one of them - j.flatters

xxii. finding him

NOVEMBER 2022 - LOS ANGELES
"Can you text him again?" Bailey asked Jack, his phone already opened to a dozen of unread text message to Jamie. After the brunette left the pier, the four of them had came back to their hotel, worried that Jamie hadn't answered their calls throughout the whole night. Now, they all were in Jack's hotel room, Bailey pacing from the bed to the bathroom, Trinity half asleep in Eliana's arms and Jack sitting by them. It had been nearly three hours since they last saw him and no one understood why he had left in such a hurry. Well, except Eliana. She knew exactly why he had left the carnival yet she didn't regret anything she had said. Jamie had a girlfriend, one she respected and liked, he couldn't keep looking at her like that, stealing touches from her without thinking she would just play along. They weren't teenagers anymore. Even if all she wanted to do was to replicate those heartwarming gestures because her and Jamie never really had closure. Eliana never completely moved on and at first, she thought Jamie had, but clearly not.

"I've texted him six times, I don't think he's gonna answer to the seventh one, Bails." Jack shrugged.
"I don't care." She sighed, throwing her arms in the air, still pacing while trying to figure out where he had gone. "We have an early flight tomorrow. It's the premiere, we have to find him."
"And we will." Eliana whispered, noticing a dozed off Trinity on her shoulder. To the sound of her voice, Bailey's eyes widened as if an idea had just popped in her mind, lightening up her whole face. Jack and Eliana shared a confused look as Bailey approached the bed to sit on it.
"You know where he is." She said, making Eliana's frown deepened.
"How could I?" The brunette nervously chuckled.
"You know him. You and Jamie always had that weird bond, you must have an idea of where he is."

Eliana dropped her gaze, her mind flashing many options of where Jamie could be to a point where it made her feel dizzy. When thinking of the last, Eliana sensed the familiar sinking feeling coming to cloud her head and she couldn't let herself drown, not when there was a premiere tomorrow. So to get Bailey off her back, she shrugged, saying: "I don't know." Her voice was quiet, almost broken when telling the three simple words. Bailey groaned, annoyed.
"It's already four in the morning, maybe we should call it a night. You know, Jamie might turn up in the morning."
"No." Bailey snapped. "There was something off all night with him." She paused, turning her head back to Eliana. "What did you do?"
"What did I do?"
"Bails." Jack sighed, wanting to calm his friend down but the worriedness and tiredness had taken over. Bailey had lived years with bottling everything and tonight was the moment she finally let it all out.
"Jack." She glared. "Jamie wouldn't leave like that. That's an Eliana move, you know, leaving without telling anyone, ghosting your friends."

Eliana let Bailey talk, without ever interrupting, because she knew she deserved it and she knew that eventually they would have no choice but have the conversation. She just wasn't prepared for it to be this early in the press junket and certainly not in the middle of the night while Jamie was missing.
"Go on." Eliana said, raising her eyebrows. "Ask me." The question burned on Bailey's tongue and had been for a few years now.
"Why did you leave?"
"I was always supposed to leave."
"No." She shouted. "Why did you leave and shut us all out? Like we never existed or mattered to you." Bailey's voice was shaking and cracking, her tone so vulnerable and hurt, it made both Jack and Eliana tear up, eyes as glassy as mirrors.
"Do you guys know why Britain isn't here with us?"
Bailey frowned, this wasn't the answer she was expecting. She looked over to Jack, his traits also hardened and they both shook their head.
"He has severe anxiety, panic attacks almost every day. I don't know if he ever told you but he was the one who helped me through mine."
"We'd noticed." Jack spoke up, quietly. "About your anxiety."
Eliana smiled, "I know. That's why you would always want me to meditate with you, right?" The curly hair boy shyly nodded, a small grin flashing on his lips.
"Okay, but what does have to do with you leaving?" Bailey questioned.
"Well," Eliana took a heavy breath, ready to finally share the truth with her friends. "what I thought was anxiety was actually something else. The last year of filming still feels kind of a blur, like I slept walked through all of those months, practically like an out-of-body experience. Anyways, the night before I left, I had a huge breakdown in front of my mother and it reminded her of her own mother, my grandma, so she flew us back to Moonbeam on the first flight the next morning. She thought I would get better by being home but it only became worse... my depression got worse and I had to be put on medication at some point. I think I didn't reach out because I was ashamed. Everyone was telling me how much potential I had while I couldn't even get out of my bed for most days in the past two years, wasting my life because something in my head was wrong."
"Shit." Jack exhaled. "I'm so sorry, Lil. We should have known."
"What? No. I didn't want you guys to know, that's my point."
"Why?" Bailey said. "I could have been there for you. Any of us could."
"You were booking roles after roles, I didn't want to be the one who held you back. And I'm glad I didn't, look at where you are." Eliana grinned, proud of her friend's success. "And you." She turned to Jack who smiled back at her. "And Trinity and Jamie. You're such inspirations. I'm so sorry for leaving but trust me, it was for the better. I am getting better, every day."
"Does Jamie know?" Jack frowned.
"I never said anything, really, but I think he always knew that there was something wrong with me."
"There's nothing wrong with you, stop."
"You should tell him. He's been in the dark for too long and he still cares about you, Lil. When you left, he was inconsolable. I think it would be good for him to know the truth, the why. It might help him find the closure he needs to let himself be happy with her, you know." Bailey gently spoke as Eliana nodded. Despite still loving him, his happiness was the most important, he deserved the truth.
"I know, I will."
"Good." Bailey grinned, taking Jack by the shoulders and leaning them to hug Eliana. Arms around her, Trinity woke up surrounded by her friends, all hugging.
"What's going on? Did we find Jamie yet?" Trinity yawned, looking up to see her friends, still holding each other.

Eliana had lied to Bailey when she said she didn't know where Jamie could possibly be, in fact she had a few options still lingering in her mind. She'd crossed out his spot in the mountains because he would have needed a car to get there and he was on foot. Jamie wasn't at the beach too because otherwise they would have seen him on their way back to the hotel. Eliana was left with only one place, one location she knew meant a lot for him... and her.
"I think I know where he is." She finally admitted, all of her friends' face lightening up.
"Finally." Bailey shrieked, moving fast to break the hug as she hurried them all out of the room.

The sun was nearly rising on Los Angeles as Eliana led them all to Jamie, hoping her instincts weren't wrong and they would actually find him before their departing flight. Now, they all stood in front of the familiar building.
"Oh yeah. That actually make a lot of sense." Jack exclaimed before turning to the others. "Why didn't we think of that?"
"Who cares?" Bailey chuckled. "Let's just bring him back." To that, the curly haired girl moved to the door, she tapped a series of numbers on the pad next to the door. "Ah! They never changed the passcode." The door buzzed and Bailey yanked it opened, letting everyone pass her before entering herself.
"He's on the roof." Eliana stated, opening the side door to the stairwell that led to the roof.
"I'm so tired." Trinity winced at the many stairs they had to go up. Jack rolled his eyes before crouching, slightly tapping on his shoulder to indicate her to jump on his back. Once they had made their way all to the top, Bailey stopped before the door, her hand frozen and holding the handle.
"What's wrong?" Eliana questioned.
Bailey turned around, "Maybe we should give you a head start? You know better how to talk to him."

But before Eliana could refuse or even prepare what to say to Jamie, Bailey had opened the door and shut it right back behind her, causing a loud noise that immediately caught his attention.
"Lia?" Jamie frowned at the sight of the girl, sitting on the edge of the rooftop.
She exhaled, glad to see him safe. "You're not gonna jump, are you?" She chuckled, walking to sit next to him.
"Why? You came to stop me? Or you're joining my party?"
"You always had a tendency to push the joke a little too far."
Jamie quietly chuckled as both of their gaze was focused on the view before them. The same view from when they first confessed their feelings for each other, except for the fact that Los Angeles wasn't burning anymore. But they burned for the other one still, even if they were too scared to ever admit it.
"So why'd you run away?" Eliana questioned. "We've been looking for you all night."
"Yeah, I saw the missing posters flyers. Maybe you could call off the search team."
"Jamie." She rolled her eyes. "I'm serious."

Jamie sighed, awkwardly stretching every muscles in his arms and back and neck like it would give him the courage he needed to look at her ever again, especially after what he had done. Eliana was right, she wasn't her. No one could even compare to Eliana, she was one of a kind, his perfect match and always have been since he was seventeen.
"I broke up with-"
"No. Why would you do that?" Eliana complained. "Why?" She said, a little more loud now.
"You know why." He finally turned to face her, his blue eyes meeting hers, finding the comfort in them like he always did. There was a slight moment where the rest of the world paused, where they stared deep into the eyes they both missed and longed so much.
"What is up with this roof?" Eliana gazed around, slightly grinning at the memories of their moments on this very roof.
"It's magic." Jamie chuckled as the girl snorted.

That same strident noise of rust came to their ears, meaning that someone had opened the door. Jamie and Eliana turned around to notice their friends on the roof, with them. Bailey was in front of Jack who still held Trinity on his back, all of them grinning like little kids and for a moment, it truly felt like they were back in 2019, recalling their last summer together.
"Come on, you guys." Bailey waved. "We have a flight to catch."

hello!
last chapter of act three omg
act four will continue with the present so (probably) no more flashbacks

and it will be the last act of this story... *sniff sniff*

so what do you guys want to see?
Jamie and Eliana endgame?

much love,
-justine