, Adam was going to be the only one whom would be staying here. I offered it to others but as some of them have children that were going to be attending it wasn't going to work out. So, you are welcome to the room. Alli was going to be staying here but as it is she decided on a hotel room, which in some terms is best especially if she's going to have a boyfriend". She stopped and chuckled softly remembering freshman year and the ravine but didn't mention it out-loud. "There aren't many whom I'm still that connected from the class.. I mean there are still some around here that I see but as they are local there is no need to have them stay here.". She finished with a nod as her eyes locked with his.

She watched as he nodded back at her sipping the wine in his glass. Sliding her eyes towards his fingers to see if there was a trace of a ring or anything to say that he was affianced since he kept his life as private as he could. Not that she really did many searches on him or anything, or she wouldn't admit that to anyone but herself.

"...Why did you leave me with just a damn email?". She only caught the end of the question as she glanced up quickly, eyes wide as she began to tune into the question. "A damn email, not even a call or heaven forbid a face-to-face conversation. Here I thought were both were much more than that but no, I get an email that You decided that since both of us were so far away and...".

"Wait, What?". She exhaled quickly as she jumped up from the seat to look down at him with a frown. Where did this come from? Confusion began to form in her brain as she waited to hear his explanation.

"Don't play me Clare, I don't think I could deal with this if your going to look at me like I've grown three heads and am a monster. Let's see it was after You came to visit me and while I can say that the visit was a disaster with my internship having to take up most of the time but I tried to carve time out for you. I thought...". He stood up himself and began to pace as he spoke, trying to count all the things he wanted to say and she could tell he was working himself into a rage but she was still confused as to what he was even going on about. An email?

"Eli, stop. I remember it quite well, the trip and I didn't in the least blame you for the lack of time that we had planned to spend there together. I had others whom spent time with me that made up for the fact You were doing what you had to for the future and I was genuinely proud for you to achieve your dreams. However, I'm not sure I follow about an email that You believe I sent to you. Pray tell me what Your talking about?". She said calmly crossing her arms in a defensive pose as one brow arched in question towards Him.

"It would have been the day after you came home, I remember that it was a late flight so we were going to speak after you got some sleep and then I wake up in the morning to check email and there is was. I can still remember it clearly even after a decade. You thought, in the email, that since we got to spend so little time and you thought that perhaps it was time we gave it some separation. In fact it was a good idea where we could focus on our own pursuits. It ended with you telling me to not to call because as far as you were concerned you had made up your mind about this all.". He glanced up at her with a look of disdain and revulsion that caused her to step back several steps before she caught her own breath.

"You actually believed that I would ever do something like that? I'm trying to let this all sink in. So, let me guess this straight, I sent an email.. didn't try to even talk to you about my concerns before I left or even call to voice them and you just took it at face value? Makes sense to me, given all the turmoil that we went through together...". She trailed off with a frown, not sure she could put her words together anymore.

Eli's Pov

Clare's words hit him like a ton of bricks that he had never expected to come out of her after the years of separation. Raking his fingers through the heavy mass of hair he sighed deeply, trying to focus on her face. Blue eyes clear and full of tears glanced back at him with a look he regretted.

"I tried to call You after I read it but you didn't answer for several days and then one of my friends had said that you were commenting much like the email to them when they spoke to you...". He muttered softly.

"Had to tried to call my home or got a hold of Adam would you have found that one, I lost my phone in the airport or somewhere around there when my purse got stolen. Secondly, When I got home mom was waiting for me... my grandmother had been seriously sick and I didn't want to worry you. I mean, she got better and all but I didn't have time and while I should have tried to call you. Now it makes more sense to me, once I did get back and tried to call you the number was different and you never responded to any emails... No one would tell me what was going on and for a while there Adam didn't speak to me but after a while we did start speaking again but never about you. I thought You had another episode and...". She trailed off slowly leaving it said undone for the moment. 'What friend of Yours would have ever said that I discussed our relationship with them? You know how I like to keep my life, well at the time our lives to us. Who?". She growled in anger now knowing someone chose to hurt them both, even if it was meant to just hurt her it became an issue for both of them it seemed.

He stared at her silently as her words began to sink into the thick exterior of his brain like a bomb. He was young at the time this went on, sure, but at the time he was terrified that he had finally suffocated her with his ways. If it had been at the age he was now, this would have ended much differently with him showing up at her door to demand her words but he couldn't have left New York at the time with school, interning and the local play he was in but that had been the biggest mistake.

"Imogen". A voice from the shadows of the yard called out as Adam stepped into the light of the windows. "It was Imogen.". He said with a nod glancing between his two friends with a sigh. As soon as he pulled back up from his errand and heard voices from the backyard he listened wanting to know the full story from both sides. He knew whom it was once Eli began to speak having heard her brag to someone once about how she finally got him to herself. Had she known it wouldn't last but a few weeks after he learned how she manipulated things for her own good.

The men watched Clare as she stood up again gently smoothing down the fabric of her pink shorts as if they were a delicate skirt. Only her soft sighs could be heard as she turned to look at Adam with only the briefest of nods to acknowledge his words, which caused him more anxiety but he chose to stay silent. She turned to look at Eli and he caught the pure heartbreak that he found in her eyes.

"I can only imagine how either of you would either believe that I could speak to her about ANYTHING. She was a cause for concern back the first time we broke up Eli and I never truly trusted her again, even if you did. I guess you did trust her to believe those words and didn't bother to have any trust for me. So now I'll tell you that I never would have left you for anything, even if we didn't get to spend much time together because we both were busy. I would have waited forever for you, you know. I told you back on that winter night I was all in. ALL IN.". She screamed loudly at him, tears beginning to fall down her lashes onto the pale skin of her cheeks. "You... you know I even had plans for us... and when I couldn't get a hold of you and Adam just refused to speak to me it almost broke me.".

In that moment he believed her and should have believed in her years before and had got on a plane to shake some sense to her yet he didn't and this was the consequences of that choice years later. Jumping to his feet he crossed the space between them before she could react and pressed her head to his chest as he whispered towards her ear, "I should have believed in you. I'm sorry...". He kept whispering as she began to cry even harder than before, feeling her arms wrap around him not even bothering to fight against him to be let go. His eyes sought out Adam as he quietly slipped into the house to give them a moment together.

She pulled away from him after several minutes of crying and sighed desperately the wheels in her head turning in thought as she frowned.

"It's still distressing to me that someone would be as vengeful as she was to perpetrate something so vile against me and you. Let's forget me for a moment because while it was for you to think I did this, she was aiming for you. Oh, this weekend is lovely now... on top of all the events I get to finally confront that bitch about how she fucked up my life.". She growled missing the look of wonder on his face as she began to curse, something she never did when they were together even if she was upset.

He began to laugh loudly as she fumed mumbling to herself at what she was going to say to that woman if she showed up here this weekend. He wasn't sure if she was going to or not because he no longer really had contact with her.

"Why are you laughing?'. She demanded haughtily up at him with a scowl upon her lips.

"You are a regular sailor Edwards, some of those words I hadn't even thought would come out of your mouth. Grown up, I see.". He said with a smirk upon his lips that hadn't felt at home till this moment when his heart began to believe that there was a spark left, even if it was just of friendship with this girl that he'd loved since he was sixteen.

When she swatted him peevishly she sighed wiping off the tears that were still clinging to her cheeks and began to shake those cinnamon tresses that used to enrapture his eyes.

"I will tell you this once and for all that I had nothing to do with an email nor did I mention to your "friend" that I wanted to go our separate ways Eli. As for earlier, that book was a way for me to get over all the hurt left behind after I had thought you walked away and then the gossip I began to hear from New York after your first book was picked up and the plays were doing well. It broke what little hope I had left in me, imagining our life together. We would have been... Well that's water under the bridge and maybe this will help us both move on now?". She spoke carefully trying hard to not hold any hope in her words, but he heard them loud and clear. This was his Clare after all, even after all the years apart he could read he better than anyone.