ELI'S POV

Eli just got up and left. He was such an idiot.

"How could I forget." he thought to himself.

He remembered how Clare was so excited about that day, that gleam in her beautiful blue eyes. He was disappointed. He would understand if Clare didn't want to talk to him. He would understand if Clare hated him, because Eli hated himself. He was so caught up in the anniversary of ex-girlfriend that he hadn't remembered the anniversary of his current girlfriend. He needed to do something, and he needed to do it now.

Hey Clare, can u meet me The Dot in ten. I think we really need to tlk.

CLARE'S POV

Beep. Beep, beep. It was a txt from Eli. I was hesitant about reading it, but I did it could be important. I felt the expression on my face turn from half excited to half worried from shocked.

Questions came to her head:

1. Why did Eli want to talk

2. Why at the dot

3. What was Eli up to

She just sat there in disbelief and complete shock. She text back.

Sure. I'll seen you ten.

Right after the text she put a jacket and some boots on because again it had been raining. She left to go to The Dot.

She was kind of surprised that Eli wasn't there when she had arrived at The Dot. He had came in minutes after. Clare noticed that Eli had been crying, but before she could mention it, Peter came to the table and asked it they wanted anything.

"Um tea, please." Clare said. "Nothing for me," Eli managed to choke out. Peter then went off to get their orders.

"Clare I called you here because…." Tears fell from his eyes.

"Because what.." She rubbed her thumb across Eli's hands, which were on the table.

He removed his hands." No Clare… he managed to spit out," I don't deserve your warmth, your touch I don't deserve you."

Clare was taken back. She didn't know what have brought him on to all this. "Eli what do you mean?"

He paused for a quick moment and began to talk, " I mean I know, about that night, and you have reason to be mad. I'm mad at myself for not remembering."

This brought tears to my eyes. He brushed the tears off with his thumbs. "Eli, you were so distant that day. Why?"

He sighed. "Clare the day of our anniversary happened to be the day right before the anniversary of Julia's death. I was distant because I still love her. I always will."

" I know you will always love her, but Eli I need to know that you'll be here with me. I need to know that you care."

"I do care, Clare. How could you think I don't care."

Clare sighed. She didn't want to bring this up, but she had to, "Eli, my parents are getting a divorce," she started to cry louder.

He was about to say something when Clare cut him off. " You didn't care to ask me. You didn't even ask how my day was. Eli I was miserable the day before, but knowing that our anniversary was coming up something made me feel happy. I thought you would make me feel different from when I'm at home, but I guess I was wrong."

Eli was shocked and hurt. Then he felt angry. "I'm not always going to be there to ask you how your day is. You make everything about you. Have you once asked me how my day was or how I felt. Let me answer that, no, so before you start you consider that."

Clare was crying ten times harder then what she was before. "You know I can't handle this anymore. I can't compete with someone who is dead. Eli I shouldn't have tried to get into a relationship with someone that already has a girlfriend."

I got up and left. He could pay for the bill. He could have a life without me, because when we were together, he was clearly doing that simply. I got that answer to my question. He didn't care, because if he did he would be chasing me, telling me that he should give me a ride.

But he didn't, and in that moment I knew who had won the competition. She. Julia.