water under the bridge

chapter 1

     It wasn't until after Iain said, "She's like a sister to me" that Elizabeth realized she didn't want to be a sister to him.
     It wasn't until after Iain said, "She's like a sister to me" that Elizabeth realized she wasn't in love with Zach anymore.
     It wasn't until after Iain said, "She's like a sister to me" that Elizabeth realized she was in love with him.

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     It wasn't until after Iain said, "She's like a sister to me" that he realized what he said wasn't true.
     It wasn't until after Iain said, "She's like a sister to me" that he realized she was so much more than that.
     It wasn't until after Iain said, "She's like a sister to me" that he realized all of his chances of being with her were ruined.

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     Elizabeth faked a smile for the rest of the day. She may have taken after her on screen character, Jemma Simmons, in the lying department, but absolutely nobody could tell her fake smile from her real one.
     That is, nobody but Iain.
     Iain always noticed when it didn't quite reach her eyes, when her teeth didn't fully show, when it just wasn't... right.
     He could also pinpoint the moment her smile went from real to fake. A lot of the time, when they hung out together, she'd get a call from either her boyfriend or her agent. Most of the time, the calls from her boyfriend made her lose her real smile. In many cases, calls from her agent left her with a bigger smile, but in the rare cases that left her upset, Iain saw immediately.
     The only reason he didn't pinpoint that moment this time was because he could not look her in the eyes until their lunch break was nearly over.
     She'd been sitting across from him at their table, paying more attention to her food than anything else. He had been too, but he decided to look up at her. Elizabeth felt his gaze and smiled her fake smile up at him in return, but Iain realized it wasn't one bit genuine.
     He opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, but then her phone rang.
     She looked down at it and noticed that it was Zach calling. "Sorry," she told Iain as she stood up. "I've got to grab this."

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     Elizabeth pressed the answer button while she walked over to the bathroom. "Hey Zach, what's up?" she spoke.
     "Hey baby," Zach slurred.
     'Oh no,' Elizabeth thought. "Zach, honey, are you drunk?" she asked him.
    "What?" he slurred some more. "I'm not drunk." Elizabeth heard a crash across the line. "Okay, maybe I am. Just a bit."
     Elizabeth pulled her phone away from her ear to check the time. 12:37 P.M. "Hun, it's noon time. Why are you drinking now?"
     "I miss you Lizzie. With you gone there is a hole in my heart that's-"
     "Look, Zach, I know you miss me, but I will be home soon. There's no need to do all of this," she scolded, cutting him off.
     Zach continued as if he hadn't heard heard her. "empty, and I had someone fill it last night. I feel really guilty and that's why I'm drinking. I'm so sorry Elizabeth."
     Elizabeth did a double take when all of the words registered. "Wait... you're telling me that you cheated on me?"
     "Yes, Lizzie, I'm sorry. It was a mistake and it won't happen again. I just needed something to fix the hole in my heart."
     Tears streamed down Elizabeth's face. "Remember when we first met? How my boyfriend had cheated on me and I told you that if someone else did the same, there would be no second chances?"
     "Yes baby, I do."
     "Then you'll understand why I have to break up with you," Lizzie said slowly.
     "No," Zach muttered. "No, no, no, no..."
     "I'm sorry Zach. I'll be at our apartment the day I get back to get my stuff. Before you cheat on someone, you have to think."
     Elizabeth hung up the phone, dried her eyes, fixed her makeup, put her fake smile back on her face, and headed back out.