Eira’s eyes fluttered open slightly, squinting against the bright light illuminating the room. It took a moment for her vision to focus, and when it did, she nearly gasped and flinched back in surprise. Elias was lying next to her on the pillow, too close, his bare chest gently rising and falling with his slow, even breathing.
Eira’s face flushed a deep scarlet as last night’s events came rushing back to her. She looked down at the thin camisole and silk pajama pants she had thrown on before falling asleep the night before and quickly pulled the comforter around her, all the way up to her neck, hiding everything but her face, which was still burning with heat.
Slowly, she tried squirming out of bed with the comforter still held against her, but was quickly forced to lie back down when Elias rolled over in his sleep, mumbling incomprehensibly as he did. Eira couldn’t help but smile at his cuteness. He was like one of those tiny puppies that were cute even when they weren’t trying to be. Affection welling inside of her, she moved closer to peek over his shoulder when, all of a sudden, he whipped around and enveloped her in his strong, lean arms.
Eira screeched, surprised, and struggled to wriggle away. “Elias!” she cried, her voice muffled by his chest. “W-what are you doing!?”
Elias chuckled, the deep sound rumbling through his ribcage and reverberating in her ears. She shivered, the feeling of his bare skin against hers making her blush all over again. It was one thing to be this close to him in the darkness—where she could barely see her own hand let alone anything of his—but now, in the bright daylight, she couldn’t hide a thing from him even if she tried to.
Gulping, she looked down at her hands braced on his chest and quickly pulled them away, feeling her face flush hotter. “Elias,” she said again, more quietly this time. “Please.”
Her voice had an almost desperate, pleading air to it, as if she would start crying any minute. She couldn’t help it. Her discomfort had long ago reached the point where she wanted nothing more than to dissolve into midair or sink into the ground through the bed. Anything but remain lying next to him, feeling so exposed. Suddenly sensing Elias’s intense gaze on her from the corner of her eye, Eira shielded her face with her hands and turned away from him, a soft groan of embarrassment escaping her.
“Please don’t make sounds like that,” Elias muttered quietly in her ear. “You have no idea what they make me want to do to you.”
Eira felt her entire body flame, making her skin burn a deep ember shade. “Elias!” she gasped, turning to swat his arm. “You’re disgusting, you pig!”
He grinned and pulled her into his chest again. “Call me whatever the hell you want, princess,” he said, kissing her hair. “I’m too happy to care.”
Eira rolled her eyes but curled deeper into his arms, resting her head against his shoulder. “And why is that?” she asked, gazing up at the angle of his face she could see from where she was positioned, one of his arms wrapped around her—cradling her close—and the other stroking her cheek and hair.
“Because,” Elias said, his face growing serious.
“Because what?” Eira asked, pulling her eyebrows together in confusion.
They were both talking quietly, their still sleep-ridden voices only loud enough for each other to hear. But, there was a certain type of intimacy in speaking in such a soft tone. It was as if they were the only two people left in the world, tucked away in their own little bubble, away from everyone and everything else.
“Because I can do this anytime I want now,” Elias said suddenly. Eira looked at him, waiting for an explanation. But, instead of giving her one, he lifted her chin up with two fingers and pressed his lips against hers. Eira gasped, surprised at first, but as the kiss continued, she relaxed and wrapped her arms around his neck, finding herself wanting more. But, when he pulled away and ran his mouth along her neck instead, his breath tickling the sensitive spot behind her ear as his lips teased it, she giggled and pushed him away.
“Hey,” he whined, falling onto his back and turning his head to pout at her. “I thought you wouldn’t push me away anymore.”
Eira rolled her eyes. “I said no such thing,” she said, smiling and brushing a stray strand of hair from his eyes. Elias grinned at her, his eyes sparkling as he looked into hers.
“I love you,” he whispered, lightly kissing her again. Eira smiled against his lips as he began pulling away.
“I love you, too,” she whispered back, blushing under the undivided attention he continued to give her. He sighed contentedly and grabbed her around the waist, pressing her into him and resting his chin on top of her head.
“Let’s just stay like this all day,” he muttered. Eira could sense he was beginning to drift off again and quickly disentangled herself from his arms, sitting up. Elias immediately imitated the gesture, his expression shifting into concern as he searched her face with narrowed eyes.
“What’s wrong,” he asked, running his thumb across one of her cheeks. Eira shook her head.
“Nothing,” she said, smiling reassuringly at him. “I’m fine. It’s just that we can’t stay in bed all day.”
Elias frowned, his hand falling away from her face. “Why not?” he asked, his eyebrows drawing together.
“Because school starts back up today,” Eira explained. Elias blinked at her, his eyes widening slightly in surprise.
“Today?” he asked, glancing at the alarm clock on the nightstand beside the bed. Eira nodded and pressed her lips together, trying to contain her own disappointment. It was just her luck that the storms would choose a day like today to finally stop.
“I’m afraid so,” she said with a sigh, her shoulders slumping in annoyance. “Guess the weather just isn’t on our side anymore. Meaning schools and colleges can finally reopen.”
Elias groaned loudly and fell back onto the bed, the sheets rustling around him as he turned over and buried his face in the pillow. “Why today?” he whined, his voice coming out muted.
Eira giggled. “Yeah, I know. We actually have to start working and exerting energy again,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Elias lifted his head from the pillow to glare at her, but the look quickly faded as a slow smirk took its place.
“Who said we haven’t been exerting any energy? In my opinion, we exerted plenty of energy last night,” he said, his grin widening as Eira’s cheeks turned bright pink.
“Stop!” she cried, burying her hands in her face as he burst into laughter. “You’re too mean!”
Still chuckling, Elias rolled his eyes and lowered his wife’s hands from her face. “I’m just teasing you, Eira,” he said, pulling her down to lie beside him. Eira’s jaw remained stiff in anger.
“Oh, come on,” Elias whined, gathering her in his arms for a tight, regretful hug. “I’m sorry.”
She looked up at him, her eyes shooting daggers. “If I had known you would tease me about this, I would have never agreed to it,” she said sharply, turning her face away from him. Elias laughed softly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, cupping her chin and turning her face back to him. “You would have never agreed to what?” He arched an amused eyebrow and Eira blew out a loud, exasperated sigh.
“Elias, you know exactly what I’m talking about. So, stop acting like you don’t. You know how uncomfortable these things make me,” she muttered the last part under her breath, her skin pricking with uneasiness.
Elias felt his heart sink as he watched Eira’s emotions play across her face. Her eyes had suddenly glossed over and her bottom lip had begun to quiver ever so slightly. “Oh no,” he muttered, pulling her against him tightly. “Please, no.” He kissed her head over and over again as she sniffled into his chest. “Please don’t cry, Eira. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” she whispered after a moment. “I’m just…this is all new to me. I’m not used to any of it.” He could hear her trying to keep her voice steady, and it made his chest ache even more.
“I know, princess,” he whispered, tilting her face up to look at him. “I’m sorry.” He searched her wet eyes, feeling his chest constrict with emotion. Those same eyes had looked at him with such love last night; he could barely recognize them now—glinting with coyness and anxiety. He opened his mouth to speak, to tell her he was sorry again, when she gave him a small smile.
“It’s not your fault, Elias,” she said again, lifting a hand to brush her thumb over his cheek. He felt the skin there tingle and desire begin to churn inside of him. “I just…it feels weird. After last night, with everything that happened. It was—it was…different.”
Elias couldn’t help a smile. “Different,” he repeated, nodding and chuckling. “Okay. I guess I can live with that.”
Eira giggled. “Good,” she said, reaching up to kiss his nose. Elias smiled and shifted his face to capture her lips.
“I love you,” he said again, when he pulled away from her. “So much.”
Eira blushed. “I love you, too, Elias. We’ve been over this,” she said, shaking her head.
Elias smiled. “I know, but…I just really don’t want to leave this bed today,” he muttered, making a disgusted face at the thought of college. He had imagined waking up and spending a lazy day at home with her, cuddled in bed and kissing her over and over and over again. He had never felt so content in his life, just lying here with her, holding her. He could do it forever. And then stupid college—stupid life, stupid responsibilities—had to interfere and ruin his plans.
Sighing, he buried his nose in Eira’s hair and inhaled. “You smell so good,” he muttered, tightening his grip on her. Eira laughed.
“Thanks?” she said, looking up at him with a strange, confused expression. Elias chuckled.
“What? I can’t even compliment my own wife now?” he asked, tickling her. She laughed, covered her stomach, and turned away from him.
“Stop!” she whined, catching her breath and sitting up. “I can’t breathe!”
His own laughter dying out, Elias followed her into the upright position and sighed loudly again. “I don’t wanna go to school,” he groaned, staring forlornly up at the ceiling.
“Elias,” Eira chastised, “You’re twenty-one. Grow up.” She rolled her eyes and climbed out of the bed with the sheets wrapped around her body. He glanced at the makeshift cocoon and grinned, but didn’t say anything, only shook his head in amusement.
“What?” Eira snapped, glancing at his expression. He pressed his lips together and looked away, shaking his head.
Eira frowned. “Elias,” she said warningly, gripping the sheets tighter against her chest. “What?”
Elias chuckled. “Eira,” he said, meeting her eyes at last. “I’ve already seen everything there is to see of you. What are you trying to hide?”
Eira’s face grew red. She felt her breath hitch as she turned away from him, pulling the comforters behind her. She could feel Elias staring at her back, but she refused to turn around and glance at him. “That doesn’t mean anything,” she muttered, her shoulders stiffening when she heard him getting out of bed and walking around it, towards her.
“I think it does,” a deep, rumbling voice suddenly whispered in her ear. Eira gasped and turned towards it, glaring at Elias when she saw him standing before her, a cocky smirk on his face.
“No. It doesn’t. I still have a responsibility to remain modest, you know,” she said sharply, looking away. Elias smiled.
“Mmm,” he muttered, moving in for a kiss. Eira leaned back, making him frown.
“Hey,” he whined, pulling a pouty face. Eira stared at him with a serious expression for as long as she could, but ended up laughing in the end, anyway.
“You’re impossible,” she said, shaking her head and shoving him playfully. Elias grinned.
“That I am,” he said, grabbing her and pressing his lips against hers.
Eira protested and pushed him away, making a beeline straight for the door. Elias rolled his eyes, amused, as he watched her struggle to open it. In the process, the comforters that had been wrapped around her fell to the floor in a mass of cream-colored fabric. She looked down at the pile now heaped around her feet and gave a high-pitched scream, then quickly pulled the door open and sprinted down the hall. A second later, he heard the bathroom door open and shut loudly. He laughed and shook his head, slowly walking towards the door to gather up the sheets. The sound of the shower turning on filled the house as he tossed them on the bed behind him and walked out into the hall.
“I can see you!” he yelled, knocking loudly on the bathroom door as he strolled past it. Eira screamed again from inside and he could hear the rustle of the towel as she most likely pulled it off the rack and wrapped it around herself. He chuckled to himself and proceeded into the kitchen, deciding to let her enjoy the rest of her shower in peace.
♥
“Elias!” Eira cried, trying to pull her arm free of her husband’s firm grip. “Please! I have class in twenty minutes!”
“Yeah,” Elias said, pulling her across the seat so he could kiss her forehead. “Twenty more minutes you can spend with me.” Eira rolled her eyes.
They were parked in front of Eira’s university, finally having left the house a little while ago, after much complaining and groaning on Elias’s part. If Eira had known he’d have the same kind of fit here at her school—whining about having to go back to college and leaving her—she would have gotten a ride from Feria and Qasir, or even walked. Anything to escape Elias’s pouting and childish pleas.
“Please don’t go,” he said now—for the millionth time—making Eira sigh in frustration again.
“Elias,” she said sharply. “I have to. I can’t just skip, now can I?” Elias sighed and let his head fall back against the seat.
“But—” he began.
“You have class soon, too,” Eira said gently, trying a softer, more affectionate route and pushing his hair back away from his face. “You should get going.” The new approach seemed to work, because Elias turned to face her, his expression finally growing serious.
“Yeah,” he said, sighing and sitting forward in his seat to shift the car into drive. “I guess.” Eira smiled at him and kissed his cheek, then threw his arms around him in a tight hug.
“I’ll see you soon,” she said. He nodded and stroked her cheek, his eyes softening as he searched hers.
“Yeah,” he muttered again, his voice forlorn. Eira lost her smile as she realized how truly upset he was.
“Elias,” she said, leaning back to search his expression. “I’m only going to class.”
He sighed. “I know,” he mumbled, running his hands through his hair. “It’s just…God, I’ve gotten so used to having you around me all the time, I—”
“You’re scared, aren’t you?” Eira asked quietly.
Elias closed his eyes and nodded, dropping his head into his hands. Yes, he was terrified. He didn’t want her leaving him, even if it was just for school. He wanted her with him, always, where he could see her and make sure she was okay, that she was safe. He didn’t think he could handle her being away from him every day now, for hours. It would drive him crazy with worry.
“Elias,” Eira breathed, shaking her head with a small laugh. “I’ll be fine. It’s…it’s just school.”
Elias swallowed with difficulty. “I know but…just the thought of you somewhere without me. By yourself. God, it—”
“I won’t be by myself. In fact, there will probably always be someone—Qasir, Feria, someone—with me. You know I never go anywhere by myself. I’ll be fine, Elias.”
Elias gave a long, loud sigh. “Yeah,” he said, mustering a small smile. “Okay. But—but just…keep your phone on. Whether you’re in class or not. I swear, if you miss a single one of my calls—hell, if you even miss a freaking text message from me—I’m driving over here.”
Eira giggled.
“If you think I’m joking, Eira,” Elias said, looking at her with a serious expression. She rolled her eyes.
“I know you’re not,” she said, growing somber herself. “I promise, nothing will happen to me. I’ll be careful and keep my phone on and call you if anything does happen.”
“Not just if anything happens. Call me for anything. Even if you just need someone to talk to, or you’re bored or scared or—”
“Okay, okay, Elias. Geez. I get it,” Eira huffed, shaking her head and pushing her door open before he could stop her. “Now, I have to go. Or I’ll be late.”
Elias sighed sadly and nodded, clutching the steering wheel as he watched her step away from the car. “I’ll see you later, princess,” he said, giving her a small smile. She smiled back brightly and waved back, closing the door as she did.
Eira breathed a sigh of relief and turned away from the car once she had shut the door. She glanced up at the school she had spent the last three years in and felt her eyes sting with reminiscent tears. It was her last year here and she was going to miss everyone so much. Her friends, her professors, even the disgusting dining hall food. This place was like her second home—not including her parents’ home and her and Elias’s apartment, of course. Realizing she was getting lost in her thoughts, Eira quickened her pace, remembering that she had a class in about fifteen minutes that she had to get to.
Suddenly, a voice called out to her from behind. Slowing, Eira scrunched her eyebrows and reluctantly turned towards the sound. It sounded so much like…
“Elias? What are you doing here?”
Elias skidded to stop before her and grinned, out of breath. “Hey,” he said, tousling the hair from his eyes. Eira’s mouth still hung open in surprise.
“I—” she shook her head, at a loss for words. “What are you—”
“You forgot something,” he said, still smiling. Eira blinked at him, dumbfounded. It was as if she was staring at a completely different person than she had seen in the car only a few moments ago.
“What?” she asked, smiling and trying to peek behind him. He pulled his hands out from behind his back and showed them to her. They were both empty. Confused, Eira looked back up at him, about to speak when he stepped forward and placed a hand on one side of her face, turning it towards his for a slow kiss.
Surprised, Eira braced her hands against his chest, standing on her tiptoes to get better access to his mouth. Elias chuckled deep in his throat at her action and lifted his other hand to run it through her hair. Eventually, they both pulled back, Eira blushing and Elias smirking, satisfied.
“I’ll be here at two, okay?” he said, tilting her chin up so she was looking at him. She nodded and dropped her eyes again.
“Okay,” she muttered, smiling softly at him as he slowly walked backwards towards the Escalade. When he finally returned to facing frontward and jogged the rest of the way back to the car, Eira let her smile break into a wide, girly grin and giggled, shaking her head as she turned to continue walking. Suddenly, she was face to face with Feria and Qasir, who had appeared out of nowhere to stand before her, arms crossed in stern, parental manners.
“Well, well, well,” Feria said, frowning at her. “Look who we have here.”
“Ms. Elias-and-I-have-never-even-kissed,” Qasir added, shaking her head in disappointment. Eira stared at her two best friends—a blush rising to her cheeks—before bursting into laughter. They both joined her, and together they enjoyed their last few minutes of leisure before the last semester of classes they’d ever take at Columbia University began.
♥
The first day of classes blurred past. Elias had imagined the day dragging so much more. After all, he had to survive through the entire thing without Eira. At first, he had been extremely stressed. The ride to his own college campus had been the tensest he had ever experienced. He knew she was most probably safe and sound. After all, it was bright as day out and she was usually almost always surrounded by her friends or in class with hundreds of other students. Like she had said, she was rarely ever alone. But, what if—the one time she did end up alone—something happened?
Elias would never be able to forgive himself if it did. He knew the guilt of leaving her when he could have been able to save her instead would eat him alive. And if it didn’t, it would be the rage at whoever did anything to harm his little fairy. Gritting his teeth, Elias floored the accelerator as he drove back to Eira’s campus. She had probably already been dismissed from class, and he didn’t want her standing alone—waiting for him in such a huge parking lot—a second longer than she had to.
When he got there, he was relieved to find she was still inside one of the university’s buildings, standing in the lobby talking to some girl he had never seen before in that completely familiar, animated way of hers. He smiled to himself as he watched her through the glass doors of the building. Suddenly, she glanced over—as if sensing someone’s eyes on her—and noticed the car. Her eyes widened slightly and she quickly said goodbye to her friend, waving at her one last time before rushing through the doors and out into parking lot, towards the Escalade.
“Hi!” she said cheerily as she climbed into the car, throwing her bag and books behind her on the backseats.
Elias chuckled. “Well, someone seems happy to see me,” he teased, pulling out of the parking lot onto the main road. Instead of heading in the direction of home, though, he drove in the opposite direction. Eira, who was babbling on about all her new classes this semester and how interesting they were, didn’t seem to notice until her tale had ended.
“Where are we, Elias?” she asked, peering through her window at an unfamiliar part of New York she had never seen. “How did we get here?”
Elias smiled. “You’ll see,” he said. Eira groaned.
“Oh no. No,” she said, shaking her head profusely. “We’re not playing this game again. No more surprises. Tell me.”
Elias sighed. “Fine,” he said, defeated. “We’re going to your parents’ house.”
Eira stared at him for a moment before gasping excitedly. “Really!?” she cried, clapping her hands together, her eyes glittering with happiness. “Oh my God! I haven’t seen them since that surprise proposal party Mikael threw for Zara. Aw, thank you, Elias!” She threw her arms around him in a hug. Elias shouted in protest.
“Hey! I’m driving, idiot!” he cried, wincing as a car behind them honked loudly at his reckless swerving.
Eira giggled and slumped back into her seat. “Oh. Sorry,” she said, laughing quietly. Elias glanced at her and grinned.
“What is up with you today?” he asked, arching an eyebrow in amusement. “I’ve never seen you this…giddy.”
Eira laughed. “I’ve been giddy before,” she argued.
“Not this giddy.”
She shrugged. “I guess I just really missed all my friends back at school. It was really nice seeing them again after so long,” she said, smiling at him.
“And what about me?” Elias asked, pouting. “You’re not happy to see me after so long?”
Eira giggled again. “Elias, we were apart for like, three hours,” she said, rolling her eyes. Elias laughed.
“Hey,” he said, grabbing her hand. “That’s a long time for me.” His smile softened as he raised her fingers to his lips and kissed them. “I missed you, princess.”
Eira blushed. “I missed you, too,” she muttered, a content smile rising to rest on her lips. The rest of the ride continued in comfortable silence. It had been a long day for both of them and they were both tired. After all, they had spent months doing nothing, and now, all of a sudden, they were being thrown into work again, without a warning or anything.
But, this visit to her parents and sister would be a welcome relief to their fatigue. Eira had missed her Mother and Father, not to mention Zara, who she remembered had left a million calls last night—all of which she felt extremely guilty ignoring—so much over these past few months. It would be nice to spend a little time catching up with them. And maybe it would also help Eira forget her guilt at not having stayed in touch with them like she promised she would.
Sighing, she glanced at Elias, thinking of how sweet he was, taking her to visit her parents even though he was probably exhausted, too. Leaning over, she softly kissed his cheek, making his eyebrows rise in surprise. Smiling, he turned to glance at her.
“What was that for?” he asked, squeezing her hand.
“For being my favorite,” she said, smiling back.