Once

Forty Seven

Elle opened the door, and found herself looking into the sparkling golden embers of David's eyes.

She went to close to the door again immediately, but David thrust out a hand onto the door frame, stopping her.

"Elle, please."

"I don't want to talk, David."

"Well I do."

She shot him a hard look.

"Did the others send you?"

"No. I didn't actually tell any of them I was coming. I'm not sure they have anything to say to you right now."

She bit her lip, staring down at the floor.

"I guess I deserved that."

He didn't say he agreed with her. But he didn't disagree with her either.

"What do you want, David? Like, did you come here for any sort of reason?"

He cocked his head on one side. It was crazy that his eyes could still glow like that, even though the sky today was grey and heavy with thunder.

"You're giving up, then."

It wasn't really a question, but she responded to it almost at once.

"I guess I am. You have a problem with that?"

"You might say that." His handsome face suddenly twisted with a flash of intense fury. "I just don't get it, Elle. I don't know how you can come this far and then give up so easily!"

"Like I said yesterday, David. You don't know me, and I don't know you. You don't get to assume anything about me."

"I don't assume things about people, Elle. But you're right. I don't know you. But I do want to. Isn't that worth something to you?"

She could feel tears beginning to sting her eyes again and she blinked them away with a hard effort.

"For god's sake, David, I don't need saving! I told you that the other night. You don't get to ride in here like my knight in shining armour and think you can fix me. Why don't you go find some other girl to throw all your attention at, eh? I'm sure Jax would be interested."

For a second David looked genuinely shocked, then suddenly a little confused.

"It's not like that, Elle. I told you. I want to be your friend."

"I'm not an idiot. I know that boys like you don't just make friends with people like me, David." She took a deep breath, then said in a garbled hurry, "I don't fancy you, David, alright? I'm sorry, maybe I should have said something sooner. But I just don't. So maybe you can stop trying so hard now and leave me alone."

David just stared at her for a few seconds. It was like he was suddenly seeing her for the first time, and somehow he didn't like what he saw.

At last he said:

"I can't believe you think so little of me, Elle. But I guess it's like you said. You don't even know me."

He was halfway down the path when she slammed the door shut, but without seeing him she knew how angrily he was storming down the street.