Eli stared at the message on their phone, heart pounding in their chest. Can we talk?
It was a simple request, but it felt like the weight of everything unsaid between them had been packed into those few words. They read it over and over, fingers trembling as they hovered over the reply button. A thousand thoughts raced through their mind what did Sophie want to say? Was this the end? Or was there hope in those words?
The silence between them had stretched for weeks, so long that Eli had started to feel like it might never end. They had tried to fill the void by throwing themselves into their art, hanging out with Mae, anything to keep their mind from wandering back to Sophie. But Sophie had a way of creeping into Eli's thoughts, whether they wanted her to or not.
Eli quickly typed a response.
Eli: Of course. Where do you want to meet?
The reply came almost immediately.
Sophie: Can I come over?
Eli's heart skipped a beat. Sophie wanted to come to them. That had to mean something, didn't it? Maybe Sophie was ready to talk about what she had been feeling, to finally let Eli in after weeks of uncertainty.
A surge of hope mixed with anxiety flooded through Eli as they typed back, giving Sophie their address and agreeing to meet later that evening. Once the message was sent, Eli stared around their apartment, suddenly aware of every little detail. The art supplies scattered across the table, the blanket thrown haphazardly over the couch, the half-finished sketch of Sophie sitting in the corner.
They spent the next hour tidying up, their mind racing through a hundred possible scenarios. What if Sophie had realized she couldn't do this? What if this was her way of breaking things off? But there was a part of Eli that clung to the possibility that Sophie coming over meant she was ready to fight for them.
---
By the time Sophie knocked on Eli's door, it was nearly dusk. The golden glow of the setting sun filtered through the windows, casting the apartment in soft light. Eli's heart raced as they opened the door, revealing Sophie standing there, looking as uncertain as Eli felt.
Sophie was wearing her usual leather jacket, her hair loose around her shoulders, and her expression was soft but guarded. She hesitated for a moment before stepping inside, her eyes darting around the apartment as if she was taking everything in for the first time.
"Hi," Sophie said, her voice quiet, almost fragile.
"Hi," Eli replied, closing the door behind her. "Do you want something to drink?"
Sophie shook her head. "No, I'm okay. Thanks."
An awkward silence settled between them, the weight of everything left unsaid hanging in the air. Sophie moved toward the couch, sitting down slowly, and Eli followed, sitting beside her but leaving a careful distance between them.
Sophie's eyes were fixed on the floor, her fingers nervously tracing the seam of her jacket. Eli waited, their chest tight with anticipation, letting Sophie find the words at her own pace.
Finally, Sophie took a deep breath and spoke. "I'm sorry, Eli. I'm sorry for how I've been… how I've handled everything."
Eli's heart softened at the vulnerability in Sophie's voice. "I know you've been going through a lot. You don't have to apologize for feeling overwhelmed."
Sophie shook her head, her eyes filling with emotion. "But I do. Because I've been running again, haven't I? I said I wouldn't, but the moment things got real, I panicked. And I pulled away, just like before."
Eli wanted to reach out, to take her hand, but they held back, letting Sophie speak.
"I thought that if I distanced myself, it would give me time to figure things out," Sophie continued, her voice wavering. "But all it did was make me realize how much I miss you. How much I want this to work, even if it scares me."
Eli's heart fluttered at her words, hope cautiously blooming in their chest. "So… what do you want, Sophie?"
Sophie looked up then, her eyes meeting Eli's with an intensity that took them by surprise. "I want to stop running. I want to try, really try, to be in this. With you."
Eli's breath caught in their throat. It was what they had wanted to hear, what they had been waiting for, but it also felt fragile, like one wrong move could shatter everything.
"Are you sure?" Eli asked softly, their voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want you to feel like you have to force yourself into something you're not ready for."
Sophie nodded, her gaze steady. "I'm sure. I've been doing a lot of thinking these past few weeks. And I realized that I'm never going to be 'ready' in the way I thought I needed to be. But I don't want to lose you. I don't want to keep running away from something that feels this real."
Eli's chest swelled with emotion, but there was still a flicker of doubt, a part of them that couldn't shake the fear of being hurt again. "Sophie, I need to know that you're not going to pull back again when things get hard. I need to know that you're in this for real, not just until it gets uncomfortable."
Sophie's eyes filled with regret, but also determination. "I can't promise I won't mess up again. I'm scared, Eli. But I can promise that I'll be honest with you. I won't shut you out anymore. I don't want to keep making the same mistakes."
Eli's hand instinctively reached out, and this time, Sophie took it, their fingers lacing together. The warmth of Sophie's touch felt like the first real connection they had shared in what felt like forever.
"I'm scared too," Eli admitted, their voice soft. "But I want to try, if you're willing."
Sophie squeezed their hand gently, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I am. I want this, Eli. I want us."
The words hung in the air, fragile but powerful, and in that moment, Eli believed her. They believed in Sophie's willingness to fight for them, for the connection they had built, even if it wasn't perfect.
Sophie moved closer, closing the distance between them, and Eli felt the tension slowly melt away as Sophie rested her head against their shoulder. They sat like that for a long time, neither of them speaking, just existing in the quiet comfort of each other's presence.
It wasn't a perfect resolution. There were still questions, still fears that lingered in the back of Eli's mind, but for now, this was enough. Sophie had come back, not with promises of perfection, but with the promise to try. And for Eli, that was a start.
---
In the days that followed, things felt different between them. Lighter, somehow, but still delicate. Sophie was more present, more engaged, but Eli knew better than to believe that everything had magically been fixed. Relationships took work, and they were both still figuring out how to navigate this fragile space they had found themselves in.
One afternoon, as they walked through the park hand in hand, Sophie turned to Eli with a serious look in her eyes. "There's something I want to tell you. Something I should have told you a long time ago."
Eli felt a flicker of anxiety but nodded, squeezing Sophie's hand. "You can tell me anything."
Sophie took a deep breath. "It's about the woman I left behind. Her name was Anna."
Eli's heart raced. This was the woman Sophie had mentioned before, the one she had been in love with but left when things got too serious.
Sophie continued, her voice steady but laced with emotion. "I didn't just leave her because I was scared. I left because she wanted to move forward marriage, kids, the whole thing. And I didn't feel ready. But that wasn't the only reason. I wasn't honest with her about how much I was struggling with my own identity. How confused I was about who I was and what I wanted."
Eli listened quietly, feeling the weight of Sophie's words settle over them.
"I thought I could run from it," Sophie said, her voice soft. "But I couldn't. I hurt her, and I hurt myself. And I don't want to do that again."
Eli's chest tightened, but this time, it wasn't fear it was empathy. "Thank you for telling me," they said gently. "I'm not Anna. I'm not asking for all the answers right now."
Sophie looked at them, her eyes filled with gratitude. "I know. And that's why I think I can do this. Because with you… it feels different. Like I can actually be myself."
Eli smiled, their heart swelling with affection. "Then let's figure it out together."