She had never thought things would turn out like this. When her and Justin had started going out two years ago, she felt like she was in a fairytale that was never going to end. They were always so happy. Though they were apart a lot because of his hectic schedule and her busy internships, they had always kept in touch through phone calls, emails, and letters. Looking back now, Elizabeth couldn’t see what went wrong. Why had he all of a sudden accused her of cheating when he had told her over and over again that he trusted her completely.

        Staring at the cup in her hands, she weighed that question over and over again in her mind. She knew Mark was watching her, but she didn’t really want to talk about what had happened. Mark was her cousin and they had grown up together in the small town until Elizabeth and Diana had moved away a few years before Diana’s death. She and Mark had always been more like friends than cousins. A lot of the time they were mistaken for exactly that. And coming to Mark was the only option Elizabeth thought she had.

        “Are you going to tell me why you drove all this way? I know it wasn’t just to see me,” Mark said, causing Elizabeth’s head to look up. Satisfied that he’d caught her attention, he reached over and grabbed her hand. “I was so thrilled to hear that you’d moved in with Anna. And then she told me you met somebody and that you’ve been dating this guy for a year. Does that sad expression on your face have anything to do with this young man you’re seeing?”

        “We broke up,” she said quietly. She looked back down at her cup, and realizing it was empty, pushed it aside. “He thought I was cheating on him.”

        “What made him think that?” Mark asked.

        “Anna’s really sick and is in the hospital. I’ve been spending a lot of time with her husband. He’s been planning this big surprise for her, so I helped him with it. So Justin just assumed that we were sleeping together.” It hurt a lot to say, but it was the truth and it needed to be said. “He accused me of sleeping with my best friend’s husband. So I slapped him and then I left. I just packed a bag and drove up here. God Mark, I don’t know what to do.” She was crying now, she realized when she felt something wet on her sweater sleeve.

        “I heard Anna got married,” Mark said. “But I hadn’t heard she was sick. Is she going to be alright?” He had known Anna since she had been five years old and looked out for her, as he did Elizabeth.

        “I phoned JC earlier today and he told me that things seem to be looking up. You know I’ve never seen a couple so in love like Anna and JC,” Elizabeth said, sighing. “I don’t know if I can go back to Orlando and face Justin. He hurt me so much by saying what he did. We’ve known each other for two years, and he never once doubted me. I just wish I knew why all of a sudden now that he’s doubting my feelings for him.”

        “How do you feel about him?” he asked.

        “I love him,” she admitted. “More than I thought I ever could love anyone. After Thomas, I thought I never could love anyone again. But then I moved out to Orlando, and everything changed. I met him the first night I was staying with Anna. He’d recently broken up with his girlfriend, who cheated on him a lot apparently. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t trust me. Maybe he’s afraid that I’m going to hurt him like Meg did.” Elizabeth sighed. “But I can’t change what happened in his past. All I can do is make sure that he never gets hurt again. But how can I if he thinks I’m going to hurt him too?”

        She was looking for answers, he realized. And she was asking him what he thought. Mark wasn’t so sure. He had never seen Elizabeth like this before.

        “Maybe you should talk to him and try to explain that you didn’t cheat on him,” Mark suggested.

        “I’ve tried that. We both just ended up at each other’s throats. I don’t know. Maybe he just needs time to realize how much I care. Maybe me being here is the best thing for both of us.”

        “I think maybe you’re right,” Mark said. “Come on, let’s go and grab a pizza.”


        He had gone over the speed limit at least five times in the last few hours, but he ignored it and kept on driving down the lonely highway, which was completely dark, with just the lights in the front of his car to guide him. JC had given him the address that Elizabeth had given JC earlier when she had dropped by on her way out of town.

        Justin was furious.

        At himself.

        He hated when he got like this. He knew Elizabeth wasn’t having an affair with JC. Elizabeth wasn’t like that, and neither was JC. He was mad at himself for even thinking that the two people he cared about would betray him like that. He also knew that the only reason he even thought that was because he was still afraid that he was going to lose Elizabeth.

        After what had happened with Meg, he couldn’t quite trust his heart completely yet. Part of him was still recovering from the damage she had caused. Being yelled at by JC was enough to knock anyone’s senses in, Justin thought. He couldn’t believe how stupid he’d been. The truth had been lying in front of him the whole time.

        He loved her.

        And this time, it was real. This time the girl loved him in return unconditionally. It was almost perfect----if only she didn’t hate him. But he didn’t blame her, of course. He didn’t think he would ever forgive himself for accusing his Elizabeth of cheating on him.

        The last three hours while driving through city after city, he had pictured Elizabeth over and over again in his mind. God I hope she forgives me, he thought. And he wasn’t worried at all about this Mark guy, whoever he was. He would do whatever it takes to get his girl back. Anything.

        It didn’t take long to reach his destination. He had left just before noon that morning, and by the time he pulled up into the driveway of Mark’s house, it was almost 5 o’clock. He had dressed up a little. He didn’t know if he was going to have to get down on his knees to get Elizabeth back, but at least he would be dressed for the occasion.

        Shutting the door to his car, he locked it up and then dropped his keys in his jacket pocket, then he walked up to the walkway and knocked on the door nervously. He had a vision of a buff guy answering the door and beating him up.

        He reopened his eyes when he heard the door open. What he had expected to see was far from what he saw when he opened his eyes. This guy looked normal, he thought. Maybe he was Elizabeth’s brother. They certainly looked alike.

        “Is Elizabeth here?” he asked quietly, afraid of the guy’s reaction.

        Hmm, Mark thought, knowing exactly who this guy was. He hadn’t expected him however to drive all the way up here just to talk to his cousin.

        “Yeah she’s here,” Mark said.

        Justin peered through the open door. “Can I see her?” he asked.

        “If you are who I think you are, I think it wouldn’t be such a good idea for you to see her,” Mark replied.
 
        “Look,” Justin started, trying not to get annoyed, “I really need to talk to her. I need to tell her something I should have said a long time ago.”

        “Buddy, calm down,” Mark said. “I’m not trying to judge you or anything, but if you said to my cousin what I heard you said to her, I----” He was interrupted.

        “You’re her cousin?” Not that he was surprised, he was just relieved.

         “Yeah.” Mark nodded and continued what he was saying. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea that you----”
 
        “Mark, whose at the door?”
 
        Justin peered his head back through the door when he heard Elizabeth’s voice. When she saw him standing there talking to Mark, Elizabeth froze in her spot when she reached the door. It took her a minute to find her voice.

        “What are you doing here?” she asked quietly.

        “To take you back home,” was Justin’s reply.

        Mark rolled his eyes.

        “Take me home? Why would you want to do that?” Elizabeth said. Had he finally realized that she wasn’t cheating on him?
       
        “Because I….I love you,” he said quietly. It sounded a lot better than it did when he said it in front of the mirror. “And I’m sorry for what I said. I don’t even know why I said it.”
 
        “Because you don’t trust me,” she said, hoping he would prove her wrong.

        “But I do trust you,” Justin said, taking a step closer to her. He almost fell down; his knees were becoming weakier by the moment. “It was me, not you. It took you leaving for me to realize that. I’ve been so stupid, comparing you to all the other girls I’ve dated.”

        She took a step closer to him so they were almost touching. “I figured you only said what you did was because of your past. But this isn’t your past anymore. This is your future. And I thought that you were over what happened. Trust me, I know you can’t just get over it. You’re the one who taught me how to love again. When I met you, I didn’t think I could feel this way again. But I did, and I still do. I want to be with you, but only if you can look at me the way I look at you and forget the past. And just look towards what we have together.”

        “I know that now.” Justin reached out his hand and clasped her hands in his and gripped, but not too tightly. “I trust you completely. I want to start our life together…right now. Without looking back at what happened before. From now on, it’s just you and me. Nobody else.”

        Elizabeth smiled and learned forward and kissed him.

        Mark was fighting a grin as he looked on at the happy couple. But they didn’t seem to notice him at all. They were gone an hour later, heading back to Orlando, ready to face all the trials and tribulations that could come their way.

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