“Who are you?” Amelia stared at the unfamiliar guy who was looking at her with a smile on his face.
“Oh no, not him,” Andrew groaned in frustration, piquing Amelia’s curiosity about the person standing before her.
“What are you doing here?” Andrew questioned Elliot, who had a smug grin on his face.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Elliot sneered as he approached them.
“No, it isn’t, right?” Andrew looked at Amelia for confirmation, but she just shrugged, indicating she had no idea what was going on.
“Hey, Amelia,” Elliot called out her name, and she turned to look at him curiously.
“How do you know my name?” Amelia asked him, genuinely curious.
“Well, let’s just say I’m a friend you forgot about,” Elliot’s face saddened for a moment but quickly recovered.
“A friend I forgot about?” Amelia repeated, not understanding what he meant.
“Don’t think about it too much. Let’s go home,” Elliot told her, earning a glare from Andrew.
“Home?” Amelia questioned, uncertain about what he meant.
“Yeah, he is waiting for us… I mean, you,” Elliot rolled his eyes playfully.
“What do you mean by ‘home’ and ‘he’?” she asked, gazing at him with a puzzled expression.
“Let’s just go. I will explain later,” Elliot promised, trying to reassure her.
Amelia wasn’t sure if she should go with him. She didn’t recognize him, but she felt a strange sense of safety around Elliot.
She had to choose between going with Elliot, a complete stranger, or staying with her crazy ex-boyfriend, who had been a monster to her.
“What the heck, Elliot? There’s no way Amelia is going with you,” Andrew’s muteness finally left him. He couldn’t just stand there and let her go with Elliot.
“Don’t try to stop me from taking her, or you will regret it,” Elliot warned, holding Amelia’s hand.
“Hey, let go of me!” Amelia yanked her hand away from Elliot’s grip.
“Amelia,” Elliot called out, feeling disappointed.
“Look, I don’t know who you are, mister, or what you’re talking about, but you can’t just grab my hand and expect me to follow you quietly,” Amelia exclaimed.
“You might not remember me, but I promise I’m a good guy,” Elliot said, trying to convince her to follow him.
He was doing this because of Liam and no one else. He didn’t hate Amelia, but he felt like ever since she came into Liam’s life, things had gone bad for him.
Elliot’s POV
I have to bring her back to him, no matter what. I won’t stand still and watch my brother suffer.
3 hours ago
Liam was running at a fast pace, looking for Amelia, when he accidentally bumped into Elliot.
“Hey, Liam, what’s wrong? You shouldn’t be running,” Elliot reprimanded him, knowing well that his heart was in bad shape.
“I have to find her. I can’t just let him take her away from me,” Liam’s breathing was heavy from the quick run he had.
“Who are you talking about?” Elliot questioned, uncertain if he was talking about Amelia or something else.
“Amelia. She left the hospital a few minutes ago with Andrew,” Liam explained. He tried to run again, but Elliot held him back, preventing him from going.
“Hey, slow down there, big guy. I can’t let you go out there running, okay?” Elliot expressed concern for Liam’s health.
“I have to look for Amelia,” Liam insisted, trying to push past Elliot but failing.
“Why are you doing this to yourself?” Elliot questioned, his voice filled with genuine concern.
“Elliot, I don’t have time for this, okay? I have to…”
“Enough!” Elliot interrupted Liam, his voice ringing out with a mix of frustration and worry.
Liam was taken aback by Elliot’s sudden outburst. He looked at him, unsure if he should ask what was wrong.
“What’s wrong, Elliot?” Liam muttered, sensing the weight behind his words.
“Every time, it’s ‘Amelia! Amelia!'” Elliot admitted, his voice tinged with frustration. “I’m sick of hearing that name, okay?”
Confusion crossed Liam’s face as he tried to make sense of Elliot’s emotions. “She’s missing, and I want to go…”
“You want to go find her, am I right?” Elliot scoffed, looking at Liam with a mix of exasperation and concern.
“What’s your problem, dude? Don’t you get it?” Elliot began.
“You’re slowly dying every single day, but you don’t care. Instead, you want to go look for Amelia, who doesn’t even remember your ass!” Elliot’s voice rang out, his pent-up emotions pouring out uncontrollably.
Liam’s face fell, stunned by Elliot’s words. He knew Elliot was worried about him and wanted him to get better.
“Yes,” Liam finally spoke, his voice filled with a touch of sadness. “But the truth is, I can never be better without her beside me.”
Elliot’s words stung deep within his heart. He never thought he would witness a day where someone other than himself had such a profound place in Liam’s heart, to the extent that he couldn’t imagine life without them.
“So, please, Elliot, don’t try to stop me,” Liam pleaded, his voice tinged with desperation.
“Liam, I will go look for her myself and bring her back to you. Go home and rest,” Elliot interrupted, determination evident in his eyes.
“No, I need to find her myself. You don’t understand…”
“Can you please listen to me for once?” Elliot groaned, frustration mixing with his concern.
“Elliot…”
“I will go and find her myself, okay? And I will bring her back to you,” Elliot declared firmly, his voice carrying a sense of unwavering resolve.
“Are you sure?” Liam questioned, uncertainty etching his face as he contemplated whether Elliot could keep his word.
“Trust me, dude. I will risk my life as long as you are happy,” Elliot uttered, his voice carrying a rare seriousness that caught Liam off guard.
“Okay, that was disgusting,” Liam cringed, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere. A small smirk formed on Elliot’s face.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I miss the heartless, ‘I don’t care’ Elliot. He wasn’t this much of a cringe,” Liam shuddered, earning a slight chuckle from Elliot.
“He’s still in me, but right now, this Elliot is the one who wants to see his brother happy,” Elliot’s words held a mixture of sadness and determination.
“Fine, I will go home. But promise me you will bring her back to me,” Liam insisted, extending his pinky finger toward Elliot.
“I promise,” Elliot declared, intertwining their pinkies.
Back to the present moment, Andrew’s voice snapped Elliot back to reality.
“You heard what she said, now get out of here!” Andrew yelled at Elliot, his anger simmering.
“Amelia, please come with me,” Elliot pleaded with Amelia as she looked at him with a tinge of sadness.
She contemplated the situation, weighing her options. In the end. She was on the verge of agreeing with Elliot when Andrew grabbed hold of Elliot’s collar, escalating the tension in the air. Amelia gasped, her eyes widening at the sight of the altercation.
“What are you doing?” Amelia exclaimed, her voice filled with concern as she witnessed Andrew’s aggressive act.
“Don’t listen to this fraud, Amelia. He can’t be trusted. I know him better than you do,” Andrew warned, his words dripping with disdain.
Elliot chuckled in response, seemingly unfazed by Andrew’s accusation. “Oh, really?” he retorted with a hint of amusement.
Anger flared within Amelia as Andrew insulted Elliot’s brother, Liam. The mention of Liam’s name triggered a pang of recognition in her mind. At the same time, Elliot’s teeth gritted, his protectiveness over his brother shining through.
“How dare you insult my brother!” Elliot’s voice boomed, his frustration boiling over.
Unfazed by Elliot’s outburst, Andrew sneered and pushed Elliot away by his collar. “Yes, I insulted him. What are you going to do, huh? Nothing. So, fuck off,” he spat venomously.
Determined to make her own choice, Amelia stepped forward, her eyes locked with Elliot’s. “I will come with you,” she declared, her voice filled with resolve.
Andrew protested, refusing to accept her decision. “What the hell, Amelia? You don’t even know him. There’s no way I’m letting you go with him,” he complained, desperately clinging to the remnants of their past.
Amelia stood her ground, her voice unwavering. “And who do you think you are to stop me? I’m willing to go with him, and that’s what I will do, rather than stay here and listen to your nonsense,” she asserted, asserting her independence.
Elliot’s slight chuckle echoed through the tense atmosphere, drawing Andrew’s furious gaze towards him.
“How dare you laugh!” Andrew shouted, fueled by his anger, he lunged at Elliot.
Amelia’s plea for Andrew to stop was cut short as Elliot swiftly retaliated. With a sudden burst of agility, he jumped up and delivered a round sidekick, striking Andrew’s face and sending him crashing to the ground.
“Let’s go,” Elliot said excitedly, a glimmer of hope in his eyes as he reached out and grabbed Amelia’s hand.
Amelia’s mouth fell open, shocked by the turn of events. Together, they swiftly departed the scene, leaving Andrew unconscious on the ground. As they left, Amelia couldn’t help but wonder what awaited her.