Thirty-Seven. Choked

*Eleanora Elliot*

It was so easy. To be here with them. To fall in love with the same face in two different ways.

I felt so safe as Lore held me to him as we danced on the pier.

"Do me a favor?" He asked and I looked up at him.

"Hm?"

"The night you and Hale are out, be patient with him. He's nervous and would kill me if he knew I told you. But I want nothing more than to know you both had an incredible time together. He's my brother, he's in love, he's finally happy. Please treat him well." He murmured and I nodded.

"Absolutely. Thank you for telling me, I promise I'll care for him the way he does me. You both mean everything. You doing separate nights for me is more than a blessing and I'm eternally grateful. You both will never get less than my absolute love and support. I hope you know that too." I looked up at him.

"I know." He sighed, the tip of his nose grazing my own.

His hands tightened on my waist.

He kissed me, just a soft peck.

"Watermelon?" He whispered.

"My lipgloss." I smiled.

He hummed and kissed me only slightly harder.

He backed away and spun me before I met back with him, my hand on his chest, my other in his own.

I leaned up, kissing him.

Then I let go as I walked to where Hale sat.

I held out my hand and he raised his eyebrows.

"Come on." I said.

He stood and took my hand.

The couples around us seemed confused, but I embraced it. It was alright.

His hands fell to the small of my back.

"You look tired." I murmured.

He smiled.

"I'm okay, love."

"What's the matter, honey?" I whispered, my hands on his shirt as I felt over the muscle on his chest.

"I don't exactly know. But I feel... worried. Heavy." He whispered, looking over my head and toward the water.

"Do you think you may know the reason?"

"I think I'm second guessing myself." He murmured, leaning forward and kissing my forehead.

"Please understand when I say I know there isn't a competition, but I'm scared I won't make you as happy as Lore one on one." He said and his mouth trembled in the corners.

"Why? Did anything happen for you to come to that thought?" My heart hurt, but it wasn't about me.

"I just think when I'm with him it's easy to hide I'm not as verbal and I just... all I want is for you to be happy but I am scared I can't do what he does with his words and ability to express himself. I want to be good enough for you." He muttered and I stood on his shoes, tiptoe-ing as I wrap my arms around his neck.

His face was in my shoulder and he mildly shuddered.

"Do you wanna walk back to the cabin? I can have Lore get us ice cream or something for tonight?"

"Yeah."

I nodded, helping hide him the best I could as he wiped his face before I let go and walked to Lore.

"Do me a favor?" I smiled.

He looked at Hale, worried.

"Can you go get us some ice cream for dessert? We're gonna walk back." I said and he nodded.

"Is he gonna be okay?"

Hale was behind me.

With a nod from him, Lore kissed my forehead and walked off the pier into the parking lot.

I grabbed Hale's hand.

We hit the sand and the walk from here may be about 15 ish minutes.

I bent down and untied his dress shoes. When he got them off, he removed my heels and didn't let me carry them myself as we began the walk.

"Hale, I mean it with all of my heart when I say loving you is different than loving Lore. You are telling me how you feel now, proving you can communicate. You care for me, you listen to me, with you I don't need verbal reassurance because you're always there to show me how you feel about me." I held his arm.

"I call you and you make a 20 minute drive into 5 just to get to me. I notice everything you do, Lore may hold me when I cry but I know damn well you're handing the problem face to face while I'm crying with Lore, I know that." I looked up at him, his eyes glossy, cheeks damp.

"Only you would come into my room fuming, packing all my suitcases because you want me to be in the best environment I can be in. I know you do that out of your love and care for me. You may not feel this way but you're so good as talking about how you feel. Better than you think you are. You're everything I need in a man, and you treat me so fucking good I feel like I can't express my gratitude enough. I love you. And I love Lore. But I want separate nights because I love you both but I love you both differently." I kissed his shoulder.

I let the silence consume us. His occasional sniffles.

"Thank you." He whispered.

I squeezed his bicep.

"I've never meant anything more. I cannot wait to have my night with you. And with Lore. I promise ours will be perfect in our own way. I trust you with every fiber of my being. I know you love me and you'll be so considerate. But I also need you to know that you need to communicate with me too, I want to make sure you are comfortable and happy." I said.

He nodded.

"I will, love. Thank you." He swallowed firmly.

I looked at him, studying his features.

"I wish you could read my mind. Feel just a glimpse of what I feel being loved by you. It's everything."

And he looked away as he nearly choked on a sob.

And I forced him to drop the shoes as I wrapped my arms around him.

I shut my eyes listening to his hammering heart.