Just a quick chapter :) Thanks for everyone's support, hope you like it :)
Chapter Eight
"So let me get this right. You and Julia dated a year ago? Why did she say you were her boyfriend on the phone when I talked to her? She basically threatened me to stay away from you."
"Julia..." I began. "She has a lot of family problems. I guess when we started dating it made all the bad things in her life not seem as bad."
Clare considered this.
We had sat in a coffee shop just off of South Beach.
explaining things about Julia to Clare was a lot easier than I had thought it was going to be.
She understood and didn't freak out like I had originally thought she would.
Most other girls would have after talking on the phone to a girl who claims to be the girlfriend of the boy you just slept with.
"So, what happened to you guys?" Clare asked, sipping on her decaf tea.
"We broke up." I shrugged.
Clare laughed. "She doesn't seem to think so."
I rolled my eyes and tried to think of a way to explain.
Julia wasn't a bad person.
She just got lost along the way of everything.
"Breaking it off with Julia... it was really tough-for her." I rolled the bottle cap between my fingers. "We dated since our first year of university and we went through a lot. Her step dad was insane and her mom wouldn't leave him. She would usually stay with me in my dorm most of the time, she was scared."
"Why wouldn't her mom just leave?" Clare suggested.
"I don't know, Clare." I sighed. "I don't understand women. Anyways, after we broke up she was devastated. Things between us just got really weird. She was constantly calling and always wondering where I was, she didn't trust me when I said I was at my parents house. She was just very.. needy. Don't get me wrong, she was raised roughly and all, but this is extreme."
Clare remained silent.
No matter way I put it, Julia was going to sound awful.
"It was maybe a month after we split and I went home after school one day and my room was completely trashed. I had to pay $50 for the broken vent. She would always show up randomly at places where I was and I went out for dinner with my roommate one night and she got a call the next morning from a girl who told her to stay away from me."
I looked up at Clare.
Her eyes were widening.
She looked almost scared.
I put my hands on my table, laying flat and looked out the window.
"Tess was my roommate," I went on. "Not a girlfriend or even a fling. We had a class together and she got another text message from her. Two days later Tess was in the hospital with a broken leg and wrist."
"Oh my God!" Clare said, mortified.
I shook my head, finally looking back into her eyes.
"Someone had pushed her down the stairs when she was coming home from work. I moved out of residence and moved in with my mom and dad. I couldn't stand the thought of Julia seeing us again and something worse happening to her. I've been terrified to get close to any girl since then."
I let out a long sigh while Clare watched me closely.
She put her hand over mine and squeezed it gently.
"Did you ever think to get a restraining order?" She asked.
"I considered it." I confessed. "But what's a piece of paper going to do? Julia never caused any harm to me, it was the people around me. I can't protect everyone 24/7 from her."
"Why wouldn't you move or change schools or something?"
"Because, Clare." I was trying my hardest not to lose my temper with her. Clare was only trying to help. "I didn't want to put my dream aside because of her."
She nodded slowly and finished her tea.
I watched as she carefully set it on the table and looked up at me.
"That's why you wouldn't get close to me." She stated. "You thought Julia would push me down a flight of stairs thousands of miles away?"
"I didn't want you to get hurt Clare. You live in Toronto, Julia does too. I have hardly even talked to girls since the Tess incident."
Clare rubbed the back of my hand.
"Eli," She whispered. "You can't let her control you like this. It's your life. You have to still live."
XXX
"You two seemed to hit it off last night."
"I could say the same for you and Darcy." I said, nodding over to her and Clare.
Marc put his arm around my shoulder.
He stared after them with a gleaming smile.
"I was hoping you weren't at the hotel," Marc suddenly said. "Things might have been a little awkward for you."
"Thais nice man." I rolled my eyes.
The girls had offered to buy us ice cream.
After talking with Clare we went back to the hotel and found Marc and Darcy.
They were sitting in the room, just talking.
It amazed me how different Marc was around her.
He didn't burp, fart, eat his food like a pig, or even talk about sex.
All he did was smile and take Darcy's hand every chance he got.
The two of them reminded me of John and Savannah from Dear John.
Savannah brought out the best of John, just like Darcy did with Marc.
"I can't believe we only have two days left." Clare said as her and Darcy returned to the table.
She handed me a chocolate ice cream cone.
"That just means we have to party extra hard today and tomorrow." Marc winked.
"I say we go do some shopping then hit the beach and head out to that tiki bar tonight." Darcy suggested to Clare.
"Yeah, that sounds good!" Clare smiled.
She looked up at me through her eyelashes.
I smiled and moved my foot under the table to touch hers.
"Well, maybe we can meet up at the bar tonight?" Marc asked. "No offence, shopping isn't my thing."
Darcy and Marc both smiled at each other as they finished off their sundae they were sharing.
Clare rolled her eyes at me.
"Why don't we just meet up for dinner and then go to the club?" Darcy smiled.
Marc looked over to me and Clare. "You guys in?"
"Sure." Clare and I both said at the same time.
We both laughed and finished our ice cream before it melted in the hot sun.
XXX
"Whoah." Marc said, splashing to grab the frisbee. "And she's still willing to go out with you?"
"Were not going out." I said, readying my hand for Marc to throw it back.
He put his hands up in the air and tossed the frisbee.
"You guys slept together!" Marc screamed. "Your basically already engaged they way you act."
I shook my head in disbelief.
"Coming from you and Darcy. Bro, you look at each like lost puppies. Is she pregnant or something? You guys might as well be engaged, hell, skip that and just go to the married life!"
Marc started laughing.
He pointed his finger at me and smiled.
"You're a funny guy Eli." He laughed. "Funny guy."
Lemme know what you all thought! We are coming to the conclusion sadly :( What does everyone think will happen? Will Eli & Clare pull through the next two days and stay together when they return? Or will they part their ways? Tell me your thoughts! :)
