Resequencing DNA

It had been a week since Ashleigh had gone for lunch with Pippa. In that time, Elijah had been busy with his brother William, going over their business plans and visiting their Uncle Alistair and Aunt Vivian. Elijah had opened up to his Uncle Alistair and Aunt Vivian about his true identity and how as Eloise, he had always felt like he had to put on a façade. He also explained how he wanted to follow in his uncle's footsteps as a successful businessman. Much to his surprise, Alistair and Vivian accepted him with open arms and were impressed by his ambition. In fact, Alistair and Vivian were so welcoming that they invited Elijah to their new housewarming party. This was a big step for Elijah, as he had never felt fully accepted by his own parents. But with his uncle and aunt, he finally felt like he belonged.

While Elijah was enjoying his time with his family, Ashleigh was struggling with her feelings for him. She both loved and hated the time they spent apart.

On one hand, she thought that being away from Elijah would help her distance herself from him and prevent her from getting too involved. After all, Elijah was now going to move into Pippa's old house, making it even easier for her to avoid him.

However, although Ashleigh had been trying to distance herself from Elijah, she quickly found that she couldn't stop thinking about him. She missed his presence and the way he made her feel.  She couldn't resist his charm and the strong connection she felt with him. As they spent more time together, her feelings for him grew stronger, and she found herself falling in love with him. But deep down, she knew that their relationship had an expiration date. Looming was the day when Ashleigh would once again become Aaron.

The reason why Ashleigh was still around was that she and Elijah were ‘dating’. It was a way for them to spend time together without raising any eyebrows. However, they had never so much as kissed or been intimate with each other, and that was because Elijah respected the fact that one day Ashleigh would become Aaron once more. He didn't want to cross any boundaries or cause any confusion for Ashleigh, no matter how much he loved her. Both of them knew that their relationship could never have a future, as Ashleigh was just a temporary identity for him

Yet, despite knowing the limitations of their relationship, Ashleigh couldn't help but crave more. She wanted to be with Elijah in every way possible but knew that she couldn’t due to who she was inside. It was a constant battle between her heart and her mind. But every time she was with Elijah, she forgot about everything else. He made her feel alive, and she couldn't deny the strong connection they shared.

“Hello Ashleigh,”  stated Elijah as he walked into the living room, dressed in one of his finest suits. It was a dark blue, tailored suit, along with a light blue shirt.

Elijah had been over at his new home, preparing it for him to move into.

However, as he greeted Ashleigh, he couldn't help but notice that she was not her usual vibrant self. She sat on the couch, sipping on her coffee, dressed in grey jog pants and a matching hooded sweatshirt. This was a far cry from the stylish and put-together Ashleigh that he had become accustomed to. For the past few days, Ashleigh had chosen to stay home, mostly binge-watching TV shows and eating fast food.

“Hey,” murmured Ashleigh as she sipped on her coffee.

Elijah walked across to the kitchen to pour himself a coffee,

“Almost everything is sorted and I shall be moving into my new home by Sunday and I shall be out of your hair,” explained Elijah. “I can imagine that we will not be graced with Ashleigh’s presence, much longer after that,” he added, sounding rather upset about the prospect.

“Wait...what?” thought Ashleigh, Elijah's last statement immediately grabbing her attention. 'Oh...erm...that soon?' she asked, trying not to give away the disappointment that felt like a dagger had pierced her heart in that instant as she heard Elijah's words. She had always known that this day would come, but she never thought it would be this soon. She tried to hide her emotions and put on a brave face.

'Th...there's erm...no rush, Elijah,' she said, trying to sound nonchalant, yet avoiding eye contact with her friend.

“Well…I thought you would be itching for your old life back by now,” stated Elijah, “And I get the feeling that it is I holding you back…and I must say I do hate that feeling.”

“Well…I erm…” mumbled Ashleigh, looking away from Elijah as she felt her cheeks begin to flush, “I need the bathroom,” she stated, jumping up from her seat.

“Well…seeing as though we have been, well, sort of dating…I have one last invitation for you,” explained Elijah. “One last…outing as Ashleigh shall we say. My Aunt Vivian and Uncle Alistair are having a… small get-together at their new home and I would very much appreciate it if you would care to accompany me.”

Ashleigh froze in her tracks,

“One last outing as Ashleigh…” she pondered, as well as the prospect of seeing Vivian and Alistair one last time after she had told them she was leaving town.

“I…erm…I don’t know…Elijah,” she muttered in reply, “They all think I’m leaving town…and that they would never see me again,” she explained.

Elijah’s expression softened,

“Well…Ashleigh, I would very much appreciate it if you would,” said Elijah, “My parents will be there also…and I could very much use your support if only one last time.”

Ashleigh, turned back to face Elijah, her eyes meeting his. She could see the sincerity in his gaze, and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of love and warmth for him. She knew that she couldn’t say no to him, no matter how difficult it may be.

“I…I guess…I’ll do it,” replied Ashleigh, Elijah’s face lit up and his eyes sparkled with gratitude as he heard Ashleigh’s response. She was unable to stop a smile from appearing on her face.

“Thank you…Ashleigh,” said Elijah, smiling, “You will never know, truly,  just how much this means to me.”

“Elijah…you know I will always support you, regardless of whether I’m…well…this me or…” stated Ashleigh.

“I know…and for that, I will be eternally grateful,” Elijah responded.

Ashleigh’s heart swelled with warmth and joy as she saw the happiness on Elijah’s face.

“I need to get out of here…now,” thought Ashleigh,

“I…erm…I need a cigarette,” she announced, grabbing her pack of cigarettes and her lighter and quickly stuffing them into the pocket of her hooded sweatshirt, before making a dash for the door.

“Ashleigh, we will be getting picked up in three hours…” started Elijah, his voice trailing off as he heard the door close behind Ashleigh.

Ashleigh quickly made her way downstairs, she was quickly hit by the brisk, November air as she opened the door.

As she lit up her cigarette and settled into her usual corner spot, Ashleigh’s thoughts were consumed with her conflicting emotions. “I can’t do this,” she thought, her heart pounding and her cheeks flushed. The thought of being in love with Elijah was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time and she couldn’t shake the feeling that it would never work out.

The more Ashleigh thought about it, she began to feel tears well up in her eyes. As Aaron, there was absolutely no hope for a relationship with Elijah. The only way for it to work was to say goodbye to her old life as Aaron forever and that was something that she couldn’t quite do.

Ashleigh took one last drag of her cigarette before tossing it to the ground, watching the embers flicker and fade as she pondered her next actions.

“I can do this,” she thought, wiping away her tears, “I’ll go to this get-together with Elijah…try my best to push aside my feelings, let Elijah move out…then I’ll get back in touch with Wes…and everything will be back to normal.”

Ashleigh took one last deep breath and tried to steady herself as she made her way back inside the apartment building. As she stood and waited for the elevator, she heard a familiar voice from behind her, 'Hello again my dear,' It was the voice of Mrs Goodwin, her elderly neighbour who lived on the floor below her. Ashleigh turned around with a forced smile, hoping to hide her tears from Mrs Goodwin.

'Oh…Mrs Goodwin…hello,' muttered Ashleigh, trying her best to hide any sign of her distress. Her eyes were red and puffy, a clear indication that she had been crying. But Mrs Goodwin seemed to notice something was amiss. She placed a gentle hand on Ashleigh's shoulder and asked, 'Is everything alright, dear?'

Ashleigh's heart swelled at Mrs Goodwin's concern. She had always been a kind and caring neighbour, always offering a helping hand or a listening ear.

“I erm…yes, everything is fine,” replied Ashleigh, trying to hold back her tears. But Mrs Goodwin could see right through her.

She gave Ashleigh a knowing look,

“My guess is…trouble with the heart,” stated Mrs Goodwin, “More specifically the heart saying one thing and the head saying another…am I right?” asked the elderly lady.

Ashleigh nodded,

“How did you know that?” she asked.

“When you've been around as long as I have, my dear, you learn to read people's emotions. And you, my dear, have a heart full of emotions,” Mrs Goodman explained. “Now tell me…that young Wesley…or that handsome, well-dressed, young fella I have seen you with?” she inquired.

Ashleigh couldn't help but laugh at Mrs Goodwin's words. She had been trying to hide her feelings for Elijah, yet here she was, almost instantly figured out by an elderly neighbour on a single elevator journey.

“It…it’s Elijah,” Ashleigh replied, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Mrs Goodwin nodded in understanding and patted Ashleigh's hand gently.

“The handsome young fella it is then,” said Mrs Goodwin.  “I can see that you care for him deeply, my dear.”

Ashleigh took a deep breath and let out a sigh, nodding in agreement,

“Thank you, said Ashleigh as the elevator stopped on Mrs Goodwin’s floor, “You know…for listening,” she added.

“Any time my dear, but remember, the heart and the head should work together, not against each other,” said Mrs Goodwin as she stepped out of the elevator and the doors closed behind her.

Ashleigh was left alone with her thoughts. Mrs Goodwin's words kept ringing in her head. She was right, her heart and her head were in constant conflict, and she needed to find a way to make peace between the two. But how?

As Ashleigh continued in the elevator up to her floor, she couldn't help but wonder how Mrs Goodwin knew. Was it her body language or was it just a lucky guess? Whatever the reason, one thing was clear, Mrs Goodwin was a perceptive and wise woman.