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     Eliana sat on the couch, arms outstretched and relaxed over the headrest.  The smell of vanilla and lavender exuded from her, and her brown eyes sparkled somehow, even in the dark lighting of Fez's house.  Her hair was down and curly parted to the left.  She wore one of Fez's white button-up shirts with her sage green crop top peeking through the parts that the shirt didn't cover, mostly her chest, paired with jean shorts.  She had been with Fez in his bed before the doorbell rang, Grace Smyth, presenting herself on his front porch.

     She actually recommended Fez to Grace.  The man insisted he didn't need any more clients, but she explained that Grace was currently getting weed from her ex-boyfriend of sorts and didn't want to talk to him anymore.  Grace had met Fez before (I mean... it wasn't really a secret where Rue always found drugs all the time) but this would be the first time she was at his house.

     "So are you guys together again?" Grace asked, cutting through the silence of the drafty room.

     "What?" they asked.

     "The anticipation is killing me," she said in a monotone voice.  "I mean, I actually don't care that much, but that's what everyone is saying."

     "Everyone thinks we're back together?" Eliana asked, to which Grace nodded.  "Why?"

     "Lemme think..." Grace tapped her chin with her index finger.  "Y'all were in love in high school, even after you broke up seem to always be together, was dancing and talking at New Years, come to his house every day after school, literally always hang out at the corner store, he was in the background when I called you the other day when you were at your house at night... may I add more?"

     OK.  So maybe they were still a bit into each other.

     "Oh," Eliana said.

     "Your point is?" Fez said in a tired tone.  Eliana wanted nothing more than to take him into the room and—

     "Everyone pretty much knows you're still fucking," Grace said.

     "Pfft.  No, we're not."

     "You're literally wearing his shirt, Ellie."

     "Am not," Eliana looked to Fez.  "Can you believe this guy?"

     While Eliana was a bit awkward and nervously chuckling to herself, Fez was dead quiet.  He simply sat on the lonely chair in between the couches, thinking over what Grace was saying.  Grace was right when she spoke for nearly the entire graduating class as well as half the town.  Eliana was widely known for being Mikey's sister and Fez was widely known for being... well... Fez.  So while they were a power couple in some ways, a bisection people had deduced them to be their personal entertainment factors, waiting to see what they'd do next.  If they'd bend or break.  Or break again.

     "She got a point, Ellie," Fez finally said.

     Eliana's brows knitted together, she didn't like the way he said that as if she were solely to blame for everything that happened.  "Hey, last I checked, you were the one who kissed me in the store when I came back," she said, a bit too defensively.  Grace's eyebrows raised as she looked to the floor, regretting butting her head in between them and their business.

     Fez licked his lips, tearing his eyes away in a very brief spout of anger from the boy, which Eliana could see through his eyes.  He looked back at her again.  "You was looking at me first, sweetheart."

     Despite the obvious attraction in his voice, Eliana was focused on this new problem that had been brought up.  Even though they'd been hanging out together again, they still didn't talk about their relationship, nor try to patch anything up.  "Why are we fighting?" Eliana exclaimed.  "We didn't even do anything wrong!"

     "But what are we gonna do, hmm?" Fez asked, rubbing his hands over his knees as he questioned the girl.

     "I'm just gonna go—" Grace nodded towards the door.

     "You can't just start playing monkey in the middle and then leave," Eliana tilted her head towards the other girl who was standing by the end of the couch nearest her.

     "Monkey in the middle?" Fez asked, which went unanswered.  He looked on, confused.

     Grace sighed.  "I can't just play therapist."

     Eliana looked to Fez.  "What do you think?"

     "Think about what?"

     Eliana groaned while Grace reluctantly gravitated towards a seat on the other couch so she could look at them both.  "Have you guys even talked about getting back together?"  Both parties shook their heads saying no.  "Well, that's your problem.  You just need to talk about what you want."

     She didn't want to admit it, but Eliana had been avoiding the fact that they needed to have a talk.  She liked the way things were between them because somehow it felt more natural as they were older now.  They weren't scared little kids arguing in the parking lot or passing notes in class.  This was some real shit now, Fez owning the store and Eliana almost graduating.  Plus there wasn't the pressure that came with a relationship, not the relationship they had before anyway.

     Eliana would sacrifice everything to be with him, though.

     "What do you... want?" Eliana asked Fez, swallowing the lump in her throat.  Water.  She desperately wished for water.

     He sat for a while before quietly saying, "you."

     "Why did you guys break up again?" Grace asked.  When neither one replied, she continued.  "It's really obvious you didn't want to.  So, what are you gonna do about him?" she then turned to Fez.  "And what are you gonna do about her?"

     "I loved her... I would have taken a bullet for her," Fez said in a throaty voice.  "But she fucking broke my heart."

     Eliana shook her head, staring down at her hands, balled into fists in her lap.  She sniffled, holding back tears.  "It was the hardest thing I ever had to do."

     This was true, maybe because it was really the one thing Eliana had control over.  Her parents split and her dad left, but she was an innocent bystander.  Mikey used to shoot up heroin and sniff coke off his school binders but she chose to help him hide it from Ginger and Gwen.  When their mom found out, she left it up to the hands of God or whoever to take it from there.  Sure, she stressed about it, but it's not like there was much to do about it.  Whereas with Fez, she was one hundred percent in control, not just in the breaking up, but Fez pretty much let her lead anyways.  God, she never should have broken up with him.

     "Why'd you do it?  If you could figure that out, and if it's more important than being together, then you'll have your answer," Grace said.  She made it seem so easy.

     "I was a kid... I was scared.  Of everything, the unknown.  I guess I thought one day he'd maybe leave me first anyway," Eliana admitted, unable to bring herself to look at Fez.  She saw him from the corner of her eye, staring at her, almost in disbelief.

     "I would never dream of doing that to you," he said, his heart actually tightening as everything replayed in his mind.  But he would take Eliana hurting him any day over laying a finger on her.

     Eliana broke down, finally letting her guard and allowing her eyes to tear up.  "It was stupid.  It wasn't more important than not being with you."

     "You was scared, Ellie," he spoke gently, rising from his spot on the couch to go sit next to her on the opposite couch.  Grace had never seen someone react so tender before in her life.  Fez took Eliana's hand into his as she tried to look away, in a weak attempt to make sure he didn't see her cry.  "You was just trying to make the best decision at the time."

     "I'm so sorry," she wept.  "I think about it every day.  I—"

     "Shush," he pulled her closer, still clutching onto her hand as she nestled into the crook of his neck.  "Don't be sorry.  It's all good now."

     "I put you through so much," she tore away from the soft skin of his neck and collarbone, looking into his eyes.  "I broke your heart, you said so yourself."

     Fez smiled.  "And I'd let you break my heart again every day if it meant you were better off."

     Eliana shook her head, her eyes tracing every detail of his face.  "Absolutely not.  I'm not ever leaving you again," she said before bringing her lips to his, a gesture to which he kindly returned.  It wasn't odd for the two to be so loving, especially not minding the presence of other people, but something about this was more right.  Better.  Grace didn't really mind anyway, the girl had clasped her hands together and bit down on her bottom lip out of happiness for the two, specifically Eliana.

     "Gotta love love," Grace mumbled once the other two were done with their little moment.  "Anyways, I really gotta get going.  You guys are coming to see me in the play, right?" she asked, standing up from her place on the couch.

     "Oh yeah totally," Eliana said.  She looked to Fezco with a smile.  "I'll save you a seat?"

     Fez nodded.  "Word.  I'll be there."

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