Eliza woke up with a heavy head. She hadn't slept for this long since quite some time and she knew why. She hadn't been in the company of her stash the previous night. She took a shower and after getting ready in her mother's white dress and a pair of pink socks, she went to her cupboard and grabbed her sweater.
She was wearing more colours and she liked it. She wasn't sure what had caused the change suddenly but she wanted to look more like herself now.
After getting dressed, she descended the stairs and went towards the kitchen. Her father was sitting on one of the dining chairs, wearing his sweatpants and a white robe but he wasn't the person Eliza was shocked to see.
It was William Ray.
He was sitting opposite to her father. He was midway through his bowl of cereal but the moment he saw her, he got up, dropping the spoon back in the bowl and stood straight, facing her.
She took him in and felt her heart flip. He wore a royal blue sweater and black jeans. His dark blond hair was messy and Eliza felt a sudden urge to run her fingers through them, just like she had done the day before. She took a step back when he took a step towards her, hesitation clear in his movements. He looked at her, nervously and she tried her best to ignore his gorgeous self.
"What is he doing here?" she asked, turning to her father.
Harvey Scott got up from his seat and leaned lazily against the table.
"Good morning to you too, Eliza," he said, and Eliza felt a sudden irritation at her father's ignorance.
"What is he doing here?" she asked again, more sternly, pointing towards William.
"He was alone. I brought him here," her father informed, taking her by surprise.
"Get him out of here!"
"No," he spoke and this time she saw even William staring at him in surprise.
"What do you mean 'No'?"
She remembered what her father had promised last night.
"And I am gently denying your request."
"Eliza," William interrupted them and she looked at him.
He was watching her with a look that was full of hopelessness. "Please just give me a chance to explain," he said with a pleading look.
"There's nothing to explain," she said firmly and then turned to Harvey.
"Make him go. He can't be here."
"This is my house and I'm allowing him to stay for as long as he wants to." The determination in her father's voice filled Eliza with rage and she forgot all about her breakfast. She stormed out of the kitchen, taking two stairs at a time to get back to her room.
She heard footsteps ascending the stairs behind her in a rush but she quickened her pace and soon she was in her room. But before she could slam the door shut, it was stopped by a hand in between. William had followed her.
"Eliza, please listen to me," he said, pushing the door open and she let go of the door for him to step inside.
She ignored him and went to her desk to begin rummaging through her books and sheets of paper that were lying untouched since the last morning.
"Eliza, look at me." She heard his request but didn't turn.
"Why are you so upset?" he asked and Eliza's anger flared more. She turned to him and looked him in the eye.
"Why am I upset?" she repeated his question and gave a small laugh. "You are asking me why am I upset? What should I do? Pretend all this is normal and be proud that you are my future husband?"
William didn't say anything and stood rooted to his spot, in the middle of her room, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides and Eliza found that she wanted him out of here. He would have been welcomed in her room any other day but this wasn't him at all; this person was a stranger.
"Get out," she ordered and she saw a muscle in his jaw tick at her words.
"Please listen to me, Eliza," he said again but she stopped him by pointing towards the door.
"Right there...is the exit. Please leave," she commanded again, but he didn't move and she stepped closer until they were hardly an inch apart. She looked up to stare at his blue eyes. He was taller than her but she wanted him to know that she wouldn't be intimidated by him. She got on her tiptoes to face him more properly.
"You," she said, balancing herself. "Mean nothing to me."
She stumbled but was surprised when she found William's hands on each side of her waist and he lifted her to face him. She was still on her toes but she could now balance more properly. She shivered at his touch and intimidated or not, she didn't want to feel what she was feeling.
"Leave me."
"Say what you have to say to my face, Eliza. I promise, I'll listen," he said softly as his blue eyes fixed themselves on her green ones.
She pushed him and he let go. She missed his touch but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that. She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Eliza, I never wanted to tell you the truth," he said.
"Yes, because you are a liar. You lie and you use people just like you were using me for your personal entertainment," she seethed at him.
"I never used you, Eliza. Why are you so upset with me? I didn't come here on my own will. Your father sent me here," he spoke, but the information didn't have any effect on her.
"I don't care who sent you. The only thing I know is that you are my future and I don't like it."
"But why?" he asked, surprised.
"Because I don't want to be married," she confessed and he seemed startled.
"What?" he said.
"I don't want to be married okay? That's a simple truth. I don't want to know my future and I don't want to believe in you, William Ray. You are nothing, absolutely nothing to me," she said and at each word that escaped her mouth, she saw the rise and fall of his chest growing faster and faster.
"Eliza. Don't say this," he prayed but she moved closer to him and pushed him. He stumbled a step back.
"I don't want you to be my future," she said and saw the hurt finding its way to his eyes at her words.
"Eliza, please don't say that," he pleaded again as she gave him another push and he was out of her room but still at the door.
"Go away, William." She looked him straight in the eyes and saw the tears forming. "Go away. I don't want to see your face."
She shut the door when he tried to make a feeble attempt to step towards her. The door slammed shut and Eliza turned back to lean against it.
She didn't hear the stairs creak and she knew that he was still there. She closed her eyes and focused on hearing the sound of his presence.
Her heart kept begging her to not let him go but she didn't want to listen to that stupid voice. She was about to move away from the door to lie on her bed when she heard the soft movement behind and leaned back.
"Eliza," William said her name, so softly and gently like it was made of porcelain and Eliza's heart almost stopped for a moment.
"Please open the door," he said and she slid down to sit on the floor as the grief in his voice made her weak on her knees. She could feel him behind that door.
He was close, so close that she felt like if she concentrated harder she could hear the beating of his heart.
"Eliza, please open the door, Love." She heard him sob and felt her chest constricting.
"Please, talk to me. You don't have to love me or even like me if you don't want to but please talk to me, Love. Let me see your face and hear you speak. That's all I want...please."
He was crying now, and his words came out more hurried and frantic as he knocked on her door.
"Just let me see your face. Don't torture me like this. I just want to talk to you. Please, Eliza. Just talk to me. I have no-one here. No-one to share my pain, no-one to understand me, no-one who knows me as you do. I am alone, Eliza. I need you. Please just open the door and let me see your face. That will be enough, for now. I will know that everything will be fine. Don't hurt me like this." His voice broke at every word and Eliza put a hand on her mouth when she felt a low, painful moan escape her mouth.
She felt the warm tears that were wetting her cheeks and she didn't know why she was crying but she was, and she screamed silently as William's pain gripped her at his every word. She cried as he kept begging for her to open the door.
"Please open the door, Love. Where will I go if not towards you?"
She didn't open the door although every inch of her body was screaming to do the same. She cried along with him and he kept calling out her name.
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