She’s too good, too sweet.
Too weak.
Too small.
No. She can’t stay.
“She’s not my damn sister!” I shout, my fist smashing against the table.
Eric sighs loudly. “We’ve been going over this for weeks, Hunter. As long as you live here, we’re a family. Ella lives here now, so get used to it. Be polite or else.”
Ella? She doesn’t look like an Ella.
She looks…
Nice.
Too nice for this house.
She can’t stay.
But then, her tiny smile grows, and somehow, her face lights up like the first ray of sunshine this bleak home has ever seen, and the ugly heart buried deep in my chest finally feels something.
Hope.
So, I swallow back my anger and whisper words that I know will change my life.
“Hi, Ella.”
I blink at the memory, trying to focus on the here and now, but it’s so damn hard when all I want to do is sleep. To succumb to the memories that twist and writhe in my soul. Some of the best moments of my life took place in that house, and they were all because of her.
The first time, someone smiled at me and meant it.
The first time, someone hugged me and meant it.
The first time, someone said they loved me and meant it.
Ellameantit. Everything she did, everything she said. She was pure light in a world of darkness.
The ache in my chest grows, and I force my eyes open just as my teeth begin to chatter. My brows dip. When did it get so cold? I swallow the bitter taste filling my mouth. I just need her. Need to see her, touch her, hold her.
I need to remind her how much I love her.
She’s blurry, but I can make out her hunched-over form as she frantically searches, searches, searches. Is she searching for me or for them?
My hand feels like it weighs a million pounds between us, but I finally gather her fingers with mine, tangling them together. Ella’s head snaps in my direction, and the second those perfect, wide eyes connect with mine, I know I’m done for.
I’m gonna marry this girl someday.
She’s just so beautiful, so sweet and kind. Even back then, when we were kids in that rotting house, I knew she was mine. Back then, our love was different. My feelings were different. I knew I couldn’t live without her. I knew she was my best friend.My favorite mornings and warmest evenings. The only time I ever felt whole, felt seen, felt safe.
Since then, that feeling has only grown.
I swallow, and my mouth is dry. I suck in a breath to cough, and it’s then that I realize the ache in my heart isn’t just because I love Ella so much but because it hurts, actually hurts.
It’s burning like someone stuck a flaming hot poker beneath my skin and twisted it until all that was left was my acrid ash, and yet, it also feels likenothing.
That can’t be good.
