My Elijah—the one whose casual shirts were ironed, who would even iron his sweatpants if I let him, whose hair somehow always looked perfect, even after a twelve-hour flight or one of those all-consuming naps—was absolutely disheveled.
His hair looked greasy when he ran his fingers through it as he took me in. His uniform was wrinkled, with his tie barely hanging on. His red-rimmed eyes, cheeks, and the crease of his nose let me know that he had been crying. I had to stop my mouth from hanging open at the sight of him. I mean, he was still an extremely attractive person, but he did not look well.
“Elijah?” I tried really hard to keep my tone stern, but regardless of what had happened, I still loved him, and my body froze at his pain. I could feel it from where I stood. My eyes continued to roam, and they short-circuited when they reached fists that he was clenching so hard I could see his knuckles turning white.
“Bonnie…” he rasped, and I realized he was clenching his fists so he didn’t reach for me and make me uncomfortable. And that somehow made everything worse. “Baby…” His voice came out like a plea.
“Don’t call me that,” I told him, trying hard to harden my tone, but it shook at the way his chest heaved at my words.
“Can we talk?” he asked. I reluctantly nodded and opened the door wide enough for him to pass me, but I noticed the way he lingered and breathed deeply as his body aligned briefly with mine. I noticed, and I hated that I did. Hated what it did to me.
“Coffee?” I asked, and we headed the short distance to the kitchen, where Ellie had planted herself against the wall. She was clearly eavesdropping and hadn’t had enough time to get away before we got there. I saw the way her eyes narrowed into slits when she took in Elijah.
“Hanson,” she drawled his last name out as she saw him. Her tone brought the temperature down a few degrees, and she made theI’m watching yousign as she stared him down. She started to make her way out of the kitchen.
“Hanson, you’re how tall, about 6’3? And 200 pounds, right?”
Elijah shook his head in confusion at her question but managed to answer, “Yeah, give or take…”
Oh my god.The reason for her question finally hit me.
“Ellie, you better not be doing what I think you are.”
“Moi?” She fluttered her eyelashes at me in innocence but glared at Elijah again as she ran her thumb across her throat. “Frying pans are in the cabinet next to the stove,” she said sweetly at me as she finally made her way down the hallway to her bedroom.
“I think I’m scared to ask.”
“She was measuring your body to make sure you’ll fit in the tarp she has.” I shrugged at him. In any other situation, I was sure we would be in stitches, but I was barely holding it together in his presence. My hands were starting to tremble.
“Bonnie…it’s…it’s not what you think.” He kept his eyes on me. I searched them for any trace of dishonesty, but found none.
“So you’re telling me youdidn’tgo to Tiffany’s room all those times she sent those messages?” I asked him point-blank.No point in skating around it.
“Well, yes, but…”
“Get out,” I choked out. I felt an explosion in my chest at his words.
“What? No. God no, it’s not—” He was tripping over his words, but I started to shove him back the way he came.
“Bonnie,no,stop,”Elijah said, and he reached out to touch me, but I flinched. He hissed at my reaction and immediately dropped to his knees, and now it was my turn to stutter as he wrapped himself around me.
“It’s not what you think, and I’m not leaving until you hear me out. I’ll answer every question you have, but god, please stop telling me to leave. I can’t. Iwon’t. I’ll sit outside that door until you talk to me.”
“I’ll call the cops.”
“I don’t care,” he said, and I knew he was telling the truth.
“You have to go to work sometime.”
“I’ll quit.”
I gasped at that response because I knew that he had always wanted to be a pilot.
“Nothing matters more than you,” he whispered. I couldn’t help but scoff at that.
“How can you say that? Isawthe messages, Elijah. Isaw them.” I hiccuped on my last words as I so vividly recalled the texts I had read. “I saw how you let your friends make fun of me. How you didn’t stick up for me—notonce. They…They mocked the way I looked, myjob, everything about me. And you saidnothing. You…You have months of room numbers from Tiffany.”
“Please let me explain about Tiffany,” he said, and didn’t give me time to respond. Elijah just forged ahead. “We meet up afterevery flight—agroupof us. It’s tradition to have a drink once we land. I don’t respond becauseI don’t careabout her.I don’t care about any of them.”
