My heart starts racing.
What if he knows I was going to kill him? What if he overheard Antonio? What if he knew from before Antonio showed up? What is he going to do now that he knows?
No, it's not possible. I am overthinking.
I sigh and wrap my arms around my body, my summer pyjamas doing nothing to block the cold night air.
Elijah surprises me by climbing out the car. I thought he would just drive away. He walks around and stops when he is right in front of me.
I'm not short, but he still manages to tower over me.
"Listen to me, Bree . . ." he says slowly.
I shake my head. "Elijah—"
"Listen," he demands, cutting me off. I nod and shut my mouth, waiting for him to talk. "You were panicked, and you weren't prepared for that situation. You didn't know. What you did was completely natural, because you know it would have been suicide. If you were strong enough to fight, you would have. But you were smart to know that a tiny nine-year-old kid can't take on a grown and armed man."
"Yeah, but—"
"Wait," he stops me from arguing. His fingers gently brush my hair behind my ear. "Do you agree that fighting that man would have been suicide?" I nod. "Then what you did was self preservation. It's a good thing. It could have been you who was found, but it wasn't, so use that. The best way to stop that regret and pain is to do good and make the world better, to prove that you deserve to be here; you deserve to live."
That's what I want to do. "But how?"
"Help people. There is so much suffering in this world. People starving, being raped, dying. Reduce that in anyway you can."
I hug him so tight that he is almost knocked backwards. He chuckles and returns my hug, holding my head against his chest.
"I love you," I whisper. So much that it causes butterflies to form in my stomach. My heart feels full.
He squeezes me tight. "I love you more."
•<•>•
I lie in bed, with a shirtless Elijah beside me. I made him sleep on the couch earlier because I was feeling turned on and didn't know what I'd do if he was in bed with me. But now I don't care, I just want him holding me in his muscular arms.
I've been lying in the bed for what seems like hours, wishing I could sleep. All I can do is stare up at the roof and wait for my mind to stop spinning.
Elijah lets out a soft laugh. I turn to look at him in the dark, not able to see much.
"What?" I whisper.
"Why is sleeping so hard?"
"I wish I could close my eyes and immediately fall asleep," I state. But Antonio's voice is still in the back of my head. Every second, I'll be watching.
We stay silent for a while, until I feel Elijah's foot touch my leg. "What are you doing?" I ask and smile.
"Why are you so cold?" Elijah asks, sounding slightly concerned. He takes my hand in his. His eyes scan over my face. "Shit, Bree, you're freezing."
"I'm fine," I assure him.
He puts his arm out for me. "Come here," he tells me. He turns on his side, so that his chest is facing me.
I slowly shift closer, putting my head on his bicep and pressing my body against his. He pulls the blanket up to cover us properly and then holds me tight in his arms, like I am in a warm and safe cocoon.
I look at his face, which is slightly illuminated by the moonlight shining through the crack in my curtains. He is looking down at me with a small smile. "Is that better?" he asks.
I nod and pull him impossibly closer to me. "I don't think I have ever felt this comfortable in my entire life."
He chuckles and is about to respond, when there's a loud banging at my door. We both shoot up into a sitting position and turn to look at each other.
"Who do you think that is?" Elijah asks, his voice tense. There's another round of angry, violent banging.
By the panic in his eyes, and the clenching of his fists, I can tell Elijah is assuming the same thing that I am. "It could be . . . him." Elijah doesn't know Antonio's name, and I'd like to try and keep it that way.
"Why would he come back?" Elijah stands up and pulls his shirt on, heading towards the door.
I run out, following him and grab onto his wrist. Another round of banging. It matches the speed and intensity of my heart beat. "Elijah, don't open it." He could get hurt again. And this time it might be a lot worse.
Antonio is unpredictable. One second he is saying one thing, the next second he is angry and taking things into his own hands. And Antonio can't take things into his own hands.
"No, Bree. If he has the balls to show up here this late, thinking he can aggressively bang on your door like this, then he's going to get his ass kicked. He probably thinks you're alone, too, which makes it so much worse. I'll make sure he never shows his face ag—" Another round of banging silences us.
Elijah pulls himself out of my grip and marches across the living room, swinging the door open.
•<•>•
I'm so excited for what I might do in the upcoming chapters.
Love you guys <3
T w i t t e r : xPineappleGirlx
I n s t a g r a m : laylaawrites
Y o u t u b e : xThePineappleGirlx
Lots of love and jelly tots - xThePineappleGirlx