LIZZIE'S POV
I woke up to the sounds of waves rolling into shore and the soft sun pushing through the light coloured curtains. I frowned and rubbed my eyes rolling over onto my back. Where the hell am I? I sat up quickly and looked around my breath speed up until I remembered last night and I started to cry. I'm so embarrassed I can't believe this happened. Robbie made such a scene and I was too much of a baby to go stay in a damn hotel.
"Elizabeth? Can I come in?" The bathroom door knocked. I wiped my face dry. "Yeah." She opened the door, her hair was in two messy braids. "Are you okay?" She came in slowly closing the door. "Yeah, I'm good." She tilted her head. "Jr and I are going on a run on the beach... You're welcome to stay here mum and Cassie have gone to the store and Tony is checking in with the coffee shop." "Oh, I can go let you get on with your day." "No, I wasn't asking you to leave, Elizabeth." She always spoke softly. "You can join us on the run?" "I don't have anything with me. I should go." "Elizabeth. You're welcome here. Mum would be so mad at me if I let you leave. I can stay in with you." She goes into her closet. "You've been very hospitable but I've caused you enough trouble," I say getting out of bed and looking for my clothes. "I'm so sorry about all the mess I've caused you. You've been so sweet and I just. I..." "Take a breath for a moment. please." I nodded copying her breathing. "I'm sorry." "Stop apologising. You've done nothing wrong." "You're a stranger why are you being so nice to me." "Because it's what my parents raised me to do." I smiled at her. "Don't cry." She tells me, she hesitates before wiping my stray tears away with the pads of her thumbs.
"NELL! Are you coming?" Jr shouted. "Two minutes changing." She lied she was still in her PJs. "What are we doing Elizabeth?" "Running," I say and she smiled. I laid you some clothes out in the closet." She says before picking the clothes up off the bed. "Help yourself to trainers." She skipped off to the bathroom.
I changed into the clothes she pulled out for me and picked a pair of her sneakers out and slipped them on she was coming out of Cassie's room at the same time. "Nell let's go come on!" Jr shouted. "Ready to meet the coach from hell?" She teased. "What?" "He's a high school football coach, he takes exercise real serious." She says as we walk down the stairs. "Nell!" He shouted again. "I'm coming geez." She says when she stands in front of him. "Water bottle. Headphones." He handed them to her. "Ankle weights. He knelt on the floor and strapped them to her ankles. "Wow, you're really serious about this," I say watching him. "I told you." He turned to put a pair on me. "No." Nell stopped him. "It's already 8 AM we don't need to torture her anymore." She told him stretching out.
We walked down to the beach and Jr told up the plan, he held Nell's wrist and did something on her apple watch. "I don't want you to fall behind me, Nell." He warned her. "Come on let's go, let's go. Full sprint first." He told her she looked at me. "I'm so sorry." She said before she started running. He looked at me. "Do you have a personal trainer?" He asked me, we were both still standing at the bottom of the house. "For Marvel yeah but not right now." "Let's get you moving then." He said tilting his head. "Like that? Like her?" I asked pointing at Nell who was like 1/4 of a mile away from him. "For now." "Like right now?" "Do you not Run Elizabeth?" He questioned. "Let's go, let's go." He said I started running to get away from his shouting it was too early for this. "Nell keep up the pace." He said jogging beside her as she slowed down we had run a mile of the beach already. "Nell keep it up. Keep it up." "I'm doing it." She shoved him running off quickly. I was behind them I couldn't keep up and Jr clearly wasn't comfortable enough with me yet to yell at me the way he was with his sister. We ran another mile and then turned back. Jr ran ahead and Nell jogged with me.
"He's intense." "Yeah, I've had that since I was 10... It's been a fun ride." She joked. "He's worse than my PT." "Yeah but he does a great job at getting me moving. Honestly, I run because I just want to get away from him going. "Let's go, Lizzie, keep it up. Pick up the pace, pick it up. Pick it up!" She mocked and I laughed. "We still have the swim. You don't have to do that though." She assured me. "In the sea?" She nodded. "Yeah." "I want to," I say, I love the sea and it's so peaceful out here. The sound of the waves and the beautiful sun was blissful. "Really?" I nodded she smiled.
I finished my water and Nell offered me the rest of hers I was grateful at first I was hesitant about drinking from her bottle I didn't really know her but the thirst got too much and I sucked it up. We got back to the house not long after Jr did surprisingly he was kicking his shoes off. "You ready." "I'm out of practice Jr, I need a minute," Nell said sitting in the sand I copied her actions. "You've been training with me for a month. You should be used to it." "Well, I'm not. My heart is beating 400 beats a minute and you put these dumb weights on my ankle." She pulled them off. "If you sit down it's going to make it worse." He pulled her to her feet. "Don't even think about it," I warned him, laying down in the sand and resting my arms over my face and breathing exhausted from the four-mile run.
We eventually get up and take our shoes off and hoodie and we walked into the sea in our gym leggings and tops, Jr took his top off and went in in his shorts. When we got into deep enough waters we began swimming I enjoyed this so much more than the running. I was ahead of the other two and I was impressed with myself. I got back to sure and drank the remainder of the water waiting for the other two to get to shore. Nell's top clung to her body as she stood up in the water her hair was slightly curling now it was wet.
"Took your time." I teased her as she tied her hair back up in a messy bun. "I actually did the four-mile run you walked it so off your high horse Olsen." She snarked back as she squeezed the water out of her top. "Wheres your brother?" "Another lap." She pointed. "I'm going to go in." She points We walk together holding our shoes as we climb the stone steps leading to the house. "How are you feeling after that?" She asked. "Better actually." "Good."
"You can take Cassie and I's shower I'll use the boys." She tells me as we climb the stairs stopping on the second floor. "Thanks... For all this. For letting me stay last night. And protecting me and I'm really-" "If you say sorry I'm going to make you use the gross boy bathroom." She chuckled. "See you in a few." She says and I nod going up to the next floor.
I stripped and showered and went back into the room. "Nell?" I went out into the hall and called, she came out of the other room holding her towel the same as I was. "Clothes? Please." "Sure, you know you can help yourself right." She says with a soft smile. "I just didn't want to go through your things." "There's nothing here, it's not my place anymore. All this stuff is from like high school." She says grabbing me something to wear. "Cassie and mum are back by the way." "Cool. I should get going." "Elizabeth, you can stay you know. Like it's no big deal. my brothers are going home tomorrow so it'll just be Cassie and Mum and me." "It's too much I'm a burden." "No you're not, we want to help you. You're in a difficult situation and I can't imagine how that must be affecting you right now." "But it's not your family's problem, just because I happened to go to your coffee shop doesn't mean you have to let me stay here." "We wouldn't have offered." "I broke your door." "You didn't do anything. Don't sweat it." "But." "I'm naked right now and I don't want to keep having this conversation." I chuckle she always seems to make me laugh.
We both changed she went into the closet and I took the main room and she came back out. "You want a hoodie? Or something?" She asked looking at my arm, I looked down and saw all the bruises she was looking at. "Please, I don't want to have to explain this to your sister." She nodded and went back into the closet returning with a school hoodie. "Standford? Who went there." I asked as I slipped it on. "Me." She says casually. "You didn't tell me!" "Elizabeth I've known you for like 24 hours." "Right, yeah of course." "When do you graduate?" "Oh, I dropped out the third week." "Oh." "Yeah, less impressive." She chuckled going through her dresser to find something. "Still impressive." "I'm in online school now." "What are you majoring in?" "Business." I nodded. "So you can take over the coffee shops?" "I have my own business where I live and just in case that doesn't work degrees are always good to have." I nodded, she doesn't give too much of her life away, anyone would think she was the celebrity and worried I was the one going to leak her life.
I sat on her bed. "Who's this?" I asked picking up the framed photo. "Oh just, someone." She says taking it from me putting it in a draw. "You don't give much away, Do you?" "You don't even know my real name, I'm like super mysterious." She jokes. "I don't know your name?" I asked shocked. "Nope." "So your names not Nell." "You think my sister's name would be Cassandra and my brother is Anthony and Robert Jr and mine would be something so... causal as Nell?" "It's unusual. I thought they were going with that vibe." "No." She chuckled. "So tell me." 'No." "I'm currently living with you. You know more about my fuck up of a life than my family. I should at least know your name." She scrunched her face up as she teased me. "I'll ask your mother then," I say standing. "Go on then." She encouraged with a cocked eyebrow, she reminded me of Scarlett at this moment. "I'm not going to do that," I say sitting back down. "Eleanor. But you never get to call me that." She tells me firmly. "Eleanor... Eleanor." I repeat it a few times liking how it sounds. It suited her. "Eleanor," I say smiling at her. "No." She warned. "Eleanor," I say again smiling at her. "Eleanor," I say again. She didn't look impressed. "Alright pack your bags get out." She joked.
"Who's in the photo?" "My dad. But we don't talk about that." She was firmer with me this time so I didn't push her. "Want to grab breakfast?" She asked. "Yeah, I'm starving." "Cassie said your Vegan right?" "In the week, the weekend I'm less strict." She nodded. "Is anyone here Vegan?" "Cassie actually, she idolises you so." I smiled and blushed. "She would do anything you did. It got really annoying when the age of Ultron came out she was convinced she had wiggly woos." I laughed. "Really?" "Oh yeah, and she would just go around doing this thing." She mimicked my hand movements. "And would just throw this imaginary whatever she thought it was at us in the middle of an argument or a disagreement and it was a whole thing. So thanks for that." I was laughing.
"Morning Elizabeth Olsen." "Cassie, you don't have to say her full name." She tells her. "Right yeah." She turned away with a soft blush on her cheeks. "Morning sweetie." Her mum pecked her cheek. "How was your run and swim?" "He made me sprint two miles and jog two and then I died," Nell said dramatically sitting down on a stool at the island. "So typical Sunday morning." "Yeah only this time it was 2 hours later than normal so it was a little less like torture." "Sounds fun sweetie." She nodded. "Did you girls want breakfast?" "Please we're starving." I looked at Nell. "She's a mum she's used to her kids saying they're starving Lizzie, it's no big deal." She dismissed me.
"Oh no, make yourself at home Elizabeth, really over the years, we had so many of the kid's friends over. Nell's best friend Ria comes to the house when Nell isn't here and help herself to dinner and food, take a nap on our couch use our pool." She rambled on. "Really?" I asked shocked. "Yeah, all the time." Nell was quiet picking at her nails not engaging in conversation at all. I sit beside her on the stool and nudge her. She looked up her eyes were glazed. "Actually mum I'm not that hungry. I think I'm going to go um, check-in with Tony at the store." She says standing. "Oh, sweetie I didn't mean to upset you." "You didn't, I'm fine."
"I'll be back in like 3 hours. Cassie, look after Elizabeth." She says before just leaving. I was confused about what just happened. "Cassie can you go be elsewhere," Anna said. "Okay." She left swiftly texting on her phone. "What just happened?" "Ria was Nell's bestfriend." "Did they have an argument or something?" "She died when the girls moved to college a few years back. It did a number on Nell and she's just doesn't handle those emotions too well." I teared up thinking about losing my best friend what that must have done to her. "She dropped out the same day and she's slowly getting her life back but with her dad just passing we're, well I'm worried she'll retreat again." "Just?" "A month ago actually. She came home to help with the business whilst I looked after her father and then he passed and she stayed because Cassie has been struggling and she's the only one out of her siblings that could quite literally drop everything." "I had no idea you guys were going through that. I should. I... My... I'm going to go." "No sweetie it's okay." How did I make their lives harder? I brought all this trouble to them and they lost their father a month ago!
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Nell came back at dinner with Tony they were teasing each other as they came into the dining room. She didn't seem upset anymore. "That was a long three hours." Cassie comments. "I had things to do." She says. "Like?" "Cassie, leave your sister alone," Anna warned. I moved over so the other two could sit down beside me on the bench. Nell slipped in beside me and her brother beside her. They helped themselves to the dinner her mother prepared us, she was really accommodating to my diet and made a vegan dish and none of her children complained whilst eating it either.
"You feeling okay?" "Yeah," I say smiling at her softly. "Elizabeth, are you staying the night?" "If you'll have me," I say to Anna. "Of course. Nell has to drive Tony to the airport if you would like to go with her and get some stuff." I forgot I had nothing with me but my phone and purse. I had to go back to the house where he'd be and I'd have to face him.
I felt a hand on my knee and looked down before looking over at her. "We don't have to, I have plenty of things here you can borrow." "Thanks." She smiled at me and I felt calm again. No one brought it up again and we continued to speak about random things that didn't upset anyone. No bestfriends, no dads, no Robbie or going home.
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I end up going with Nell to LAX to drop her brother off, they have a really good playful bond and they constantly go back and forth with one another. They shared a sweet goodbye before she climbed back in the car. I waved to him through the window. "It was lovely to meet you." "Sorry I can't get out of the car and give you a proper hug." I apologise, Paps are always camped out here and I wasn't ready to face the world yet. "I get it." He says smiling and waving before going inside the airport.
We drove quietly for a while the music playing filling the air. "Did you want to stop by your house and gather a few things?" "No." I say quickly "Okay." She didn't push me. I liked that about her. "Are you okay?" I asked her. "Yeah, I'm good." I nodded. "Your mum told me about your dad." "Oh, she did?" Why was she so casual about this. "Yeah, are you okay?" I asked again. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's the circle of life it happens." "How do you do that?" "What?" She was genuinely confused. "Just pretend it doesn't matter. Like you're not hurt by it." She shrugged.
"How are you feeling?" "We're talking about you." "No we were and now we're not... It's the flow of the conversation, Elizabeth." She says in a teasing tone. "So how are you feeling?" She asked me again. "I don't know." "That's okay, it's a complicated time." I nodded. "I just thought this was it, you know. I was going to spend the rest of my life with Robbie and then he changed." She sat listening. "And when he changed I didn't like it. I felt stuck." I explained a little more. "And the arguments I could deal with but when he... I just, I couldn't do it. I know I don't deserve to be treated like that." "That is correct." She agreed with me. "But he said sorry in the morning and I felt bad because he was sad." "You were there at the coffee shop, right? Like you saw what he did to your laptop?" I nodded though she wasn't looking at me. "Someone who is sorry doesn't react like that." "But he looked so sad." "Lizzie you don't want to go home because you're scared of seeing him. I don't care if he looked heartbroken, it's not an excuse for what he did." "I know. But he's my fiancé." "I know but you ended things and you're allowed to not want to be in that environment." I chewed my lip.
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We arrived back at the house. "Cassie has gone to your brother's house." "Oh fantastic she's been away for a week home for a day and then she goes." She teased. "You'll have her attention when she comes home. Jr is taking her and Molly to the theme park tomorrow." "Makes sense." She disappeared into the house. I think she is used to doing her own thing and forgets that I'm here.
"Elizabeth can I speak to you?" Anna asked and I nodded she lead me into the downstairs office. "I have contacted my friend in Hollywood." My eyes widen. Has she told them, what if this gets out into the media? I'm so screwed. I shouldn't have been so naive and trusted a stranger. "She's a divorce lawyer. A really good one and she keeps everything lowkey. I haven't mentioned names or anything. Here's her card." "We're not married yet." "No, I know but with the house being in both your names and I assume other assets." I nodded. "She can help with that." "Oh, thank you." She smiled and handed me the card. "I appreciate everything and I'm so sorry about the damage at the coffee shop and the drama I've brought to your lives." "Elizabeth it's no big deal, it's just glass it was swept up and replaced. I'm just glad you girls are both safe and okay." I nodded. "I'll be out of your hair soon." "Don't worry, you're welcome to stay at long as you need. Nell is going to stay home tomorrow." "She is?" "She doesn't know this yet but she is. So if you need a ride anywhere I'm leaving her the car. Jr is coming to pick me up in the morning." "Oh, she doesn't have to do that." "Nell will be happy to."