AN:The prompt for this chapter is: A story opening with the words "F*** you!" Written for the week of July 31- Aug 6.
I know I've been awful about updating, but I just finished my second week of college and I've been trying to juggle college, work, friends, school and occasionally sleep. There's just been a lot going on over here and I really want to get back to updating regularly because I miss it like you guys do. Not sure where this went.
"Fuck you. Fuck you Stefan." Elena slurs slightly, trying to sit on her couch and talk at the same time. Multitasking while being this drunk is not her strong suit but she keeps talking anyway, she can't let Stefan get a word in.
"You broke my heart you-you dick. Yeah, you're a dick. I loved you and then you left for some road trip and I didn't get it closed-closure and then you came back all cold and mean and you told me you didn't love me anymore and you know what fuck you- I'm over you. I'm over it and I'm over us finally. You fucking suck Stefan." She drags out the last word and waits for Stefan to respond.
"I'm sorry but I'm afraid you have the wrong number." A smooth, calm voice says and through the haze, Elena needs more information. It's been a while but the voice is unfamiliar.
"What?" Elena wonders. It's definitely not Stefan.
"My name is Elijah. You have the wrong number, but I think you should tell whoever you were aiming your anger at what you think. Maybe in the morning though. Drink some water and get some sleep." The person on the other end says and she nods before she realizes they can't see it.
"He must have changed his number. Or maybe I just can't remember the number, numbers anymore." Elena tells the stranger on the other end because she's drunk and she doesn't care, she doesn't care anymore, tonight is letting go of things she shouldn't care about and this won't matter in the future, it's just a wrong damn number. It's just a drunk Friday night, the first in a long time.
"I'm going to check in on you tomorrow, but for now, drink a lot of water and get some rest. Set an alarm for the morning." The stranger, whatever his name says and Elena agrees before she hangs up.
The sun is shining through the window and she probably should open her eyes but her head feels like someone tried to hit it with a hammer or something, her hand searches her nightstand for her phone but she finds a glass of water instead, and a pill bottle.
"Thank you drunk me." Elena says aloud, and takes the recommended number of little pills and knocks it back with water. Her phone buzzes quietly and Elena thanks her drunk self for turning down the brightness. It's a text from Caroline, who drank way less than her. There's also a text from a number she doesn't recognize, the piece of the text she can read without opening it mentions last night. She taps on Caroline's text as she hears the apartment door open.
"I brought hangover food." Caroline says just loudly enough for Elena to hear as she opens the door to Elena's bedroom.
"Oh thank god." Elena groans and Caroline's quiet giggle makes her groan again.
"At least you didn't go home with a stranger and have a hangover with them. Could be worse." Caroline says and Elena remembers the text on her phone.
"I drunk dialed Stefan last night but I think I called the wrong number." Elena tells her and Caroline laughs as Elena checks the text on her phone. Caroline selects a cartoon on Netflix for them to watch until they stop feeling like the living dead, Elena's hangover is awful but mercifully much better than it could have been. She drank a lot of water with that reminder from the stranger she called.
Good morning, you accidentally called me last night. I hope your hangover isn't vicious and that you're doing well.
Elena shows her phone to Caroline and covers her face with her hands.
"I'm sure he thinks I do that all the time-I have to fix this." Elena decides through the pounding in her head.
"Why bother? It's just some stranger. You'll both forget about it anyway." Caroline says as she hands Elena a container of take out.
Thanks. I'm really sorry about that-it's just my last boyfriend was- Elena pauses typing and considers how to phrase it. Elena retypes it.
Thanks. I'm really sorry about that, but I didn't really get closure with my last boyfriend and I guess that's been on my mind for a while. Elena sends the text and waits. At least she tried, she thinks as she and Caroline settle into their routine of watching cartoons and curing their hangovers with food and Gatorade and a lot of water. She doesn't check her phone for a few hours, the characters are running away from the villain and she has to keep up with the plot.
Elena checks her phone when Caroline leaves and grins at her screen.
Ah. I don't blame you at all. I was in a similar situation up until very recently. Relationships with no closure are the worst aren't they? She thinks of a response.
They really are. My name is Elena. She sends it and waits.
The man she called is named Elijah and he's very good with dry humor. The area code is local, and after a week of texting she takes a chance.
Would you like to go out for coffee sometime? She steels her nerves and waits for his response. They're just friends and the worst he can do is say he doesn't drink coffee, she tells herself.
I would like that. Elijah agrees and they set a time in a few days. Elijah's told her about his sort of ex, it wasn't an actual relationship because they weren't officially a couple. Elena told him that those were the worst too because there's no closure to that either, and he agreed. His sort of ex expressed having feelings for him and then there was an awful love triangle thing and then she just disappeared with the other man. No note or goodbye, she changed her number and didn't bother with saying goodbye.
In exchange for his story she tells him hers, all of the gory details about Stefan and how awful it was. When Stefan was gone his brother tried to make a move on her and that just made it even worse, and it all just sucked. She's told him about Caroline and her attempts to get her to date and he agrees. He has a sister who's trying to get him back into the dating game but he's not ready either.
She sits away from the door but close enough that she can see the people coming in. Elijah said he'd be in a suit, blue tie. That takes the elderly man arm in arm with a woman who appears to be his wife in line-red tie. There's only two others in suits, but neither of them have approached her, and she told Elijah she'd be in a purple scarf. She looks at the mother trying to organize her children few tables away, and the quiet few working on laptops or reading books like she is.
"Interesting book. Is this seat taken?" A male voice asks and Elena moves her book away from her face. Handsome face, dark brown eyes and a slight grin on the man's lips. Elena opens her mouth and sees the blue tie.
"Elijah?" She asks.
"Elena?" He counters and she grins.
"Let's go get some coffee." Elena says and he nods.
"That sounds like a fine idea." He says.
It's nice to have a new friend, it's a feeling Elena had almost forgotten. After college she made work friends, but things have been pretty steady. Everyone already knows her or knows something about her. It's kind of fun to have a new friend actually. She sees Elijah pretty regularly, once or twice a week. She's walking home one day when he calls her. He usually doesn't call, they usually text.
"Elijah? Are you okay?" She speaks before he does and she hears a heavy sigh.
"Elena do you have plans tonight? I know it's Friday and you probably-" Elijah begins to say but she cuts him off.
"I don't, what's going on?" Elena presses.
"I need a drink and a drinking buddy." Elijah admits with another heavy sigh.
"I'll be at your apartment in ten." Elena says and he thanks her.
"What's going on?" Elena asks once he opens his apartment door. There's a red section of his face but it doesn't look like a slap or forming bruise.
"It was my ex. She was here, baby bump and wedding ring on her finger." Elijah begins slowly and she groans.
"Oh no." Elena mutters and he nods.
"It gets worse. She told me that she "couldn't stop thinking about me" and that she still had feelings for me." Elijah continues and Elena shakes her head.
"What happened?" She wonders and he groans.
"She tried to kiss me and the kiss landed on my cheek. I told her to leave, and that I moved on." He rubs at the red area on his cheek roughly, as if he can get rid of the fact her lips touched his skin.
"Let's go get some drinks." Elena says and Elijah nods. He's quiet as he locks his door and they walk to the bar.
Elijah's halfway through his first drink and completely done with his first glass of water before he gives her any new information.
"I didn't realize until today that I was completely over her. I think one day I just stopped thinking about her." He admits and she nods.
"How bad was seeing her again?" Elena wonders as she picks up her glass of water. Elijah always makes them both drink more water than alcohol when they drink, which isn't very often.
"She's married and pregnant. I don't know why the hell she thought she could come back. I am not a fool nor will I allow anyone, especially her to make me one." Elijah looks tense, he's all rigid lines and angry eyes.
"Are you in the "what if" part of seeing an ex?" Elena asks and the anger disappears as he looks at her with curiosity. He adjusts how he's sitting and she answers the unasked question she knows he's about to ask.
"Let's just say I went through I think almost everything any breakup can have with Stefan. There's different reactions to seeing an ex over time. Are you in the "what if we had kids or got married or did something different" phase?" Elena asks and he shakes his head.
"I think I'm in the "I never want to see her again" phase or the "giving up on love forever" phase." Elijah answers. Elena takes a sip of her wine, unsure if he's going to continue speaking or not.
"What's the point?" Elijah asks and she takes a sip of her drink before she asks what he means.
"Falling in love. There's only three options for every relationship. Either you breakup, you stay together or one of you dies." Elijah clarifies and Elena nods, it's a little late for the bar they're in to be very loud and they're in their own little corner booth, drinking and talking about life and exes.
"I see your point. But thinking that way Elijah-that can be said of all relationships. I think-sometimes love is worth it. Love is complicated and messy and you can end up hating them or yourself. But love can also be the best thing, it's so amazing when it's good and it's so awful when it's bad, but that's only when you're all in. If you aren't into a relationship fully or at all, you don't get hurt as much but you also don't fall as hard." Elena pauses to take a drink and he watches.
"But that's why those relationships end. What's the point of being in love with someone if you're not all in? I think love is at it's best and worst when you're all in. Then-you have everything to gain and everything to lose." Elena tells him and he takes a drink of water. He's silent for a minute and she watches him across the table as she finishes her glass of water.
"Maybe." He says, and she wonders if he'll ever change his mind.
"Can I ask you a favor?" He asks and she nods.
"Mind if I stay at your place tonight? She might come back-" Elijah trails off.
"And you don't want to deal with her." Elena finishes. He nods.
"I wouldn't mind at all. I stayed at Caroline's house all the time when I was trying to avoid Stefan. Did I tell you Caroline's mom is a sheriff? Stefan stayed the hell away from the Forbes house. It was-it was really great." Elena makes a mental note to call Mrs. Forbes and thank her for that.
"That sounds wonderful." Elijah says genuinely and she smiles.
"It really was." Elena nods and they finish their drinks.
"Why do exes have so much power over us?" Elijah wonders as Elena hands him water and they sit on her couch.
"They have a lot of information. Plus there's the memories and the expectations you had for the relationship and nostalgia makes things seem way better than they were. Nostalgia's a liar but sometimes that's okay. You just have to know it's a liar and go from there." Elena advises as she drinks her own glass of water.
"I thought I was going to marry her someday. Maybe move out to the suburbs and all of those cliches. I just wanted her happy. I wanted to make her happy. I thought after a while, that I could let it go if I thought she was happy." Elijah divulges, Elena know's his tongue has loosened with time and the alcohol helps a little.
"I thought Stefan and I were forever. I had our future thought out, we made plans to go see things the summer before college and he told me he was going to love me forever. I thought I was going to marry him and that we weren't going to be like the other high school couples that didn't make it. Life goes on. Shit happens. He wasn't the one and now he's happy with some girl, married with a kid or one on the way or something. There are things we can't change." Elena tells him as he loosens his tie.
"I know. Do you think you'll find who you want to do those things with?" Elijah wonders and Elena shakes her head.
"I don't want another Stefan. I think expectations should change with each relationship because they're not all the same and neither are the people. I'll meet someone and we'll talk about new things and we'll have new dreams. When or if it happens, it'll be great. But I'm not gonna date everyone in the city until I find that person." Elena answers.
"Does that make sense?" Elijah hasn't responded for a minute.
"Yeah." Elijah confirms.
"I was just lost in thought."
"I hope you packed an extra pair of clothes in that duffle, and not just another suit." Elena says and he laughs.
"I don't own only suits." He tells her and Elena rolls her eyes.
"I'll believe it when I see it." She says and he quirks an eyebrow.
"Are you calling me a liar, lovely Elena?" He wonders and she laughs at his tone.
"I'm not, I just haven't seen any proof." Elena counters and he rolls his eyes.
They stayed up fairly late, but it's the ringing of his phone that wakes them up from their nice sleep.
"Not my phone. Elijah. Elijah. Get your phone." They're sprawled out on the guest bed and his phone has to be closer to him than it is to her. Elijah answers it as he sits up, looking at Elena.
"Elijah? I miss you and-" His ex begins.
"In the words of a highly valued friend, fuck you." Elijah says and hangs up. Elena giggles, he's so serious at the weirdest moments.
"Do you have a hangover or are we both good?" Elijah asks and she grins.
"I think we're better than good." Elena says and he agrees with her.
