Elijah found his meeting excruciating and exasperatingly long. Each time another person stood, looking at him from the corner of their eyes, sweat coating the top of their brows. Their voices became a blur as his eyes traveled to the window. Rain streaked down and blurred the outside world.
He gave up looking out the window and stared at his watch. The watch was a family heirloom his great-great-grandfather crafted himself. It was Elijah's favorite accessory. Sixty seconds passed agonizingly, his leg bounced unsteadily. Why was time so slow today? He knew it was because he wasn't with Clara; she was the only person who could make the passage of time tolerable.
With her name on his mind he mused over their daily text conversations. When she was especially excited, she would call him and chat about her latest passion for hours. He'd hum along and paint what he thought her expressions looked like. When he would complete the image he wound close his eyes, staring at the masterpiece move to the cadence of her voice. She was—for his lack of a better word—littlest when he'd tease her for her ineptitudes. His little comments like: "you're to little for that, huh" and "if you're going to do that you need my supervision; you're too little to do that alone."
Perhaps out of context he was no better than a passive misogynist. However, he knew better than to withhold his teasing because his baby loved them and would miss it dearly. He remembered their last conversation with longing. Longing for the delicious fire she elicited with her coy glances and rosy cheek. Time was too slow, he needed to see her now.
"Mr Micheals?"
He lazily focuses back to the board meeting. His subordinates watched with nervous anticipation and he enjoyed their eagerness to please him. "Yes, Pepper?" Pepper's cheeks and lips were identically hot pink. He always laughed at how she wore everything pink. He resented her for ruining pink, but seeing the color on Clara made him appreciate the simple color once more. He no longer blamed Pepper because only his Clara could make it look so precious. Pepper couldn't help that she was no match for his Clara.
"We wanted to hear your input about the diagnostics?"
Pepper's voice sounded like squeaky shoes on linoleum. His headache intensified and only the delicate murmurings of a certain girl could ease it. "Well, your diagnostics are critical toward the structure of my company. This company has a reputation for supplying our workers equitable wages and benefits. You aren't attempting to send my company into the ground, are you?"
"No sir."
Silence leaves the air chilling tense. Each member is frozen in their seats and sweat dubiously coats their foreheads. He smiled and stood up. "Good. Glad to hear my staff continues to honor our long history of propriety and equitability. I'll be taking my lunch break, now. When I come back I expect the diagnostics to be on my desk. I'll review it and make my corrections. Have a good day everyone."
He was actually going to cut his work day in half and wasn't too bothered by his paperwork. He'd rather be happy than filthy rich. He wanted to be irrevocably content that he could walk away from the family tradition and pursue his dreams. He sat in his car and stared at his sliver rings adorning his fingers. Unbeknownst to him tears fall from his eyes and grieved the probability that he would always be at this office. He hated having to play politics. He hated meetings and he hated talking to people who thought he was wrong. He wished they'd understand why he did what he did. He thought that with time, people would come around and appreciate his desire for fairness. Instead, he heard nothing but slanderous rumors about him being a strict and unforgiving boss.
He was unsure if what he was doing was right at this point. He couldn't see how what he was doing was worth it since it did nothing but make him miserable. Everything meeting his subordinates undermined and doubted his principles. He determined that he couldn't give up his principles, otherwise that would be a complete waste of his life. One day, he would leave it all behind, he promised himself this much.
He wiped his tears and played some Christmas music to cheer up. Elijah drove around aimlessly and listened to taps of rain on the windshield and the distant roll of thunder. His head felt more clear and the ball in chest felt lighter. He notice a small figure further down the road. Underneath the overhead he noticed that the little thing was wearing the dress he brought Clara. His suspicions were further confirmed by the thick woolen sweater and tights with knee high socks and boots. As his car drew closer he began to notice the girl was shaking. His mind blurred with a tsunami of worries. He waited no longer to pull over. Of course, he almost hit two cars in the process.
Elijah blasts the heater and slams open his door and runs toward the trembling little girl. Her pale face greets him and sent his heart down to the floor. "What happened?!" He cried and whisked her into his arms. Her icy skin burned the skin of his hands and made his eyes water. "Jesus, baby, you're ice cold!" His cupped her face and looked in her muddy eyes. He found her eyes to be distant, forlorn. His throat was tight and his eyes kept blinking away his tears. He kissed her eyes and tried to wake her up from her mind. "Baby, look at me," he demanded, his voice not far from a sob.
When he gaze came alive, her tears could not be controlled nor could the wobble of her bottom lip. "I can't do it!" She wailed. She threw her arms around his neck. He squeezed her to his chest trying to soothe her and himself.
"It's okay baby. I need to let you go. Can I take you somewhere better, more private?"
She sniffled against his chest and tried to resist clinging to him like a koala. "Please," he begged while he wiped her crocodile tears.
She relented but nonetheless whimpered at their loss of contact. She help onto his right arm as he steered the car with his left. Her tears soaked through his sleeves and he couldn't help but feel utterly lost. He couldn't under stand why she was in such a state when only last night she was cheerfully telling him all about her latest lemon pie. He made the unconscious decision of taking her home. She stared at him with her puffy little puppy eyes. She was curious of their location but trusted him. He came around and unbuckled her and placed her onto his hip. The rain, only drizzling now, reminded him of how wet she is. His first job, then, was to get her dry.
He's embarrassed by the littered take out food on the floor and countertop. His couch has blankets and papers thrown about and his TV is still on from when he hurried out this morning. It screamed hello, I'm a bachelor with no life. But, there was no time to make up an excuse.
Elijah stormed down the hallway. Once she was on his bed, he was already grabbing a towel. In a normal scenario, he would be foaming at the mouth with his little fantasies. But, again, now was not the time.
"Let's change you into some warmer clothes, yeah?" He pulls out his shirts and sweatpants and hands them to her. She stared at him with adoration and he gave her chaste forehead kiss. "I'll leave the room; come out when you're done, yeah? I'll get something for your tummy in the meantime," his hand smoothed over her rumbling stomach. She avoided him bashfully and he sent her a taunting smirk.
He took out a can of chicken noddle soup and poured it into a pot. He eyed the messy home with disgust. What a great first impression, he scorned. He doesn't have any more time to reprimand himself. Clara's feet pitter down the hallway and he smiles to himself at how her steps sound like little trots. She approached him. Her figured was drenched in his clothing and he found this especially appeasing. She looked like she belonged in the house, in fact he felt it was the first time he felt like the house had life in it. She looked like she was his--his little sleepy girl.
Now if we mark her skin.... she'll know who she belongs to. Then, we'll have her mark us. A reciprocal ownership.
He wanted to collapse to his knees and worship her. To fawn and droll all over her. Hold her every night. He opened his arms and she launched into his chest. She squeezed him close and inhaled his scent, going lax against his chest. He kissed her temple in thanks. "How do you feel, baby?" He didn't expect an answer and wanted to test the waters of her level of comfort. She needed to know he was attentive and caring. He needed her to trust him with things like this.
"I feel much better. Thank you for helping me—" She stopped herself from saying the word. Everyone around her always told her that was a bad word. It was naughty. It grossed people out. He recognized her hesitation and wanted to help coax the words out.
"It's okay. You call me by my name."
"I—I know.. I jus—t don't—" a gentle kiss on her forehead silenced her struggle.
"It's alright baby; you don't need to use big girl words right now; let daddy take care of you. And when you feel better we're gonna have a long and serious talk about why you were standing outside in the rain, crying. Understood?" She consented and rested in Elijah's arms with her eyes tiredly watching him spoon feed her soup. He rubbed her back to ease her tension. He cherished knowing that she trusted him to do these things for her.
He admired the girl that clung to him with a vigor that allowed him to die a happy man. If he could, he would spend all his time doting and caring for such a gentle person. Even if she broke him, he would always find peace in her image.
He wanted to be the only thing she saw and the only person she confided in. He wanted to be her most trusted friend and lover. He wanted to be her one. The person that cradled her after a rough day, kissed her tears away, and then fucked the sadness out of her. He wanted to be the only person.
He was willing to sacrifice anything for her happiness because her happiness was his. Much like her pain was his pain.
As he watched her drift off in his arms with her hooded eyes peering up with wonder he kissed her lovingly. The fire scorched his entire body, leaving nothing but his irrevocable devotion to care and love this creature. He kissed her, feeling full for the first time in over twenty years.