Ellie stood there, glaring at me with fire in her eyes. She wore some kind of flower crown—no, mistletoe crown—on her head.
“What the hell, Daryl?” she snapped, not bothering with pleasantries. “And excuse me, Lord, for saying that place, but considering Beth’s car broke down outside your place last night?—”
“She what?” My voice came out rougher than I intended.
“—and I had to drive her home and arrange a tow, all on Christmas Eve, even after she stops by your place to drop off food.” She held up a container I recognized from last night. Beth must have left it by my door.
“What’s your problem?” Ellie’s eyes bored into mine, demanding an answer.
I rubbed my temples, trying to piece together my scattered thoughts. “Where is she?”
“Well, considering it’s Christmas,” Ellie said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, “she’s at home.”
I stared at her for a moment before stepping back and letting her in. She marched past me into the small living room, setting the container down on the coffee table with a loud thud.
“Daryl,” she began, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’ve got to stop this.”
“Stop what?” I felt defensive, cornered.
“This.” She gestured around the room as if it explained everything. “Pushing people away. Beth doesn’t deserve that.”
I swallowed hard. The ache in my chest grew heavier. “I didn’t mean to?—”
“But you did.” Her voice softened slightly. “Beth cares about you. You know that, right?”
I nodded reluctantly. “Yeah.”
“So why are you being such a jerk?”
I didn’t have an answer for that. Not one that made sense, anyway.
Ellie sighed and ran a hand through her hair, disturbing the mistletoe crown. “Look,” she said more gently this time, “it’s Christmas. Maybe it’s time you let some light in before you snuff her out entirely."
Her words hung in the air like a challenge I wasn’t sure I could meet. But as I stood there, watching Ellie’s determined expression soften with empathy, something shifted inside me.
Maybe she was right.
Maybe it was time to let some light in.
But first… first I needed to make things right with Beth.
And for that… well, I'd need more than just an apology.
"I don’t know how to do this," I admitted.
How to apologize.
How to be someone who didn’t push people away.
“No one does, Daryl,” Ellie had said. “But you’ve gotta try.”
Sighing, I looked around my cluttered living room, the remnants of my solitary life scattered everywhere. It was time to make things right.
I grabbed my jacket and keys, hesitating only a moment before stepping outside into the brisk morning air.
“Her car?” I had asked Ellie.
“Considering you’ve fixed it a couple of times and it still broke down, I think that’s over with, don’t you?”
