Work in Progress

Chapter 55: Declaration

*ELI'S POV*

The rest of the day went by quickly. Unlike this morning, I shared the rest of my classes with Sam. I could still feel people's eyes on me and hear them not so subtly whispering but I'll deal with that another day. Right now, I just want to focus on this girl right next to me. Oh and also our two friends who share our last class together and keep sending smirks our way.

Classes end and we're walking towards Jane's car in the parking lot.

"Glad to see you two have finally made up." Kate smiles at us.

"Yeah, it helps that my girlfriend has such pretty friends." I smirk at her.

Sam glares at me and says, "You're lucky I love you or else I would've elbowed you in the stomach already. Instead I'll just have to be content with chasing you around!" Sam lunges at Kate who narrowly escapes her and now they're running around Jane's car.

"How dare you blush at my girlfriend!"

"It's not my fault she's smooth af!"

I laugh at their antics but stop when I feel someone glaring a hole on the side of my head. I turn to see Jane with her eyes narrowed at me. "As much as I appreciate the compliment, you're gonna have to save those for Sam. And you better not ignore her ever again."

I nod and keep eye contact making sure she knew I understood the meaning behind her words.

***

We were now at Sam's living room watching a movie. Me and Sam snuggled together on one end, Kate on the other end, and Jane on a one-seater. I wasn't really paying any attention to the movie. I was too busy staring at Sam's face and memorizing every freckle. I knew Sam wasn't paying attention to the movie either since she would look at me and smile every once in a while and blush whenever I'd move closer to see her face at a different angle. It's like I'm trying to make up for the times that I avoided looking at her. That was stupid of me. I just deprived myself of seeing such beauty.

Eventually, the movie ended and Jane and Kate had to leave. Of course, I stayed behind. I needed to do something. Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long. Sam and I were still snuggled in the couch and if it weren't for the fact that I still wasn't able to brush my teeth yet, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from doing something else.

I sit up from my position as I hear the front door open and Sam looks at me questioningly as I gently push her off me. But she quickly laughs at my behavior as her parents enter the living room. Leo was following closely behind them and when he spotted me, he quickly tackled me into a hug.

"Eli!!! Where have you been? I wanted to show you this new move I learned in practice." Leo looks at me excitedly and I couldn't help but smile at his energy.

"Sorry, Leo. I wasn't feeling too well so I couldn't visit. But I'm ok now. Maybe you can show me that trick soon."

Leo frowns at me. "Is that why Sam's been in a bad mood all the time? Because you're sick?" Oh kill me now. This child is so innocent. Why is he so cute? I guess it runs in the family.

"Yes. Actually, I wanted to talk with you both about that." I look up at Sam's parents who were just watching us. They each had a small smile so I guess I'm not in too much trouble but still... if my daughter went through what she did and got ignored by the person she did it for... I'd be pretty pissed.

"Why don't you freshen up and finish your homework, Leo. We'll call you when dinner's ready." Jules tells her son and proceeds to take a seat on one of the one-seaters. Tom follows her and seats on the armrest. His calm demeanor not so calming for me.

I glance at Sam and give her a small smile. She returns it despite the curious look on her face for what I'm planning to do. I clear my throat and begin.

"First off, I would like to apologize for putting your daughter in danger. It was never my intention to harm her or put her in harm's way. The moment I realized she could get hurt I made sure to keep her far away. But I'm also sorry that even though we were out of danger already and she basically saved me-- in more ways than one-- I continued to keep her at arm's length. I could tell you all the reasons why I did that but it'll just sound like an excuse--"

"They're not excuses. They were valid and--," Sam interrupts me but I shake my head at her.

"You deserved better. I could've at least given you a heads up--"

"You did. You said you needed time to process and--"

"Honey, we know you love her and want to defend her but let the girl finish." Jules nods at me to continue.

"I know I haven't been the best at communicating what's on my mind and I know that's important if I want to make this work." I take a deep breath before continuing. "My past isn't exactly ideal. I lost my family in a car accident and because I was behind the wheel, I blamed myself for it. I lashed out at the world and got involved with other broken people. It's taken me a while to come out of that dark hole and piece myself back together again. Sam has helped me with that. A lot actually. I thought that I was finally able to live life again but when I met your daughter I realized that I haven't actually been living. I know I'm not the ideal partner you'd see for your daughter... I've told myself that multiple times. But I just can't help how I feel about her. And I know I'm super lucky to have her feel the same way." I smile at Sam while wiping away a tear that's fallen on my cheek.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry. But I'm also not sorry that I love your daughter. And that I hope you can forgive me for what I've put her through... And if I could have your blessing to date her. I promise to prove to you and to Sam how much I care about her for the rest of my life."

Silence follows as the weight of my words hang in the room. I can see the gears in their heads turning at what I just said and what I'm asking and I gotta tell you, if my heart hadn't gotten its fair share of emotional turmoil, I don't think I would've survived this suspense.

Finally, Tom gets up from his seat and motions for me stand. He puts his hands on my shoulders and says, "You're a good kid, Eli. But you're right. Your past isn't ideal." I could feel my heart drop. "Nothing in this world is ideal. Right now I can see that you make my daughter happy--"

"She really does." Sam stands up beside me.

Tom raises his hand to signal he's not yet finished. "And I have a feeling that you'll be making each other happy for a long time." I start to smile as I begin to process what he's saying. "But I have to warn you. If you ever hurt my daughter, I'll be giving you twice the amount of fatherly lectures."

I laugh at this, tears streaming down my cheeks. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"And I'll be giving you twice the amount of motherly lectures." Jules gets up from her seat and hugs me. "Oh honey, I can't imagine what you're going through but you don't have to go through it alone anymore. You've got us." Jules tightens her hug on me and Sam and Tom follow. Tears continue to fall down my face as I realize that not only did Sam give me hope but she gave me a family as well.

A/N: Do you ever just write a chapter and be surprised at what the character is saying like you weren't the one who actually wrote that a few days ago? I'm so glad at how much Eli has grown. She was so closed off but now baring her all. I could never. I swear I'm getting second hand embarrassment from her hahaha.