ELARA
I stayed quiet for what felt like a whole damn minute, maybe longer, until Jeremy's phone rang, breaking the heavy silence and saving me from having to answer his question, of course, for now.
He stared at the screen for a while before finally picking up.
"Yeah?" he muttered under his breath.
And then I heard it — Aaron's voice coming through the speaker. Wow! Just too wonderful.
"I think Elara's missing." was the first thing he said.
Wait… what?
Of course I knew he'd go looking for me, but I didn't think he'd actually start panicking that much about it.
"Are you sure about that?" Jeremy asked, turning his face away from me as if avoiding my eyes might make it less awkward.
"Yes, I'm sure," Aaron answered quickly. "I've checked everywhere. I was even tempted to go to her father's place, but I doubt she'd go there." He paused, his voice tight. "This girl's gonna make me lose my mind at this rate."
I bit the inside of my cheek, silently praying Jeremy wouldn't do that loyalty thing he always did, the one that made him pick duty over me.
"Maybe she went back home," he said finally, his tone like a practiced calm, way too calm. "Let's just wait till morning to find out."
"You sure about that?" Aaron pressed. "What if she's in danger right now? I don't trust Enor not to try something reckless, she already did once."
"She did what?" Jeremy's voice rose sharply before he quickly caught himself.
"It's nothing," Aaron said. "I just want to make sure Elara's safe. We'll head out early tomorrow to look for her. Is that okay?"
Jeremy exhaled hard, rubbing the back of his neck. "Elara's fine. She can be stubborn, but she's not the type to do anything foolish. I'll go check on her myself tomorrow and update you after that, alright?"
"Okay," Aaron said at last, though anyone could tell he didn't believe it for a second.
When the call finally ended, Jeremy's glare landed on me first. But he didn't say anything.
For a long second, I just stared into nothing, I didn't even know what exactly I was looking at. My chest felt heavy, my mind trying to piece together what to say, but the words were hiding somewhere I couldn't reach.
"I'm sorry… I mean, thank you," I said quietly, but he didn't reply.
He only replied gently, "It's going to be a long day tomorrow. You should get some sleep."
What? Just like that? Wasn't this the same man who, minutes ago, had been threatening me for answers, now acting like none of it ever happened? Was this some kind of joke?
And then, something else stirred inside me. Something that wasn't just anger.
"Are you mad at me?" I asked softly.
He didn't answer, so I kept talking, stepping closer until I was near enough to see his expression clearly as he fixed the small bed in the corner.
"Okay. I'm sorry. I was wrong," I said again, hoping he'd at least look at me.
"You didn't offend me, El," he replied at last, still not meeting my eyes. "Just go to sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."
For a moment, I didn't know if I wanted to stop him, or just wrap my arms around him from behind.
"I don't like this silent thing you're doing right now," I finally said, my voice breaking the stillness. "Talk to me if you want to, don't just keep quiet. I can't possibly sleep if you keep doing that."
"What else do you want me to do now?" he asked flatly, not even looking at me. "You said you didn't want to talk, so I let it be. You said you were tired, I prepared a bed for you. So what else do you want? You've ignored everything I told you to do, and you keep trying to control the situation, so I figured I'd better just let you handle it your way."
So that was it. He was mad at me.
"And I already apologized for that," I said quietly.
"Yes, you did," he replied, "but that doesn't fix anything. You got it wrong from the very start…" He paused, rubbing his face before adding, "Anyway, it doesn't matter now. By tomorrow, you'll have to decide if you're going to fix what you've started or just deal with it the way you always do, run away or avoid it."
"Seriously? Why does it sound like you're putting this all on me now? Are you forgetting none of this would've happened if you hadn't begged me to come here? I didn't want any of this either."
"Just go to sleep now, El. Please. It's really late."
"Stop talking to me like I'm a child, Jeremy. It's annoying."
"No, you're not a child," he said calmly, "but you're starting to act like one. Just listen to me, and we'll be fine."
And with that, he said nothing more. He just reached for one of the neatly folded covers, pulled it over himself, and turned his back to me on the couch.
I muttered something ridiculous under my breath before crashing on the bed. Honestly, he was right. I'd acted completely unreasonable and childish even. If that stupid heat hadn't happened, maybe none of this would've gone this way.
Goddess.
Thoughts kept running wild in my head until I finally drifted off.
Before I knew it, I felt a gentle tap on my back. Was I still dreaming? Then came Jeremy's voice, soft and low, seeping right into my half-asleep mind. You can call it stupid, but I didn't want to wake up.
"You need to wake up now," I heard again.
Ugh. Stupid. If this was a dream, I'd happily drown in it, just Jeremy and me, forever.
But the moment my eyes flew open, reality hit me hard. My hands were pressed against his cheeks.
What the actual fuck!
Jeremy didn't move. He just stayed there, staring at me like he was trying to figure out what kind of spell I'd fallen under.
I jolted upright immediately, forcing my eyes anywhere but at him.
"I told you yesterday to let me make you something to eat, but no, you had to be stubborn. And now look at you, dreaming my face was pizza," he teased, a faint grin tugging at his lips.
I blushed, biting back a laugh. He wasn't the same man I'd argued with just hours ago.
Glancing at the clock, I realized it was already past four in the morning. I'd barely shut my eyes, and somehow it was already morning.
He started arranging his things exactly the way they'd been before we came. So typical of him, still the total neat freak I left in VALE. It didn't even surprise me anymore.
His hair was styled perfectly, that wavy-curl mess that somehow looked intentional and made his strong build even more noticeable.
Meanwhile, I was pacing around like I'd forgotten what to do with myself. Then I cleared my throat.
"Can I at least take a shower?" I asked quietly.
He glanced my way once. "You'll need to be quick. Understand?" His tone was firm, the kind that didn't leave room for argument.
I nodded once.
Before I could even move, he tossed me a neatly folded white towel, one that looked like he'd kept aside just for me, in my wildest dream. I caught it before it hit the floor and, when he turned away, I couldn't resist leaning into it to breathe in his scent.
Inside the bathroom, I took a fast shower, and before long, I was back, my hair damp and still dripping, a few strands clinging to my neck. I started drying it quickly and slipped on my boots after that.
Jeremy picked up the towel I'd dropped, shaking his head like he couldn't believe me. Then he gave me that look, the type that screamed "is there anything you can do without me?"
Before I could zip up my boot, he stepped in close, gently lifting my chin so my eyes met his.
He started drying my hair himself, the towel brushing against my skin. Then he smirked, trying to hide a small smile.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, forcing a straight face, that took all of the strength in me to keep just by staring into those dark sexy eyes.
"Like what?" he replied, pretending not to know.
"Don't act clueless. You just gave me that weird look, the one you do when you're trying hard not to tease me."
He smirked again. "I think you're overthinking. You can argue all day but can't even dry your hair properly for a minute."
"You said we were late," I shot back. "What did you expect? I should play princess in front of the mirror?"
That made him chuckle. His fingers brushed against my lips, then traced my cheek before tugging it playfully. Not too soft, and not too hard either, just enough to make me flinch away.
"Can you stop getting on my nerves?" I said, fighting a laugh. "And quit treating me like a kid. I'm twenty-four, for goodness' sake."
He stopped drying my hair and folded his arms with a grin. "You don't talk about age to the man who literally folded your diapers."
I snorted, snatching the towel from him. "Did you just say diapers? Seriously?"
He started backing away, that teasing smirk not leaving his face. "Oh, I'll never forget the day you peed on my pants too."
"What?!" That one did it. I jumped onto the nearest chair, swung my leg over the armrest, and lunged at him.
We both hit the floor, rolling, with me ending up on top of him.
"You think I wasn't gonna get you, huh? Now say that again if you dare."
My chest rose and fell, still breathless from all the play, a few damp strands of hair slipping over his shoulders, and some, brushing against his face.
He didn't move. He just stared. That playful smug already peeling off his face, now replaced with something… Different.
And for a long second, neither of us did anything. We just froze there, tangled in the rhythm of our breath, pressed close, and suddenly I became aware of everything.
The warmth of his breath. The way his heartbeat seemed to echo against mine.
No, Elara. Don't even think about it.
You'd be insane if you were actually thinking about how good Jeremy's lips look right now.
Oh Goddess… this was driving me insane.
It was like my entire body forgot how to move, how to think, how to breathe. I was caught in this still, intoxicating moment I couldn't pull myself out of.
Then slowly, in a movie motion slow way, Jeremy's arm slid around my waist, firm and steady, pulling me just a little closer. That was when my heart went wild, pounding like it wanted to break free from my chest.
"Elara," he whispered my name, his voice soft, low… almost reverent.
I couldn't answer. I just looked at him, lost in everything I shouldn't be feeling.
"I'm gonna miss us," he murmured.
His words hit me harder than I expected.
Miss us? What did that even mean?
"What do you mean by that?" I asked quietly, still searching his eyes.
But he didn't answer. He just stared, and I could see something breaking behind those eyes, something he wasn't ready to say out loud.
Then, before I could ask again, he leaned in, just enough for his breath to graze my lips. One more inch and he'd be kissing me. But he stopped halfway, frozen like he was fighting himself.
My cheeks burned. I wanted him to. I wanted him to kiss me.
But he didn't. I got a little mad because I wanted it so badly. What I'd only imagined in my dreams and now…
"Can I kiss you?"
His voice dropped lower, almost too soft, and trembling.
I blinked twice, my heart leaping to my throat before I whispered back, "Yes."
And then, without any holding back, his lips found mine.
The first touch was slow, deliberately careful, like he was afraid the world might shatter if he pushed too far. The moment our mouths met, it was like everything we'd been holding in finally came undone. His hand slid to the back of my neck, anchoring me gently as he kissed me deeper, his lips moving with a tenderness that felt like worship. His touch only ignited the spark and tension.
He kissed me as if I was something sacred, something he'd waited too long to touch.
The scent of him wrapped around me, dizzying, intoxicating. He drew me in until there was no air, no thought, just only us.
Then the rhythm changed. His kiss grew hungry, wild, desperate. I didn't stop him. I didn't want to. Even though a part of me strangely felt it was wrong, but, I didn't want him to stop.
My fingers found his hair, tangling there, tracing the lines of his jaw, something I'd only dreamed of doing far too many times.
He eased me down against the floor, still kissing me, his movements growing more urgent. His hands found mine and pinned them gently above my head, his lips trailing fire down my neck.
"Jeremy…" I breathed his name between shaky breaths, my voice barely a whisper.
Then suddenly, he stopped, as if hearing me call his name awoke something he tried to shut in his head. His forehead pressed against my chest, his breath uneven, warm, trembling against my skin.
"Why did you stop?" I asked softly, reaching for him, trying to draw him back to me.
But all I heard was a quiet, broken whisper. "I'm sorry."
Sorry? For what? For feeling this? For wanting me too?
Yes, maybe it was wrong… but I wasn't sorry. I loved him. And he loved me too. He didn't have to keep punishing himself for it.
He started to pull away, but before I could say a word, a loud knock thundered at the door.
We both froze.
Jeremy's head snapped toward the sound, his jaw tightening, his eyes locked on the door like it was death itself waiting on the other side.
His heartbeat quickened, and so did mine.