ELENA'S POV:
I looked at my phone as I walked to my front door. It had just hit midnight. I opened the door as quietly as I could and kicked off my shoes. The lights were all off so I assumed Mattia had gone to sleep. I made my way upstairs and checked on Mia who was fast asleep. I kissed her forehead before going into my room.
Mattia was lying in bed with one arm around Axel who was sleeping on his chest. They were both asleep, it was the perfect picture. I finally got out of my dress and took off my makeup as best I could. Once I was done, I slipped into bed, trying not to wake either of them. I leaned over to switch the lamp off, just as Mattia's eyes flicked open.
"Elena?" he said, rubbing his eyes. I pressed my lips together as he sat up, keeping a protective arm around Axel
"We should t-"
"I'm so glad you came home" he said, wrapping his free arm around me. I hesitated at first but then wrapped an arm around him too. He pulled away, standing up to set Axel down in his cradle.
"I was so worried, I didn't think you'd come home" he said, turning back to me after wrapping a blanket around Axel. He walked over to me and held my hand, grazing my knuckles with his thumb. I stared at him for a second before slowly pulling my hand back.
"I think we should talk"
His smile fell, but he nodded his head. There was a lot to talk about. We both knew that. He walked towards the door and I followed him downstairs and into the kitchen. I took a seat on the couch, watching him switch on the baby monitor before sitting opposite me.
We both stayed silent, unsure of where to start. We knew we'd fallen off somewhere.
"I think it's my fault" he said, leaning his head against his hand. I kept quiet, waiting to see what he'd say next.
"The whole Cindy thing, it just hasn't been the same since then" he mumbled. I remembered that night. At Ocean Beach, when she told everyone. The pain was unmatched. My eyes filled up with tears as I tried to put the images at the back of my head.
"Don't cry, Elena" said Mattia, coming to sit beside me. He wrapped an arm around me, only causing me to let more tears out. I felt both his arms around me, and his head resting on mine. I hated this for us.
"I don't think that's the reason we're so distant, Mattia" I sniffed, wiping my face with the sleeve of my hoodie "it's because of when we were on a break and Kairi came over-"
"That was my fault too" he interrupted. I looked up at him in confusion since I was in the wrong.
"But I'm the one who-"
"I should've never asked for a break, I should've never left with Mia" he said. His eyes became glassy and he quickly pinched the inner corners of them.
"Why won't you let me be wrong?" I asked. Mattia shrugged, taking a deep breath, still keeping an arm around me.
"Cause I love you?" he said, pushing his hair back "I can't afford to lose you, so if it means I'm wrong all the time then that's what I'll be"
"It takes two, Mattia" I said.
"I get that, but I want to fix this, let me fix us" he pleaded. He turned to face me properly and held both of my hands.
"We've created this distance between us, and I fucking hate it so much, we can't even go a day without fighting each other" I said, wiping my eyes quickly. Mattia loosened his grip on my hands, almost as if he was about to let go completely.
"But..we still love each other, right" he said, looking at me cautiously. I pressed my lips into a thin smile and nodded my head.
"You'll always be the love of my life, Mattia" I said, looking at our hands "but all we're doing right now is causing each other pain"
He sighed, letting go of me and burying his head in his hands.
"You really don't think we can work through this, do you?"
I thought about it for a second before giving him my answer. We could fix it, we'd been through so much together. But neither of us were in the right headspace you fix anything right now.
"No I do, but we need to take some time apart to self reflect Mattia" I said. It was as if I was forcing the words out of my mouth. I knew neither of us wanted this, but it was the only way. He nodded in agreement and looked at me with red eyes.
"So, what? Separation?"
I never knew how much it would hurt to hear that word. It was all starting to become a little too real.
"Maybe-"
Axel's cries came through the baby monitor, causing our conversation to come to an abrupt stop. Mattia quickly stood up.
"I'll do it" he said, rushing towards the door, leaving me in complete silence and uncertainty.
