What She Concealed

by Jannat Bhat

  “Okay, I’m on my way.” She hung up and drove to the hospital like a madwoman. Reaching there she saw Carter, Ethan and Naomi in the waiting room of the emergency ward. “How is he?” She asked, out of breath.

  “He’s still inside.” Naomi was trembling and Ethan went to put his arms around her in comfort. For the first time, Eliana saw the redhead didn’t shake him off. Carter stood quietly next to them. Tears fell down her cheeks as she paced about the waiting room unable to stand still. The doctor who introduced himself as Dr. Marvin, finally came out to meet them with the relieving news that Julian will be fine was when Eliana took a deep breath again. “Can I see him?” She asked the doctor.

  “He’s under sedation right now. After we move him to the ICU, you can see him if you want.” Mr. Marvin said gently.

  “Thank you.” Eliana waited until they did that and she was the first person to visit him. The rest of them waited their turn, feeling guilty for the condition Julian was in. Hours later all had gone home except for the dark-haired girl. Julian opened his eyes and saw Eliana right there next to him. “Hey.” She said softly, laying a hand on his arm.

  “Why are you here?” He asked, groggy from the sedative he was given.

  She thought long before answering. “You’re hurt.” She said finally, looking at the bandages on his head and right shoulder.

  Julian turned his face away from her. “I know exactly how much I’ve hurt myself.” He said. “And you.” Julian wasn’t talking about being hurt physically. He meant the heartache he had caused them both. “Could we move on and start the New Year with a fresh start between us?”

  “You should rest, Julian,” Eliana said and stood up. “And I should head home. I’ll come by tomorrow after school” She didn’t want to leave him but she dint want her father to question her either. And what right do I have to be by his side and tend to him? She wondered as she made way to her car.

  Days later, Christmas came and went but Julian felt none of the holiday cheer. Mia threw a party at her farmhouse since it was the New Years and because her friend had been discharged from the hospital. Julian came only because he didn’t have the heart to refuse Mia. But after spending an hour in the house with loud music and the continuous buzz of conversation from the people around him, he did feel the need to get some air, so he quietly made his way up to one of the rooms. He found an empty one with a balcony attached to it and stayed there, cold wind ruffling his hair.

  Though his friends were at the party they didn’t feel like celebrating much considering Julian’s mood. Especially Eliana. She felt suffocated and the music blasting from the speaker was giving her a headache. So she went upstairs to find some peace and quiet but instead found Julian. She said walking up to him. “Hey, you okay?” She looked at the bandage wrapped around his head.

  “I needed some air.” Julian continued looking down at the huge lawn with people scattered around in small groups talking and laughing. “And before you ask, I didn’t stay at home because I was tired of lazing around.”

  “You weren’t lazing around. You were hurt and you were recovering.” She said. She didn’t like how little Julian thought of himself sometimes. She hated the fact that sometimes she thought so less of him too.

  “Why are you here? Don’t you have a party to attend?” He asked. “It’s almost midnight.”

  “I needed some air too.” She said. “It’s okay if you want to be alone.” She turned to leave but Julian’s hand take her arm, freezing her in place. She couldn’t do this with him right now. She didn’t have it in her to resist him anymore. Not when he looked at her with his heart in his eyes. “Let me go, Julian.”

  Julian turned her around with ease and she fell in his arms. The two stared into the depth of each other’s souls. Julian’s dark eyes reflected all the pain and longing he felt for her and Eliana fought the urge to touch him. “Please.” She said weakly.

  “Fine.” He said dropping his hand. “Leave.” She doesn’t move. “You said it yourself that you hate me. Then why, Elly, why do you lose yourself every time you look at me?” Julian asked softly. “Every time I come close . . .” He stepped forward. “Every time I touch you . . .” He lifted his hand and gently caressed her cheek resting his other on her hip. “Why do you feel so right?” Confronted with the truth, Eliana tried to flee again. But Julian’s hold on her was firm. “No more running, Elly. You’ve run long enough.” As the intensity of his gaze got too much for her to bear, she looked away. “Look at me, Elly.” He begged. “Avoiding me won’t change the truth. I can’t stay away from you, not anymore.”

  Eliana was powerless in his arms. She was a puppet and he was her master holding the strings.

  “Have you not felt this pull between us from the moment we met?” He asked and brushed his calloused thumb against her lower lip. “I know it down to my soul, Elly. We belong together.” He rested his forehead against her. “Say it, Eliana. Just once, tell me that you feel something for me. Please.” Eliana had tears pool in her eyes and she didn’t want Julian to see her this way, a bubbling, and confused mess. “I even said please.” Julian gave her a small touching smile.

  The clock struck midnight and fireworks surrounded them with its colorful glow. Eliana loved fireworks but right then she could only see Julian. She pulled herself away from him and ran before he could see her fall apart. How could she say anything when she couldn’t begin to understand what she felt for him? Could she dare love him again after he had broken her heart? Was she willing to give him that power over her? She had tried to be indifferent to him but failed miserably. Everything about Julian affected her. His presence, his absence, everything. When Mia intercepted Eliana on her way to the car to wish her a happy new year but saw her crying, she asked what was wrong. “Nothing, I’m fine,” Eliana said.

  “Did you argue with Julian again? You guys need to sort out your issues before it’s too late.” She advised her friend.

  “There is nothing to sort out,” Eliana said.

  “Are you sure, Eliana? Then why does he affect you so much?” Mia observed. “From the day you both met, there is something there, whether you know it or not.” She said wisely. Eliana couldn’t sleep that night nor could Julian, both wrapped up in the complexities of love.

  Once school started again, Elaina went to the cafeteria during her break and saw Naomi and Mia at the table.

  “I swear Mia, one day Ethan will die of my hands!” Naomi was saying angrily.

  “What happened?” Eliana asked the redhead, sitting down after getting herself a bowl of ramen.

  “Naomi and Ethan argued again. I don’t understand why everyone keeps fighting in this school. First, it was you and Julian and now these two.” Mia asked. “Oh, I just remembered. I haven’t shared with you the pictures we took the other day at the party at my farmhouse. The one Julian threw on your birthday. I’ll just send it to both of you now.” Mia said tapping at her phone. Eliana and Naomi’s phone dinged almost immediately. Eliana took a look and saw a picture of herself with Julian. It was taken when they were dancing together. Her heart ached at seeing it. They looked so . . . right. “You know, full disclosure. When you guys aren’t fighting, you look quite good together.” Mia said, holding up the same image as she had.

  “I kind of agree.” Naomi said as she slid through the pictures and found one of herself and Ethan. Her gaze lingered on it before she swiped to see the next one.

  Eliana was at her locker after school when her eyes drifted towards Julian’s. She could just imagine him standing there teasing her with his smart-ass comments and that infuriating smirk. She missed him so much it pained her physically.

  Julian was excused from the football practice because his shoulder was still sore. So when he got caught in the middle of the verbal war between Naomi and Ethan in the parking lot, he got pushed out of the way which pressured his wound and it instantly started bleeding. Pain blasting up his shoulder, Julian got into his car and accelerated out of the lot. The others didn�
�t notice Julian dropping his assignment file as they were busy trying to stop the two from pulling each other’s hair off. All . . . except for Eliana. And that is why she followed him. She had been driving to the school herself a lot more compared to the beginning of the year.

  She followed Julian to his apartment to give him back his file and make sure he was okay. When he opened the door, Julian had removed his shirt and was naked from the waist up. He stood with his powerful chest to her trying to understand what to make of her presence. Looking at his body, her words deserted her. Julian left the door open and went back to find something to clean the blood on his shoulder.

  “Julian.” She said after coming in and closing the door behind her. He paused at her voice but didn’t turn around. “You dropped this.” She handed him the file.

  “Thank you.” He said stiffly.

  She regarded the blood on him. “Does it still hurt much?”

  Julian took a deep breath before he answered her. “No more than your silence. No more than you denying us. I took you for many things, Bennett, be it stubborn, feisty and loyal but never to be a coward.” His words stabbed her in the heart. This unforeseen rebuke was the last straw that burst her carefully safeguarded emotional balloon and she broke down crying. He looked up and forgot all about the pain in his shoulder. “Elly?”

  “Don’t talk to me!” She stepped back.

  “Elly, what happened?”

  “I hate you!” She said passionately, tears falling one after another. She turned to leave but Julian grabbed her hand, turning her around he pressed her against the door, caging her. Julian’s eyes burned at the sight of seeing her. “I love you.” He said, plain and simple. There was nothing more to it. Just the love that burned in him for her.

  “I can’t . . . I miss you.” She whispered feeling drained. Be brave, she told herself. If not now, you may as well never say it. She had been drawn to him the moment she’d set eyes on him at the court and it dawned on her that Julian and she were inevitable.

  “I miss you too, Elly and I love you.” He bent his head and murmured across her cheek. “More than you’ll ever know.”

  Eliana closed her eyes and finally confessed. “I love you, Julian.” More than I’ll ever show.

  Julian’s hand slid down to her hips and pressed her into him, as the two students fell into a lover’s embrace and breathed life into each other. It wasn’t only their lips they touched but their souls. Julian kissed her with the pent up passion that he had felt for months and it left her breathless. Eliana felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest. She had freed herself with her confession of love and Julian felt more alive than he had in weeks. He had made a wish at new years as the clock had struck twelve, and she had come true.

  “Julian, I want to keep this to ourselves for a while. Let’s not rush this.” Eliana said a while later as she lay in his arms on the couch with a warm cup of coffee that Julian had made for her. She was already nervous about what others would say. And she needed time getting used to them as a couple.

  “Yeah, Bennett, how could you confess your love so early? I mean you barely know me.” Julian said sarcastically. Eliana gave him a look. “Alright fine. I’ll pretend some more. As long as I have you to myself when no one’s around.” He leaned in and kissed her once more.

  When they all met at their lockers the next morning, Julian had a jump in his walk and was whistling to himself. “You seem happier then we’ve seen you in days,” Ethan commented looking at Julian who was all smiles.

  “Yeah, I feel much better,” Julian said cheerily.

  “Are you about you pull another prank on Eliana? You always look so happy when you’re about to mess with her.” Naomi asked, raising her eyebrows.

  “Do you not learn from your mistakes at all, Julian?” Mia asked as she removed her father’s wedding invitations from her bag.

  “Please Mia, I’ve got better things to do with my time,” Julian said at Eliana’s scowling face.

  “Okay guys, these are for all of you.” She passed around the invites. “And I don’t want to hear any excuses, each one of you is coming.”

  “Oh my god! It’s this weekend.” Naomi jumped in excitement. “You know what this means?” She looked at Eliana and Mia both. “Shopping time! It’s about time I buy a new dress.”

  “I’m so sorry Mia, but I’m not going to be around at the time,” Jax said.

  “What do you mean?” Eliana asked him. She had no idea he was going anywhere. Is this one of the trips he took without letting anyone know the specifics? She wondered.

  “I’ve promised someone that I’ll be visiting them this weekend. I can’t go back on my word and he’s not easily available.” Jax explained. He didn’t want to hurt Mia but it was important for him to make it to the appointment.

  “Really?” Mia seemed disappointed “Do try though. I would love to have you there as well, Jax.”

  “If I can finish early, I promise I’ll try to make it.” He said to his friend.

  “So Mia, is it love or arranged?” Carter asked.

  “Dad and Nicole have known each other since kindergarten. After Mom and Dad were divorced, Nicole’s been like a rock and supported him and me. I’m pretty sure it’s love.” Mia said dreamily.

  Naomi sighed deeply wishing for someone to love her as much as Nicole seemed to love Mia’s Dad, completely unaware of the fact that the guy who loved her was right there besides her.

  “We should get to class guys,” Ethan said walking forwards and the others followed suit.

  During break, Julian opened his locker to find an upside-down photo frame in his locker. Frowning he picked it up and turned it over. A smile broke out on his face. It was a close-up shot of Eliana and himself dancing at Mia’s farmhouse. He noticed a small message at the upper right corner of the picture. ‘My beloved – EB’ Eliana shortly found notes of sweet nothings in her locker every time she opened it signed off with ‘Your beloved – JR’ She blushed each time and kept them neatly folded in the back of her locker.

  As the weekend approached, there was a buzz of excitement regarding the wedding among the friends. Eliana was about to go shopping with Naomi and Mia for a dress when she found Jax in his room packing a weekend bag. “I’m going to be fine, El, stop hovering.” Jax said when he saw his sister at the door, arms folded, staring suspiciously at the bag on his bed. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

  “Are you going to tell me where you’re going this time?” She asked coming inside and sitting on the bed beside the bag.

  “Nothing to worry your pretty little head about.” He said kissing her on the forehead.

  “Jax, you know that you can tell me anything right?” She asked.

  “I know. And seriously El, chill out. I’m just going to meet a friend.” He continued to stuff his bag with a pair of jeans.

  “Do I know this friend?” She asked curiously. She was treading into dangerous territory and Jax confirmed it.

  He gave his sister a look and said with a change in tone. “Drop it, El.”

  Eliana was disappointed that her brother felt the need to keep things hidden from her. Especially when she could see that he was bothered by it. She would hate Jax to fall back into the dark hole he had when their mother had died. If he won’t tell me, I’ll have to take matters into my hand. She decided to snoop into his room before she left to attend the wedding. “Mia would have loved you to come.” She said, aloud.

  “I know she would have. I’ll try to come back as soon as I’m done.” He chained his bag and lifted the strap onto his shoulder. “Say bye to Dad for me. And have fun at the wedding. And don’t fight with Julian.” He ruffled her hair gently and she slapped his hand away.

  After Jax had left and Eliana was ready to leave for the wedding, she went to Jaxon’s room. Looking for a few minutes she found some papers hidden under his mattress. Inspecting the documents she found the case files on her mother’s accident. Her suspicion was right. Jax hadn’t given up an
d he was still out hunting the person whose car had hit their mother. She just hoped he would one day feel that he could share this with her.

  Chapter Nine

  The wedding had taken place at a church located right in the middle of the city and the reception was being held at Mia’s farmhouse. The ceremony was beautiful with Nicole looking the most gorgeous bride Eliana had ever seen and Mia’s Dad in his tux, taking their vows in the eyes of God, to always love and cherish one another, in sickness and health were bonded to each other as man and wife. They met Mia’s two younger sisters and introduced themselves to about a hundred cousins whose names blurred in their minds by the time evening arrived.

  Because Mia’s father Jack Sanders, was a wealthy businessman and the farmhouse had a big garden to it that stretched for acres, it seemed to be the ideal place to hold the reception. The place had been decorated in a beautiful golden waves of twinkling lights and the color theme of white and gold reflected a fairytale décor.