Phoenix ✔️

Chapter 17: You're Okay

When my eyes set themselves on the sight of Elena, everything comes to a halt. It's as if our gazes are two mechanisms that make the world clock stop ticking. It's like it's only us at that moment. No coffee, no surrounding conversation, no furniture. It's just us, in that very intense moment. Her icy blue eyes are a stark contrast to my heart that's hot with joy. 

Elena's eyes are filling with tears when she sees that I'm back. My breathing is rugged and uneven because of the heat of the moment. I can feel my heart beating like someone doing a tap dance against my rib cage. Shakily, she steps over to where I'm sitting. Her hand slowly reaches out, as if she wants to make sure that I'm not just a figment of her imagination. Her fingers briefly stroke my shoulder, with the positivity in her eyes intensifying.

My hand plants itself onto the table, and I prop myself up to a standing position. "It's you, Nicole. It's you," she says, with her voice breaking like a wi-fi signal in the middle of nowhere. 

Suddenly, tears start to fill my eyes as well. In one quick move, Elena's arms throw themselves around me, and they hug me to the tightest of their capability. My arms also snake around her as tight as I possibly can. 

It feels surreal to be in Elena's arms again after everything that I've been through. I feel like I'm in a dream, and the next thing that will happen is Colin will yell in my ear to get up. I have to repeatedly remind myself that this isn't a dream. This is reality.

This is the best reality that I can come to. I can smell Elena's gentle perfume wafting throughout my nostrils, and I can feel her dark locks against my shoulder. Eventually, Elena lets go of me, and she looks at me with her tear smeared face. "I can't believe that I found you. I never thought that I'd find you again after everything that had happened. But, here we are," she exclaims, sniffling. Tears are trickling out of her icy blue eyes, like a glacier slowly melting onto someone's face. 

I nod. "After everything that I had been through, I never imagined that I'd see you again. But, I finally get to. This is amazing," I say. 

Elena's eyes shifts to my hair. I can almost see the shock in her eyes when she sees that it's no longer its golden, vibrant color. "Your hair! You dyed it! Why? It was such a beautiful golden color! Why did you dye it?" she asks, a little bit shocked. Her fingers stroke the locks that have been painted with layers of artificial dark dye. In a way, I look a little bit more like her when you think about it, but seeing her reaction makes me want to go back to my hair that made me look like Rapunzel's doppelganger. 

This time is the time I actually break down. I bury my face into the crook of Elena's neck, and I start to cry all over again. The notice of my hair just reminds me of how Colin made me dye it so that there would be a limited possibility of anyone I know recognizing me. 

Elena's hand flies up to my back and starts to pet it. "Shhh. It's okay, Phoenix. What happened?" she asks, with her tone fizzling out to a rather soothing one. I feel like a scared 6 year old, with the blankets twisted around her, and her mother telling her that she loves her so that she can sleep well. 

"M-my husband. H-he hit m-me and f-forced me t-to dye m-my hair," I wail into her arms, as she rubs my back with her hand. 

A gasp escapes Elena's lips. "He hit you? That piece of crap!" Elena exclaims, and she brings my head out of her arms. Her hand goes to cup my face, with her thumb briskly swiping away the tear that was trickling down my face. "Did you tell the police, Nicole?" she asks, and I nod. 

"Today. I left his house today only, and I contacted you," I say, and she smiles. 

"I'm glad that you're out of the situation, Nicole. But who brought you here?"