Ellie’s heart sunk when you first told her not to come back if she left for Abby. The words echoed in her head almost every time she thought about you on her way to Santa Barbara. The same amount of times she thought to turn around and go back to you, pleading.

Still, she had no concept of home at this point. Joel was gone. She couldn’t go back to Jackson. She wouldn’t. And you, she assumed, wanted nothing to do with her. After all, she left you when no one told her to. She wouldn’t trust her either.

Ellie let out a shaky breath as she stepped on the patio of your shared house and knocked. Everything was the same so far, as if she’d never left. Only it wasn’t. She glanced down at her hand, the two missing fingers being just a physical reminder of her mistake.

It couldn’t be fixed, but..maybe if she had you she’d feel something other than a pit in her stomach. Her heart stuttered in beating as you opened the door, the two of you now only separated by the screen door. “Hi.” She had no idea what else to say.