Okay so I don't know how I feel about this chapter but the ending is good so... Also, Elias has a flashback but it isn't anything bad, just light warning for that.
June 3rd:
His gaze is fastened on her, he can't bring himself to look away. At a wedding, the bride is supposed to be the one you look at, but Elias can only reason that Mara outshines her. The dress is the same one he'd come to try on with her, but it is as if the golden beam of light reflects off of her soft skin in a way it doesn't others.
Mara is radiating and Elias is basking in her beauty. He watches her, shifting in his suit that scratches the skin of his neck. Her eyes, framed with a soft swoop of mascara, scan the crowd.
When she locates Elias watching her, Mara's smile grows. She winks at him, hiding her grin behind her bright bouquet of lilies as looks back towards Darla. They are saying their vows, but Gabriel's language just sounds like static to her ears.
She feels light, like a bird, she can fly above them all. She's been in a good mood. Her family only looks at her strangely, but Mara is so happy she can care less. It is like a state of constant euphoria, she felt jitters just below her fingertips. She wanted to dance, to sing, to party.
She is so lost in it all that she doesn't realize she's been pushed to the dance floor hours later. The party is in full swing as people let their guards down for the night and just enjoyed themselves. They are all singing at the top of their lungs, letting the music overcome them. Their voices mix together into a loud chatter as people's eyes sparkled under the flashing beams of the disco that spins above their heads.
"Care to dance?" Talon asks as the song turns slow, sensual. It's a low hum through the dance floor as older couples emerge into the younger crowd. Mara sighs, placing her hands on his shoulders as they practiced, careful not to make a scene.
"Where's your Elias?" He taunts, looking over her shoulders. He can't see Elias, who disappeared into the bathrooms minutes before. He is just having a hard time breathing in this crowd, but Mara looked so happy that Elias didn't want to disturb her. He uses Dr. Alice's breathing strategies, trying to regain his composure.
"God, I was drunk," she snorts, shaking her head in wonderment. "He's in the bathroom, I think."
"He doesn't talk much," Talon provokes. Mara's temper, growing wary. She doesn't like people talking bad about Elias. Especially when that person is Talon. He has no right.
"Yeah, well, it's a nice change from you. Besides, you don't have to speak with your mouth to talk. Sign language does exist," Mara shakes her head unamused, her blonde hair pinned up in a bun. She steps on his feet, purposefully, as he hisses.
"Sore topic, got it," he nods, scratching his braid.
"Curse, do these things itch," he sighs, stopping their dancing.
"Why'd you get them anyway?" She laughs, her mood lightening. She nibbles her lip, concealing her smile at his distress. She tolerates Talon enough, but she can never see herself with him.
"My mom," he chuckles, "she-"
Talon is interrupted by Elias, who taps Mara's exposed shoulders. She spins around on her heels, already smiling with the warm comfort of his cinnamon and mint scent. He matches her smile with his own, placing his hands on her lower back. He spins her away from Talon, who watches, shaking his head as he walks away.
He has to admit she looks happy, and even though he has the tiniest of crushes on her, all he wants is for her to smile. Mara has it rough, and he relates, thrown behind the image of his successful older brother Gabriel. They are both the casted away children of their families.
He watches her laughing in his arms and realizes Elias is the good-guy. She never lets Talon that close, and she's certainly never been this festive. So he watches, with a sad smile, as he loses their dissipating figures in the crowd. It almost feels as if he is losing her, and in a sense, he is.
Elias hugs Mara to his heaving chest, her arms wrapped around his neck. Her cheek rests on his shoulder while they move slowly to the rhythm of the tune. They fall into a pattern with the rest of the crowd, holding onto each other like it is their only way of breathing. She taps the back of his neck two times, and he repeats the action, tapping her waist two times.
Their way of saying it without speaking words. Their voices may be stolen, but they are not forgotten.
---
She stared at him like he was a piece of meat, Elias was her prey, and she was starving. Her eyes were cat-like, focusing on his frozen features. He wanted to scream, to cry, but Luella was away with her father. It was just the two of them.
Alone in the house, with nobody to hear. Luella was miles away, having fun, while he was stuck here. He wasn't even supposed to come, but he did, to pick up his jacket he'd left.
There was nothing he could do. He was trapped, feeling suffocated as he choked on his own depthless breaths. His red-rimmed eyes stung with tears that he couldn't even produce anymore. He was so tired, his body felt weak.
He wanted to close his eyes, but everything hurt.
He felt sick as she just watched him lying there. He looked like he could be dead, only his chest heaving. He wanted to leave, but he couldn't, just frozen there.
Elias wakes up gasping for air, silent tears trickling down his face. His chest is thick with smog as his heart hurts to beat, his grinding teeth tensing his jaw. His hands are shaking as he looks at them in disgust, darting his eyes around the unfamiliar walls. They are closing in on him, he can feel it, he can't escape. Claustrophobia takes over him.
He needs the window open, he needs fresh air, but he can't get to it. Pulling the threads of his hair, tears continue to prick his eyes as his nose hurts, blood trickling down to his lip.
He is panicking now, his wheezing more irregular as he grips the unfamiliar sheets. They are soft under his rough fingertips and smell of lavender, but that isn't soothing.
This isn't his house, but he couldn't grasp where he was. He didn't remember that he agreed to spend the night at Mara's, that she is awake on the opposite side of the thin walls. She is pacing the length of her room, her chest heavy as her eyes were wide-awake. She can't sleep either, her mind too awake with the racing voices.
Elias tries to move, but he can't, his limbs achingly tight. His mind is wandering into the deep end, so he tries to focus on something happy like Dr. Alice has told him. He is trying to swim in a body of water intent on drowning him. Glancing cautiously around the unfamiliar bedroom, his gaze us so blurry he can't make any of it out.
Mara.
Her face appears in his mind like a spark. His mind flicks over each of her features while the clock in the corner ticks away. The way her eyes would harden at the mention of her family or how her lips would pucker when she wants something.
Her beauty catches him off guard every time he lays eyes on her. The deepness of the blue in her eyes makes him feel like he was drowning. The honey tone of her hair that she always leaves somewhere as if she is marking her territory. He would find strands of her hair on his clothing or on the floor of her car, almost like a dog.
Mara had blasted into his life unexpectedly one day and hasn't migrated since. All of his thoughts have recently been consumed by her, and any attempts to leave her are diminished.
Her pine smell, imprinted on his senses.
He is lost by her, and he doesn't mind. The tears seize from dripping down his bronzed skin as his breathing evens out. His hands still shake, but his gaze clears over. Slowly, his breathing comes back to him as he focuses on memories of Mara.
The donut shop, the movie, the day they learned sign language. He focuses all the dark ink of energy on the happy moments and grows that yellow circle of light. He doesn't want to plunge, she was right, she was rescuing him. She keeps him above water as he swims closer to the shallow end, almost able to stand on his own.
"Mara," Elias whispers, his voice hoarse.
---
Authors Note:
Tehehe a little cliffhanger for yous.
Let me know your thoughts.
Like and comment
- Nia
Edited 4/1/22