☂ 𝑳𝑶𝑺𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻 || 𝙵𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙶𝚁𝙴𝙴𝚅𝙴𝚂 𝚡 𝙾𝙲 || 𝑩𝑲. 𝟑 ☂

16. THE FOUNDER

Back at the Commission, Five and Lila were wandering down the abandoned corridor in search of this Operations Bunker, or anything having to do with The Founder. 

"I mean, maybe it's a tone thing? I don't know, but you could really work on, like, the way you speak,"

Lila's voice droned on, but it was nothing more than a buzz to Five as they maneuvered their way down the stairs. Boxes were stacked on top of one another and a multitude of things was flung about carelessly. Despite trying to keep his mind on the task at hand, the echoes of the woman's unwarranted questions still rang in the teen's head.

Was his relationship really rushed? Did that mean something he didn't understand?

Five never questioned the rate at which his relationship with Elaina escalated. Sure, he considered himself fortunate when they became official, though he never focused on how quickly it transpired. He figured that it had to do with the lingering emotions they had before all of this mess happened. I mean who wouldn't right? It seemed like the most logical reason despite their fifteen years apart.

Well, nearly fifteen years for Elaina... Forty-two for him...

Since he was walking a couple of feet ahead of Lila, she wasn't aware of his current reclusiveness and continued to speak freely. "It's very... it's irritating," she stated, though her words hardly penetrated the boy's thoughts. 

Believe it or not, despite his fifty-eight years of life, Five didn't have much experience in the dating department. Shocking, he knows. He's only had two relationships in his entire existence, and they were Delores and, of course, Elaina. So it was safe to say he wasn't an expert in that area like he was on the subject of disembowelment or a swift murder. 

To make matters worse, he honestly couldn't compare his relationships to one another. His relationship with Delores was more... modest than the one he has with Elaina. At least, in the sense of how they showed affection. Delores wasn't one that enjoyed much PDA and was pretty stiff when it came to it.

However, when it came to Elaina...

There were no words. Her passion was... unmatched when it came to affection. Even now, Five could still feel the sweet shivers from their blissful moments together permeate within him. Through her, he's experienced new and exhilarating things that he never believed he'd ever get the chance to. Elaina was always so patient with him, so attentive, and so loving. As far as he knew, she never displayed any signs of his age being an issue for her.

For now at least, but what if that could become an obstacle later down the road? Once they actually start spending more time together, will the allure of having him back wear off? There's a possibility that a firecracker like her could eventually get bored of being with a stuffy old man like him...

Stop it. 

There are plenty of women out there that date older men, it happens all the time. The number of years between them (from when they were apart and to their ages) was all irrelevant.

And yes, deep down, Five also comprehended the fundamental reason why Elaina and Delores were so considerably different. As far gone as he mentally was in the apocalypse, he understood exactly what Delores was. But out of respect for her, he wouldn't dare say it out loud. Regardless of what anyone thought, what he had with Delores was real. Just a different kind of real than Elaina. 

Five's body kept moving on autopilot, instinctively climbing over a turned-over filing cabinet that was in the way while navigating through his inner monologue.

"I'm just saying it's something you can work on, you know?" idly continued Lila, following the boy over the metallic cabinet.

Elaina was the girl he dreamt about for forty-two years. The girl he thought he'd never be able to see again. Upon his arrival in 2019, he came with the intention of solely saving the world. That was the plan. However, the moment Five laid eyes on her face again after all those years of not seeing it, preserved precisely how he last saw her, it was as if someone pressed play right where they left off and he couldn't resist staying away from her. Five just missed her too much.