Chapter 107: Finding happiness again
Elijah couldn’t let the moment slip away. He had kept silent for too long, waiting, hoping Ash would come back to him on his own. But it had been three years—three long, agonising years of searching, of missing him, of living in a hellish limbo.
And now, standing before the man he loved more than anything, Elijah realised he couldn’t wait anymore.
"Ash," Elijah called out. Ash turned to look at him, his eyes wary, as if bracing himself for what was to come.
"I love you," Elijah said softly, the words hanging in the air between them.
Ash’s face paled, and he instinctively took a step back. "Don’t," he whispered. "Don’t say...that."
But Elijah couldn’t stop now. He stepped closer, his hand reaching out but not quite touching Ash yet. "I can’t keep this inside anymore," Elijah continued, his voice cracking slightly. "I wanted to give you time. I thought if I gave you enough space, maybe you’d find a way to heal, maybe you’d come back to me when you were ready. But I can’t wait anymore. Ash, I...I died in those three years. I searched for you like a dog, praying for any sign of you, living on the hope that one day I’d see you again. And now you’re here, standing right in front of me, I can’t let you slip away again."
Ash shook his head, trying to turn away, but Elijah was quick. He caught Ash’s arm, pulling him into his embrace. "Please don’t leave," Elijah begged. "Just listen to me! I know I hurt you. I know I made mistakes. I should’ve trusted you, believed in you, instead of letting others poison my mind. I regret it every single day, Ash. But we can’t keep living in the past."
Ash trembled in his arms, silent tears slipping down his cheeks. "You don’t understand, Elijah. It’s not that simple. I hurt you...I hurt us. How can we just forget everything that happened?"
Elijah’s heart broke at the sight of his tears, but he smiled gently, wiping them away with his thumbs. "We don’t have to forget," he whispered. "But we can forgive, can’t we? We can start over. We can build everything new. Please, Ash! Can’t we spend the rest of our lives loving each other instead of holding onto this pain?"