I Know Places [Thomas The Maze Runner] (ongoing)

[43: The Relocation]

"You were right about Teresa, and you were right to be concerned about her," Elle acknowledged. "I'm sorry I was so stubborn. I just wanted so badly for her to be my friend that I looked past all the signs of trouble. And there were so many of them," she added, chuckling sadly.

"I love that you're stubborn," Thomas admitted. Elle looked up, surprised. "You were right to defend your friend, I wouldn't have expected anything else from you. That's who you are, you're endlessly loyal and you stand up for what you think is right. You did it in the Maze, and you were right to do it with Teresa."

"Really?" Elle questioned. "Because all I can think is that Minho, Aris, and Sonya wouldn't be gone if I had just left Teresa in the med-wing."

"You can't blame yourself for Teresa's mistake," Thomas corrected her. "You trusted the wrong person this time, that's true. But she took advantage of your trust and used it against you. That's not your fault."

"Thank you." Elle took his hand and squeezed it. The contact made Thomas's heart jolt. "I keep blaming myself, over and over again."

"Last time, you told me that it's not my fault we were stuck in the Scorch," Thomas recalled the night they took refuge in a shipwrecked boat in the desert. "Now it's your turn to listen to me: this isn't your fault." He turned their intertwined hands over and brushed the back of her hand with his thumb. "You were right when you said I created distance between us by keeping things from you. Maybe you wouldn't have clung to your friendship with Teresa so much if I had just been there for you," Thomas commented.

"Why didn't you tell me about Brenda being bitten or the fact that you remembered Teresa?" Elle wondered, tilting her head. "Is it really because you feel like you have to protect me from bad news?"

Thomas nodded. "I know it seems unnecessary but I have a history of having to break bad news to you," he said, referring to their time working at WICKED together. "I was the one who found out about Luke, and I was the reason WICKED sent us into the Maze together. I just hate being the reason you're upset," Thomas revealed sorrowfully, averting his eyes to look out at the water. Elle followed his gaze, watching the mirror reflection of the setting sun meet the sun on the horizon. "It reminds me of the day I had to tell you about Luke, and I know exactly how much you cried and screamed." Thomas shuddered. "I know you can handle it, but I want to spare you that pain if I can."

"You don't have to protect me from the hard stuff," Elle assured Thomas. "I understand why you want to, but I think it's more important that we're honest. Besides, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm pretty tough," she added, bumping his shoulder playfully.

Thomas readily agreed, "The toughest." He said it without sarcasm, which made Elle's teasing smirk soften into a genuine smile. They watched the sunset together, taking comfort in the fact that they were on the same page. Putting off this conversation while the Right Arm moved to the docks was the right decision, and it was nice to feel their temporary distance grow smaller.

"Tommy? Elle asked quietly. He hummed, indicating he was listening. "I do call you my boyfriend," she vowed. Thomas turned and met her green eyes; they were breathtaking, reflecting the golden and pink colours of the sunset like a kaleidoscope. "To anyone who will listen. The boys, Jorge, Brenda – everyone knows you're my boyfriend. Not always because I tell them but because people can tell just by looking at us. I'm sorry you thought I didn't."

Thomas brushed Elle's hair behind her ear from where the wind had blown it across her face. "Hey, you don't have to apologise for that," he denied. "I was just hurt hearing you saying 'you're not really my boyfriend,' even though I knew you didn't mean it literally," he confessed. "I was frustrated and insecure, and it just really hurt."