Collecting Polaroids |Slowburn|

Chapter 35

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"So  you're telling me that he attacked you?"

"Yes, he attacked me earlier. A few blocks away."

"And that's when your, friend, came to help."

I nodded quietly, looking at him with a sad expression on my face. 

"And you are an American, no?" he asked, glancing at the navy blue passport on the desk. 

I nodded, knowing that it would be a lot more complicated to press charges against me should that issue arise. 

"Honestly officer I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I knew he was a bad man, that's why I called my friend," I whimpered, forcing a few tears to drop from my eyes. 

Fake it till you make it. 

"How did you know he was a bad man?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion. 

"Well, he had the snake tattoo on his wrist, I thought you knew that?"

The officers shared a look before writing in their notepads. 

"Ok, thank you for your cooperation. You can go, but make sure you're still reachable if needed."

I nodded meekly, getting up from my seat. My legs were like jelly. Although I was calm on the outside, I was on full panic mode on the inside.. One slip up, and Elliot could end up in jail. My anxiety was going through the roof and I knew that once the adrenaline wore off, I would be a mess. 

I walked through the hall back out into the cold. I let out a sigh of relief, a cloud forming in front of me. 

A shiver wracked my body as I pulled out my phone. 

"Isla? Are you ok? What happened? Di-"

"Elliot I'm fine," I interrupted, shaking my head. I started walking down the street in the direction we came to keep myself warm.

"I'm coming to get you."

"Ok, I'm walking down the street."

"Wait, don't end the call," he said quietly and I hummed in response. The streetlights illuminated the sidewalk in front of me. The leaves had changed colors and fallen to the floor as mid September approached. They scrapped against the floor as the wind pushed them across the dark road. 

"How was dinner?" I asked after a moments silence. 

"It was good. We didn't tell Luisa and Henri until after you called."

"And your parents?" I asked. 

"They didn't have a chance to talk to me," he muttered quietly. I let out a sigh, switching my hand to put it into my pocket. 

"I'm turning onto the main road," he spoke after a few moments. I looked up to see headlights shining down the street. I squinted as he neared, pulling up to the curb. Getting into the car, I huddled up, taking my shoes off and curling into a ball in the passenger seat.

"Hey," he greeted, watching me carefully. 

"Hi," I replied, giving him a small smile. 

"You okay?"

I nodded, closing my eyes and tilting my head back. 

"Just tired."

I was silently freaking out. I had no idea what the outcome of that interview was going to be. 

What if they knew I was lying? Would they bring Elliot in for questioning as well? What if our stories didn't match?

I clenched my hands into fists as I tried to calm myself. Then, something dawned on me. 

I had to get a hold of myself because I left my anxiety medication back at home. I let out a long shaky breath. Even though my eyes were closed,  I could feel the concern radiating off of Elliot. 

"What did they ask you?"

"Just some stuff," I mumbled, leaning my head on the center console, my legs tucked into my chest as I lay sideways. 

I fought to stay awake, my eyes popping open every time I felt myself drift off. But the gentle movement of the car lulled me to sleep. 

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Elliot's POV

"We're here," I said softly, looking down at Isla as I unbuckled my seat. A few moments passed but she didn't move. I lifted a strand of her hair to uncover her closed eyes. A smile made it's way onto my face as I rounded the car to the passenger side. I lifted her out of the seat, but she stayed asleep. Knowing Isla, she was a light sleeper. If you breathed near her, she would wake with start. The fact that she was knocked out while I carried her up the steps to the house meant she was dead tired. 

"Oh than-" my mother breathed, but I cut her off.

"Shhh, she's asleep," I hushed. 

"I can sleep on the floor," Henri offered after Luisa brought up the point that she and her husband would sleep in the room. That meant Isla couldn't share the bed. My father was also home meaning the usually empty room was occupied. 

"It's ok,  I'll take her to my room," I replied. I tried not to jostle her too much as I made my way up the stairs. I was about to set her on my bed when she whimpered, clenching onto the fabric of my sweatshirt. Her brows furrowed and a look of distress crossed her face. I stared at her, not knowing what to do. Isla's whimpers grew louder and I gently pried her fingers from my hoodie. 

"Isla, Isla, wakeup. It's just a dream."

"No!" she exclaimed, sitting up, nearly bonking foreheads with me. I reeled back as she looked around, eyes wide. 

"You're okay," I repeated, holding her hand. 

"I- Fuck," she mumbled, covering her face with her hands. I moved closer, wrapping my arms around her. I heard her take in a deep breath, letting out a shaky sigh. 

"I think you should get some rest," I said, lightly pushing her body down to the mattress. I moved to get up when a hand stopped me. 

"Stay," she said quietly, looking at me with big eyes. "Please."

I nodded and silently got into bed with her, clicking off the side lamp. She snuggled into my chest and I could feel the short breaths of air from her nose on my neck. 

"Thank you, for what you did today," I whispered. I felt her move to look up at me. Her chocolate brown eyes were warm, swirling with something magical that made the chaos in my body calm. 

"You would've done it for me," she simply replied. I froze as she placed a kiss gently on the corner of my lips. It took every once of control to stop myself from returning a kiss, only this one would be on her lips.  A smile took over my lips and I was glad for the darkness that enveloped my room. 

It was only a few moments before I felt Isla's breathing level. Soon, mine would too. 

That night, I realized that Isla wasn't just beautiful on the outside. She was loyal, determined, strong, and most of all, genuine. I was the one who should've gone in for questioning. I was the one who pummeled that man to a pulp. I was the one who got caught up in the wrong crowed. But that night, Isla had taken the bullet for me. That was when I knew that there were only a handful of people in the world like her. And I was so damn lucky to have met her.