Chapter 3

ELLIOTT

I know I should feel guilty but I'm not. I promised Ana not to tell my brother but I just did not even a minute after we parted ways this morning. Ana is my best friend but Christian is my brother. He deserves to know that he has a daughter. He'll be arriving in Forrest Creek tomorrow.

There's this time bomb inside of me, counting down the hours before my friendship with Ana comes to an end. Then again, the time bomb already exploded when Kate cut off our engagement.

"Georgia, dinner first before ice cream," Ana really knows how to discipline her daughter well.

We're eating dinner in Ana's house and for some reason Georgia can't stop staring at me. I am a bit worried because I think she doesn't believe that I'm not her father. On the other hand, I'm glad she likes me. I've always wanted children with Kate but I don't think the feelings are mutual.

"But Mom please," the little girl protests. She clearly wants ice cream.

"No, honey. Finish this steak first and you can have your ice cream," Ana tells her calmly before standing up to answer the ringing phone. She mutters about a customer who just has trust issues. No matter how many times Ana assures that the flowers will be delivered on time, the customer insists that it won't. I pity my best friend but I'm glad she's in the living room talking over the landline, since that means I get to help little Georgia.

"What are you doing?" The little girl asks while I finish her steak for her. I eat as fast as I could.

"Shhh . . ." I tell her. I know I'm not being a role model here but the kid deserves her ice cream.

When her plate is clear, Ana comes back just in time.

"Wow! You finished the steak? Good job, Georgia!"

The little girl purses her lips, trying to stop the laughter.

"Let me get the ice cream for you," Ana declares and Georgia jumps on her seat excitedly. She gives me a meaningful glance while I give her a wink.

And goodness, I love this girl already.

===LOVE AND OTHER ALIBIS===

"Well, she's finally asleep. Are you sure you want to stay here on the couch? I mean you have a nice home and you surely have cash for a motel room," Ana says as she sits right next to me on her couch.

"Is this you indirectly telling me that I'm unwelcomed?"

She shakes her head, "No, of course not!"

I laugh a little at that. I pinch her nose for a second and said, "Liar."

She shrugs, "Well, what do you expect? I am not used to this anymore. For four years, it's just Georgia, Dad, and me. Now he's gone for a fishing trip."

"How did it go when he found out that you were pregnant?"

"Horrible," she whispers underneath her breath. Then she spaces out. She stares at nothing as she recalls those times. She quickly shakes it off though when she asks me, "Why are you back here?"

"Because life screwed me over," I tell her.

"Life screws with all of us. The correct question is: how did it screw you?"

I tell her everything. I tell her all about my flop of a record album. I tell her all about the times I thought it was going to hit the huge marks on sales but it didn't. I tell her all about the times I've let my family down because I didn't want to be a lawyer or doctor. I tell her about the most painful things. I tell her about Kate.

"What happened with Kate?"

"Well, we've been dating and it just didn't work out."

"You know when things don't work out anymore; it means that one of parties just gave up. Who gave up on who?"

Why does Ana have to ask all the right questions? Why does she have to dig?

With tears forming in my eyes, I reveal, "She's a commitment-phobe. I thought I could change that. I met her during one of those torturous traffics in L.A. and we just hit it off. At first, she was firm that she's not into relationships but I stayed and showed her that she's worth it. We eventually had a serious relationship and then I asked her to marry me. One day, she just packed her bags and left. The engagement ring was placed on top of our bedside table. She wrote a letter. That's all I got! Everything we've been through and it all ends in a letter!"

My voice is trembling but it helps that my best friend's hand is soothing my back.

I continue, "She said that she just needed it to end because it was already killing her. She said she was sorry because she never wanted to settle down. She said she wasn't ready. She said she was sorry. She said it a million times but damn all her sorry's. I don't need them, I just need her!"

While Ana sooths my back, I let it all out. I cry like a pussy in front of her. I haven't cried like this since the day I woke up to find her side of the bed empty. I haven't let it all out. Now I was wailing like a child who lost his favourite toy. Maybe it hurt so much because she was never my toy.

"You know what I think, Elliott?"

"What?" I ask, voice husky hence all the sobs.

"She's a bitch," she answers making me laugh out of nowhere.

I expect her to say something philosophical but she just keeps it simple that way. I don't even know that it's possible to laugh and cry at the same time.

Ana reminds me, "Elliott Grey was the king in high school. He played for the basketball team but he secretly wanted to be a singer. Sounds familiar, huh? It's like High School Musical. But anyway, Elliott never cried for a girl. Although he cried to me because he didn't think he was good enough for his family. He cried because he thought he was unworthy. He cried because he was a musician trapped in a family who didn't appreciate the beauty of art. That's the Elliott Grey I know."

I am back to wishful thinking. Can't I just go back to high school when all problems were superficial? Because now? They're all so real. Inescapable even.

Ana rests her cheek against my shoulder when she says, "The Elliott Grey I know is strong."

"That means a lot coming from you," I tell her.

We stay silent wondering why no matter how we try to get it right, life finds ways to make it wrong.

===LOVE AND OTHER ALIBIS===

The couch isn't much comfortable at all but it hurts me every time I wake up, I reach for her. This is stupid. I am reaching out for space.

"Good morning!" Georgia greets and she looks super cute with violet flowers on her head.

"Hey, good morning," I greet back.

"Thanks for the ice cream," she gives me a toothless grin.

I reach out to squeeze her cheek lazily.

"You want to meet my friend, Moana?"

"Sure!"

"Wait," she storms off upstairs and that leaves me confused. I sit down immediately wondering why she has a friend in her bedroom.

"Moana is a doll. I swear she won't stop watching Moana," Ana tells me as she appears from the kitchen. It's as if she reads my mind.

"What is Moana?"

She smiles, "You clearly don't have kids."

I stand up at the same time the doorbell rings.

"I'll go get it," Ana says.

I still feel very sleepy. I yawn and I notice that my breath smells. Maybe that's why she left me, huh? Maybe that's why she's not ready to commit. Elliott, this is stupid. You are acting stupid. Stop thinking about Kate!

I turn very awake when Ana slides the door open.

"Ana," it's a voice icy enough to create a cold war between me and Ana.

It's my brother and Ana is shocked.

There you go. Christian is back. What do you think?

Thank you for reading!