Take A Walk (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 5 of The Hardships Saga)

Chapter Fifty-Six

Elle sat by herself, no tears left in her body, staring at Diglett. He was chewing ferociously on an old teddy bear of his, and Drew had gone out somewhere. She was trembling in every limb, and she could feel her bones. She hated that feeling.

She heard their front door unlock and didn't look up. Drew didn't speak to her- he hadn't for a couple of days now- and she didn't look at him. This felt awful. This felt wrong. But so did everything else.

She heard him connecting something to their speakers, and heard him approaching her. "Cookie?"

"Mmm?"

"Come here." He held out his hand to her, and she looked up at him, as the music he had chosen began to play.

"Ladies and gentlemen... this is Mambo Number 5."

She let out a small laugh, and he pulled her up, holding her waist and dancing around their tiny living room with her.

"One, two, three, four, five,

Everybody in the car, so come on let's ride,

To the liquor store around the corner,

The boys say they want some gin and juice,

But I really don't wanna..."

"Drew, you're insane, did you know that?" she asked him, and he chuckled, spinning her around as Diglett snapped at their ankles.

"A little bit of Monica in my life,

A little bit of Erica by my side,

A little bit of Rita is all I need,

A little bit of Tina is what I see,

A little bit of Sandra in the sun,

A little bit of Mary all night long,

A little bit of Jessica, here I am,

A little bit of you makes me your man..."

For the first time in what felt like forever, they were laughing together, spinning around without a care in the world. This was what their life was. What it always should've been.

When the song ended, Drew turned off the speakers, and they collapsed on their couch, laughing. He leaned forward, kissing her. "I've missed you, my love."

"I've missed you, too." Elle's smile faded as she remembered their predicament. Drew didn't say anything, instead brushing her hair away from her face and observing her intently, taking in every detail. The freckles on her nose. The bronze flecks in her eyes. Her soft, brown hair. He leaned in again, kissing her softly.

"Ellie?"

"Mmm?"

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I've not been good to you."

"You have. It's not your fault, beanbag. I... I should be responsible for myself."

"This isn't an easy choice. Not for either of us." Drew pulled her closer, holding her.

"I'm scared."

He sighed. "Me too, darling. I'm... I'm terrified. I don't know if I could handle losing you. But I think that no matter which option I pick, I run the risk of losing you one way or another." He pulled away again, brushing her hair back again. "I think... let's just take care of you as best we can."

"Okay."

"That means quarantine, Ellie," he said. "I'm not letting you go outside for anything. I'm not letting anything hurt you. I want you to stay in here, and I'll do everything we need to do outside of the house. I want you to quit the job at the cafe. I'll be doing all our errands and if you want to help, you can do our bills or our taxes at home, but nowhere else. If anyone visits, they have a bath entirely in Germ-x before anything else."