Chapter Two – Lying just to keep you here.
With Ellie on his mind and a deep uneasiness in his heart, Sean pulled himself up from the floor and shoved his hands into his pockets. Rain hit heavily on the roof above his head, and resulted in a loud, tapping sound echoing through the apartment. He sighed loudly, but the sound was lost in the noise. He turned around, as saw Ellie stretched out on the couch, her eyes closed and flickering slightly as she dreamed. The sight made him smile, much as it used to before. He sighed again, and, rubbing his hand through his hand, reluctant to leave Ellie, he headed over to the fridge. He swung it open, and saw, much to his disgust, as fridge that all too much resembled the one back home in Wasaga. Three bottles of straight vodka lay on their sides, resting against a half empty eight pack of beer. Without thinking, he reached in and grabbed one. He placed the cap on the counter, and, using his palm, snapped it off of the neck. A loud crack came as the cap flew off, and the liquid started to bubble. Relieved, and longing for the drink he's put off for so long, he lifted the bottle to his lips.
Ellie groggily opened her eyes. She moaned, and turned her head, only to see someone quickly slip around the corner and head toward the fridge. Her heart jumped for a moment, and she sat up quickly. It's probably just Jay, she thought to herself. She had had that dream again. The one where Sean comes back... he comes back and still loves her. Tired and aching, she glanced down at her arm. Her sweater had slipped half off, fully exposing her arm and shoulder. Sighing, she reached down with her finger and traced one of her burns. The shiny mark glinted up at her menacingly, but at the same time, welcoming. She bit her lip, trying hard to resist the urge. Squeezing her eyes closed, she saw Sean crying as the car pulled away into the distance. He didn't even call. Snapping her eyes open, she had reached her decision. A long time ago, when she was still living with Sean, she had hidden a switch blade in the back pillow of the couch. Just in case. She turned around to retrieve it, and screamed. Sean was standing by the table, his eyes wide and a bottle of beer in his hand. Ellie screamed again, and jumped up. She couldn't stop screaming. Wildly, she ran at him, and jumped into his arms. He willingly wrapped his arms around waist, holding her up. She started to sob, breaking down completely. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. Sean took a deep breath, smelling her. It occurred to him that he'd gone months without that scent – how had he done it? He breathed again, letting the scent fill him completely. Letting it ready him. "Ellie..." he whispered, carrying her over to the couch and setting her down again. She was crying uncontrollably, and she yanked her sweater up over her arms again before zipping it tightly. "Ellie, I need to talk to you." She nodded, breathing in deeply, calming herself. The tears stopped instantly, but a smile remained plastered on her face. "You're... you're back..."she whispered, raising her hand to touch his face. To make sure he was real. He smiled back at her, but it fell off his face immediately. "Ellie I need you to explain something to me." He said quietly. "Anything." She whispered back. He got up, walked over to the other side of the living room, and kicked the mirror with the lines of coke on it. "Explain this." Ellie's breath caught in her throat, and her eyes slowly traveled up from the mirror to Sean's face. Tears started trickling down her face again, and she pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them tightly. "I'm sorry," was all she could manage before she buried her head into her legs. Sean groaned, and his hand through his hair again. So she was using drugs. He slowly walked over to her, and sat down beside her. "Ellie..." he searched helplessly, trying to find something suitable to say. "Ellie... I love you." She pulled her head out from her legs, and looked up at him. "I love you too." He leaned in and kissed her, slowly at first, then harder. Months of longing for her touch had all boiled up into this moment. He ran his hand down her back, but stopped. He pulled away, smiling. Sitting back on the couch, she rested her head on his shoulder. He was her rock. Always there for her, no matter what. And he still loved her.
