Bear | ✔

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

The first thing Leila's mind was able to register had been only one term; food.

To be more specific, scrambled eggs and Parmesan cheese. For her, getting fed was a blessing that no words could ever describe. As much as she had hated food before, it was her own core of existence. All she had been able to think of lately was what she was going to have for breakfast, then lunch, then dinner, and so on. Her stomach grumbled as the smell of fresh nourishment invaded her senses. Layers of fat toppled over her bare bones. The pointer of her analog scale cried out in pain the next time she thought of giving it a try.

At the thought of the most delicate thing in the world, her eyes fluttered open and she squinted. Being a morning person was never on her list of qualities. A moan slipped past her parted lips. A flash of white light sparkled above her. It looked more like a star; a huge, long, rectangular star.

With a groan, Leila's hands aided her as she pushed her body up in a sitting position. She sniffled, right after a mass of messy fringe fell over her creased forehead. She blew it away with a frustrated sigh and stretched her arms in the direction of the ceiling. Her sleeves fell down to her elbows. Her muscles cracked, releasing the tension that had built up over the previous night. Through narrowed eyes, she stared ahead of her. The memories of what she had seen in her dreams came back. They flashed through her mind for a split of a second. Her guts twisted.

Instinctively, her hand reached out to tuck a lonely strand of wavy hair behind her ear. She wondered if she could ever heal from that mess of a past she had been through.

"Morning," A call snapped her out of her thoughts. Leila's head snapped consciously, only to find David sharing the room with her. He was propped on the chaise; legs crossed, dressed in sweat pants and an over-sized tee. A stack of paper was spread on the space before him, right next to where he set up lap top. Dark circles outlined his beautiful, blue eyes, like she had always seen him. His gaze was focused on whatever was playing on the twenty-inch screen. The mob of brown-ish hair wasn't there, though. Instead, all she could see were the roots of a freshly-shaved head. A surge of guilt slapped her straight on the face.

"Hey," Leila screeched in a surprised tone. She hadn't expected David to be back home at least for another week. Did he know? Could Marissa have told him? Or Zoe? Or Rosaline? "What's the time?"

"You looked tired, so I let you sleep for a while," David replied. His eyes drifted to the mess he had created, and he began collecting a random set of items placed on his lap. He dropped them over the keyboard and stood up from his seat. He brushed his pants clean as his feet lazily led him towards the bed. "It's almost about eleven now."

"Thank you." Leila sniffled again. Her nose was struggling to let the air in, which got her distracted. Was she sick?

David walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed with a sigh. His shirt was wrinkled and untidy. A strong manly scent formed an invisible aura around his body. His eyes met hers and her heart missed a beat.

Through those aqua orbs, she was able to search into his soul. Behind those clashing waves, there was a series of events; unfortunate ones, that he wasn't ready to share. What more could that preserved man keep, after all that had happened?

"When did you come back? You didn't call," Leila asked. Her voice was raspy - , more like strained.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry for that," He replied. His eyes drifted away and paused on the emerald-green duvet for a moment, then they set back on hers. "But I kind of wanted to surprise you."