she's mine.

62

"I like your hair," he smiled up at me as I came back from the kitchen with a glass of water, an apple, and a piece of toast for him. I rolled my eyes at his teasing. "No, I'm serious. I like the messy," he pursed his lips as he gave me an up down. Eli was never shy about checking me out. It seemed to go right along with his, 'i want what i want, what's mine is mine', attitude. Usually, I would have been annoyed or embarrassed by a boy looking at me so much, but with Eli.. It made me feel good. Wanted.

I shook my head and he made room for me to sit on the edge of the couch next to his sprawled out body. He seemed to have no intentions of putting on a shirt, but you won't hear this girl complain. After he had calmed himself down I had expected him to be embarrassed by the fact that he woke up calling my name and I had heard it, but embarrassed was not within Eli Jones's vocabulary. He simply stared at me with a sense of relief and affection deep in his eyes. There was something else in his eyes as he looked at me, adoration maybe? I couldn't quite put my finger on it, so I decided to look away and ask if he wanted anything to eat. He did, so I made him something. They didn't have much food, I told him I would go shopping for him this weekend. He only agreed if he got to come so his siblings wouldn't deceive me into buying 'that crap junk food'. It was obvious he ran a tight ship on the Jones manor.

"Thank you," he gulped down the water and began to munch on the apple.

"So how do you feel?" I asked. He looked me over before rustling around and getting comfortable. He folded his arm behind his head again while lifted the apple to his mouth with the other.

"Like a million dollars," he smiled a big goofy smile and I for the millionth time reveled in the Eli that I got to see when no one else was around. The Eli that was just for me and me alone.

"You look it too," I smiled as I glanced down at his bandaged stomach. It was odd, I had expected him to look worse today, and even thought the bruises were fairly dark, the swelling had gone down and he looked well rested.

"Watch it woman," my eyes shot back up to him at his tone. "You look at me like that again and you'll get yourself in trouble," his tone held a mischievous undertone causing my cheeks to burn. He smirked and I shook my head at his teasing. He seemed to like to make the innocent flustered. I rolled my eyes, but something caught my eye, distracting me from his reckless joking.

"What's that?" I softly ran my finger down the back of his bicep over the ink that permanently scarred his body. He glanced at my hand and watched me touch him.

"July 31st 2019," he said. Something in his tone was utterly different causing my eyes to involuntarily close. He didn't have to explain. I knew. I knew there was only one date he would tattoo to his body, only one date that held that significance to where he would never allow himself to forget. Not as if he would've been able to. He lifted a hand to my cheek. His big rough hand was gentle with me, always.

"It's okay," he whispered.

"Were you.." I knew the jist of the story, but I had never been able to ask one of the Jones siblings the authentic details of their parents' death.

"In the car?" he asked. "No.. I was driving behind them actually. Got a front row seat to the show." The bitterness in his tone made my wish I had never asked. I looked away, afraid I was going to cry.. Again.

I couldn't imagine. If I would've had to watch my father burn to death.. My chest tightened just at the thought.

I wanted to say something, to give some sort of inspirational speech on how everything happens for a reason or how much better he was because of the hardship he had gone through, but the words seemed so insignificant. I didn't want to give him the same load of crap I'm sure he had received over and over since then from everyone else. Instead, I lifted my eyes to his tattoo once more. I traced over the symbol of pain again. I felt him release a breath as I did so, as if my touch was all he needed to find his reason to breath again.