"So I'm picking you up at seven, right?" Elias asked, turning to face Eira, who was sitting beside him in the car.
She nodded as she searched through her bag, her eyebrows knitted in that annoyed way he had grown so familiar to.
"Yeah," she muttered, giving a frustrated sigh and dropping her bag on the floor from its original place on her lap. Tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, she turned towards him and gave a small pout. "I can't find it," she said, irritated.
Elias frowned. "What?" he asked, confused.
"My Bio textbook," she muttered, a sad shade crossing her face.
"Why do you need it? You're only here to tell your teachers you're leaving for the semester," he said, watching her as she gave another breathy sigh and grabbed her bag again, setting it onto her lap with a clunky plop.
"Yeah, but I still need to return it. I mean, I'm leaving for practically the rest of the year. There's no point in just keeping it. And it's not like they'll let me, anyway," she said, pushing the bag open as wide as it would go and growling angrily when she still couldn't find what she was searching for.
Elias gave a small chuckle at the expression of anger. It didn't suit her at all, what with her petite frame and shy, timid personality. And yet at the same time, it was still incredibly sexy.
Finding it difficult to continue watching her try and find something that clearly wasn't there, he grabbed the bag from her lap and threw it behind him into the backseat.
"Elias!" Eira gasped, twisting to try and retrieve it. "What did you do that for!? I was looking for something!"
"Yes, I'm aware, sweetheart. But you're not gonna find it in there no matter how hard you look."
"And how do you know that?" she asked, turning back towards him with a sharp glare. He smiled at the way her eyes flashed and her mouth pursed sourly, drawing his eyes and making his heart beat faster.
"Can I kiss you really quick?" he blurted before he was even aware of what he had said. For a moment, Eira continued to stare at him in anger, but then her face softened into one of confusion.
"What?" she breathed, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. She leaned towards him threateningly, her cheeks growing red in anger. "You're asking me for a kiss when I'm asking you why you threw my bag into the backseat?! Elias, I'm going to kill you! I have to go! You're going to make me miss cla-"
Suddenly, she stopped, her mouth clamping shut and her face flushing.
"What did you say?" Elias asked, shaking his head. "You have class?"
Eira remained silent, staring straight ahead at the dashboard, her hands gathered in her lap.
"Eira," Elias snapped warningly. "What do you mean you have class?"
Eira still remained quiet, but her eyes had fallen to her hands. "I--" she began but then stopped.
"You're going to class today?" Elias cried, feeling his skin heat. "Eira! I told you not to! You were going to go behind my back!?" He felt his fists clench around the steering wheel, but Eira seemed not to have noticed.
"Elias, I was just..." she sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. "I don't want to miss so much school, okay?"
Elias took a deep breath to calm himself down and loosened his hands on the wheel. "I know you don't, princess, but your health comes first. And you know that. I can't have you keep going to classes and staying up all night studying when you have a baby you should be looking after," he said, leaning towards her and gently brushing her hair out of her face. She sighed and looked up at him, her eyes conflicted.
"I know but, it's not like the baby is born yet. All I have to do is eat right and not stress and--" At this, she suddenly became quiet, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
Elias gave a soft, sympathetic smile and pulled her across the seat into his lap, his lips grazing the top of her head. "I know how hard this is for you, princess. But you and I both know there's no way you can go through even one school day without taking any stress."
"Yeah, but--"
"But nothing. I'm not risking my child's health, Eira. That's final," Elias said, trying to be as gentle as he could with his words without scaring or saddening her. "I know how much you want to continue school but right now, the most important thing to both of us should be our baby."
Eira sighed and nodded slowly, playing with the sleeve of his shirt. "Yeah," she whispered after a moment. "You're right. I'm sorry."
Elias smiled. "For what?" he muttered, kissing softly behind her ear and making her squirm.
"Stop," she whispered, giggling and leaning away. "Someone might see."
"And?" he mumbled, never taking his lips from her skin. He kissed down her neck in small, roaming little patterns, causing her arms to come around his shoulders and embrace him in a hug.
Too short a time later, she pulled away with a gasp.
"Elias, look what you've got me doing! I need to go! Some of my teachers might leave if I don't," she cried, climbing over him in a panic to snatch her bag from the backseat. He grunted as her full weight shifted onto his upper body.
"Crushing...lungs...Eira," he managed to get out, placing both hands on the backs of her legs in an effort to pull some of her weight away. Fortunately, she scrambled off of him herself only a moment later, bag in hand and hair splayed across her face messily.
"Sorry," she mumbled softly, a playful grin dancing on her lips. "Didn't see you there."
Elias made a face and mock laughed before pulling her towards him for one last kiss.
"Okay I'm going now," she said once they had pulled apart. "I'll see you at seven."
He nodded and watched her get out of the car, closing the door behind her only to reopen it and stick her head through. "Oh and if you see my textbook--"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll bring it by," he said, rolling his eyes at her, a smile nevertheless pulling at the corners of his lips. She smiled back at him in return.
"Thank you, Elias," she said, closing the door again. "I love you."
"I love you too, princess. And remember, seven sharp."
"Seven sharp. Got it. Bye!"
Waving, Eira turned and began skipping away, her hair bouncing behind her as she went, leaving Elias wondering what had gotten into her.
One minute she was dark and angry and another she was sunshine and rainbows. He sighed, starting the car and beginning to drive away, left with the realization that, if this whole mood swing thing was something that came with pregnancy, God was he screwed.
~
Eira smiled and waved one last time at her professor as she left her lecture room. She had been lucky that all of them had been teaching today or else she would have had to make a second trip another day to speak with them all.
Even though she had already talked to her adviser about leaving, she also wanted to be able to meet with all her teachers before actually signing the papers that allowed her to officially withdraw for the semester.
At first, she had been afraid to tell anyone except those that would be involved in her withdrawal procedure. But then she realized that she at least owed it to her professors to inform them why. She didn't think they'd really care. After all she was practically just a number amongst all the other hundreds of students they taught each day.
But she had been wrong. All of them had been so excited and genuinely happy to hear of her news that it had surprised even her. Some of them even insisted on letting them know the gender of the baby once she and Elias found out. Others had been shocked at first, but then so happy that they too asked to be kept updated. Of course Eira agreed to do so readily. After all, they had done so much for her when it came to deadlines and assignments and grades. She just felt like she should return the favor a little.
Letting out a relieved and content sigh, she pushed open the door that led out into the parking lot, the darkness of the night pushing all her past thoughts away. Due to the foggy weather earlier in the day, it was difficult to see the stars now, a thick layer of clouds blanketing not only them but also the moon.
Shivering from the cold that the night brought along too, Eira wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep a chill from creeping up her spine. For some reason, she kept feeling like there was someone watching her. Feeling her heart begin to race from fear, she turned around reluctantly, expecting to see a man in a mask and hood but finding someone else standing before her entirely.
Letting out a loud gasp, Eira stumbled back and placed a hand to her heart. "Oh my gosh, Iyan. You scared the living daylights out of me! What are you doing here?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him in the dark.
From where she was standing a few feet away, it was hard to make out his face. The light from one of the poles nearby did nothing to illuminate it, rather cast shadows over his entire body, something that did not sit right with her at all. Feeling suddenly nervous, she tightened her grip on her bag, clutching it close to her chest for protection.
"Don't I get a hello or a hey, how are you first?" Iyan asked, breaking the eerie silence between them. "I mean, really. I know you two are married and all, but just because your husband is rude and suspicious of me all the time doesn't mean you have to be."
The way he said the words sounded strange, as if he were trying to make a joke but was in fact angry. Eira swallowed dryly in response to him and took a step back, feeling her heart begin to race.
"I...I don't know what you're talking about," she said, trying to keep her voice steady even though she was shaking from head to toe.
"Oh come on, Eira. You must get tired of it, right?" he continued, his voice remaining in that chilling tone. "How protective and possessive he is of you. Don't you ever wish you had someone more...wild?" At this, he took a step closer to her, making her stomach churn with discomfort.
"Iyan, I don't know what you're doing here or what you want but--"
"I want you," he said, suddenly so close to her that she stopped breathing for a moment.
Repulsed at the lack of distance between them, she tried to move away from him, but he suddenly grabbed her wrist, his nails digging into the sensitive skin and making her cry out in fear and pain.
"Iyan, please," she whispered.
"Oh God, how I want to hear you scream that in bed, baby," he muttered, a sick smile twisting his lips.
Still, at this distance, she couldn't see his eyes, the shadows playing upon them unmercilessly. Trying and failing to free herself from his grasp, Eira used the next best thing she had. Her bag. But even before she could lift it to connect with his face or arm, he had pulled it out of her free hand and tossed it carelessly to the side. She could hear her keys and other things tumble out and then fade into the silence that now encompassed them.
He was just staring at her now, a smug smirk fixed on his lips. The sight of it made it hard for Eira to breathe. His stare was unwavering, causing her heart to hammer against her rib cage and make her lungs feel like they were burning. The pain in her wrist was growing more and more unbearable with each passing moment, turning numb and pinching under his strong grip.
"Please, Iyan," she tried again, hoping her pleading would convince him to at least let go of her. "Please. You're engaged. Think of Feria."
At this, Iyan let out a bitter laugh. "Oh please, baby. Right now all I can think of is taking you right here, right now. You can't imagine how long I've wanted you. Ever since we met at that party. God you looked so fucking hot in that backless dress, I swear. I--"
Before he could finish, Eira had raised her hand and left a searing slap across his cheek. The sound echoed across the parking lot, leaving both of them stunned at what she'd just done.
And then, without warning, she was being thrown to the ground with enough force to rattle her brain and make her teeth ache. She felt pain jolt her entire body, but all she could think about was one thing. The baby, the baby, the baby.
Feeling sobs begin to choke her at the thought of something happening to her child, she quickly scrambled into a sitting position and placed both hands, which were badly scraped and cut, onto her stomach. When the skin there cried out in pain in response to her touch, she herself began to cry too. It was over. She had lost the baby. She just knew it.
But before she could do anything else about it but sob, she heard a loud crack at her side. When she turned, she saw Elias on top of Iyan, punching him over and over again. The crack had been his skull hitting the ground with an ear-splitting loudness that stilled her in place.
She was so stunned at his sudden appearance she could do nothing but watch him for a moment, her eyes fixed on his fist as it connected with Iyan's face relentlessly. When she realized his knuckles were bloodied, though, she finally came to her senses and pushed herself off the ground quickly, pain shooting through her every limb at the action. Ignoring it, she ran towards Elias, shouting at him to stop as she went.
"Elias, please! You'll kill him! Stop it!"
But for the first time ever, her words seemed to have no effect on him. Rather, he seemed to grow even angrier at the sound of her voice, increasing the force in his punch.
Desperately, Eira glanced at the portion of Iyan's face that she could see around Elias's body and felt her heart thunder in panic. He looked like he had passed out and there was blood covering every inch of his face and neck. One of his eyes was swollen shut and already turning purple and there was a bend to his nose that didn't look right.
Gulping, Eira slowly moved closer to Elias, feeling her legs turning weak under her. Maybe it was the sight of the blood or the fact that she could have been killed tonight that did it, but before she could touch his arm and move him away, she was on the floor, her vision clouding with black and everything disappearing.
~
It was when he heard a thud much like a body falling that his hand finally stilled. Quickly, he turned around, his heart beginning to race even faster at the sight of his wife on the ground, her face pale and her lips parted slightly.
Leaving the bastard he had been battering to a pulp only moments ago, he rushed over to her and gently lifted her head onto his lap, brushing her hair out of her face, careful not to get any of the blood on his knuckles on her skin.
"Princess," he whispered, shaking her softly by the shoulders. "Wake up. Please wake up, Eira."
When she didn't open her eyes or respond, he gathered her into his arms and quickly made his way over to the Escalade. Thank God he had gotten here in time or else he didn't know what in the world would have happened. Feeling as if his heart was going to explode, he took a deep breath and lay her on the backseats, careful she didn't hit her head on the window or door.
Once he was in the car, he glanced back in the direction that son of a bitch had been in, wondering what he should do about his unconscious body. Deciding it was best to just leave him there until he woke up on his own, he took off towards the hospital, thankful it was close by.
As he drove, he could still feel the waves of anger rolling off of him. His teeth were still clenched and his hands were still curled into tight fists. All he wanted to do was go back to that bastard and finish him off. God only knew what other things he had done to Eira when he hadn't been there.
When he had shown up, she had just been pushed to the ground by him, and the sight of her falling had ignited such a savage anger in him he hadn't been able to see straight. He didn't even remember how he got to where Iyan was or how many times he had punched him. All he could think about was Eira's sobs after she had been thrown down.
At the thought of her, he glanced in the backseat, feeling his stomach sink at the sight of her still pale and tear-streaked face. No one had the right to hurt her like that. Especially not that bastard.
~
Eira awoke to the sound of beeping. Loud, angry beeping. Panic-stricken, she gasped and bolted upright, her eyes wide in surprise as they darted around the room.
A hand all of a sudden came down on her wrist--which, along with her hands had been wrapped in gauze--gently pulling her down onto the bed again. "Relax, princess. It's okay, you're fine. Just relax."
Eira turned to her side to see Elias sitting in a chair beside her bed. And then suddenly, without even realizing what was happening, she started bawling.
"Hey," Elias whispered, his eyebrows coming together as he gazed at her weeping form. "What's wrong?"
Eira shook her head, still crying too hard to form any fluent words. Elias simply watched her, his expression worried and scared. After seeing it, she tried to calm herself down, enough to form the words that had been running circles in her mind ever since her fall. "The baby. Elias, the baby."
Elias stared at her for a moment before shaking his head and tenderly brushing her hair back from her face. "Princess," he whispered. "The baby is fine. The doctor came in a while ago and when I told her what happened, she did a few tests and said that everything is completely fine. We have nothing to worry about."
Eira swallowed dryly and sniffed back tears. "You...you told her what happened? Everything?" she asked anxiously. Elias shook his head and looked away, an angry scowl appearing on his face.
"No," he said shortly. "I just said you fell."
At his sudden change in behavior, Eira placed a comforting hand on his arm and squeezed it gently. "Elias..." she began.
"We're not speaking about this, Eira. Not right now and not ever," he interrupted. "I want to forget that sorry excuse for a human being and pretend he's fucking dead and nothing ever happened tonight. He's lucky I didn't actually kill him because I swear I was so close. If it hadn't been for you, I would have. Really, I would," he said, his eyes glinting viciously.
The pure rage left Eira with no choice but to simply stay quiet and nod. She looked away from him, unable to handle his anger, and suddenly saw his hands. He was still holding one of hers in both of his, twisting the ring on her finger aimlessly. But there was dried blood and black and blue bruising around each of his knuckles. Feeling worry fill her, she grabbed one of his hands and pulled them into her lap.
"What did you do to yourself, Elias?" she asked, meeting his eyes in disbelief. Elias looked down at his wounds and frowned.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it. I'll be fine," he said, pulling away from her.
"That's what you said last time you hurt your hand and it still hasn't healed. Did you at least have it checked by the doctor?"
"Yes."
"You're lying."
"No, I'm not."
"Elias, yes you are. I'm calling her back in here."
"Okay fine, I didn't have anything checked. But I will. Just...tell me something first."
Eira shifted uncomfortably on the bed, knowing what he was about to ask would probably involve what had happened.
"What did he do to you before I came?"
Eira swallowed and shook her head, feeling her palms begin to sweat. "Nothing," she whispered, keeping her eyes locked on the thin sheet that had been spread over her.
"Now you're lying," Elias said, leaning towards her, his expression serious. "Tell me."
Eira shook her head again. "I'm not," she said weakly, but Elias wasn't having it.
"Eira. I'm not going to ask again. What the hell did he do to you?"
"He didn't do anything! He just...he said some things."
"What things?"
"Just...some things. It's really nothing, Elias."
"What fucking things did he say, Eira?" Elias snarled, his expression stern and raging.
Eira felt hot tears gather in her eyes at his temper and the thought of all the things Iyan had said to her. She didn't want to repeat them. She didn't want to think about them. But what choice did she have?
"He...he just said things like how much he wanted me and how I must want someone wild instead of possessive and protective like you," she whispered, her voice breaking softly.
She kept her eyes fixed on the bed sheet in front of her, feeling suffocated at the silence that stretched out after her words. When she couldn't bear it any longer, however, she reluctantly looked up and realized Elias had left his seat and was standing by the window, his hands clenched so tightly she could see his knuckles whitening even from where she was.
"Elias..." she whispered. "Are you...are you okay?"
When he didn't respond, she looked away and sighed. Another stretch of silence carried through the room, leaving her with a heavy, sinking feeling weighing down on her chest.
"How did he get there?" his voice came a few minutes later, weary and caged, but still tinted with anger.
Surprised, Eira turned her head to look at him, but he was still turned around, his back to her.
"I..." she began, "I don't know. I just felt like someone was following me and when I turned around, he was there. I knew the minute I saw him that there was something wrong, though. He was just acting so weird."
"And apart from pushing you and saying all those things, he didn't do anything, right?" he asked, turning around and finally facing her.
All traces of anger had vanished from his eyes, leaving only a vulnerability that shocked her enough to let out a soft wimper. Elias wasn't furious. He was scared. Feeling the overwhelming need to hug him, she began climbing out of bed. But before she had even pulled the bed sheets off of her, he was by her side, keeping her in place with a firm hand.
"What are you doing?" he asked, furrowing his brows as he reclaimed his seat beside her.
"Trying to hug you," she said, smiling softly. At her words, he grinned too and then shook his head.
"Oh there's a lot more than just hugging you that I want to do. Starting with this," he said, pressing his lips to hers before she had a chance to reply or even react.
She giggled and kissed him back, putting into the kiss everything she had been feeling for him since the incident. Affection, adoration, pure love.
When he pulled away, she sighed contentedly. A few moments of peaceful silence passed between them before Eira suddenly grew somber.
"Elias," she whispered, "are you...are you sure the baby is alright?"
Elias's eyebrows rose in surprise at her question before he sighed and brushed a strand of stray hair from her face. "I'm positive, princess. There's absolutely nothing to worry about," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.
She smiled softly in return and nodded. "Okay," she whispered. "Good. Because I was so scared."
She felt hot tears well in her eyes when she remembered the crippling fear and pain she had felt when she had first been pushed down, thinking that her baby had been lost to her.
"Eira," Elias whispered, cupping her face gently. "Please don't cry. Please. You know I hate it. Our baby is absolutely fine. But if you cry like this, you're going to end up hurting it."
Eira nodded and quickly wiped her eyes. "You're right," she said, her voice still raw with emotion. "I'm sorry, baby."
"Woah there. That's the first time I've heard you call me that," Elias said, smirking at her. Eira rolled her eyes at his typical response.
"I wasn't talking to you, weirdo. I was talking to the actual baby," she said, shaking her head at him.
He grinned back innocently, leaning in for another kiss when the door suddenly came flying open, startling them both away from each other.
Of all people to walk into the room at that moment, Eira would never have guessed it would be the person standing before her now.
They only said one word, but it was more than enough to let her know they were angry. "You," it came out in such a seething, heated tone Eira could do nothing but stare blankly.
Luckily, Elias was there to jump in and ask the question that was on her mind. Of course, he didn't sound as polite when he said it, rather quite savage and cold. Perhaps even more than the person standing in front of them still, glaring at them with a level of intense hatred Eira had never seen before. Regardless, he still asked the question.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing here, Feria?"