BONUS | Extended ending + Last note

The slight hum of music filled the room as the stench of alcohol assaulted his nose.

With one last sigh, he straightened his jacket and walked towards the familiar figure.

Her brown hair now had some blond highlights as her form seemed to have grown over the span of the past five years. With hair piled up in a messy bun, she stood out in the crowd.

He felt worry slip over his expression as he noticed her hunched form as her fingers traced the rim of her glass.

Wordlessly, he took the spot next to her but didn't bother calling her name. Motioning at the bartender, he ordered his drink. "Can I get a whiskey on rocks?"

The bartender nodded as the guy in the suit noticed the stiff shoulders of the girl.

She didn't bother to meet his eyes as she spoke her next question. "What are you doing here, Eli? Aren't you supposed to be somewhere doing stuff with chemicals?" Cynthia's voice portrayed her disdain at his presence.

He rolled his eyes and brought the drink to his lips. A burn flowed down his throat as he gazed down at her. "Didn't know that my mere sight is so repulsive for you that you refuse to look my way," he retorted, making Cynthia straighten.

She turned towards him with a fire glowing in her cocoa eyes. The cerulean eyes displayed the same fire of anger in icy hues.

"Yeah! You are a sore sight for me! Now, can you just fuck off?" she hissed, leaning closer to him.

Elias smirked slightly at her words and silently sipped the drink. He shrugged his shoulders in defiance and stayed rooted to his spot. "I am here to talk to you, but if fighting is what you are good at, then let's fight."

Cynthia's eyes frosted over at his words as her anger roared to another level. "The same way you are good at running away?" she spat, making Elias wince.

Cynthia didn't need to refer to the incident to remind him of his deed. The night from three years ago played through his mind, making him shift in his seat with unease.

He cleared his throat and willed the image away from his mind (which seemed harder than usual).

"Anyway, I am not here to fight," he confessed. "I am here to talk. I heard about what happened to Azalea."

Sudden images danced in Cynthia's mind as pain returned with full force. The image of her sister shaking with seizures as her head lay in the pool of her vomit filled Cynthia's mind. Drug overdose was a disturbing death for Azalea Crimson.

His words made her freeze as all forms of emotions vanished from her face, leaving a void in her eyes. With Elias's scrutinizing gaze on her, Cynthia averted her eyes.

When she looked up, tears made glimmered, seeking attention.

"Lea is a self-centered bitch. She just thinks about herself. She didn't even think about me, or her fiance when she did that. I just don't care anymore," Cynthia sobbed the last words, hating herself to appear weak in front of everybody (especially him).

How many times was he going to witness her breaking down? Weren't the fates already satisfied with her vulnerability?

Elias got closer to her and wrapped his arms around her.

The soft material of his shirt got soaked as her tears flowed endlessly. The silent whimpers muffled as she clutched his blazer closer. "I hate her!" she sobbed now and then.

"No, you don't," Elias stated as he pulled her closer. His familiar scent with a new cologne filled Cynthia's nose.

After a few minutes later, she pulled back. "You shouldn't do that. Your girlfriend might get the wrong idea," she muttered and wiped her face with the back of her hand.

Eli offered her a handkerchief which she gladly accepted.

"First, my girlfriend doesn't care that I hug a friend when she is crying, and second, Sierra is not my girlfriend anymore," he explained, making her eyes turn wide.

"But I thought you guys were serious. I mean, you met her parents, and she met yours... I thought I would get a wedding invite soon. What happened?" she asked flabbergasted, making Elias cringe.

"Let's just say it was a nasty breakup, and things didn't work out. It is fine now... it has been three months already," Eli explained he thought about the day.

"What about you?" he added as a question.

"I went on a date, and it turns out we are not compatible," Cynthia muttered with shyness lighting her cheeks.

An impassive 'oh' was the only response she got.

"Let's grab some dinner," Elias suggested after a few minutes of silence.

They walked on the uncrowded streets, not exchanging even a word. There was a tension brewing between them as the light brush of fingers jolted them apart.

In the cozy diner, they took their seats opposite each other. After ordering their food, Elias leaned forward on his chair.

Cynthia couldn't help but notice the changes in him. It had always been in a bittersweet feeling seeing him change from across the window.

Some parts of guilt and jealousy always stabbed her heart when she saw him smiling with Sierra in the past.

It wasn't like she hadn't been in a commitment in the past few years. Just, it had never been long enough to get serious.

After the time away, they had tried to maintain a friendly relationship, but the jealousy reared its ugly head now and then, turning it bitter, too bitter for them to talk anymore.

So, now she took in his shorter but neatly combed hair and more muscular form. He was still lean, but his body seemed well-formed and muscled.

"What are you doing these days?" Elias asked, breaking her out of a daze.

Offering him a smile, she fiddled with her phone. "I am working as a graphic designer for a publishing company. Helping authors get the cover they want," Cynthia explained with great enthusiasm. "It is mostly work from home situation for me."

"What about you? What brought you back?" she asked, trying to make a conversation.

He gave her a long look and then nodded. "My parents and then I heard about Lea." She nodded in understanding. A pang of pain hit her as she looked away.

Longing grasped her thoughts, making her wish she could turn back the clock.

"Well, you are a month too late," she muttered inaudibly.

"What about you?" Elias asked, totally unknown to her words.

"Uh... I live with my dad. I can't move out now, but I will in a few months." she responded with slight shame coloring her cheeks.

A heavy silence fell between them as they stared into each other's eyes.

Unlike the times of their teenage years, it wasn't easy to get lost into each other's eyes. With adulthood came many burdens which demanded attention with every breath they took.

"Do you still have that cherry blossom tattoo from high school?" Cynthia blurted out of blue. Her eyes grew wide at her words as she realized she spoke them out loud.

"I mean not that tattoos fade, but I thought maybe after you got into a relationship with Sierra, you might get it removed or over-painted," she continued, trying to take her words back.

"Yes." A definitive answer from Eli stopped her word vomit.

"Yes?" she asked, feeling her head turn dizzy.

With eyes soft, Elias leaned closer to her. "Yes."

END • NOTE

So this brings you to the end of their story. There will be some Bonus chapters, but they will feature some scenes from the past, not the future. So, from this point on, you are free to decide how you want to proceed with their story.

I have a few bonus scenes in my mind, but I am not sure when I will write them. But if you have an idea for these scenes, please comment here.