Only The Brave ⟨⟨ʟᴏᴜɪs ᴛᴏᴍʟɪɴsᴏɴ⟩⟩

⟨⟨ ᴅᴇғᴇɴᴄᴇʟᴇss ⟩⟩

The melancholy in her eyes lightened slightly as her lips lifted with the memory of visiting Thomas and spending the day with Harry. She earned a slap of indignation at the mention of kissing Harry but she sheepishly smiled and continued. The insignificance of the following months was brushed over until she reached the point of their reunion. Her breath hitched and she had to halt her words as she remembered that moment. The first glance that had shot back and the panic that had coursed through her being. The tentative smile and stilted words until they confirmed that they had both missed the other too much to not try. She retold the process of their reignited friendship with a soft smile permanently on her face. Admitting that it had been difficult to separate her feelings from their platonic relationship was tough as she blushed her way through the words. It was worse when Kiera prodded for more information on said feelings and she had to delve into why she was irrevocably in love with Louis Tomlinson, a worldwide sensation and her best friend. She explained the compassion he paid towards everyone and everything around him, how he had tried so hard to prove to her that she mattered and that he wouldn't make the same mistakes. Unfortunately, the tears clinging to her throat made it difficult to express how beautiful his soul was and how much he meant to her. She struggled to convey how much it had hurt to know that he was perfectly fine with her being solely a friend and the pain that stung her heart every time she saw Eleanor. 

When she spoke of his trip to LA, she caught sight of the confusion in Kiera's face as she outlined how they kept in regular contact and did their best to be vulnerable in their insecurities. Before she could interrupt, Elora ploughed on in describing the battle of hopefulness at the news of his break-up with Eleanor and the care she held for her friend who was experiencing deep pain. Mentioning the day she picked him up at the airport brought on the wave of tears and she sobbed through the explanation of his fight confession and their fight. Her body was wracked with grief as she shuddered in her sister's hold, the tears flowing at a speed never before experienced and her tears almost screams as she muffled them against the cloth of her shirt.

"I'm such a coward and a hypocrite," she cried, "but I just— I can't, Keri."
"But I don't understand, Ellie, you said you loved him. Why didn't you tell him?"
The youngest sibling released a sound terrifyingly similar to a wail as she clutched onto the fabric, "Because it'll ruin everything. But now— now I've gone and ruined everything already."
Kiera hugged her sister tighter, rocking her shivering form and shushing her gently as she waited out the sobs. Eventually, the sounds of sadness lowered to small sniffles as Elora nestled her face into the crook of Kiera's neck, appreciating the warmth and using it to evade further conversation for a moment longer. 

"I'm so scared," she whispered, "absolutely terrified. I can't lose him, Keri, I can't."
"Why do you think you're going to lose him."
Her response was a murmured that Kiera had to strain to hear, "Even if he does love me now, he won't one day and then we'll have ruined everything by flying too close to the Sun. That's what it feels like to be with him sometimes – he shines so brightly and you yearn to fall under the warmth of his rays but it's always at the risk of pain if you're not careful. I know that too much exposure will eventually cause pain so it's easier to sit under the shade and watch from afar."
The extended metaphor seemed to be a step too far for her older sister as she moved suddenly, dragging Elora into a sitting position and holding her biceps tightly whilst staring intently into her eyes, "You need to stop."
The furrowed eyebrows she received in response were deemed dissatisfactory but she softened her gaze regardless.

"Love, I don't know why you believe you're not going to last but you need to let go of that fear."
The concern in her eyes made Elora fidget, averting her concentration to the loose threads from her duvet.
"I know you haven't really had amazing examples of long-lasting, healthy relationships but that certainly doesn't mean they don't exist," her smile was more of a grimace but she continued, "You deserve to be loved and to be in love, more so than some people I know. I can guarantee that Louis will do everything in his power to give you that but you need to be selfish enough to take it. Please be selfish."
"What if my selfishness lands up hurting him?"
"Then at least you tried and the time you shared was beautiful enough that it will be worth it."
"How can you be sure?"
"I can't," she moved to gently slide out of the bed, "but I can rely on the fact that I've never seen you glow so ethereally as when you talk about him – three years ago and today."