“What’s going on?” Dad asks cautiously.
My mum huffs. “Your daughter won’t eat her breakfast,” she growls out. “I made her favourite, starfish jellies.”
Pops blinks and looks at the ground. “I didn’t think she liked starfish jellies anymore.”
Mum bursts into tears.
I start pacing around. “I told her that. She doesn’t listen to me.”
Mum screeches. I hiss.
“Time out!” Pops snaps. “Both of you.”
“No!” I wail. “I don’t want to go to time out.”
“I don’t care what you want; you need to go. Elijah, grab her, and do not let her get away.”
I try to run, but Elijah just picks me up easily and holds me. “Where am I going?”
“You traitor!” I kick him, but he’s all hard muscle and a strength that he didn’t have when we were teens.
“That door at the end of the hall that’s always closed. Go and put her in there.”
I kick and struggle to get free, but Elijah carries me to the room, gets one arm wrapped around my chest while he kicks open the door and spins us in.
“Oh, wow.”
I can’t fight him when he sounds like that. I need to see his face, his expression. He lets go of me, looking around in awe. He’s so beautiful.
I try to see it from his point of view. It’s a rainbow mess of pillows, mattresses, a massive couch that you sink into, and blankets everywhere. The colour scheme is there isn’t one. It’s just sensation and whatever you need. Dad and Pops called it an omega sensory room. It’s got light effects, music, noise-cancelling headphones, and the rules are if someone is in the room, no one can enter unless invited.
Asher always went for the darker colours and satins when she lived here, while Felix liked the faux fur. I love the blankets.
“Oh, wow,” he repeats.
I launch onto the couch, snatching up a couple of blankets, and burying myself in them. I wrap them tighter and tighter until I finally start to cry. Danger lets out a bark from the open door and runs towards us. Elijah lifts him up beside me and crouches in front of me.
“Please don’t cry, Sofia. We can fix it.”
“Eli?” I sob out his name.
He gets up and walks away.
Walks away!
I panic and explode out of the blankets and wrap my arms around his back. “Don’t leave. Please don’t leave.”
Vanilla, coffee, and sandalwood get strong, reaching around me and wrapping me in a warm hug of perfume. I inhale deeply, feeling the panic ebb. This is my Eli, and there’s no scent like his and no one who can make me feel this vulnerable and strong.
“I’m not going anywhere. Just closing the door so we can talk without being overheard.”
I shudder, but I can’t find it in me to let him go.
He reaches out and pushes the door closed, then just stands there with a hand on mine until I let go and return to my pile of blankets and fluffies.
“I just wanted to prove I could do it. Be something more or do something more. That I could fit in somewhere.”
He kneels in front of me, his blue eyes staring at me, and I feel like he’s really seeing me, really listening. He’s got the most beautiful golden hair.
