The bed bounced up a bit when Elijah climbed to bed. It was a smaller bed compared to the one he had at his apartment so we were pressed against eachother. He wrapped his arm me and nuzzled his head against my neck.
"I'm good for you, right?" He asked in a soft whisper. His heavy breath had a mixture of scents - cigarillo and rum. It was a scent that just barely lingered so he hadn't smoked or drank too much.
I was so mentally drained from all the questioning and coming to the realization that I didn't even know myself. Elijah continued nuzzling his head into me and rubbing my arms. I wanted to sleep, but it was obvious something was bothering him. Elijah wasn't the obviously cuddly type.
"Are you okay, Elijah?" I asked, turning around to face him.
"No, not really," he sighed. "Are you okay?"
"I have a lot on my mind," I admitted.
He laid in his back and stared at the white ceiling. "I'm sorry for my dad. It seems like coming here was a bad idea. I forget he can be a bit critical."
"It's okay. At least your dad is in the picture," I sighed.
He brushed my heated cheek with the back of his hand. "I don't think you've told me about your dad."
"No, I haven't."
He gave me a sympathetic smile. "It's okay. Do you want to talk about it tomorrow?"
"Sure," I sighed.
"Maybe tomorrow we can go on a nice walk by the Potomac river and talk about ourselves," Elijah suggested.
I wasn't much of a talker unless I held something in for so long and felt like I was going to explode. I supposed I didn't have the healthiest way of communicating.
Elijah and I didn't spend much time talking, we kind of just kept eachother company and slept together. I was fine it, but I knew at some point I will crave a deeper relationship especially as I emotionally mature.
I looked at his beautiful blue eyes, that almost begged me to go all in. Elijah needed this, he needed an emotional and intellectual connection. I'm sure his past relationships depended more on those attributes considering nothing truly sexual happened. I had to give him this part of me, even though it was one of the scariest things I had to do. It was so easy to undress and show my naked form, but not my naked soul.
"Okay, we can do that. I'd love to get to know you more," I whispered. I leaned over and kissed his forehead. He closed his eyes and savored the peaceful moment.
The following morning, Elijah and I were awaken to a mixture of aromas such as bacon, vanilla and coffee. The food smelled so good and it immediately made my stomach growled. I couldn't remember the last time I had a homemade breakfast.
Elijah and I changed into our everyday clothes and ran into the kitchen like hungry children. Nicholas laughed as we slid across the kitchen and plopped the plates onto the table.
"Con tiempo!" He spoke in Spanish. His pronunciation was impeccable, perhaps even better than mine.
"Hablas espanol?" I asked.
"Mas o menos. Estudia en Espania por un año."
Elijah looked at us with a clueless expression.
"Your dad said he studied in Spain for a year which is how he knows some Spanish. I think that's awesome, I would like do that next year."
"Well, you should! Anywhere in Europe would be fantastic for traveling and studying."
"I'll think about it. It's just an idea," I responded and glanced over to Elijah. He grabbed my hand and placed a gentle kiss on it.
"You should. I went to France for a semester."
"Though, he didn't learn any French," Nicholas said in disappointment.
"I learned how to ask 'where is the restroom' and 'how about tomorrow.'"
Nicholas rolled his eyes and handed us napkins. "Of course."
"There's only two plates?" I said in confusion.
"Good eye. I have to go into the office today, so I won't be able to eat with you two." Nicholas walked into the closet and pulled out his brief case. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Morena. I hope we can get to know each other a bit more."
"Likewise," I said, offering my hand.
He took and lightly smiled. "I should get going."
Elijah and I ate breakfast while watching a show in the living room. I suggested eating at the table and chit chatting, but he said it was the usual to eat breakfast by the TV. I could barely get him to watch a commercial with me at his apartment, but here, he is almost like a teenager. I didn't mind it. It was interesting to see how an environment can change a person.
He took his last bite of food and turned off the TV. "Alright, I do have plans for us today. Though, is there anything you'd specifically like to do?" He asked.
I shook my head. "Not really."
"I want to go to the Great Falls with you and explore the land. Would you like that?"
I leaned over to kiss his cheek and smiled. "As long as I'm with you. I've never been hiking so this should be fun."
It wasn't fun, but being with Elijah made it tolerable. I wasn't an athletic person by any means and climbing over lots of rocks and hills was not my forte. I was one for in-place exercising like tennis, badmitton, and pole dancing.
Elijah truly enjoyed the walk. He grazed through the trail with ease and didnt even break a sweat. It did rain the night before so the trail was wet which didn't help with my grip but Elijah always managed to catch me before I fell.
"And we are here," he cheered.
I placed my hand on my hip and bent over to try to catch my breath. "Looks like the other spots that were much closer to the entrance."
"Ah, but it's not." He patted a large boulder that had a flat surface on the top. "Perfect for two." He climbed on it and offered his hand. I took it and with one effortless pull, I was sitting next to him.
Sitting down and being able to catch my breath, I found it a lot easier to admire the scenery. To be honest, the view was breath taking and every step I took up here was absolutely worth it. It was late October so the crisp autumn colors were painted onto the tree's leaves. The river kept steaming along, providing a white noise that relaxed me.
I placed my hand on Elijah's thigh and smiled. "Where'd you find this place?"
"My mom."
"Oh, I'm really sorry." I slid my hand away from his thigh and into his hand. I squeezed it and brought it to my lap. "Do you want to talk about her? I'd love to hear about her."
He wistfully looked out and took a deep breath. "She was a fantastic woman. She played the role of a mother, wife, daughter and sister so impeccably. She never frowned, or well, I never saw her frown. A very positive human being that didn't deserve to be taken away so early and with so much pain. The chemotherapy wasn't working and it just kept spreading. She died at 38."
I brought his hand to my lips and gasped. "She was so young."
"Yes, she was pretty young. My mom was 19 when she met my dad, he was about 24. They fell in love fast and a couple months later ended up pregnant. Everyone said that their relationship would fall apart, but it made them closer and inseparable. My dad worked his ass of to be a lawyer, my mom finished college while raising me. They were a power couple. I lost my mom, but my dad lost his entire world."
The way Elijah spoke about his parents made me feel so much emotion. Emotions that I never really felt about partners. I've seen a lot of failed relationships and unhealthy ones so to hear about a couple that thrived through obstacles made it so much more beautiful. I felt a tear or two form and linger on my lashes, but I tried blinking it away. I had to be strong for him.
"I miss her," he whispered. "I miss her hugs, her vanilla scent, her desserts, her smile, her advice, her positivity, her love for life." He brought me in closer and placed his head on mine.
It was eerily quiet and I had a feeling that Elijah was crying. I sat there, holding his hand tightly as we looked across the river and mourned together.