Fighter {Completed}

Chapter Fifty-Two: Only For You {Ellie}

Chapter Fifty-Two: Only For You {Ellie}

"Well, did you answer him?" Scar asks, incredulous. I nod, and then shrug.

"Sort of..."

"Ellie!"

"I panicked!"

"So what did you do?" Scarlet stares with wide eyes as Taylor asks me, both of them clearly excited by the news.

"I-We just kissed... a lot."

"You didn't say it back?" Scar frowns, confused.

"Not...entirely," I hesitate. With a groan, I fall back on the couch, guilt and warmness overcoming me. Taylor plays with my hair as she sits beside me, Scarlet sitting on the floor and grabbing the remote.

"I want to know the full story, start from the beginning, Ellie."

With a sigh, I begin to recount the events of yesterday.

__________

Cole kneels in front me, the same position we were in earlier before he'd told me he loved me. Despite feeling the same, I keep those three words to myself. Something deep inside won't let me say them back to him, something that clearly hurts him as he stays silent, letting me pat the cotton ball on his lip to clean the blood.

Sebastian sure did a number on him, but then again, so did he to Sebastian.

I clean his face, his knuckles following directly after. As I finish up, his hand grips mine.

"I'm sorry," he says again.

"It's okay, Cole," I begin, but he stops me.

"No, not for that. I mean, yes for that, but... More so for what I said earlier."

My heart begins slamming against my rib cage.

Is he going to tell me he takes it back? That he didn't mean it?

That it was a mistake?

"I shouldn't have made you feel like you had to say it back. I understand if you're still hesitant, Ellie. It doesn't change how I feel about you. I love you, no matter what. Even if you never say it back. You can shatter my heart a million times, and I'll still love you." Despite the seriousness in his voice, I can't stop a smile from forming.

His lips spread into a smile, and I realize we have matching injuries on our lips. 

"No," I tell him, shaking my head. Dark eyes watch me as I try to put my thoughts into words. "It's not that I don't... I just... I don't know." Tears prick behind my eyes as I try to tell him the truth.

How do I tell him that I feel like the moment I tell him I love him, he'll take off?

How do I tell him that this is too good to be true?

"Hey," he begins, voice soft as he reaches up, cradling my cheek. His thumb swipes across my cheek, leaving a trail of sparks in its wake. "It's okay, Ellie. Take your time, baby. I'm not going anywhere."

Like always, Cole seems to know how to calm me even without hearing my thoughts.

"I'm sorry," I whisper.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Ellie. I just wanted you tell you how much you mean to me. It's okay if you're not ready to do that yet. I'm not going to force you to say anything. I'd rather die than hear you say it if you don't mean it." His eyes hold nothing but sincerity.