A week had passed since Lila’s accident. It had been a slow torturous week for her, dealing with her emotions all by herself. The others had offered to listen if she wanted to talk about it, but she had declined. The only person who she really wanted to talk to right now hadn’t even cared enough to ask her.

Lila’s eyes misted over as she remembered the few abrupt visits that Brian had paid her. Each and every time, he’d arrived a mere few minutes before visitor’s hours ended, ensuring that their time with one another would be limited. Their conversations during these visits had been superficial and short-winded, lacking any of their usual intimacy or depth.

Surprisingly, what hurt Lila the most though was not the loss of their baby but something she saw in Brian’s eyes. It was as if something inside him had died. His eyes were blank and emotionless, their usual spark gone. It was hard for her to gage how he was feeling because Brian never held her gaze for longer than a few seconds. He always averted his eyes to the ground quickly.

Lila wished Brian could understand what she was going through right now. Her mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions at the moment. She felt so empty and lost inside without him to talk to. Nothing had been the same for her since she’d found out about thier baby.

A week ago when she’d first found out had been the worst day of her life. It was as if a part of her had died right along with the baby. The saddest part was that it had been a teary-eyed Jessica who’d broken the news to her and not Brian. That night, she’d lain awake in the cold hospital bed wondering why Brian hadn’t been the one to tell her. He hadn’t even tried to broach the subject with her. It seemed like he didn’t care at all. The whole situation was painful enough and Brian’s aloof, uncaring attitude hadn’t helped matters at all.

Lila let out a long sigh as she sat rigidly on the corner of the bed. The hospital staff had reiterated their wheelchair policy indicating that every patient leave in one. As she sat waiting anxiously, she began wondering who would be the one to pick her up. Despite the fact that Brian hadn’t mentioned it, she was certain that he knew about her release. She hoped dearly that it would be his face that she’d see when the door opened next.

As if on cue, the door opened just then and to her disappointment, Jessica and Elizabeth came in pushing a shiny wheelchair as they chatted animatedly. Lila’s face fell visibly and both girls took notice of her expression immediately.

“Ready to go?” Jessica asked her voice full of false cheeriness as she tried to play off Brian’s lack of presence.

Lila smiled back slightly in answer, but as the girls helped her up, she had to exercise all of her resolve to keep from allowing her tears to escape her eyes.

“Let’s go,” Elizabeth said gesturing towards the door. The tears burned profusely at Lila eyes and began to stream down her face as they wheeled her out of the hospital. She had been right. Brian didn’t care and from the looks of it, he never would.

After helping Lila get settled and urging her to get some much-needed rest, Jessica had set off to find Brian. It wasn’t like him to act this way. She knew how much he cared about Lila. He was just hurting right now. Lila and Brian belonged together.

She finally found Brian outside, his shoulders hunched and hands stuffed in his pockets as he stared distantly out at the water. Even from far away, she could sense the tension in his body.

She joined his side, moving slowly and without words. Following his lead, she directed her eyes out towards the water and watched the waves silently for a few minutes. Brian detected her presence but remained silent as well. He was certain that Jessica was there to complain about his not coming to the hospital to pick Lila up.

Jessica spoke quietly, her voice soft and gentle. “Let me give you some advice,” she told him.

Not wasting any time, she began right away. “It’s not that often that you get to fall in love with someone,” she paused for effect. “I mean really truly fall in love.” Brian stared back at her intrigued with what she had to say.

“How often do you become hopelessly infatuated with someone Brian?” she questioned. “It’s an amazing feeling to love someone more than life itself and have that person love you back,” she said, speaking softly. “It’s inevitable that you’ll get hurt, but isn’t it worth it in the end?” she asked touching his arm gently. “I certainly believe it is. Think about it,” she whispered.

Jessica walked away from him, leaving Brian standing alone with a great deal to think about.

Night was beginning to descend upon L.A. and still Brian remained standing in the exact same spot where Jessica had left him earlier. He’d spent the day watching the swell of waves as they rolled in. His mind had been in constant motion, just like the water from the moment Jessica had left. She’d given him so much to think about.

Throughout all these conflicting emotions he’d been feeling, his love for Lila had never wavered. It may have, at times, taken a backseat to the feelings of hurt and betrayal he felt, but his love had never disappeared. After much deliberation, the only thing he was certain of were strong feelings he possessed for Lila. He loved her more than anything in this world. He knew it now and always had. He had just been blind sighted by her actions.

As Brian stood, still clutching the since unopened velvet box in his palm, he began to wonder. If things had been different, would Lila have accepted his proposal?

His fingers tightened around the box as he remembered the first time he’d seen her. He remembered clearly turning to Nick immediately. “See that girl? I’m going to marry her someday,” he’d said. He didn’t even know her name at the time. It had been almost 3 years now since he’d said those words and his hopes and dreams of marrying Lila still hadn’t changed.

Reliving all those memories in his head as well as his heart made him remember all the good times he and Lila had shared together. He also remembered a few of the not so great times, the petty fights as well as silly arguments. The bad times were overshadowed by the good ones though.

Jessica’s words rang throughout his mind again as he looked up from the water. The moment she’d said the word’s he’d known how true they were. It was worth suffering through the bad times to experience all the good times with Lila. Everything was worth the risk if he could hold her, kiss her, talk to her and confide in her.

Unsure of his motives, he turned away from the water and began walking towards the girl’s beach house. His walk soon evolved to a fast-paced jog and then a full out sprint. As he clutched the box tightly he couldn’t ignore the same feelings of confusion and hurt which plagued him. At this point though, he didn’t care. He just wanted to see her again even if it was just for a second.

He approached the beach house and climbed up the stairs quickly. He rapped loudly on the door, nervous yet excited at the same time.

After what seemed like the longest few moments of his life, Jessica finally answered the door. He pushed past her without word or reason. It was as if his heart was leading him towards Lila as he moved quickly.

He stopped in front of her closed door not bothering to knock or announce his presence. The doorknob turned easily beneath his grasp and he crept soundlessly into her room.

Upon entering, his eyes landed on Lila’s sleeping figure. Her face was still marked with bruises, which served as an ugly reminder of the accident. To him though, Lila had never looked more beautiful. Quietly he crept over to her bed. He sank quickly into the overstuffed armchair, which was positioned by it.

Resting his eyes upon her face, he began thinking. Sometimes in life, people have to take the long way around to come back the short way. In the end though, it’s all worth it for love.

The musical sounding chime of the doorbell rang throughout the house as Mya bounded excitedly down the stairs. She skipped happily towards the door and flung it open, expecting to see AJ standing before her. Her eager smile faded quickly as she realized the person upon her doorstep wasn’t AJ at all.

“Before you slam the door in my face,” Elizabeth cautioned, “Please just hear me out.” Elizabeth still wasn’t quite sure herself what she was doing here. This was the only way she could thing of beginning to right her wrongs. Maybe this was also her indirect way of apologizing to AJ as well, since he wouldn’t even speak to her.

Mya made no motion to close the door, but kept her face blank and emotionless. Elizabeth taking her cue from Mya’s silence began slowly. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior,” she half mumbled. Being quite proud, Elizabeth wasn’t at all used to apologizing for her faults. “I guess…” she paused swallowing, “I guess I got jealous.”

Elizabeth’s words hung in the air, but were followed by silence. The last thing Mya ever would have expected was an apology. She could tell from Elizabeth’s eyes though that it was heartfelt. Elizabeth seemed to Mya like a very proud person, not at all someone who could easily be swayed into apologizing if she didn’t want to.

“I also came to thank you,” Elizabeth said quietly.

“Thank me?” Mya asked in bewilderment.

“AJ’s one of the most important people in my life. You make him happy Mya. Happier than he ever was with me,” she said softly with a smile. “If he’s happy, then I suppose I should be too. I just wanted to thank you for making him happy because he really deserves it.”

Mya’s features softened slightly as she listened to Elizabeth carefully. For the first time, she understood what AJ ever saw in her. Elizabeth’s image was often misconstrued at times because of her attitude, but when it came down to it, she really wasn’t such a bad person. She obviously cared a great deal about her friends.

“I see the way he looks at you Mya. He never looked at me that way. He really cares about you,” Elizabeth said averting her eyes to the ground. Saying those words hurt more than anything. They were true though – possibly the truest words she’d ever spoken. Her coming here wasn’t an act of random kindness. It was a way to make up for all her past misgivings. She hoped that Mya would understand that.

“Take care of him Mya. Don’t ever let him get away,” she said her tone slightly wistful.

“I won’t,” Mya promised sincerely. She stood eyeing Elizabeth for a few moments. She understood how difficult it must have been for her to come and apologize. She appreciated her sincerity and was rather touched by it.

Next, Mya did something totally unexpected. She reached out and impulsively hugged Elizabeth. The gesture was one not so much of forgiveness for her wrongdoings but more of thanks. They hugged awkwardly, breaking apart quickly.

The two girls stood uncomfortably silently eyeing each other after that. They both knew that they’d never become friends in the future, but nevertheless they shared a common ground – AJ. He was the only link between the two of them. A link that would inevitably keep them in each other’s lives forever.

[Next Chapter].[Table of Contents].