Drew and Elmira were lying on their sides, looking at each other. It was the second evening in Rhea's home. Rhea was at work while they were alone in the house. Last night had been rough. She had been in pain while having an abortion. He had never left her side. It had all been worth it by seeing her fall asleep with a little smile on her face.

"What happened?" He asked.
"I don't know," she answered. "I got caught in his web somehow. I missed all the red flags, and one day I woke up realizing I was stuck."

He reached a hand over, stroked her cheek, and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Why didn't we ever end up together?" He asked.
"You left," she answered.
"I'm back now," he said.
"Why?" She asked.
"Because I couldn't let go of you in my heart," he said. "I needed to come here one last time to see if there was any chance at all. I told myself that if there was, I'd give up the family business and move here for good. So what do you say, love? Is there any chance at all?"

She leaned in and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

"Don't leave me again," she pleaded.
"I won't. Not ever. I promise," he said.

He kissed her again but was interrupted by his phone ringing. He fished it out of his pocket and saw that it was Rhea calling. He pressed the green button and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Drew asked.
"Are you home?" Rhea asked.
"Of course I'm home," Drew said.
"I already told Elias you weren't but he didn't believe me. He's not home, Elias. He's out drinking," Rhea said.
"I'm still going with you," Elias said in the background.
"Whatever," Rhea said. "He was waiting for me outside of work. Apparently Elmira went missing and he's convinced I'm housing her so now I'm bringing him home to show him she's not there. If you're not home, he can't check your room. I already told him that but he's a stubborn ass."
"My girl is missing!" Elias raised his voice.
"I know!" Rhea raised her voice too. "But I haven't heard from her, you fucking moron! Anyway, Drew. I'm home in about 10 minutes. I guess I'll see you later."

Rhea hung up. Drew jumped out of bed and ran through the house to make sure all lights were turned off and the front door was locked. He ran back to his room, locked the door and turned off the light. The curtains were already closed. He got back in bed and grabbed Elmira's hands.

"What's going on?" She asked.
"Elias caught Rhea outside of work. He's coming here with her," he said.
"What are we gonna do?" She asked.
"Ssh," he shushed her. "He's not getting into this room. He's gonna check the rest of the house and then leave. He's not that fucking stupid that he'll try and break down the door. We gotta be really quiet."

They heard voices in the house. He wrapped his arms around her again. She buried her head in his chest while he kept listening for any sounds. It didn't take long before someone grabbed the door knob for his room.

"Why is this door locked?" Elias asked.
"Drew's not home. He always locks it. I don't go into his room," Rhea answered.
"I demand you open it," Elias said.
"You demand?" Rhea snorted in laughter. "Get fucked, Elias. I don't have the fucking key. Even if I did, I wouldn't go behind my best friend's back because you're paranoid."
"Where the hell is she, Rhea?" Elias asked.
"How the fuck should I know?" Rhea asked.
"Fine," Elias said. "I'll wait here for Drew to get home so he can show me his room."

Their voices disappared. Elmira lifted her head enough for Drew to see she was crying silently. He grabbed his phone again and wrote a text to Rhea.

"I'm getting lucky tonight. I'm going home with a girl I met at the bar. Don't wait up. I won't be home until tomorrow."

He sent the text and waited. He could hear their voices again, and then they died down again. A short while later footsteps came walking towards the door and someone knocked on it.

"He's gone," Rhea said. "It's safe."

Drew got out of bed, unlocked the door and looked at Rhea.

"He's coming back tomorrow around noon," Rhea said.
"We can't keep doing this. He'll find me eventually," Elmira said.
"We need another solution," Drew said.
"What do you wanna do, Drew?" Rhea asked.

Drew turned his head and looked at Elmira. She was sitting up in bed with tears flowing down her cheeks. He walked over, sat down next to her and took her hand.

"I promised never to leave you again," he said.
"I know but I understand if you have to," she said.
"Will you make that same promise to me?" He asked.
"I love you, Drew," she sniffled. "I don't wanna be away from you again."
"How does Scotland sound to you?" He asked.

She paused for a moment and then slowly started smiling.

"Cold," she said.
"It is," he chuckled.
"And a place I'd like to call home," she said.
"That's all I need to hear," he said.

He leaned in and kissed her. Rhea scratched her head and cleared her throat.

"I'm not following," Rhea said.
"I think we're moving to Scotland," Drew said.
"Right now?" Rhea asked.
"Find the first flight there and we'll be on it before Elias comes back. We can send all of Elmira's stuff there and buy her something once we arrive while we wait for her stuff to arrive," Drew said.

Rhea grinned and pulled out her phone.

"You two start packing. Take all my suitcases and bags if you need them. I'll find a flight to Scotland for you," Rhea said.

Drew turned to Elmira, placed his hands on her cheeks, and leaned in to place a soft kiss on her lips.

"I love you," he said. "I'm gonna call my family and tell them we're on our way. Knowing them, my brother and his wife will start cleaning my house while my mother finds something new and exotic to cook. She always loves to try out new recipes for new family members."
"She doesn't even know me," she said.
"I've talked so much about you that she feels like she does," he grinned. "And she already loves you. They all do. They were supporting me coming here to tell you how I feel."