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John regained his composure, banishing the myriad of negative thoughts and emotions which plagued him. Surprisingly, despite feeling on the verge of a panic attack earlier, John felt slightly better after voicing what had been bothering him.

He inhaled deeply, then huffed. Noticing Ellie hadn’t checked on him, he felt appreciative she respected the space he needed. Exiting the bathroom, he took a step towards their table, only to halt abruptly.

At the table now sat an unexpected addition, one that was sitting uncomfortably close to Ellie. The alchemist shifted, and though he couldn’t hear what was being said, Ellie seemed to be responding to the girl negatively.

He began approaching in order to introduce himself to the new person. The girl’s piercing blue eyes locked onto his, her elated expression dropping as she looked at him before her black lips curled into a smug smirk.

Her striking appearance caused John to stare, checking out the newcomer. Her gothic aesthetic was on par or slightly more intense than Valerie’s. Dark makeup contrasted with her ghostly white complexion. She was like a modern-day enchantress and sported a thick lace choker adorned with a crimson jewel.

Her attire left little to the imagination; a daringly cropped long-sleeved shirt revealed hints of underboob held up by straps forming a pentagram, while a hooded half-corset cinched her waist.

Fishnet tights peeked over the waistband of her black jean shorts, and several chains linked from her belt loops to the thick leather belt around her waist. A leather girder squished her thigh. The tights and girder were complemented by knee-high socks and a pair of black all-stars.

The moment Ellie noticed John’s approach, a relieved expression crossed her face as she almost leapt out of her seat, putting distance between herself and the mysterious girl. “Oh, John, how are you? Are you feeling better? Come, join us,” she offered, gesturing to her vacated chair.

The smirk on the goth girl’s face faltered as Ellie distanced herself, irritation evident as John passed by. “Yeah, I think I just got a bit overwhelmed. So, uh, who’s your new friend?”

Taking the seat next to the girl, John noticed her subtly shuffle away from him, while Ellie settled onto his lap, pulling him into an embrace.

“Not exactly,” Ellie responded in a flat tone. “Selene just happened to visit the shop at the exact time we were meeting with Val, her aunt. Quite a coincidence considering it’s quite inconvenient given where Val lives and where her office is located.”

Understanding the sarcasm and sensing Ellie’s discomfort, John pulled her closer, leaning his head on her shoulder in a gesture to give and seek comfort.

Selene smirked, her hand gracefully brushing through the short black hair on her left side; the movement brought attention to the ring on her left eyebrow, and the two rings at the top of her ear.

Seemingly noticing his appraisal, she then swept her long silver hair out of her eyes, uncovering two rose gold spider bite rings on the right of her plump lips, and a pretty and thin chain linking her nostril studs.

Leaning in, Selene placed a hand on Ellie’s knee. “Oh, don’t be like that. It’s been ages since we’ve seen each other,” she teased, a hint of a northern English accent colouring her words.

Ellie shot her a glare, frustration palpable. “Like what exactly? Like I’m talking to someone who ghosted me? Like someone who you wouldn’t even have a conversation with or explain what I did wrong?” she retorted.

John’s heart raced at Ellie’s words which mirrored his own fears, his arms instinctively tightening around her. He didn’t say anything but exhaled against her shoulder before kissing it, a silent reassurance that seemed to soothe her. “I’m pretty sure she’s not just Val’s niece, right?”

A smile crept onto Selene’s lips. “I’m her girlfriend,” she declared, rubbing Ellie’s knee. “We’re just having a little lovers’ spat.”

Ellie clenched her jaw, then released a heavy sigh. “No, we’re not,” she stated firmly. “You made it crystal clear we were done, with no chance for me to change that, and I’m over it.”

Selene’s face dropped, resembling a sad puppy as she noticed Ellie’s tone shift. She took a deep breath, her voice softening with remorse. “I regret how I ended things,” she admitted, her gaze shifting to John. “I am surprised to see you with a boyfriend though. I thought your interest in guys was more look but don’t touch. Never thought you’d actually get in bed with one never mind a relationsh-”

“Enough, Selene,” Val interjected, her voice firm. “What is the point of apologising if you follow that up by being antagonistic? Are you actually trying to ruin any semblance of a relationship you might be able to salvage?”

“It’s just a little tease,” Selene defended, drawing closer to them. “I’m just curious about Ellie and her new boyfriend. Supposedly they’ve barely been together for a fortnight, but they act like an old married couple. It’s suspicious, don’t you think? For all we know he’s blackmailing or manipulating her, or-”

The back of Ellie’s hand connected with Selene’s cheek before she could finish, and she stood, grasping John’s hand. “Thanks for joining us, Val. It’s time we left, though, maybe we can see you again without any unwanted intrusions.”

Selene was silent, her face frozen in shock as a red mark began to appear. John managed to utter goodbye before Ellie pulled him out of the shop. She didn’t stop when they were in the street, instead dragging him into the alley between the buildings and pulling him through a door.

Once in her lab, Ellie let John go and she half stomped towards the couch, falling face-first onto it with a huff.

John sat on the edge of the couch, stroking Ellie’s back. “Hey beautiful, are you alright?” he asked, concerned.

She took a deep breath and turned her head to look at John. “Yeah, sorry. I managed to calm myself, but when she started accusing you… that slap was therapeutic. I just need to cool off for a minute. Cuddle me?” she asked, turning her body and holding her arms out toward him.

John helped Ellie up before laying on the couch and pulling her into his arms. Ellie sighed resting her head on John’s chest. “Are you sure you’re alright? Want to talk about it?” he probed.

She looked up at him with a weak smile and leaned up to kiss him. “Don’t worry, I’m fine, you make me feel safe. I let out the bottled feelings I had about Selene and I would have stayed civil if she hadn’t made comments about you. How about you text Robin and Alison to meet us at the bus stop in like half an hour? That’ll give us time to cuddle for a while longer, and then get a ride, and I’ll tell you more about Selene and me if you want.”

John smiled, stroked Ellie’s hair and kissed her. “That all sounds good, I’ll do that now,” he agreed, taking out his phone and sending the messages.

As the two continued to cuddle, Ellie looked up into John’s eyes. “I’m glad you opened up with Val earlier. I am sorry that it got you overwhelmed, though, but I want you to know that there is nothing that would ever make me run away from you, I’m not joking when I say you’re the best thing to happen to me.”

“I know. I don’t think you’ll run away; it’s just that when I was at dinner with my mom, some family stuff came up. At the time I was just kinda reminiscing about it but I guess it dredged up some things,” John muttered.

“You can always talk to me about anything, and I want to hear about everything,” Ellie reassured him, smiling and cuddling closer to him. “My life since meeting you has been amazing. It got me thinking about what might have happened if you didn’t have your powers and if we’d have ever met.”

John remembered the day and frowned, tightening his grip on her. Ellie smiled back. “I’d like to think even if we didn’t have that encounter at the park, that we’d still have met eventually.”

“I hate to think what would have happened to you if I hadn’t been there that night, though. It gives me a pit in my stomach,” John admitted.

Ellie snuggled into him. “Well, I’ll admit I was shocked when you started fighting, and after hearing a crunch sound, I basically shut down, BUT I’d want to believe that if you hadn’t turned up, I’d have managed to grab my **** alarm or pepper spray.”

“Wait, so If I hadn’t been there, you might have been fine?” John asked, shocked.

Ellie smiled back. “I don’t know if I’d say fine. I don’t want to think about it but he’d have done something to me; I don’t think it would have gone all the way though. You are and always will be my hero for saving me that day.”

John let out a slightly relieved sigh. “It might sound silly, but it’s a bit of a relief knowing you might have been okay even if I wasn’t there,” he explained.

“Anyway, back to what I was saying,” Ellie started. “So we didn’t meet at the park, but imagine this instead. You are in the arcade just playing some random cabinet when a beautiful blonde saddles up next to you. She’d ask you questions about the game, pretend she needed help, she’d think about giving you her number but realise you’d probably get too nervous to call or text, so she’d get your number instead.”

“Well, I did use to go to the arcade and the game store almost every day so it would be possible we’d run into each other,” John said.

“Oh, that’s also a good point. Okay, so I came here without my games, so one day I’d visit the game store and happen to see a cute nerd, I’d go up to him and ask for his opinion of what I should get, and then I’d invite him out for milkshakes as a thank you and then get his number,” Ellie explained, smiling at John.

“I definitely hope those might have happened if we didn’t meet at the park,” John mumbled.

“We’d definitely have found each other one way or another,” Ellie insisted. “Now, I think we should probably get going. I’m gonna order an uber.”

John nodded, before standing up, stretching as Ellie used her phone. Not long after they were sitting in the back of a car on their way to the bus stop in the woods.

“So, Selene was my first girlfriend. Obviously, I met Val through her and she introduced us to open and poly relationships, and I know what you’re thinking, no I never slept with Val,” Ellie explained, giving John’s shoulder a playful push.

“When I moved out of Springfield, we continued dating for two years long distance and things were good, like we were making the long distance work…” Ellie paused, taking a deep sigh. “That was until she visited. It wasn’t the first time she’d come to see me, in fact, she’d made the trip at least once every couple of months, sometimes more. But one day, she showed up, said she was moving to England and that we were over. She kissed me, said goodbye and jumped back in her taxi before I could even process anything or argue back.”

John grabbed Ellie’s hand and stroked the back with her thumb, then she continued, “I called a bunch of times and we argued a lot. I couldn’t understand why we couldn’t continue making our relationship work long distance like we had been doing but she refused to try or explain how we couldn’t make it work. After that, she cut contact altogether and I hadn’t heard from her again, until today.”

Taking a deep breath, John lightly kissed her and squeezed her a little. “I’m really sorry. You had to listen to me describe exactly what happened to you as one of my worst fears… I promise I’ll never do that to you. You’re my girlfriend and my wife and I love you so much.”

Ellie smiled at John and kissed him. “I love you too, and I’m pretty sure I don’t have anything to worry about with you; I’m more comfortable in this relationship than any I’ve had in the past.”

John’s cheeks hurt a little from how hard he smiled at Ellie’s statement, and he looked away a little bashfully, noticing they were approaching the bus stop.

“Hey, I think we’re the first ones here,” he said, trying to spot anyone waiting.

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