6. Elliot
ELLIOT
L ucy seemed… off… after they returned from the beach trip.
Elliot couldn’t quite put his finger on why, but she avoided him the first day after their return — claiming she had a lot of work to do — and seemed distant at dinner when they met the day after.
Maybe she was feeling worried about Dominic finding out about their relationship.
After Dominic had pulled Lucy aside on the last day, Elliot had found a moment with her to ask if everything was okay. Lucy reassured him that all was well and that Dominic didn’t know about them, but she hadn’t volunteered much more information than that.
No matter the reason for Lucy being off, Elliot didn’t like it.
He loved her smile and her laugh and didn’t like to see her staring into space with a worried expression.
If she was sad, she could always talk to him about it.
So, Elliot decided on the third day after break that it was time to cheer her up.
He sent a message inviting her over to his dorm room that evening, which she accepted.
Then he put aside his homework — he’d come back to it at the last minute — and got to work.
The first step was to find Big Hero 6 , the animated movie Lucy loved so much. She’d mentioned it a few times, but Elliot had always shaken his head and told her that he didn’t like animated movies. He still didn’t, but if it would cheer up Lucy, he’d have happily watched paint dry.
Next, he set up a cozy movie-watching corner in his room — a pile of pillows and blankets on the floor, the laptop on a stand in front, and a string of twinkle lights he’d once gotten for a prank hung across the wall as mood lighting.
Finally, he went over to the Chinese restaurant to get a few of Lucy’s favorite dishes as takeout.
On the way back to his room, he stopped at the convenience store for chocolate-covered Oreos and ginger ale, two of Lucy’s favorite treats.
Smiling to himself, he headed back to his room for the final setup.
He’d asked Lucy to come at six, but at six fifteen, she still hadn’t arrived, and he began to worry. He got out his phone to send her a message, but just then there was a knock on his door. He opened it, already grinning.
Lucy stood outside in her leggings and Eastwick sweatshirt. Her hair was down in waves around her shoulders, but there was still a distance in her blue eyes. Never mind that. Elliot was certain that the combination of food and a special movie would help her feel better.
“Lucy.” He gave her a quick kiss. “Come on in.”
She stepped into his dorm and looked down at the movie-viewing spot he’d created out of pillows and blankets.
Her gaze drifted to the laptop, where the opening sequence of her movie was cued up, then to the paper boxes of food, ginger ale, and Oreos.
Elliot waited, biting his lip slightly to keep from talking.
He expected Lucy to smile, perhaps to hug him, and certainly to plop onto the floor and reach for the food.
Instead, she burst into tears.
“Luce?” Elliot reached for her, concerned. In the months he’d known her, he’d never seen her cry. Lucy let him hug her but pulled away after just a moment, still crying.
“Elliot…”
“You can tell me.” He squeezed her shoulders. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
“We made a mistake,” she said, her voice so soft he could barely hear it.
“Maybe we did,” Elliot agreed. “Maybe it would have been better to be upfront with Dominic from?—”
Lucy cut him off, shaking her head. “No. This was a mistake.” She gestured between them. “ We were a mistake. We never should have done this.”
“Luce.” Elliot couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “No.”
“Yes.” She wiped her tears and met his eyes with her own. “I’m sorry, but we can’t see each other anymore.”
“Come on.” Elliot shook his head. “Whatever this is, talk to me. We can figure anything out.”
Lucy bit her lip and wrapped her arms around her stomach. “Not this.”
“Yes, this.” Elliot seized on her hesitation. “If this is about Dominic, don’t worry. The world doesn’t revolve around him. He might be upset for a little while if he finds out that we’re dating, but he’ll get over it. We don’t have to try so hard to protect him. He’s an adult!”
Lucy’s eyes welled up, and she shook her head. “That’s where you’re wrong. I’m sorry, Elliot.”
Then she turned on her heel and fled. Elliot was so shocked that he didn’t know how to react.
His first instinct was to run after her, but it seemed like a mistake to force her to talk when she was this upset.
They’d see each other again tomorrow, and he’d have a chance to sort this out.
No matter how upset Lucy was, she wouldn’t just end their relationship like that. Not when they were so good together.
Elliot sank onto his bed, the picnic and movie he’d set up suddenly looking silly and shallow.
He should have just talked to Lucy instead of making a grand gesture.
Maybe if he’d told her how he felt, she wouldn’t have said they needed to break up.
Even now, she surely hadn’t meant it. If Elliot could just talk to her, they’d be able to sort everything out.
That night, he ate the Chinese food alone, picking at his container of orange chicken with wooden chopsticks and wishing Lucy were there. He sent her a message asking her to call him when she was ready to talk, but she didn’t answer.
The next day, Elliot met Dominic, Sunil, and Mike for lunch. Usually, Lucy would have joined them, but today, she was conspicuously absent. Elliot went back and forth about asking Dominic about her, eventually deciding that he couldn’t. His worry grew.
That night, after basketball practice, he went to the armchairs in the library where he and Lucy often met to study.
She wasn’t there, either. Torn between needing to talk to her and wanting to give her as much time as she needed, Elliot sent her another message asking if she was okay and waited in the armchairs until the sun set and the library closed for the evening.
The following day, Elliot decided that enough was enough. Lucy needed time, but the longer they waited to sort things out, the harder it would surely be. After class, he stopped by her dorm room. When he knocked on the door, though, her roommate Karin answered.
“Is Lucy here?” Elliot asked. He flashed Karin his award-winning smile and tried to peer around her into the room for a sign of Lucy.
“Sorry. She’s not in.” Karin shook her head and shrugged.
“Well, could you tell her to call me when she gets back? I’m worried about her.”
“Um…” Karin glanced behind her, then stepped into the hallway and shut the door behind her. “I’m sorry, Elliot, but she doesn’t want to talk to you.”
Just then, the door opened behind Karin, and Lucy stepped out. Her blue eyes were misty, and she had dark circles under them.
“It’s okay, Karin. Thanks.”
“All right.” Karin glanced between them, then withdrew into the dorm and shut the door behind her. Lucy crossed her arms and faced Elliot.
“Lucy, is everything okay?” Elliot asked.
“Yes.” Though she didn’t look okay. “But I meant what I said in your room, Elliot. We can’t be together anymore.”
Seeing Lucy standing in front of him, her face set, repeating what she’d said before, brought everything crashing down for Elliot. He could no longer blame this on a misunderstanding or an overreaction. Lucy really wanted to end their relationship.
Perhaps Elliot should have asked her why.
He should have told her that he still cared about her and that he hoped they could stay friends.
He should have finally told her how he felt.
Maybe, if she knew, she would choose differently.
But instead of any of that, Elliot felt a different emotion rise up — anger.
How could Lucy give up on their relationship?
It was all so sudden, and she wouldn’t even give him a good reason.
Well, if she didn’t care about him, he wouldn’t care about her anymore, either.
“Great. I just wanted to check,” he said, his tone biting. Lucy’s eyes sparkled with tears again, but she nodded.
“I’m sorry, Elliot. I really… what we had was special.”
“Maybe for you.” He shrugged. “There’s no need to be sorry. I’ll move on quickly. There are plenty of girls who appreciate my charms.”
“Right.” Lucy nodded and reached for the door handle. “Bye, Elliot.”
“Bye.” And Elliot turned and strode away before he could say anything else.
He knew, even as he hurried back to his dorm, that he’d made a mistake.
He shouldn’t have spoken to Lucy like that, no matter how hurt he was that she didn’t want to be together anymore.
It was too late, though. Everyone only got one chance at a love like that, and theirs was over.
Elliot would have to do as he’d said and move on.