Too dark.
I lift my foot to enter, but I’m suddenly struck with a cold reality.
I don’t want to go inside.
Elijah stops moving and I can feel him close the distance between us in seconds flat. Placing his hands around my body, he holds me close. “Oh, Angel.” He whispers, bringing my head into his chest.
I close my eyes, trying to see if that helps at all. The pressure on my chest mounts, flashes of him hitting me over the head replaying relentlessly in my mind. Constant sleepless nights. The wine cellar, cold and wet. The loneliness. Theshadows.
Darkness. Everything was so dark.
Without having to say a word, Elijah places his hand firmly on my cheek, coaxing me to look at him.
“You’re scared?” He asks with nothing but care in his eyes.
I nod slowly, feeling vulnerable…but safe in his arms.
“Then we’ll keep the lights on,” he says firmly, reaching behind me to flick the switch. The hallway fills with a soft, warm glow thatsteadies my pulse. No shadows. My breathing evens out as he guides me inside, letting the door close slowly behind us, his hand never leaving mine.
“And we’ll play music,” he murmurs, brushing a strand of hair away from my eyes. “Allthe time, so it’s never quiet.” He calls out to the sound system, and a song drifts through the room. I can feel my heartbeat slow as the melody fills the space, wrapping around us like a warm embrace.
Elijah slips my jacket from my shoulders, his fingers lingering over my arms as he hangs it in the closet. Then he crouches, gently lifting my feet to help me out of my boots, his touch soft and deliberate. “And you’ll talk to me,” he whispers, meeting my gaze. “And I’ll listen. No matter what.”
He stands, pulling me closer into his chest, and I feel him press gentle, slow kisses along my hair and temple. His arms tighten around me, as I immediately melt into his hold, feeling supported.
“I don’t want to think.” I mutter. “I don’t even want to move.” I huff out a tiny, painful laugh.
Elijah just looks at me, wrapping my arm around his shoulders before holding my waist. “So, don’t. Lean on me. I’ll do it for you.”
“Eli—” I begin.
“I’m here, Tobias. I love you and I’m not leaving.” He squeezes my hips, reminding me how close he is.
I love you and I’m not leaving
I let his words settle in my chest. After a moment, I step forward. “Okay.”
Elijah continues bringing me inside, and I’m relieved to see that the place is all cleaned up.
I’m not sure when or how, but my guess is Gwen had something to do with it.
Elijah cleaning me off in the shower feels tremendous after being stuck in the hospital for a week. I feel refreshed, rejuvenated…reborn.
But, even as he scrubs me down, I know that this is just one of many nights where I’m going to struggle.
The reality is, I don’t think I’ll be okay for a while. And it terrifies me that it’ll be too much for him.
But here he is anyway, just like he said he would be, washing between my toes, making me crack a smile.
“There you are.” He winks, sliding back up my body. “My precious,” he kisses my cheek deeply, making a loud sucking noise.
“You sound like Gollum.” I laugh, running my hand down his face.
“I think it’s pretty clear that it’s an accurate representation of how I feel about you, yeah.” Elijah chuckles.
“So you still love me?” I tease.
“If you have to ask that, you haven’t been paying attention.” He shakes his head before dunking his head under the stream.
