I HAVEN'T TOLD anyone about the phone call from Milo. Since it was most likely a burner phone, he couldn't be tracked, and it would only make people close to me worry, and I hated that. I've been on their mind quite a lot recently, and all I wanted was for all of this to end.
And, the other reason was that I wasn't as brave as I originally thought. I was a walking contradiction. One moment, I didn't care what Milo would do to me, the next second I was crawled up in Elijah's bed, crying and throwing up from the fear he'd provoked out of me.
It's been three days since Milo called me, and ever since nothing but radio silence. It was truly... scary. He wasn't the kind to give out empty threats, and since he was being a ghost, it brought back that pit in the depth of my stomach.
I should've listened to my body. The day when I thought I saw him on the street, was likely the day I truly saw him out there. I was unsure of how he managed to pull it off, though I knew what he was capable of and as much as I wanted to finally scream that I've had enough, I couldn't.
No amount of support from Elijah, Luka, Cora and my parents was enough when I felt powerless. And that was exactly what I was.
''Hey,'' Elijah said as he entered his bedroom. I haven't left since the day Milo called me. Somehow, the bedroom was my safe place at the moment, and I didn't feel comfortable leaving. Elijah was kind enough to bring me all the food here and other things I needed.
''Hi.'' I smiled, and he knew it was a fake smile, but didn't comment on it.
I didn't notice until he was standing next to my bed, but he brought me a cup of hot tea. As someone who drank tea when sick only, I've had more tea in the past three days than in my entire life. Yet, I didn't have it in me to tell him to switch it with coffee. I cherished and felt so grateful for his efforts.
He gently set it on the bedside table and sat next to me. Of course, a kiss on my forehead came. I couldn't keep count of how many daily I received, however, I wasn't complaining.
''Are you okay?'' Elijah asked. For reasons unbeknownst to me, I visibly flinched. Grimacing at the feeling of shivers that ran through my body, I tried to nod.
''I'm fine.''
He blinked, not a single trace of amusement on his face as he shook his head, ''I know I told you that I won't pressure you into talking about him, and I won't. But you are hiding something from me, Freya, and I don't like it.''
I turned my head away from him, looking at the window. It was a sunny morning, and it seemed to be windy.
''What could I possibly be hiding, Elijah? Don't be ridiculous.''
''Is that the reason you won't look me in the eye?'' He retorted, quicker than I had an answer prepared.
''Oh, hi there.'' I smiled as Lilith jumped on the bed. She sat next to my legs for a few moments, licking her paws before she snuggled and decided to cuddle on my lap. Her soft purrs soon filled the room as I stroked her back.
''Please,'' Elijah said and I was stunned. It was the first time I heard a plea coming from his mouth and I wasn't prepared for the look that laced his face. It was almost as if he was broken. His eyes held both sadness and rage, and somehow, it made my heart ache.
''I'm fine, Elijah, really.'' I said, ''I know that you have my best interest at heart, and I only want this nightmare to be over with, as soon as possible. If I knew anything, I would've told you by now.''
He sighed, ''Alright. I'll call Cora to keep you company, I need to step out for a few hours.''
Instantly, my anxiety rose and Lilith felt it. Her eyes slowly opened and were glued to my face, ''What? Why? Where are you going?''
''Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it. I need to meet with the private investigators I hired.''
''Why? Did they find out something?''
''I'm not sure, that's why we're meeting.''
I nodded my head and tried to collect myself, act calm. ''Okay. I'll see you soon.''
Another kiss to my forehead came and butterflies erupted in my stomach. Due to the situation we were in, I ignored them, for now. It wasn't the time nor place to realize my feelings for him, and it needed to be pushed to the back of my head, far back.
Elijah left the room and silently closed the door behind him. I sipped on the tea and put on a show to watch. It was hard deciding on what could stir my thoughts in another direction, and the perfect choice was the Witcher.
Let's just say that Henry Cavill managed to keep my thoughts on him, and him only for an hour, until Cora arrived.
However, when she did arrive, she was pissing me off. She wasn't the one to treat people delicately, yet she was acting like I was a newborn baby who needed eyes on her at all times. She spoke in a hushed voice, and she acted as if I would break if she touched me the wrong way.
''Knock it off.'' I said, grumpily. She brought over some hand made cookies and I devoured most of them.
''What?''
''Stop treating me like I'm a broken doll, please.'' I sighed, ''Just treat me the way you usually would, okay?''
Cora was laying in bed next to me, with Lilith sleeping in between us, ''I'm just... really worried, and I have a guilty conscience.''
I paused the show and shifted my body in the way I could look at her, ''Why?''
She bit her bottom lip, and for a while avoided eye contact with me. I gave her a look that I knew would break her, and she caved in.
''It's just...'' She began with a deep breath, ''You told me that you saw him. I dismissed you so easily and thought that it was all in your head. God knows, it could've been him. I'm more and more convinced of it. And if I hadn't said that then–''
I cut her off, ''Then he would've come after me sooner than he did. It's not your fault, Cora, and if anything, you just bought me some time.''
A dry laugh slipped her mouth, ''And that's the worst part. Maybe, all of it could've been prevented.''
I shrugged my shoulders, ''Maybe. Maybe all of it could've been prevented if I hadn't gotten involved with him in the first place. I don't really care about what ifs, or maybe. It happened, it's real, and it should pass soon.''
The look she gave me told me that I didn't help ease her mind. I didn't know what else to say, since all of this was affecting me the most. It was selfish to even think about it, but it was true. It was me that would have to live with the memory of him so deeply engraved in my mind until the day I died.
And that's when I realized that there was nothing wrong with being selfish from time to time. This was happening to me. This nightmare was mine and my only, and although it hurt me to think this way, it was the truth.
•••
Cora convinced me to leave the damn room and eat proper lunch, at the table, with her. My parents announced themselves, and told me they would bring dinner and to expect them. I was suddenly feeling too overwhelmed.
Living like a prisoner for my own sake was slowly getting to me.
''Eat.'' Cora ordered, leaving no room for argument, ''I'll shove that food down your throat if I need to, but you'll eat it all.''
''Okay, mom.'' I said, mockingly and earned an eye roll from her. She prepared us some pasta, and although she'd given me a kid sized portion, I struggled to swallow it. It was delicious, as her cooking always was, but as soon as it was in my mouth, I felt like throwing up and was barely able to swallow it. Hence why I'd been toying around with the food on the plate for the past forty minutes.
As I took a sip of water, Elijah arrived.
My brows narrowed as I took him in. His posture was tight, eyes void of emotions and lips thinned into a line. He was walking towards the table quickly, and as I was about to greet him, he was quicker to do that.
However, it wasn't directed towards me.
''Cora, could you leave us for a moment, please?'' His harsh voice made me angry. She did not deserve to be talked to that way, and I wasn't going to let it slide.
Cora, too, was taken aback. A glance at my direction was her way of silently asking me if I'd be okay. Once I nodded my head, she took her things quickly and left, with a promise to call me soon.
''Okay, what was that about?'' I got my defensive mode ready.
Elijah ignored that, ''Would you like to tell me if I'd done anything to make you think I couldn't be trusted?''
My eyes widened, ''What?''
He chuckled, though it was a dark chuckle, and it wasn't pleasant to hear, ''Because, it seems that you didn't get the memo. You are in fucking danger, Freya. And I've done and am doing everything I can and cannot do to protect you. I will literally fly you to the Moon if it meant you'd be safe there, and what is it that you do? You lie to me.''
I tilted my head to the side, ''What are you talking about?''
A laugh of disbelief slipped past his lips. He inched closer to me, ''Don't do that, Freya. I'm not dumb enough to fall for that, and you're smart enough to know I'm not kidding around.''
My heart sank to my stomach as the only thing flashed in my head that could possibly anger him this much. I took a deep breath, ''I can explain.''
''Can you? Or are you just going to lie to me again?''
Well, that hurt.
•••
Some chapters are shorter, some are longer. Honestly depends on my mood lol