“Well, I didn’t say that in a bad way. I like that you’re a little over the top, Elias. You make me feel special, and I plan on staying right here, if that’s all right with you,” she admitted. For the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was a new feeling for her, and talking about any kind of future with Elias felt right—even if they were only just starting out together.
They ate slowly, talking about nothing important at all. They shared movies that they loved, talked about Cat, and the way that they took their coffee. They were getting to know each other, but underneath it all, Aliza could feel the tension coiled in her chest. Her phone sat beside her plate, silent, but she couldn’t stop glancing at it. She knew that this bliss that she was feeling with Elias was going to be short-lived because her father would call again—it was inevitable.
“You don’t have to rush back to your apartment today,” Elias said gently. “Stay with me for a few days. Let things settle down with your father.”
She hesitated. “I don’t want to impose.”
“You’re not,” he said without hesitation. “I want you there. It feels right having you in my space—and in my bed.” He bobbed his eyebrows at her, making her giggle.
That warmth spread through her again—the same way it had the night she first met him. Elias made her feel seen and wanted, even, and that was all new for her. “Just for a few days,” she agreed quietly.
After breakfast, they drove back to her apartment so she could grab some more clothes. Aliza tried to keep things light, joking as they walked up the stairs, but the unease inside her only grew. Being at her place, even for a short period of time,scared the hell out of her. Technically, her apartment belonged to her father. His name was on the lease, not hers, and she knew that he could show up there at any moment, for any reason. And she had given him plenty of reasons to just show up lately.
When she saw her front door, her breath caught. A white sheet of paper was taped to it. “What’s that?” she whispered.
Elias read it first, then looked at her. “Aliza,” he breathed. She didn’t let him finish what he was about to say to her. Instead, she snatched the paper off the door, eyes racing over the words staring back at her in bold print.
Eviction Notice – Nonpayment Of Rent
Her hands shook as she unlocked the door. Inside, the apartment was almost empty. Her couch was gone. Her kitchen table, even the TV. She searched the room to find that the lamp she loved was gone too. Everything that made the place feel like hers had vanished, leaving only her clothes and the little personal things her father hadn’t bothered to take.
“He did this,” she breathed. “He took everything.” She was sure that it was her father. Who else would do something like this to her? Reality hit her all at once, crushing and suffocating. He hadn’t just threatened her—he’d followed through. Her father had been true to his word, and he didn’t care how much his actions hurt her.
“I don’t have anywhere to go,” she whispered, sinking down onto the floor.
Elias knelt in front of her, his eyes steady and kind. “Yes, you do.” She looked up at him, fear and disbelief tangling together.
“My place,” he said. “Come stay with me.”
“Elias, I can’t,” she insisted. “Agreeing to stay a few days is one thing, but this would be long-term.”
He shrugged, “I don’t see a problem with long-term, baby. I know that we’ve only just started seeing each other, but being with you feels right. If you don’t want to stay, then just consider my place somewhere safe to land while you get on your feet.”
Tears burned her eyes. “I don’t want to be dependent on you. I’ve spent my whole life living under my father’s rules, and I don’t want to do that with you, Elias.
“You won’t be dependent on me,” he replied. “You’ll be choosing to be with me—but it’s all your choice. And you can leave whenever you’re ready. There are no rules with me, baby.” She searched his face for any signs that he was trying to pressure her or put strings and conditions on things, but she found none.
She nodded, “Just until I can figure things out,” she said.
“Just until then,” he agreed, but she could see the flash of disappointment in his hazel eyes.
Aliza let out a shaky breath and nodded. “Okay.” For the first time since her father had tried to take everything from her, she felt like maybe—just maybe—she wasn’t standing alone anymore. She had no idea if moving in with Elias was the right move, but right now, she would just have to take a leap of faith and pray that she’d land on her feet—for once in her life.
Moving out of her apartment felt like she was erasing a part of her life. Aliza packed the last of her clothes into the borrowed gym bag that Elias had in his trunk, and some garbage bags. Her hands seemed to be moving on autopilot as she tried not to look at the bare walls and empty rooms. Everything that had once made the place hers—furniture, decorations, and her little comforts had all vanished. There was no evidence that she’d lived there at all, and that made her sad.
Elias waited quietly by the door, helping out where he could, but never rushing her. When she finally stepped back into the hallway with her bags, the reality of it all hit her. “I didn’t think he’d actually do it,” she whispered.
“I did,” Elias said gently. “But that doesn’t make any of this right.” He took her bags from her and loaded the last of her things into the trunk of his car. Her entire life fit in the trunk of a car, and she thought that said a lot about who she had become. She allowed her father to control every aspect of her life, and that stopped now.
They drove back to his place in silence, broken only by her heavy sighs and sniffles, while she tried not to cry. Elias’s apartment felt different now that she was stepping into it with everything that she owned in her hands instead of just a purse and an overnight bag. It felt less like a visit and more like a beginning—but of what she had no clue. She had never spent the night at a man’s place before last night, and living with one was new territory for her.
“Have you ever lived with a woman?” she asked, suddenly curious.
“Two women, actually,” he admitted.
“Wait, you have lived with two separate women. I guess we have a lot to learn about each other still,” she said, sounding disappointed even to her own ears.
“No, it’s not like that,” he insisted. “I shared an apartment while I was in medical school with two women. One was in med school with me, and her girlfriend moved in with us to help pay rent. Although it wasn’t really a fair deal because they shared a room, and I had a bedroom all to myself.”
