XVII
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Eli's POV***
By the time Layla finally arrived, the party was in full swing. But that didn't stop me from immediately noticing her when she walked in, her colorful makeup glowing in the dark. I felt myself smile as I made my way over to her, and the look on her face when she saw me made me smile even harder. She beamed through the room.
"You made it!" I yelled down to her over to music.
"Wouldn't miss it!" She replied, leaning up and quickly kissing me on the cheek. I looked around us for who might have seen, but she gestured to the corner of the room, where Kevin and Ali were having a grand old time.
"Kevin's preoccupied!" She explained and I nodded with a smile. Still wanting to be safe, I took her hand in mine and weaved our way through the crowds and to the bathroom. Once we were inside, I turned to face her.
"What's this fun little bathroom trip about?" She smiled up at me and I returned it, leaning down and planting my lips on hers and then moved down to her neck.
"I haven't seen you in so long, I figured a little alone time would be nice," I spoke into her skin, and she chuckled.
"We saw each other earlier, weirdo," she retorted and I pulled away, keeping our fingers interlocked.
"Still too long," I countered, "what are you supposed to be?"
"Sexy tinker bell... but I don't think I got the sexy part down right," she looked in the mirror at herself with an amused expression.
"Beg to differ," I responded and she laughed up at me.
"What are you supposed to be?" She asked.
"A prisoner.. and I know, it's lame," I answered, "I just had it left over from last year, so."
"Here," she took her hands out of mine and unbuttoned the top few buttons of my grey jumpsuit, leaving it open down to about half way down my chest. "Now do that attractive sleeve roll thing," she told me, and I chuckled, following her instructions and rolling up my sleeves.
"There you go, a little better," she told me. "You should have let me make you into Peter Pan for tonight."
"And wear tights?? No thanks."
"Tights are attractive," she replied, and I could tell she was thinking of me in tights from the way she was holding back a laugh.
"So I'm assuming that you used to throw these parties to hook up with girls... you planning on hooking up with any tonight?" She teased.
"Even though that's not true," I shot her a little glare, "there is this one girl I kinda like." I smirked down at her, wrapping my hands around her waist and walking in a bit closer.
"Careful, prisoner. Disorderly conduct might add some years to your jail time," she flirted, her arms snaking around my neck.
"If you're there I don't particularly care," I replied and she closed the space between us again, her hands moving up to my hair.
When we pulled away, she reached up and wiped some of her lipstick off of me with her classic, beautiful smile.
"I'm so lucky I get to kiss you," she said, grinning.
"I'm luckier."
"True," she replied and opened the door, walking out. I admired her as she walked, chuckling to myself.
The night went actually pretty well.. well for my parties, that is.
Kevin had gotten info a fight with someone he kept calling a 'racist fuck'. Apparently the guy had made a comment about Ali, and it was his mistake to make it loud enough for Kevin to hear. Obviously, after I let Kevin beat him up, I kicked the scumbag out and then the party returned to normal as of nothing had happened.
Layla pointed out to me that Kevin's now split lip and red knuckles went well with his costume... which was quite the 'Layla' observation to make after a fight had just been broken up.
Other than that, there weren't really any big problems. Probably because Crystal wasn't here to get drunk and Ashton wasn't here to spend the whole party making sure she didn't accidentally kill herself.
Apparently, Justin had broken up with Savanah just earlier today because the 'distance was too much'. Whatever the hell that meant. I never liked that prick, anyway.. but Savanah wasn't letting that stop her from having the time of her life tonight.
I chuckled as I passed her making out with one of her ex girlfriends. 'It's times like this that I'm happy I can embrace the half of me that fully hates the male species.' She had told me after she was a few shots deep.
I walked away to get me and Layla drinks, and when I got back, she was up dancing to the music. I set down the drinks and grinned mischievously at the little prank I had just put together in my head as I grabbed the handcuffs attached to my jumpsuit and opened them up.
I snuck up behind her and closed them around her wrists... but I immediately found out that it had been a terrible idea.
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Layla's POV ***
Flashes kept appearing in front of my vision. Little spurts of memory from that night. They all seemed to attack me from every direction, not letting me go. I never got the full sensation, but I felt it all over my body, jumping in between the different feelings and sensations I had felt that night.
The handcuffs. It was the handcuffs. That was the second time in my life I had been put in them, and the memory of the first time sliced through my mind like a dagger piercing through butter.
My eyes shot open and I gasped for air. I gasped and gulped for any air I could take into my lungs, not being able to breath fast enough after not having taken a breath in god-knows how long. Aware that I had just been passed out, I could feel myself trembling, and I could also feel a bed under me. I heard a voice, it was Eli's.
I couldn't quite hear what he was saying, though, over my own heartbeat pounding in my ears and my shaky breaths wheezing in and out. I tried to blink away the blurriness as I my senses slowly began to wake up.
Eli was half holding me, half leaning over me, not knowing how to handle the situation. I appreciated him caring, but I couldn't articulate that at the moment.
All I could do was cry. And boy did I cry.
I hated crying. I've always fucking hated crying, especially in front of boys. I felt embarrassed, mortified even. I hadn't cried like this in front of anybody since I had been twelve.
Despite the violated sensations still shooting throughout my body at the flashbacks, I sat up and leaned into Eli, grabbing onto him and holding him as tight as I could. His safe presence in a way counteracted the feelings shooting through my system, and I clung to him probably too hard as I tried to alleviate them.
He didn't say anything, though. He only hugged me back and tried to comfort me. I hated the way that my broken sobs sounded in his empty room. They sounded so nauseatingly sad and scared. So not me.
The time was still slowing down then speeding up and vice versa, so I didn't know how much time had gone by as we just sat there, me crying into him and him holding me.
I wasn't just crying for that one night, either. I was crying for the years of my life that I had taken from me. For my dead parents that I never got to fully mourn. For my crippled mental health and coping techniques. I was broken. But I hadn't once ever admitted it to myself.
I cried for myself. For the girl I used to be and now couldn't get back. She deserved so much more than what she became, what the world made her become.
By the time I finished crying, I was sure I looked like such a mess. All the time I had spent on my makeup washed away with a few years worth of tears. I was still shaking a little bit, but I was feeling much better. Much more grounded and present.
Eli's deep brown eyes had never looked more concerned when I met them. They seemed a little red, too.
"I'm sorry," my now broken voice rasped out, and I tried to wipe my face with my equally-as-wet hands. He helped me wipe off my face and brought me in for another hug.
"Don't be," he spoke softly into my hair. "What happened?" He asked when he pulled away again. The look in his eyes showed that he knew this was a tender spot, and he didn't want to impede on my privacy or set me off again. "Was it- did I- I'm sorry if I-"
"No, no," I cut him off, trying to forced a small smile as I focused on trying to take in even breaths. "You couldn't have known."
I knew he didn't want to ask what, didn't want to push, but I told him anyway. Not because I felt like I had to, but because I wanted to. Telling Crystal had made me feel so much better, which was so unexpected. And I honestly had never felt as safe as I did with Eli, so I wanted to.
I told him everything, from the start of my foster care, to that night with Tim, to where I was now. He looked like he was going to cry as I told him about that night, and I probably would have seen him shed a year if I hadn't looked down as I was speaking.
When I finished, he didn't say anything. Good, I didn't know what I would have wanted him to say.
"Thank you," I said to him, my voice still raspy.
"For what?" He asked softly.
"Being you. Being amazing. Being my favorite human." I listed, and his lips turned up into a little smile.
"Thank you for being the best thing to ever happen to me," he responded, and I felt my heart pound back to life.
I tried to hold back the tears, but I had already been so emotional that it was nearly impossible. I wanted to say the three words. But not now. There would be a better time. And not saying them didn't make them any less true.
He brushed some hair off the side of my face and wiped another tear as it fell.
"No one thought you drugged me when they saw you carrying me upstairs?" I questioned, half salty at their lack of awareness- not for my sake, but for if they ever witness that somewhere else and still did nothing.
"Nah, they all know who me and you are. Even they don't suspect anything out of the ordinary."
I nodded and continued to try and at steady my breaths. A few stray tears fell from my eyes, but I had pretty much stopped crying.
"I hate crying," I told him, and he brought me into his chest again.
"I know you do."
"I love that I don't hate crying in front of you as much as I love to hate crying, though," I added, and he let out a soft chuckle.
"I have no idea what you just said, but me too," he replied and I pulled away to look up into his eyes again. And he looked back into mine. He saw me, actually saw me. And I had to think in that moment that maybe my whole life I had just been racking up pity points to win me this grand prize of Eli Parker.
I leaned up and brought my hand to the side of his face as I put my lips on his, savoring the sweet, tender kiss. He lifted my chin gently as he kissed me back, then gently rested it on the side of my neck in a warm caress that lingered on my skin like a piece of sunlight kissing along my collar bone.
And that's when I heard it.
"Eli bro are you up he-" Kevin came bursting into the room, too fast for us to have pulled away quick enough. I felt my stomach drop almost completely out of my body as we snapped our attention to him.
He froze in the doorway, shocked out of his wits and confused, but not in a funny 'Kevin' way. He didn't make any 'this night really sucks' comments like I had partially expected him to. No, he just stood there with his jaw slightly dropped. Then he spoke, too seriously, with a confused glance in Eli's direction.
"What the fuck is this...?"
• • •
Hehehe hey guys!
I'm evil, sorry, I'll see myself out now... Shits bout to get real though..
QOTD: What do you think is going to go down??
>>> Update coming later this week ;)
Be safe, wash yo hands, and give some compliments.
Stay beautiful,
Briella <3