Love Again ✔

3. Being Safe

Maddox (Theo):

"Ty! Ty, get the fuck up!" I shove the door of our dormroom open and startle my sleeping best friend into consciousness.

"What? What's wrong?" Frantically, he looks around the room for any visible threats before scanning my figure head to toe.

"She's back. Elle is back, Ty." I drop my bag on the floor and sit on the edge of my bed, my mind still unable to fully comprehend the fact that she's back. The fact that I talked to her. The fact that I'm meeting her tonight.

"Shut up." He dismisses me with a frown, but his eyes never leave mine because he knows I'd never joke about that.

"I saw her today, Ty. I fucking talked to her." I had to say it aloud, because a part of me is still worried that I might've somehow conjured her up and back into my life. I'm that pathetic when it comes to Ella, yes.

"Tell me everything." Sleep now long forgotten, he scoots to the edge of his bed as well, placing us eye to eye, and gives me his undivided attention.

"She just walked right into English Lit, man. I ran after her once class was over and as expected she had no clue who I was. I asked her for some help with the material I missed last week and we agreed to meet tonight at seven in her dormroom." I didn't notice that I had a shit eating grin on my face before Tyler matched it with one of his own.

"I can't fucking believe this. Finally! This is like some fate shit happening, man. After a whole damn year, she's back like nothing happened." He stands up, heading to the door, probably wanting to go to the bathroom at the end of the hall when I stop him.

"Not exactly." I mumble and he turns back to face me.

"How so?" He furrows his brows and I take a deep breath before explaining.

"Something happened to her, Tyler. I don't know what but it's something fucking big if it has her like this after a whole year. She's so shy and... I don't know, jumpy. She flinches to the faintest unexpected sounds and she's keeps her head down all the damn time. She stutters too and when I asked if she could help me study earlier, I swear she was about to cry. Like I saw legit tears in her eyes. She was so uncomfortable in her own skin, it makes me sick to see her so afraid and I don't even know of what."

By the time I'm done talking Ty looks more serious than I've seen him in a while and he's sitting back down. "That is so unlike her. She's always been so lively."

"Not anymore. I want to help her. I don't know how and I don't know if she'd even let me, but I need to do something, man. I need her to be alright again, I swear that's all I want." I don't even care if she and I never got together by this point. All I want to do is help her get better and that's it. But I can't do that if she doesn't allow me to.

"I don't know what to say, man. I fucking admire you, that's all I can tell you now. And I'm here if you or she ever needs my help. I'd sell my soul to the damn devil if you want me to, you know that, right?" Tyler speaks nothing but the truth, because I know I'd do the same for him in a heart beat. We've been brothers for years and I'd die for him if it comes to it. I'd sell my soul to the devil for Elle too if that's what it takes to get her back as she was again. I love her that much. And that realization doesn't scare me as much as it should.

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Rose (Ella):

I look at the clock above my bed that says 6:58 and I wince. Why the hell did I agree to this? I should've just said no to him. I don't even know his name. But the way he was looking at me with his bright blue eyes so hopeful as if he had suddenly found something he couldn't let slip through his fingers tugged at my heart strings. How could I say no to a person in need, asking for help? Especially since he had a lot at stake, like losing his spot on the team, whichever that spot is. I couldn't say no and now I regret it.