sean chuckled at her response. oh how he missed ellieâs dark jokes. truthfully, the man was glad to be back in one piece. his life before deciding to go to the army was at a standstill. he didnât know what he wanted out of this world and cars were, at the time, beginning to become unfulfilling. after the shooting and breaking things off with ellie he didnât feel like he had a purpose in life. he tried things again with emma before leaving for service but it just wasnât the same. being back from the army has given him more hope that he can amount to so much more.
âyou wonât, iâm here to stay.â he shot her a warm, yet assuring smile â even if those words were bullshit to ellieâs ears. the ex soldier was looking forward to hopefully getting to know the red head again and he wanted her to know that even if she wasnât interested in him romantically, he still would be a friend. sean wouldnât bail on her like last time. he was also ecstatic to be working on cars and bikes with tracker; not only doing mechanics but more exciting things like mods â tricking the vehicles out technically and aesthetically.Â
he was happy to hear the woman was still writing and editor in chief. ellie was one of the very few people he knew that were so determined and motivated â it was inspiring. the girl always amazed him with her talents and drive. âwell, if anyone I know could make a story about a laptop-snatcher an interesting read it would definitely be you, nash.â sean grinned, âyou could write it like a comic or something â get jimmy to draw it out for ya.â
his grin grew wider when she asked to sit before him. he was taken aback, but it was a wonderful surprise. maybe he would get another chance to prove himself to her. ânah, the seatâs all yours!â he took another sip of his coffee as he watched her sit down. âso, how much more time at university do you have left? got any plans after graduation?âÂ
ellie was glad to hear that sean was here to stayâthough she didn't let that get her hopes up too much. toronto was a great city, sure, but there were other opportunities elsewhere... and it was sorta in-character for sean to jump ship anyway. still, it was nice to imagine having an old friend back, even if the old friend was an ex.
"that's definitely... a choice." she laughs, shaking her head. she's sure a comic would appeal to some of the student body, but the core had a reputation to uphold. and unfortunately, that reputation didn't include other mediums of storytelling other than written journalism and photography. "i'm not sure it's very the core-esque, so i hope it'd still be an interesting read sans-comic format."
ellie takes the seat across from him, a small smile spreading across her face. she was worried she had been too forward, but this was sean. as much as he had hurt her and despite the amount of years they had spent not talking, ellie couldn't help but be reminded how good and normal she felt around sean... and she sorta craved that feeling againâas friends, obviously. she wasn't naive enough to think that they could work like that again ( or so she told herself ).
"actually, this is my last year." ellie says proudly, letting her eyes meet sean's. she had forgotten how blue his eyes were. even at the cost of sounding cliche, ellie could only describe his piercing blue eyes as a tone of lapis or sodaliteâshiny, deep, and mesmerizing. she tears her gaze away and lets out a breath. "i'm looking at a few internship positions, but nothing concrete just yet." she shrugs. ellie had thrown her entire being into the core that it was difficult seeing beyond that. maybe she'd freelance? or maybe she'd swallow her pride and call caitlyn? or maybe she'll freeload off paige and marco again and move in with them. "so, in other words, no plans just yet."
a waiter passes, ellie orders her drink, and she turns to sean once more. this time, she's careful to keep her gaze fleeting. "are you still planning on opening up your own car shop?"