After Hours (𝟏)

32. Morality

"Hi - uh, can you talk?"

Elijah.

She was stunned to even hear his voice, but nevertheless pleased to know that he wasn't ignoring her. "Yes, " she breathed out immediately. "yeah, I actually went over to your place today but you weren't in."

More like he didn't open the door.

Getting up from her seat, she headed into the hallway to talk in private and shoved her feet into her comfy bunny slippers that were disregarded by her seat. She walked out of the living room, watching as Laleh curiously looked over at her.

Mouthing that she would explain later, she shut the door behind her and stood in front of the door.

"I don't know how else to say this but I need to get it off my chest." His voice was slower than usual, and coated with sorrow. She could hear the way he was breathing heavy to know something was not right.

"Have you been drinking?" She asked softly, feeling her heartstrings pull at the sound of his drunken chat.

Elijah didn't bother to respond to her, rather, taking his time. It was like he was searching for the right words to say, and when he eventually did she was at a loss for words.

"I don't want to be with you anymore."

That made her stop, and she tried to focus on his words taking them in. "What?"

She didn't understand why he would say such a thing.

Was he mad at her?

She knew he had every right to be, but this was definitely not the way she had expected it all to go. He had gone missing on her for the last week and now here he was telling her it was over.

This had to have been a joke.

"I can't do this anymore Rain, I can't keep lying to you and pretending like I'm still the same me when we both know I haven't been myself for the last few months. I don't think we should carry this on."

"Carry this on? What is that supposed to mean Elijah."

"That we shouldn't be together." He was ripping it off like a bandaid, and quite frankly it was a big painful one.

With a frown, she tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth. "You're drunk." She mumbled, not believing a word he was saying. "Eli you're just drunk right now, you don't know what you're saying. I think you should stop before you say something you regret."

Attempting to keep her emotions in when she was the type of person to react accordingly with her mood was proving to be difficult. She was a fiery, passionate woman and he was well aware of her quick temper. To be able to keep it together for as long as she had was a shock.

"I know exactly what I'm saying, I'm serious Rainy I don't want to be with you." Elijah replied gruffly, it was muffled but she could hear everything perfectly.

He said it again.

Rainy went silent, blinking back the tears. She was in disbelief, he had said it so effortlessly like he had recited it over and over again. "So what? You're breaking up with me over the phone?"

He was joking right?

That was two years of their lives together down the drain and by the sound of it, he had no remorse.

"Rain," Elijah said, it was then she could hear the fullness in his voice and her stomach stirred. The dreaded feeling washed over her, and she knew. "I think it's best we don't see each other for a while, I  swear I wanted to speak to you in person but I just can't. You deserve so much more than me, than what I can give you. I'm sorry."

Her mouth fell open, and she gulped hardly. "Don't."

That was the last thing she wanted to hear, she would rather he be a man about it and tell her in person but clearly he couldn't even do that.

"Rainy-"

She hung up.

Rainy didn't know what else to do in that situation, but she did know that she didn't want to hear his reasoning.

What could he even say to make it better?

He had broken up with her over the damn phone.

Confusion, hurt, disbelief. She didn't know what to feel first, she was overwhelmed with everything, trying to digest it all. Though she was aware of one thing, she couldn't break down in the hallway and definitely not in her living room.

Unable to keep herself together for any longer, she snatched the keys that were in the small bowl by the front desk in a blind rage and didn't bother with a coat as she pulled the door open.

She knew exactly why he had been avoiding her now.

She had received the message loud and clear.

'I don't want to be with you anymore.'

The words repeated in her head as she slammed the door behind her.