Elias sat on a beach chair in the sand with his feet getting wet everytime a small wave washed ashore. He had a beer in his hand and was watching the sun go down. The night was welcome with the heat that had been going on all day. Hopefully the night would work some magic and cool him and everyone else down.
"Tillie!" Someone yelled.
Elias grunted at the surprise sound of her name. He hadn't seen her in a long time. Close to 6 months. He had looked for her but it was like she had vanished. He turned his head and watched her from afar. She had changed. Her long, dark brown hair had been cut up to her shoulders and gave her face a more edgy shape. The dusk didn't allow him to see her sparkling, green eyes but he remembered them in his mind. Everything about her seemed different. She seemed more confident. More sure of herself. More everything. A sight he didn't like.
He had done everything in his power to shape her into the woman he wanted her to be. He caught her attention and kept her falling in love with him by playing his guitar and singing cheesy love songs he claimed he wrote for her. He acted like the perfect boyfriend while he slowly spun his web bigger and bigger. When she caught on to what he was doing and how destructive a human being he could be, she was already caught. She had no way out. And yet she somehow escaped. One day she was gone. No note, no text, no call. She just vanished.
He kept watching her. That smile of hers sure lit up the nightfall. He remembered her smiling like that in the beginning of their relationship. He wiped that smile right off her face. He could do it again. He smirked at the thought, emptied his beer and stood up. She might be surrounded by friends at the moment but he could easily get her to come with him. Just like he did many times in the past.
He dropped the empty beer bottle in the sand and started walking towards her. Her green eyes settled on him, and he knew right away everything had changed. She didn't look scared.
He stopped and eyed the people around them, mainly the big man Braun who he never liked, but decided to ignore them and only concentrate on her. He needed to get her one on one. It would be an easy fix. A fake apology, telling her how much he had missed her, maybe even singing a stupid song. She would fall in line before sunrise tomorrow. He was sure of it.
"Hi, Tillie," Elias smiled sweetly. "Where have you been?"
"None of your business," Braun said.
"I'm asking her," Elias said. "I've missed you, babe. I've been heartbroken without you. I was scared something had happened to you."
"Cut the bullshit," Braun said.
"No, let him go on," Tillie said. "I wanna hear what he has to say."
There was something in Tillie's voice that made Elias feel uneasy. Wherever she had been, someone had been whispering in her ear to make her act this way. Probably Braun who seemed to want to do all the talking for her. Braun might be a problem now but he wouldn't be for long. Once Elias got her alone, Braun could go pound sand somewhere else.
"Was it because of that silly fight we had? You know I didn't mean anything I said. I was just hurt and scared to lose you. I'm sorry, babe. Let me make it up to you. We can go back to my place and talk. I'll cook breakfast tomorrow," Elias said.
"You're out of your mind if you think I'm gonna go anywhere with you," Tillie said.
Elias frowned. This was not as easy as he thought it would be. He looked over at Braun who was smirking in return. If Braun wasn't that big and scary to look at, Elias would happily have taken a swing at him. The big man scared him though, and right now he seemed to work as some sort of protection for Tillie. He needed Tillie to get away from Braun, and it couldn't happen fast enough.
"Look, Tillie," Elias licked his dry lips. "Let's go somewhere and talk. Too many ears around here. It's none of their business. We need to talk."
"We really don't. I think you said everything you needed to say in the past," Tillie said.
"We need to talk!" Elias said firmly.
"What the fuck do you want from me?" Tillie raised her voice. "I gave you everything, Elias! What more do you want me to do? I got no more to give! No more!"
Elias was lost for words. He had never seen Tillie this angry. In the past she agreed with him and did everything he wanted her to do to keep the peace. To make sure he didn't hurt her. And still he continued hurting her. It was his right. She was his property. And somehow the little bird escaped the cage and flew away. He never understood how she could just vanish like that.
Tillie looked at Braun who in return took her hand. It suddenly started to make sense. Braun had been the one helping her escape. Braun hadn't even been on Elias' radar back then which clearly had been a huge mistake.
"It was a mistake coming here," Tillie said.
"I didn't know he would be here," Braun said.
"I'm not blaming you. I just wanna go home," Tillie said.
Braun pulled up a car key and handed it to Tillie.
"Go start the car. We'll go home in a minute," Braun said.
Elias started getting more and more angry. They were talking as if they were living together. As if they were in love. As if they were a couple. Deep within he knew that was the case just by looking at them. Tillie had found love somewhere else. Real love. Love that didn't hurt. Love that didn't judge. Love that didn't demand anything. Unselfish love, and it only made his anger grow. He had lost her to another man, and there was not a damn thing he could do about it.
"Don't kill him," Tillie said.
"No promises," Braun smirked.
Braun leaned down to peck Tillie's lips. Elias tried to silently make his escape by walking backwards. Braun had his eyes on him though. Tillie turned her back and walked away from them. Elias knew this would be the last time he would ever see her. With her back turned against him as if he didn't matter. He felt a strong hand on his shoulder and looked up at Braun who looked very displeased.
"This isn't about you," Elias said.
"That's where you're wrong," Braun said. "This is about me because her business is my business. I know everything you did to her, Elias. Every little fucking thing you ever did. The only reason I'm not breaking your legs right now is because of her. Because she doesn't need another angry man in her life. I'm letting you go with a warning because I love her and respect her, but if I ever see you again, you're gonna need a wheelchair."
"She didn't even say goodbye," Elias said. "You have no idea what I went through."
Braun tightened his grip on Elias' shoulder. The pain started to set in but Elias didn't dare move away. He was afraid that one punch from Braun would be able to break his jaw. Rather deal with a sore shoulder tomorrow than anything broken.
"You took and took and fucking took until she had no more to give," Braun said. "Weird thing is that people claim you weren't always like that. That there once was a good man inside you. I doubt that though. I think this piece of shit was always there but you were good at hiding it. When it finally came out, you broke the most wonderful woman I've ever met. You not only lost yourself but you lost her too."
Elias didn't know how to respond to that. He knew everything Braun said was true. He had been able to fool a lot of people for a long time. He had even managed to make a few people feel sorry for him when Tillie disappeared. Now that she was back, he knew everyone would eventually learn to truth. He was about to lose everyone and everything. Despite knowing all this, he still tried to beat the game from within.
"Please," Elias pleaded. "She's lying. You can't believe her. She's always been a liar. I never hurt her."
"I saw the bruises!" Braun growled. "You have no idea how much I saw and knew before I finally convinced her to leave your fucking ass. Oh, fuck it! You fucking deserve it."
Braun planted his fist in Elias' stomach. The air was knocked out of Elias and he sank to his knees wheezing and holding his stomach.
"This is your only warning," Braun said. "Never fucking come near her again."
Braun turned around and walked back towards the car. He wasn't even surprised to see Tillie standing there. She had watched it all from afar. He walked up to her, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"You didn't scare me. I wish I had the strength to do that," she said.
"You want me to go back and do it again?" He smirked. "I'll do it for you."
"You're the sweetest," she giggled. "Another time maybe."
"I did warn him he'll end with two broken legs if I ever see him again," he said.
"You're such a brute," she smirked. "My big, bad brute."
He smirked back at her and got in the car. She got in on the passenger seat and smiled at him.
"Thank you," she said. "Not for what you just did but for everything. Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for getting me away from him. Thank you for letting me heal at my own pace without ever putting any pressure on me. And thank you for making me believe in love again."
"You're so easy to love," he said. "One smile from you and I'm sold."
"It's weird how things turn out sometimes," she said. "You were a friend when I needed one. I didn't think we would end up falling in love."
"Me neither but I'm happy we did," he said.
He leaned over and pecked her lips before starting the engine, and pulled out of the parking spot.
"Should we go straight home?" He asked.
"Nah," she grinned. "I crave late night pancakes."
"Let's find an open place then," he chuckled. "If my woman wants pancakes, she sure as hell will get pancakes."