ELIAS' POV
*****
"That's it, Elias, let it all out," Malcolm grimaced before glancing at Andre. "How long has he been at it?"
"Dunno," Andre sighed, sparing a look at his expensive wristwatch. "A few hours, I think."
"Hours?" Malcolm yelped.
I could hardly hear a word they were saying. My airpods were on maximum volume, blasting rap music into my ears as I relentlessly pummeled my fists into the punching bag. We were at the training gym which I often went to before a fight, or when I simply needed to release some pent up anger. Today's visit had fallen under the latter category. While I'd been here for hours, Malcolm and Andre showed up as well, feeling the need to follow me.
"Alright, I think that's enough," Malcolm frowned, crossing his arms.
"He can't hear you," Andre sung from his position slumped against the wall.
Risking death, Malcolm ripped my airpods out of my ears and threw them across the gym.
Alarmed, I held the punching bag still and gave Malcolm a murderous glare. "What the fuck?"
"Yeah, yeah," he unapologetically waved me off. "What's got you so heated?"
"Nothing," I growled, before continuing to angrily pound the punching bag.
"Would you stop it," Malcolm said in annoyance. "It's a Friday evening in the middle of spring."
"So?" I panted without stopping.
"So, you shouldn't be spending hours pummeling a punching bag. It's unhealthy... and a little bit scary."
"What would be a more productive way to spend my time, then?" I sarcastically asked.
"I dunno... go outside, enjoy the weather, spend time with your friends. Maybe Daisy—"
I immediately froze and clutched the punching bag to hold it still. Daisy. It was strange how the mere sound of her name was able to elicit such a strange reaction out of me.
I'd initially tried hard to deny it, but I'd long since come to accept the truth for what it was. I had a crush on Daisy—a real, absurd, elementary school-boy crush. I mean, for Pete's sake, wasn't it obvious? I let her call me Ellie!
It didn't seem right that someone like me, a cold, cunning guy who beat people up for a living, could have feelings for a girl as kind, softhearted, and precious as Daisy Johnson. I didn't know much about girls like her—mainly because I'd never even met anyone that compared to her. What I did know, though, was that she deserved much better than me. I was complicated... messed up. She didn't need that in her life.
"Oh, so now you wanna listen," Malcolm crossed his arms, a gigantic smile on his face.
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, finish the sentence. What about Daisy?"
Malcolm shrugged. "I was just gonna say, maybe we should swing by her house. Life's been bleak without her."
"You just saw her today at school..." I blankly said.
"That was hours ago," Malcolm reasoned.
"Yeah, 'cause God forbid you go more than a few hours without bothering the poor girl," Andre sarcastically said.
"Exactly!" Malcolm cheerfully agreed, before directing his attention back onto me. "Anyways, what do you say, Elias?"
Andre offhandedly tossed me a towel, which I used to ruffle my hair that was wet from my grueling workout. Meanwhile, I rejected Malcolm's idea. "I highly doubt Daisy would appreciate it if we showed up to her house unannounced—again."
"Agreed," Andre lazily piped up.
"You guys are no fun," Malcolm pouted, "Seriously, though, what's up with you, Elias?"
"Nothing," I grunted.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Malcolm and Andre exchange looks. Clenching my jaw, I walked over to the ground where I'd placed my water bottle and squirted some water into my mouth. Meanwhile, dumb and dumber followed after me, unwilling to back down.
"Doesn't seem like nothing," Andre speculated.
"No shit, Captain Obvious," Malcolm scoffed before facing me. "It's not... him, is it?"
I balled my hands into fists.
Andre gasped, eyes widening. "It is, isn't it?"
I didn't reply, which appeared to be enough of a response for them.
"I don't believe it..." Malcolm was speechless for once. "I really thought he was gone this time."
"Yup," I lowly whispered, dark eyes traveling over to the ceiling as I confirmed their suspicions. "My father's back."
*****
We winded up in the driveway of Daisy's house—Malcolm and Andre in one car, me in my own. It admittedly didn't take much convincing, as I desperately yearned to be in her presence after the difficult day I'd had.
Malcolm rang the doorbell. A few seconds went by. I could distinctly hear the sound of someone falling, before the door opened just a crack.
There she was. Daisy appeared to have removed her braids, so her hair was back to its original curly state, effortlessly tied into a perfect bun on top of her head. She looked slightly frantic, as if she was stressed or something. Her face was bare, skin smooth without the makeup that sometimes coated her features at school.
Admittedly, I was jealous of all the attention she began to receive after Chelsea had given her a makeover. Things had gotten even worse after she'd made the cheerleading team. That uniform had done well to accentuate her marvelous body, which she usually hid with the baggy sweatpants and hoodies she wore. Frankly, I was getting tired of scaring off the stupid boys at school with my glares. However, I wasn't going to stop. None of them were good enough for her.
I bet they didn't notice the dimples that appeared in her cheeks when she smiled. The way she cocked her head to the right and scrunched her nose when she was confused. The way her eyes lit up when she raised her hand in class. No, they didn't lo—appreciate Daisy like I did, dorkiness and all.
"Elias," Daisy said my name in surprise.
"Daisy," I lowly murmured back.
I felt my heart beat faster as we locked eyes, although the peaceful moment did not last long.
"And Malcolm and Andre," Malcolm slowly added, causing us to remember that we were not alone.
"Right," Daisy blinked. "What are you guys doing here?"
"I figured you were getting bored without my presence here to brighten your day, so I decided to come over. Don't know what these other dopes are doing here. Anyways, you gonna invite me in?" Malcolm beamed.
"I don't know... Now's not a good time," Daisy nervously smiled.
"Nonsense," Malcolm pushed past her, having zero concept of what boundaries were.
Now that the door was ajar, we were able to see exactly what Daisy had been trying to hide from us.
Beer bottles smashed on the ground. A vase thrown across the hallway. A hole in the wall, as though someone had run a hammer through it.
"What the fudge happened here?" Malcolm yelped.
I nearly facepalmed at his lack of shame.
"You see, it's quite a funny story," Daisy tensely laughed, while glancing behind her shoulder.
It was almost as if someone else was in the house. I recalled her telling me that her father had passed away from a car crash. Now that I thought about it, she had never mentioned her mother. Quickly putting two and two together, I realized her mother had probably been the one to do all this damage. My heart ached for Daisy.
"Maybe we should swing by another time," I cautiously said.
Daisy glanced at me with gratitude all over her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but just then, an older woman bearing a faint resemblance to Daisy came hobbling into the hallway. Her mother.
"Who are you people?" the woman barked.
Daisy's face dropped in horror.
"M-Mom," she stammered, rushing back to her mother, "these are just my friends. Please, go back to the living room."
Daisy attempted to guide her mom away. However, her mom pushed her back, causing Daisy to harshly collide into the wall.
"Hey!" I rushed over to Daisy's side, carefully inspecting her petite body. "Are you—"
"I'm fine," she quickly whispered, refusing to look in my eyes.
"You dirty slut," her mother raised her voice, "letting these boys into our house—your father is probably rolling in his grave right now!"
Tears began to well in Daisy's eyes.
"Ma'am, we don't want any trouble," I protectively stepped in front of Daisy, attempting to de-escalate the situation. "We'll leave."
The woman gave me a look and slightly hmphed, before retreating back to wherever she came from.
There was a brief silence as we all wrapped our minds around what had just happened. Malcolm and Andre stood with their mouths agape in shock. Even though I wasn't showing it, I was fairly stunned myself. I didn't know what I expected Daisy's mother to be like, but it wasn't... that.
"Yup, that's my mother," Daisy dryly smiled, answering the question that no one dared to utter.
Malcolm appeared sympathetic. "Daisy, I—"
"It's fine," she interrupted. "I'll be in touch. For now, could you please just..."
"Yeah, of course," Andre nodded.
Malcolm and Andre began to exit the house. No matter how much I knew I should respect Daisy's wishes, I found myself rooted to the ground. It didn't feel right to leave Daisy by herself in this house with her mother. Looking around me, I began to notice things I hadn't before. A water stain in the corner of the ceiling, some cracks in the flooring, peeling paint on the walls—the signs of neglect were clear.
This was exactly why I'd anonymously paid for her bills. Indeed, Daisy likely had no clue it was me, but I'd prefer to keep it that way. It was clear she needed help, and I was always going to be willing to give it to her, regardless of whether she knew it or not.
I stepped onto the porch and squinted up at the sun, before glancing at Malcolm and Andre, who were already stood on opposite sides of Andre's expensive car. "I'm gonna stay here for a bit," I said to them.
From her position behind me in the house, Daisy gazed at me in surprise.
Without objection, Malcolm nodded and entered the passenger seat of the car. However, Andre remained still for a moment.
"Why?" Andre asked with a frown.
Irritation flooded me. Andre was one of my best friends, and vice versa. Nonetheless, it appeared that a certain curly-headed enigma was creating tension between us. I wasn't a fool. I could see the yearning looks Andre gave Daisy when she wasn't paying attention. He had clearly developed somewhat of a crush on her. Get in line, buddy.
"Because I said so," I blankly replied. "Don't wait up."
With that, I walked back into the house and slammed the door.
"W-Why are you staying?" Daisy stuttered while I turned to face her. I noticed she did that sometimes, often when she was confused or nervous—or both.
"I just don't like the thought of you being alone," I earnestly replied.
"I'm not alone," she said, "I'm with my mom."
I gave Daisy a bit of a look as if to say, be serious. She slightly smiled at me, causing my insides to warm. The feeling was strange... foreign.
"I'm not sure how you did that," Daisy admitted. "Got my mom to retreat, that is. She never backs down from a fight—especially when she's drunk."
I hated how she sounded used to this.
"Does she drink often?" I asked, voice gentle. I had never regarded someone with such softness and care as I did Daisy.
"Yes," Daisy admitted, peering up at me through her long eyelashes. "Although, she wasn't always like this. You know, there was a time when my mother truly loved me."
Although my face was blank, Daisy somehow knew exactly what I was thinking.
"Shocking, I know," she quietly giggled, making a move to sit at the bottom of the staircase.
I sat right next to her. The space was so small that our arms were touching. I found it difficult to control my breath at our close proximity.
There was clearly an internal battle ensuing in Daisy's head.
"You can tell me anything," I deeply reassured her, placing a hand on her thigh.
A twinge of guilt nipped at me after I said that, as I knew I hadn't been entirely honest with Daisy about some things, starting with my father. After all, she was still under the assumption that he was dead—a lie I'd told her a few months ago because I was too much of a coward to be honest with her.
I noticed Daisy's eyes zeroed in on my large hand which was still placed on her warm leg. She bit her lower lip, an action which made me internally go crazy. Nonetheless, she stiffly cleared her throat and began to speak, rendering me back to consciousness.
*****
QOTD: what's your biggest fear?
AOTD: bugs and being kidnapped
Hey loves! I decided to give you guys an early update since I'm feeling nice (aka I was bored and had nothing to do so I wrote this entire chapter in one go)
The new season of Love Is Blind came out and I just binged it all with my mom.
I love that Elias finally came to terms with his feelings! Stay tuned for the next chapter, I have a feeling it will make you guys VERY happy...
Love, Emmanuela
04/08/2023