I've Changed

35. hot tub party

Jae's pov

I come to a halt as I walk out of my room, seeing Sofie and Theo scrambling off the couch. Sofie slams Theo to the ground with a loud thud, but Theo escapes under the coffee table.

"We're watching a movie," Sofie says, indicating the muted Toy Story on the television. Before running to the kitchen to avoid bothering them, I awkwardly nod my head and smile sheepishly. I take a sip of water and gaze out the window, where the snowy mountains and trees, the distant sky dotted with stars, and the moon shining brilliantly against the cottage lay ahead.My gaze wanders over the typical cottage, which features a mix of modern architecture to fit our needs in the mountains and Malcom.

When we arrived, the group wanted to take a quick nap before spending the night in the hot tub. Since I had already slept for 30 minutes on the plane, all I did was look at the ceiling of my room and read a few pages of my journal while waiting for them to get some rest.

I take another gulp of water before closing the bottle's cap and heading into the living room, where I begin to hear voices conversing.

"Is Ellie still sleeping?" Malcom asks, looking at Alex, Sofie, and finally me, and I shake my head, having not seen her since we arrived at the cottage a few hours ago.

"Let her sleep; we'll be waiting when she wakes up," Alex suggests, while Eric rubs her shoulders and everyone agrees. Sofie gives me a concerned glance, which causes me to furrow my brows before she looks away and smiles.

"Well, let's get ready," Malcom says quietly so as not to disturb Ellie down the hall. Everyone goes to their rooms to get ready for the hot tub, which they are very excited to try out.

"Jae," Sofie murmurs, and I turn to face her across the room. "Could you please check on Ellie?" As she looks around the empty living room, she questions with a blank face. When she walks to her room and leaves me alone on my place, I slowly nod my head, furrowing my brows.

I take a cautious step down the dimly lit hallway, not wanting to disturb Ellie any more after noticing she didn't get any sleep on the plane when I assumed she did. As I move closer to her bedroom door, which is partially open, the floors creak under my feet. When I don't hear something, I softly knock on the door before peering through it.

When I see her shifting uncomfortably on the sheets, whimpering and crying in her sleep, my stomach sinks. Until carefully entering hers, I look down the corridor, seeing everyone in their assigned rooms. When I see her struggling and desperately flinching on her bed as I get closer, my heart breaks even more. I notice her laptop and notebooks scattered around her, as well as her room, which is still neatly made as though she wasn't intending on sleeping. I gently pull her hair away from her face as I put my hand on her forehead, realizing the burning heat growing on her skin and the sweat dampening her hair. I take a look around the room, only noticing the moonlight and the lack of air circulation, which makes it feel suffocating.

"Please," When Ellie whispers in her dreams, her brows furrowed, her cheeks blood red, and her eyes streaming tears down her face, I jump, feeling my stomach twist.

"Ellie," I say softly, rubbing her cheeks where the tears are still running down and feeling her body tense as I do so. "Ellie," I say a little louder, but her face remains terrified, and her body rests uncomfortably on the bedside.

"No"

"Ellie," I said. I gently shake her because I don't want to wake her up, but she doesn't respond except for her expression deteriorating as she scrunches up her face in discomfort and moves her head side to side. I can't help but feel helpless as I watch her suffer in her dreams, and I can't do anything to help or take away the pain.As she must be dreaming about the trauma I've inflicted on her, my mind wanders, making me feel even more disgusted and angry at myself.