All of the Stars (Saving Elliot One-Shot)

S A V I N G E L L I O T | A L L O F T H E S T A R S

Dedicated to northbynorth for writing one of the most beautiful stories on this site. If I could write as beautifully as she did, I would probably die happy. 

"You and I, we weren't written in the stars, but constellations are sewing themselves together because we were meant to be."

It was raining today. 

I watched the fat droplets splash against the window of the pastry shop. Everything looked like I was staring out of a monochromatic kaleidoscope except for the occasional bursts of red, green, and gold from all the traffic and headlights belonging to the vehicles driving on by. 

I could hear the clatter of the storm splashing onto the rooftop of the shop. The sound was rather soothing for a few short minutes, but every time someone opened the door, the gust of wind and sudden chill from the outside caused me to shiver, and I was reminded that I was going to have to walk home in this shitty weather. 

The lady in front of me finally moved out of the line, tugging a red-headed, freckled toddler with her. He kept on asking for another brownie, but she just shushed him vigorously. 

The guy at the counter called out, "I can help whoever's next," and I started forward. He greeted me with a full set of pearly whites. "What'll it be, miss?"

I took another scan of the menu, wondering what I could get. I wanted my ginger cake but Mac had decided it would be my farewell gift to him before he left and all that was left was a few crumbs which clearly couldn't satisfy me. 

"Bakewell tart," I said. I watched as the guy maneuvered around the little kitchen, grabbing my tart and placing it into a periwinkle paper bag that made an obnoxious sound as he handed it to me. 

"Ever been here before?" the guy asked. My eyes flickered to the black tag stuck to his apron, which read, "Killian."

"Nope," I answered, popping my 'p,' "This is my first time here."
"You should come by more often," Killian suggested with that brilliant grin on his face as though everything to him was sunshine and daisies. 

I handed him two pounds and my own smile, though it was much more half-hearted than his as I thought of a boy with a smile like the morning sun that could fill make my heart skip too many beats. "I'll think about it, Killian," I said. The boy's grin grew even wider (if that was actually possible), and he handed me my change. 

I took the bag with me over to a table in the corner, not feeling like walking home yet. I may love the rain but having the water seep through my clothes and drench me did not sound as appealing as sitting in a bakery shop and savoring the tart. 

Besides, I didn't feel any urge to return home so quickly. Ever since all my brothers left, the house had returned to its eerie peacefulness that left me feeling more alone than ever. Especially now with Fintry gone, the house was even more empty and sometimes, I couldn't take the silence any longer. 

I missed him. 

I would never admit it out loud--God knows how much Tam would squeal and all my brothers would tease me if I admitted that I missed Elliot Fintry, but I really did. 
Everything felt sort of empty without him nearby. I missed our midnight conversations over replays of Grease, I missed our stupid arguments, I missed listening to him go on about all the stars in the sky. 

Part of me was afraid that he wasn't coming back. September was next week--the term would be starting soon but some small part of my mind kept whispering, "He's gone. He's not coming back."

Part of me wanted to pick up the phone and call him so that I could hear his voice again. So I could say something that would make him laugh and I could remember how it felt to hear Elliot Fintry laugh.