Loving With A Heavy Heart 76 One Last Time

The night before Elle texted her father and claimed to be feeling mildly ill as her excuse for having left the party early. Fortunately, it gave her an excuse to lock herself up that day as well. The entire house left her to rest, giving Elle the silence she desired. She sat at her desk with her legs pulled up against her chest and looked out the window at the grey sky as she earnestly considered what to do.

Of course she had feelings for Adam, Elle was doubtful that there was any woman who wouldn't if they were in her shoes, but there were many other factors to consider. Her life was complicated and she had yet to gain her bearings after her father's remarriage. She also had to take into consideration that Adam wasn't a simple man. He was constantly in the spotlight; if they were to date she couldn't be careless. It wouldn't be an easy relationship.

Hours pa.s.sed but Elle was getting no where with her decision. The more she thought about it the more uncertain she became. Before she knew it it was already late in the afternoon and she had made no progress at all. Feeling fed up and more frustrated than ever, Elle took out her phone and did what she knew best. She wrote.

It had been a while since she last updated her story and her fans had been pleading for more. It was the perfect chance to give them what they wanted and to also get some feedback for herself.

Since the story was in the format of a diary Elle used the female lead to voice her own uncertainty.

'He confessed to me today,' Elle wrote, making up the imaginary details of a fake confession, 'I like him. I really like him. But the truth is that I'm too afraid to say yes. I've already sworn not to rely on anyone, not to be let down again.'

She poured her heart out into the post. It felt cathartic; Elle was finally able to voice every doubt and every insecurity she felt. When she was finished she was still unsure but she felt lighter, as if a great weight had been lifted from her. Elle made the update and then put aside her phone, waiting for the comments to start rolling in.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Adam was busy facing the repercussions of his sudden disappearance the night before. His father had called him back to the main house while his mother was out visiting friends, and had been giving him a stern lecture for some time now.

His father was busy scolding him, but Adam was barely listening. Instead he was absentmindedly staring out the window when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Adam glanced down at it and saw that he received a notification because Elle had updated her story. Before Adam would have immediately read the update but this time he hesitated. Knowing her habit of updating the story to reflect her life Adam correct a.s.sumed that Elle's latest update regarded him. He felt as if reading her personal thoughts without her knowing was an unfair advantage. Of course he could use the information to try to sway her opinion, but he didn't want to do so this time. So instead of reading it Adam slipped the phone back into his pocket.

Adam then stood up suddenly, starling his father. "If that's all, I'll be leaving now." He said as he put his coat back on.

"Have you not reflected at all?" His father grumbled.

"There was no issue, everything carried on perfectly last night." Adam replied calmly. "I had a more important matter to take care of; there's nothing to reflect on."

"Last night was an important night for the investors. Don't let it happen again." His father said firmly.

Adam agreed indifferently before quickly escaping the house. Luckily for him his mother had yet to return so she wasn't there to perform a secondary interrogation. Adam hurried back to the peace and quite of his own condo.

Once he returned home he fixed a meal for himself, washed up, and then got into bed. Surprisingly, he struggled to fall asleep. The truth was he felt more anxious than he had in a long time. Part of him regretted giving her time to think about her reply. Adam wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out.

Meanwhile, Elle was struggling to fall asleep as well. She lay in her own bed, facing her own jumbled thoughts. She had hoped her readers would have some insights to help her make a decision, but everyone seemed so excited about the romantic progress that none of their comments were helpful. She was still stuck at square one.

Elle tossed and turned for a long time that night, and finally, she felt she was able to come to a decision. Getting out of bed, Elle decided to quickly update another short entry to her story before getting back into bed and finally falling asleep.

'Is it okay to trust that this happiness can last? Is it okay to trust in someone else's words just this one last time?'