14 - the lover and the beloved

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My eyes glazed over, rising from Holly's Facebook page to stare directly ahead at the closed closet door

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My eyes glazed over, rising from Holly's Facebook page to stare directly ahead at the closed closet door.

"What's there to say?"

I felt James' weight shift as he leaned back on his palms, an amused edge to his careful tone. "Well, for one, who taught you to punch like that?"

I shrugged, my gaze locked on the door. "Eli."

James sprung forward, lurching off the bedhead to try and meet my eye line. "No!" He released a low whistle, raising his eyebrows incredulously. "Breaking a man's nose with his own technique—"

"I didn't break it. I didn't even mean to hurt him. I just ... forgot that I was wearing the ring."

"Mhm."

I felt his eyes piercing me through the back of my skull, sensed that some part of him saw right through some part of me. I'd thought that my words were true, but whether it was because of his playful inference or that intense stare, a small smile was creeping over my lips. "Maybe I knew how to get the blood going. He hates blood."

James tittered again. "You're a little psychotic, you know that?"

"Only a little?"

He chuckled softly. I fought off my own laugh, leaning into the silence that enveloped us—lighter and cozier than it had been before.

Maybe talking about what happened didn't have to be triggering.

"Did you really date that jerk-off?"

Just like that, my illusion of comfort shattered like glass. I turned to face James, who looked unusually coy, my mouth parted and nose scrunched as a result of his insult.

But I wasn't quite sure whether I was offended or amused.

"I did."

He hummed something to himself, his eyes flittering between mine before looking down to wander about aimlessly on his phone. "For how long?"

His tone was casual. Light. Yet it was laced with elusive intrigue.

"Since seventh grade."

He seemed to find something interesting tucked into that revelation. Whatever it was, he didn't say. He only furrowed his brow for a second, then cleared his throat, softening his expression. "That's a long time."

I didn't really know what to say to that. I had more memories with Elijah than I had without him. He'd been a part of almost every significant event of my life up until that point, just like I'd been a part of every one of his. 'Long' was an understatement. 'Long' didn't seem an adequate enough adjective to describe the time that we'd spent together, the things that we'd experienced and shared.

So I just nodded.

James lay down on his side, propping his head on his hand to gaze up at me through his blond locks. "Too long for it to have been a petty fight that broke you up. Was it the whole distance thing?"

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