❝In which two people call up a helpline in order to find someone just as broken as they are. ❞
"Does...does it bother you that my dad's in prison for murder?"
"Well, judging by the fact that I moved away from America to get away from the memory of a...
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"Oh thank God you're wearing something sensible," Isabella breathed out in relief as the door swung open to reveal a casually dressed Elliot. She had been highly afraid that her casual attire of jeans and a nice top would be too underdressed for an event such as this. And, for some reason unknown to her, it had seemed vital to impress Elliot's family and friends in the clothing department. But seeing Elliot in casual jeans and button-down shirt easily calmed her nerves.
Elliot leaned against the doorframe with a lopsided grin, the warm light of the house leaking out of the doorframe and spilling out into the night. If it wasn't for the bitter cold and her aunt's boyfriend standing next to her, Isabella would have been tempted to do something really cliche. Like, staring into his eyes for a lot longer than she should have, for example. Because, for some indescribable reason, Elliot's eyes were becoming more and more enticing. Which was weird, because she hadn't really noticed his eyes to be that captivating before.
"Of course I'm wearing something sensible, it's not a gala," Elliot laughed and stepped aside to let both Isabella and the newly assigned DJ enter the house. And Isabella took the invitation to walk past him, much preferring to avoid his gaze than to avoid the strange feeling in her chest whenever Elliot smiled at her. Because he smiled a lot. The last time she had felt something like this, it had quite literally almost killed her. But she had to remind herself that Elliot wasn't like that. He was smart, funny, sweet, goofy, and didn't allow the past to define him.
And yet, there was still something holding her back. There was still a little part of her refusing to move on, clinging to the little part of her past and whispering how wrong this was. How she could never love again. Not in the way she had before. It had been too intense. Too real. Loving someone else would be like betraying herself, betraying all she had been through. How could she love again when her last victim had been snatched out of her grasp so cruelly? There was a locked up box inside of her, refusing to betray the love she had lost, and she couldn't quite find the key to open it.
But, then again, did she really need to unlock it? Or would it be better to accept the facts? Accept that she could never love someone in the way that she loved Clark. For every person is made to be loved differently, forcing yourself to love them in the same way as someone else would be the betrayal. It would be fake. As fake as it would be to hold back her feelings. So maybe it was time that she let up on herself a bit. Just because she failed at love once didn't mean that she didn't deserve the chance to try again. She supposed that she would just have to let things take their course. It was the only way to hope for an honest outcome.
So she allowed herself to look at Elliot when he fell into step beside her. And allowed herself to smile back when he smiled at her, allowing herself to collapse into his side when he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Because she had to have a little faith. For, yes, the world was full of really, really terrible things, but there were little lights in the darkness. Little stars to guide the planets through their journey around the sun. And moments like these were one of them. Moments when people would take the time to come together and celebrate nothing at all. Nothing in particular.
