@Nyasialit thanks for commenting!
This song is one of my favourites. Makes me emotional af. 🔊🎵
FYI: Doe = a female deer
Rated R
" Y o u really want to go to the diner?" Elijah asked. Hoping, to leave as quickly as possible.
"We could just grab some bagels and get going"
"I really do wanna go." Lana insisted, practically dragging him to the empty, festive diner in front of the motel "it won't be too long, don't worry"
Elijah fixed his glasses and took a look at his watch impatiently before reluctantly following her in. He didn't have a choice anyway.
"Hi, table for two?" The server at the front asked
"Um... For four please" Lana said, trying not to give too much more information away even when Elijah looked at her with a very confused scowl.
"Elijah"
He turned to face the two women behind him and was even more confused than before "Evelyn? Mom, what--"
"You know for someone who's supposed to be running away, you really didn't go that far did you" Evelyn laughed
"Like that one time you ran away, we looked all over for you, almost called the police. Turns out he was at Cindy's house. Our neighbour. You've never been very good at escaping have you?"
He shook his head and gave her a small brief smile "How did you know?"
"Lana told us."
"I just thought, you'd want to spend Christmas with your family" or at least most of your family she explained.
"Merry Christmas" Aline smiled, pulling her son then Lana into her hug
"Merry Christmas"
"Lana this is for you," Aline said handing her a gift-wrapped parcel.
"Thank you. You didn't have to--"
"Of course I did. I saw the gifts you left under the tree for us. And bringing us together today. Thank you"
They took their seat at the table and Evelyn asked the question Lana had been desperate to know "So where are you guys heading?"
Lana looked to Elijah who hadn't given her a single clue besides "North" but the entire country of Canada was North since they were at the Southernmost point. They could be going anywhere
Lana looked at quiet Elijah who was still not giving any sliver of a clue "Good question"
Since they started driving again Elijah hadn't said a single word. The entire brunch he hadn't said much either, a hint of sadness lingered on his features as they all discussed stories and their favourite memories.
He was upset and she couldn't help thinking it was because of her. Maybe he was right, they should've left right away.
"Elijah" Lana began, carefully. He didn't object to her continuing what she was going to say, so she did
"I'm sorry if I overstepped by telling Evelyn where we were and inviting them--"
"Don't be" he stopped her
"But you seemed so... sad"
He took a breath and said "Because I realized it's probably the last Christmas I'd be spending with my mother"
Lana hadn't even thought of that. She realized it might be true. And she couldn't imagine how that made him feel.
When they got to their destination Lama was completely taken aback. They had driven past barren fields, empty farms, past large unending frozen lakes and finally made it here.
Cottage country. They pulled up to the driveway and a sandstone, triangle-black roofed cottage covered in a soft blanket of snow.
"Wow, this is it huh?" Lana asked, "Is this yours?"
"My families," he said. He dug under the snow with his bare hands, feeling for the fake rock that had the spare key under.
He twisted the ice cold metal key in the door and swung it open Flicking on the lights. They took off their shoes in the mudroom but kept their jackets on, it was as cold inside as it was outside.
Then he opened the second door into the main living area.
And it was beautiful, wooden walls like a log cabin, a cobblestone fireplace in the middle of the living room. The heather grey couches on either side and a whitish-grey rug that looked like soft, warm snow on the wooden floor.
It was smaller than his family home, but this place actually looked lived in. Although, not for a long time.
"Make yourself at home," he said, making his way to the fireplace to warm up faster
Lana decided it was her opportunity to take a tour. Through the quaint kitchen, the bathroom even upstairs to their bedrooms with pictures and posters from his childhood. It was like walking into the past. Everything seemed like it hadn't been touched for years, like a picture. Frozen in time.
🎵🔊
When she returned back to the living room the fire was crackling, the wind howling softly outside. She felt so cozy and safe. Warm enough to take her jacket off as she watched Elijah fumble with his bandages.
"Here" she offered. Reaching into the first aid kit to get some fresh gauze and wrap it neatly around his fist.
Pressing her lips gently against his bandages she whispered: "That's better"
He reached out to her running his thumb over the laceration by her hairline and he didn't have to tell her how sorry he still was. She knew.
"I forgave you a long time ago" she promised him.
He glared into her beautiful brown eyes and only thought to himself how much he didn't deserve any of her. But it was Lana, staring back into his hazel-green eyes who thought she didn't deserve him.
She broke their glare, making her way to the coffee table to put away the first aid box.
"Lana" he called, his voice as soft as the rug she was standing on, warm as the fire burning, as gentle as the snow outside.
With no more hesitation he walked to her, cupping her delicate face in both his hands and leaning in to kiss her, but she did first. Tiptoeing and closing the gap between their lips. She kissed him deeply, pulling him closer at the nape of his neck. He brought her closer by the waist.
She tasted like honey. Even if it was all in his mind. He swore in that moment to himself, he never wanted to go more than a second without her sweet kiss again.
His hands slid under her sweater against her skin, he pulled her shirt off over her head.
He pulled back, switched off the light so that only the flames lit the entire room. The orange seeping into all corners of the room and radiatedoff her mahogany skin. He returned to her, naked, with a condom and lust that burned in his eyes, hotter than the fire that lit the room.
That look always stirred butterflies in her stomach, she impatiently watched him walk back to her again.
He unhooked her bra and let her kinky black hair loose from her bun and watched as the orange flames danced across her skin. Illuminating every delicate curve of her small breasts, stomach, thighs.
"Goddamn" he breathed and she laughed.
He didn't even know where to begin, couldn't stop staring. He wanted all of her at once. Now.
So he started on her lips, kissed her again harsh. And her hands started their exploration of his body. Ran down his strong shoulders, his chest, his abs tightened as they made their way below his navel and took his erection into her hand. The deep moan erupting from his lips made her wet between hers.
"I want you so badly. Now" she whispered
They found themselves on the floor. Lana lay on her back, thighs open like a flower blooming in spring.
Her hands on either side of her head, pressed into the feathery rug and the rough fabric of his bandages when he laced his fingers between hers. His lips left hers and kissed her neck, sucked on the delicate skin of her chest which reddened, the valley between her breasts, downwards. And when his tongue grazed between her thighs, her chest heaved, back arched off the floor.
"Elijah..." she gasped, grabbing at his hair.
He returned to her face-to-face and she pushed him gently so now he was laying on his back. She straddled him between her thighs. Reaching between her legs she guided him to her opening and lowered herself on him.
Her breath hitched, she winced. She'd never felt him this deep before and it felt so good she told him so, whispering it in his ear. Pleasure burned through her core as she grinded against him, and he thrust into her.
"Just like that" He groaned, sitting up, he held her, their moans escaping into eachother's mouths.
Her fingers clawed in his sweaty back. Holding her in his arms as they rocked themselves into climax.
---°---
She listened to his heart slow, counting each beat. The fire at her back, Elijah's hands playing in her hair she was at peace.
"See wasn't that so much better than working out?" she asked him and he laughed
She sat up suddenly and gasped. "I almost forgot. It's still Christmas night, right?"
Getting up naked and unbothered she dragged all of their bags to where he was laying, propped up on his elbows. She sat down cross legged and dug through her bags until she found the gift she had for him.
"Merry Christmas, Mr. Elijah West" she smiled. He too reached into his bag and pulled out a gift and handed it to her.
"Merry Christmas Miss. Keilana Adelina Nyura Suhaila Valdez"
He opened his gift carefully, excited at first and then completely disappointed. He held his colourful rainbow Hawaiian shirt up. His brow arched
Lana shrugged and laughed "Thought you could use a little colour in your life"
Elijah nodded and waited as she opened his gift in a hurry and her grin instantly dropped
"Funny I thought the same about you" he grinned when she revealed the box of coloured crayons he got her. Crayons. She hadn't used them since she was seven and her sketchbook showed, completely void of anything else besides gray.
They both looked at each other before they burst out in laughter.
"I'm kidding, I actually got you a real gift. I heard you talking to Fonny about it." she said pulling out a heavy wrapped gift
"No way" he started staring at his thick volume three astrophysics text like they were diamonds
"Comes with this access code to the entire docuseries," Lana said " And I got you some clothes and stuff which I'm going to wear too of course--"
"Thank you" he grinned like a little boy. A little boy who loved astrophysics apparently.
"You're welcome nerd"
"I got you this. Yours is almost out of empty pages" he said, handing her
"You'd only know that if you were sneaking into my sketchbook"
"I definitely was"
"Thanks so much, Eli"
"But there's a catch. I get to see the work you put in here"
"Fine" Lana said rolling her eyes
He pulled out a small black box next "And..."
"Elijah, you really shouldn't have" Lana whispered, staring at the silver and sapphire necklace
"This was my grandmothers. Turn around" he said. Lacing the necklace around her neck. The deep blue reflected beautifully off her skin.
Lana jumped into her arms, and they fell back against the floor. She gave him a kiss "Merry Christmas"
---°---
Lana sighed, tracing her finger along the freezing window pane. Before she herself froze at what was staring back at her
"Elijah... there's a deer staring at me" she whispered, unable to look away from the Doe and the couple of white snow bunnies that hopped up. This place really looked like a Disney fairytale.
"Where?" he asked, but before he got up to see it, she had disappeared into the snowy forest.
"You just missed it" she sulked
"I should bring you here in June"
"I'd love to see this place in the summer." Lana sighed "The lake, the flowers, the trees..."
"You" she smiled, sinking back into the bath between his legs. Leaning against him, she rest her head against his chest. Her fingers over his hands that rest on her stomach.
Lana shut her eyes and let herself relax in the warm water with him. "I could spend the rest of forever here"
"Forevers not long enough" he whispered
"Corny" she snorted, splashing him
He raked his wet hair back and his eyebrow arched "Corny?"
"Yeah, Elijah you're so cheesy and all gooey. You're not as rough and tough as you think" she teased, poking at his thigh.
He stood up and out of the tub and grabbed his towel to dry off.
"Aw, did I hurt your feelings?" she chuckled, resting her chin against the cold ceramic edge of the bath "Poor Elijah--" she screamed when he lifted her out of the tub suddenly and threw her over his shoulder.
"Put me down!" she cried and kicked to no avail "Elijah I'm dripping wet--"
"I'll get you wetter in a second. Show you how 'rough and tough' I can be" he said, slapping her ass she gasped and laughed as he carried her upstairs.
There were no TV's at the cottage. No internet access besides their own cellular data. No food besides the stuff they bought at the gas station and the hotdogs they rotated by the fireplace. There were no neighbours around this time of year. They were isolated. And the winter storm kept raging on outside.
And yet this place was paradise.
The entire time they had only talked, laughed, made love. Drank hot chocolate. Listened and danced by the fireplace which Elijah low-key hated. And watched the astrophysics docuseries which Lana low-key hated. But there was no place they'd rather be.
And on their last morning there Lana had gotten up early to watch the sunrise and soak up the beauty here for the last time.
Elijah came behind her, pulling the blanket that she had wrapped herself in over his shoulder too, and snuck his hand around her bare waist.
"I don't wanna leave" she started
"Neither do I"
She was frustrated they hadn't come sooner "Why didn't we spend our entire Christmas here, to begin with?"
"Oh my God it's back" Lana screamed, jumping when she saw the deer and their blanket fell from around their shoulders revealing them naked underneath.
The doe stared at them and they stared at her.
"It's watching us" Lana whispered "do you think she realizes we're naked. Cause she's staring"
Elijah chuckled and then the doe quickly sauntered away.
Lana sighed, wrapping the blanket around her bare shoulders again. She left him naked on purpose, just so she could stare a bit longer "Do we have to leave?"
"Yeah" He nodded. He didn't wanna go either. "But we'll be back"
"With our five kids" he added
"Five?"
"I want enough to make a basketball team" he shrugged
"Then you better push five kids out of you your damn self" she chuckled
"Where are we going now?" She asked following him upstairs to get dressed and ready
"I don't know" he shrugged "Do you trust me?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not quiet Miss Valdez. You're stuck with me"
They hadn't driven five minutes away before the car came to a halt.
"You have to be fucking kidding me"
Elijah stared at the empty gas indicator and Lana couldn't decide if she wanted to laugh or cry.
She really was stuck with him.
And when they thought their problem couldn't get any worse, his phone began to ring. And of course it was:
Olivia
_______________________________________
Yikesss I swear these two can never catch a break 🙃😩
What does Olivia want now?
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