He's angry

Emily froze when Eli’s voice cracked across the hallway, sharp as broken glass.

“How do you expect to fix this?” he shouted, eyes blazing with pain and fury. “You can’t just walk in here and say sorry and fix it!”

Her chest tightened, tears pooling in her eyes. She opened her mouth—but no sound came.

The door at the far end of the hall creaked open. A silhouette. Movement. The hallway’s shallow light stretched out long against the cracked linoleum.

Panic spiked through her.

Before she could react further, Eli’s hand shot out. He pulled her inside his apartment with surprising ****, slamming the door behind them. The chain clicked into place instantly.

They were inside. The hall was gone. The door shut. The air felt smaller now—tight.

He backed away, arms folded, breathing heavy. The hurt in his eyes was raw. He pressed his lips into a thin line.

Emily swallowed. Gulped back the tears. She stood there, heart hammering, hands trembling.

“I—” she began, voice barely more than a whisper. “I don’t know how. But I can try. Please let me try—”

He shook his head, nearly scoffing. “You don’t get to try. Not now.”

Silence hung. The only sound was her ragged breathing.

Emily’s voice came out thin, cracking at the edges. “I did try, then.”

Eli didn’t move.

“I told them,” she said, stepping toward him slowly. “I told the librarian, I told the cops—you didn’t do anything. I was shouting it, Eli. But no one listened.”

He laughed—but there was no humor in it. Just bitterness. His arms tightened across his chest. “You waited too long.”

“I know.” Her hands trembled. “I was embarrassed, okay? I panicked. I wasn’t thinking. I just—God, I just wanted to disappear.”

Eli’s face hardened.

Emily’s voice dropped, quieter now. “But by the time I realized what they thought, by the time I opened my mouth—they’d already grabbed you. They had you in cuffs and they wouldn’t even look at me.”

She swallowed hard. “I went to the station that night. I signed the paperwork. Gave a statement. Told them you never touched me. That I was the one who lost control. That it was my fault.”

Eli’s jaw clenched.

“I know it doesn’t fix anything. It doesn’t undo what happened. But I didn’t walk away. I didn’t pretend you deserved it.” She took another step closer, her voice breaking. “I couldn’t sleep, Eli. I kept seeing your face. I came here because—I couldn’t not come.”

He stared at her, eyes red but unreadable.

Emily stopped. Let the silence stretch. Let him decide what to do with the truth.