Marcus would become a threat again when he found out he didn't kill me. And this time, I didn't have Eli around to even prod or ask questions. I was totally alone in this now and withno goddamn clue what to do about anything. I couldn't stay locked away in this flat forever. But if I tried to stand up to him...
I pulled the blanket down from the back of the sofa and tried unsuccessfully to get comfortable. I couldn't keep going like this. Marcus wouldn't find out right away, so I had to take what time I could to gather whatever strength I had left. I had to be ready when he came back.
Eli
19
I stood up to grab my bag from the overhead rack before the train even came to a complete stop. A mix of emotions swirled in my chest. I'd barely been gone from Tunbridge Wells for a week, but it felt like a lifetime. After going back to London, everything I tried to focus on slipped through my fingers. My camera, work emails – none of it seemed to matter anymore.
Because it didn't. Not compared to Rowan.
As I stepped off the train, I pulled out my phone to check for a message I already knew would be waiting. Sure enough, Adam wanted to know about the photo set I was supposed to send over days ago. Normally, I'd have dropped everything to answer him. This time, I didn't even bother to open it.
My eyes drifted instead to the call log from four hours ago. To the single missed call from Rowan. Two rings, then silence. I couldn't get to the phone fast enough to answer before it cut off.
At first, I'd worried that something was wrong. But a quick chat with Mrs Cavanagh calmed that fear. Rowan was fine. Tired, for sure, and clearly in a lot of pain. But he was home. Safe.
Healmostphoned. Almost. I didn't know if it was onaccident or if he panicked and backed out, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. He tried. Even if he couldn't follow through, he still tried to reach for me. That was enough for me to book the ticket back.
Enough to know he wasn't trying to shut me out completely.
Enough to come home.
I stared at Rowan's name on the screen a moment longer, debating whether to call him back. It might be better than just showing up at his door, but if he didn't pick up, it wouldn't matter much. He might be sleeping, anyway, and I had to settle something else first.
My thumb slid back to the text from Adam:We need those shots, Elias. The client's asking for updates. What's going on?
I huffed in annoyance. I didn't have a clue how I'd explain this to my manager, but I couldn't avoid it anymore. Maybe I could tell him I was working on it to buy some time. That wouldn't really solve anything, though. I had no clue how long this would take, and I couldn't focus on work right now. Not when every thought kept circling back to Rowan.
If I wanted to be here for him without anything else distracting me, I had to take care of this.
I sighed and typed out a response:Something's come up. I won't be able to take any new work for a while. I'm sorry.
It took maybe five seconds for my phone to blow up with an incoming call. Adam's name flashed on the screen, and I braced myself before answering. I didn't even get a word in before he went off on a tangent, his voice sharp with a note of panic underneath it.
"Elias, what's going on? You're turning down a big job. You know what this could mean, right? You're about to burn a bloody big bridge, mate."
"Hello to you, too," I muttered. "I know how big this jobis, but like I said, something's come up. And it's important."
"Important enough to risk your career?" he shot back.
"Don't be so dramatic. I'm not dropping everything. I'm taking a break. Tell them I've had an emergency. If they have any decency, they'll understand."
"Eli – "
"Stop, Adam. I need to take care of this first. My friend needs me."
He went silent for a minute, and I could tell he was trying to piece together everything I'd said. When he spoke again, his tone had softened. "Wait, the one in Tunbridge Wells?"
"Yes. It's complicated. But I can't leave him to deal with this on his own."
He let out a sigh. "Look, I get it. I really do. But this job – "
"I'm not changing my mind. This is more important. Rowan comes first."
There was a pause on the other end. His next words didn't sound so frustrated. Just resigned. "You're taking a big risk."
"I know."
