Mia's POV
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I turned the t.v on at around 9:30. It's been half an hour, and Knox is still curiously watching HGTV with me.
"What is the point? Is a show about people buying houses you can't possibly afford fun?"
I laugh, shrugging. "It is for me, yeah. I don't know, it's just... Normal for me. I watched it with my mom every night."
Watched. Past tense. Just that little thought sends a wave of longing through my bones. Knox tightens his arm around me, and I smile faintly at him. Stop being such a debby downer Mia.
Hoping I'm not about to embarrass myself, I turn off the t.v and get my phone, opening up Spotify and plugging it into a charger I got at the store. Scrolling through my playlists, I laugh silently at myself and play my 'Main character vibes' playlist. Might as well play my life story by now. Tongue Tied comes on, and I grin. Knox smiles, tilting his head to listen to the music, listening carefully.
"So this is your kind of music?"
"Yep," I say, crossing the room to where he's still sitting on his bed. I hold my hands out for him to take. "It's the best. Come on, I'll teach you how to human dance."
I expect Knox to look reluctant, but he just looks... Happy. Which makes my smile in brighter. I turn the volume up, deciding the neighbors can deal with it.
I'm not very good at dancing, mind you, and although I'm a little self conscious, I try to just listen to the music and pretend I'm at a party, dancing however feels right. Knox joins in after a moment, at first just kind of hopping, which is essentially what I'm doing, but it looks so funny to see him I can't hold in the laugh. Knox just laughs with me.
"What? Am I doing it wrong?" He asks. With that he grabs my hand and spins me towards him lightning fast, and I land in that 'final beat of the dance dip your partner' pose. I smile and spin back up just as the chorus hits.
"No, just do whatever feels right, there is no choreography." I sing along with the chorus, surprisingly not out of tune, and we both dance around the hotel room like we really are at a party.
It feels really nice, to have fun like a normal teenager again. By the time we finish dancing a steady patter of rain has started on the roof above us, and I'm slightly out of breath. Of course, Knox isn't.
I keep the music on but turn it down, smiling with I Need You by M83 comes on, one of my favorite songs. It always made me feel like running through a field in a renaissance dress by a castle. You know, classic main character stuff. I guess my story is a bit different than the ones I always wanted to go on.
Knox sits on the edge of his bed, a content look on his face. Light flashes through the window of our room, and a second later thunder crashes loudly overhead. I nearly jump out of my skin in surprise. I never used to be scared of thunderstorms. I guess even now, even when I'm relatively safe, I feel on edge at the slightest surprising thing.
I place a hand on my chest and laugh, looking over at Knox, who's smiling and shaking his head. His smile fades into a thoughtful, reluctant look in a minute. I think he wants to say something, but for the remainder of the song we both just sit and listen, and Knox even says the music is pretty.
"I hate to, but can we quickly talk about tomorrow?" Knox asks. Reluctantly nodding I sit next to him, weaving my hands together in my lap as Wanna be Yours by Arctic Monkeys comes on.
"So, hopefully we can just go to your school, find it, and get out." 'It' being the Heartstone. I nod, not knowing what else to say. I probably won't know where it is in the school until we get there. I still don't get why my dad hid a super important stone in my high school.
"How will we get back to Earthe?" I ask, an uneasy feeling starting to rise at the thought. I can't leave Knox stuck here, and I need to go back to help with the war.
Knox's jaw works for a moment.
"There are elves who live on Earth. Some might have transport stones we can borrow."
"What- why would elves choose to live on Earth?" Earthe seems like a much better option. Knox shrugs.
"No clue, but some do. Few, but I know there are some in California."
"Would we be able to get there in time to get back to Earthe for the war?"
"Hopefully."
"Okay... So when we get to my school, nobody is going to know you." The thought of Knox walking down a hallway in my high school almost makes me laugh. "So you should stay outside while I look inside for it."
"You'll draw attention too," Knox says, "you've been gone for weeks. I should go in with you."
"But you can watch outside for anything-"
He shakes his head. "Then I wouldn't be with you. What if the Cin get in?"
"To my school?" I had forgot they could be following us still. The thought makes me shiver. "They wouldn't hurt me in front of a huge group of kids, they wouldn't risk being seen."
"You never know," Knox says, and he suddenly sounds a bit anxious. He's giving me a look I've never seen before. He looks... Confused, almost. "I should just go in with you in case anything happens."
"Knox, nothing is gonna happen-"
"But something could. Look at what happened yesterday, you could have died! I could have walked into that bathroom and you could've been dead." His voice breaks at the end of his sentence, his face showing all the emotions beneath.
This does not sound like Knox. I give him a look, trying to shift my body on the bed as it sinks beneath my weight. His eyes look far away for a second, like he's thinking really hard.
"But I didn't. I handled it."
"What if there are more than one? They're more trained than you, Mia, they could hurt you or worse-"
"Okay, I get it," I say sharply, a bit of anger from my shower and earlier today that I'd tried to stamp out flaring up. Why is he suddenly being like this? And I was just thinking about how he always trusted me. "Do you not trust me now or something? What's going on? Why would you even suggest talking about tomorrow if this is what you meant?"
Knox looks taken aback. "No, of course I trust you-"
"Then why are you getting so worked up about me not being able to handle myself?" I ask, standing up. Knox stands up as well, looking the tiniest bit angry, and scared, if I'm interpreting his expression right. Why would he be scared?
"No, it's not about that, just if something happens to you-"
"That's not your responsibility, if I get hurt it's not your fault. Just trust me to do something on my own."
Knox blows a hard breath out of his nose.
"I trust you, Mia! I just don't-"
"Think I can handle myself?" I ask, feeling the nerves from our previous conversation and the anger from this one starting to overwhelm me. I take a breath.
"I am perfectly capable of doing something on my own. And what's up? You're suddenly acting all 'I need to go with you. I can't leave you alone for one second.' Yes, I might get hurt."
Knox is just standing there, looking frustratingly gorgeous, listening to me with a conflicted look on his face.
"I got hurt today," I continue, "and I've been hurt before, what is so different? Why are you suddenly so worried about me now, out of all times? I-"
"Because I love you," Knox blurts out in beautiful elvish. My words die on my tongue.
Knox loves me. And he said it in elvish. Elves feel emotions deeper than humans, every gesture means more. The elvish way of saying 'I love you' doesn't strictly translate to 'I love you' in English. It's much more intricate in a way I can't put into words. That one elvish phrase encompasses their love for you, their caring, appreciation, trust, everything in one. They only say it when they mean it. The words reach deep down, lighting me up with a feeling similar to when we first kissed, but much, much more. My whole body swells with emotion, and for a second I feel like I'm about to start crying.
I get it now. It's not that he doesn't trust me, he just doesn't want me to get hurt. Because that's who Knox is. He puts everyone above himself, he protects everyone. And after his dad being taken, he probably feels like he could have stopped it somehow. That's why he acts like he has to protect me. Because he loves me, and he can't lose another person he loves.
I know the feeling.
"I do trust you," Knox says quietly, "I just don't know what I would do if something happened to you. I can't let anything happen to you."
Now I feel bad, stupid for arguing. But the argument is already fading from importance.
"I love you too," I say in Elvish, meaning every word.
For a second I wonder if this is really what love feels like, but I'm sure it is. Love feels different for everyone.
Knox was the first elf I saw. He helped me and kept me sane when I was forced out of my home. He trained me and talked to me, became my friend when I was unsure of literally everything. He was always nice to me, always wanted to protect me. Of course, he's beyond attractive, but it's so, so much more than that. I can tell when we're together, when he looks at me, that he really cares for me.
I let the realization of what we both just admitted sink into my bones, my heart, my whole body. This feels right. In the span of a second everything we just argued about, the unknown future, the past, everything falls away like a raindrop in the ocean.
All that I can feel is the energy between us, and the feeling of Knox as he wraps his arms around me and kisses me.
This kiss feels different from the other ones. I still feel the adrenaline rush into my body, the electricity running through us, but then there is this new gratitude, or maybe it's hope. Or love. Whatever it is, it lights up every nerve ending inside me. It must do the same to Knox, because we both press harder against each other, and all I can think is that I want more. I need him.
I wrap my arms around Knox's neck as his hands slide from my face to my waist. I run my hands through his soft hair as a boom of thunder rumbles far away. I barely hear it.
I didn't even realize we were moving until my back touches the wall. And, let me just say, who knew Knox knew how to kiss so well? Maybe it's just me, but yeah. His lips are soft, like always, but firm against mine, before leaving to press a few kisses to my jawline and neck. I had just caught my breath, and now I'm breathless all over again.
I'm not experienced in this department- I've never had a boyfriend before, but somehow it's working. Don't ask me how, I can barely think. Especially as I feel Knox's fingers brush my bare skin under the hem of my t-shirt, grazing my side. My breath hitches, but a second later I relax a bit more, remembering I put a bra on after my shower.
As my lips connect with Knox's again, I realize that I don't feel nervous. I just feel the adrenaline, I just feel him. So, without any reservations at all, I pull my shirt over my head and let it drop to the ground. My heartbeat speeds up considerably as Knox's hands run over my bare skin.
Knox, being the respectful, thoughtful elf he is, takes in my new appearance for the shortest time. And it's not weird, it's not like some creep looking at you on the beach. It's like he's admiring me, which makes me blush in the dim light.
Suddenly Knox spins us around and then I'm falling. I let out a little squeal, squeezing my eyes shut, but my back bounces off of the bed under me, cushioning my body instead of falling to the floor. We both laugh, and when Knox joins me, hovering a few inches above me, arms on either side of me, my stomach twists all over because god damn, who gave Earthe permission to create someone so beautiful.
"I don't know if I ever told you this," Knox mutters in elvish, pushing a stray piece of hair out of my face, "but you really are gorgeous."
A soft smile splits my face as I feel my cheeks heat up. Ugh. I love this boy.
"I could say the exact same thing," I say, unaware of what I was doing until I feel my fingers catch at the hem of his shirt. I look at him, almost surprised at my confidence, but Knox just smirks in a way he used to do when I first met him. One that barely had affect on me before, but has every affect on me now.
In one smooth motion Knox pulls his shirt over his head, then connects my lips with his once again. That same feeling that has been dominating me for the past few minutes grows as my hands travel along his perfectly smooth and soft skin, the hard planes of his abs, up and over to his strong, toned back. I also don't miss how he's deliberately avoiding my leg that's still injured. Even now, with emotions raging rampant inside us, he still remembers little things like that, things that barely matter to me now.
We both pull away for a second to catch our breath, foreheads touching. I close my eyes and breathe in his fresh, woodsy smell, one that makes me feel safe and more at home than I have in over a month. I lie my head down and look up at him. The lantern light sets a warm glow across his skin, casting his face half in shadow and making his hair gleam. I can't believe I managed to get someone like Knox.
My hand slides around his neck as I look into his blazing amber eyes.
"I love you," I whisper, in English this time. It feels odd to say to someone who's not my family, but at the same time it feels exactly right. He smiles and leans down, his warm, minty breath fanning across my face as he repeats in English:
"I love you too."
I pull him down to me again, and time falls away.
-
It's 11 pm, and I'm in my own bed, Knox in his. But I can't sleep. Darkness surrounds me, the only light being the night light in the bathroom. Its light is barely visible from my bed, the darkness in my closed eyelids basically the same as when I open them. I hone in my ears and hear Knox's slow, steady breathing. I smile into the darkness, the events from earlier inevitably floating into my consciousness.
I finally nod off to the sound of Knox's sleeping breaths.
A noise fills my head, quiet and blurry at first. My eyes are open to the dark as the sound solidifies as a knocking. There shouldn't be anyone knocking in the middle of the night. That means one thing.
I silently swing my legs off the bed, walking slowly to the door. When I reach the door I turn to wake Knox, but he's already getting up, slipping on his shirt and grabbing his knives. He tosses mine to me and I catch them perfectly.
The knocking stops.
Everything is silent except the beating of my heart, the sound pounding in my ears.
I let out a breath, trying to keep it as quiet as possible. After a nod to Knox, I rise on my toes and put one eye to the peep hole. My vision is warped from the hole, looking at a wide, stretched version of the hall outside. It's empty, glowing from the hallway lights that are on all night.
Suddenly a dark figure steps into my view, followed by four others. I want to jump back, but I'm held in place by fear, my throat clogged with it. The elf in the front steps up to the peep hole, smiles, and looks right at me.
"Hello Mia," he says.
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