Page 128 of Stuck Behind Her

Aurora accepts that, and both her and Elaina go inside to get ready. I spin around, noticing Lorenzo standing in the corner. Even looking at him takes me back to that day at the lake. It still hurts. It still makes my body go cold and sends a sharp pain to my chest.

I walk toward him. “Hey. You wanted to speak to me?” I say.

He looks at me, and a hint of sadness appears in his eyes. “Are you doing any better?” he asks

No. Not any better. Maybe worse. But I think he knows that. He doesn’t need to hear it. It’s hurting him more than anyone.

I nod my head repeatedly. “Yeah. I’m doing better,” I lie. “Do you need anything?”

“I wanted to go out for a bit for some air and wanted to check if that’s okay with you. Will you be okay?” he asks, taking one of my hands. No. I don’t want him to go. I don’t want him to leave. What if he doesn’t come back? What if this is the last time I see him?

“Of course. Don’t worry about me,” I lie again. He doesn’t need to worry about me as well. He has himself to worry about. But even as I say the words, I feel my eyes start burn again. Tears rising in my throat.

He squeezes my hand slightly. “Just try not to be alone for too long. In case anything happens,” he advises.In case anything happens.

“I won’t,” I promise. Then, without warning, he leans in and hugs me. I’m taken back to that day again. Him holding me as I try to hide my tears. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. I hughim back, my hands stroking his back. My tears resurface and I struggle to hold them back.

“I’ll try not to be gone for too long,” he says.

I nod my head against his shoulder, narrowing my eyes. He pulls back, a weak smile on his face. I try to smile. I try to regroup every bit of my energy to form some type of smile. But I know he sees that it’s fake.

He lets go of my hand, walking toward to door and exiting the room. I cross my hands around my stomach, pressing my lips together. It hurts so much. Four days, and he’ll leave forever. He won’t return. Seeing him leave now is hard enough. I don’t know what I’m going to do after.

I take a deep breath, waiting for my eyesight to clear, then turn around to see Ellie melting on the couch.

“Why didn’t you let me go?” she complains.

Before I’m able to answer, a voice answers for me. “Ellie, your sister looks like she has her mind full right now. She doesn’t need to add worrying about you.” Elias’s voice makes my head spring to the kitchen. He’s standing there, looking at Ellie. He’s here.

Ellie hugs herself, pouting. He walks towards her, sitting down on the couch. “Come on, you and I can go do something together while Val rests.” He mentions, turning to me.

“Are you sure?” I ask him. I know Ellie will probably give him a hard time, especially right after rejection of going with Elaina.

“Yes. You don’t seem like you’re doing great,” he replies.

I know it’s obvious. Anyone would know something’s wrong with me even without looking. Sitting alone is just going to make me feel worse. I’m going to sink into my own thoughts until my eyes burn again. Lorenzo’s right, I shouldn’t be alone. I need a distraction.

Elias is discussing plans with Ellie and I take a step toward them. “Actually, can I stay with you guys?” I ask.

Elias raises his head. “Sure,” he replies, smiling softly.

I sit on the couch as they continue to discuss their plans. I don’t know if Elias knows yet. But he doesn’t ask me what’s going on. He doesn’t ask what’s happened or why I’m so upset. He just continues talking to Ellie, and I try to engage as much as possible. I need to distract myself. The more distracted I am, the better.

Elias

Ellie eventually falls asleep on the couch. Val sits on the floor, stroking her hair quietly. She looks exhausted, like she’s barely holding on. She talks only when she needs to, and she’s spent most of the last two days in her room. I sit on the floor, on the other end of the couch, looking at her.

I understand this news must hurt to her. Her and Lorenzo have an unmatched connection. They’re more than just friends. I can see the pain on her face: her eyes are red. Her voice is weak. She’s dying with him, mentally and physically.

I’ve seen it. How it looks to lose a friend. Lucas, Aunt April, and my father have all lost their friend a couple of years ago. I was young, but I saw how it affected them. I saw how it still does know. But I never imagined how much it hurt. How much it must’ve hurt them.

“Are you feeling better?” I ask her. She nods her head, without a word. She’s doing everything she can to stay here.She won’t go and rest, but she needs to. She’s so tired, and I’m worried she might faint or make herself ill. “You should go rest,” I tell her.

“I’m fine,” she answers, continuing to stroke her sister’s hair, her hand starts shaking. She’s not fine. She’s saying she is, but it’s obvious it isn’t. She starts breathing harder, and I notice her sadness slip for a second. “I’m just going to go get some water.” Her voice cracks as she replies. She stands up and walks to the kitchen.

She’s definitely not okay.

I stand up and follow her, watching as she opens the cabinet and grabs a glass and fills it with water. I take slow steps toward her. She doesn’t raise the glass, though. Instead, she holds it tightly as it sits on the counter.

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