E L A R A

It's nine o'clock in the night while I'm just sitting here on the couch with Nero, he's napping on my lap. I didn't have a hard time making him friendly with me, I gave him his meal and he feasted it mannerly. He's a nice cat I wouldn't get enough of playing with.

I had chips, cookies, and ice-creams too I found in his kitchen whose rappers are nowhere but on the table in front of me.

I've watched so much Skins, not like I'm getting bored of it. I'm hungry, and I can't just enter somebody's kitchen to cook whom I don't know. The most dopey thing here is that I don't know cooking either.

I guess I should go out taking Nero with me. I turn off the TV and pick up my mobile. My eyes couldn't take a second before they gets stuck on the Gallery icon on my home screen beside the Spotify app. Should I open it?

"Oh no" I mumble as I don't realize when my thumb shoots the gallery app and it gets opened.

The first picture that got my attention is of my brother and me. He looks exactly like me, I tap on it and swipe looking at numerous pictures of sunsets, moon, city, and my random selfies.

I tap back and swipe the images to get older pics, I zoom one of them. I'm sitting in a shopping cart laughing so hard while some guy is holding it from behind and my eyes broadened.

I can see him only till his torso from his legs. It's dated 04 December 2019, more than two years ago. Who's he?

I swipe again and look at somebody's hands braiding my hair from my back while I'm sitting down with my back against the bed. I can say these veiny and big hands are of some guy, they're beautiful though.

A black-colored scrunchie rolled around his wrist. This picture is taken from our behind as his back is visible in it, I realize a small glimpse of his brown hair is visible in it too.

Who's he again?

I see various pictures of my family, of me at club parties. Tears filled my eyes glancing at my parents so happy with me, I don't remember them but looking at these pictures I can say we were a small happy family.

I close the gallery app as I realize if I don't, I would have a headache for sure.

I open the Instagram app I have. I've only seven posts posted of myself, in the last one which is around three years ago, I've my tongue out and eyes shut. It feels like I was that one coolest, funky and voguish girl. But jeez how could I be as such, I really find these pictures creepy.

I'm hungry, when will they come back? I can't just run away either, I've Nero to take care of until he comes. I don't even know who are they and what freaking work they do.

I'm stuck here, do they use Instagram? Should I try searching for them?

But I don't know their full names.

Except him. Neville Hendrix. I tap his name on the search bar. It's loading.

Verified account?

I don't believe it's his account, but the clear picture of him in profile pic staring straight into my eyes says otherwise.

I tap it and my mouth opened, my body froze, my eyes widened. I'm stunned reading 'As first two albums ever of Join The Cult Band have debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, Join The Cult is the first group with a trio of No. 1 entrances'

I swipe more, a screenshot from Twitter saying 'Neville Hendrix's "Burn The Cig" single becomes the first song by a lead male artist in Hot 100 history to spend 43 weeks in the chart's top 10' followed by a caption 'Thank y'all mfs'.

I swipe more and gaze at Neville, Erin, and Leo's pic, they're on stage. In front of them is a massive crowd, people present in the number of thousands.

So he isn't a pub performer. He's a freaking musician, the lead vocalist of an English rock band called--Join The Cult.

I throw my head back, closing my eyes I sigh heavily. I switch the mobile off and put it down on the couch.

All this time I was with people everybody desires to get at least a glimpse of? A deep lump runs down my throat. How can I be so silly not to understand that?

It's enough for me to make me want to sink through the floor.

I open my laptop, I yawn while scrolling through Netflix. I don't realize when I got asleep while watching some series.

I've been sleeping for a few hours. It feels warm. But why I'm feeling warmth suddenly? I jump, shocked hearing a blare.

I realize I've got a blanket on my body, and Nero is nowhere here with me.

Are they back? Or is there some intruder?

I pick up the flower pot kept on the table and take small steps towards the kitchen, from where I heard the noise.

I see Neville standing in front of me, all exhausted.

He isn't in what clothes he left with. He's wearing off sleeves jersey clothes, with shorts. Even in this chilly season, he's wearing shorts, and it appears like he just got back from playing some game carrying a water bottle, sweat running down his jaw.

"Hey," I say, he stares dead into my eyes.

Several questions ran inside my mind. Where is everybody? Why is he staring at me like that and not replying to anything?

Why didn't he wake me up when he got back?

Of course, he doesn't care enough to tell you anything. I roll my eyes to myself.

He doesn't reply to my 'Hey' either.

I curse under my breath as he just passed by me. He likes getting on my nerves.

He puts down his mobile on the table and his eyes glimpse at the rappers of stuff I ate earlier. I slam my forehead slightly and stand still when his gaze turns back to me.

"Why didn't you order anything to eat huh?" he asks while picking up his cap kept on the table, his voice cold and husky.

*

He ordered spaghetti and some other dinner for both of us. I cleaned the mess I'd created on the table while he was bathing. I didn't expect him to be this comfortable with me, like it's normal for him to have an unknown girl around him.

He doesn't speak straight with me though, like why not he's a freaking singer with a huge fan base, must be having some ego problems.

Abruptly the door of his room gets opened and he comes out. Jesus Christ, he's wearing just a plain black shirt and blue pants, still, how can he makes me feel zoo inside my stomach taking my breath away?

He comes near me and I shift further on the couch. He sits too and takes Nero on his lap, caressing him.

His brown eyes are frequently darting on Nero.

"We need to talk" I say.

My confidence falls so badly when his eyes immediately look at me straight into my eyes, his face unreadable.

"You have an appointment with the doctor a day after tomorrow" he mumbles picking up the plate of lasagna in his hands.

Well, this is not what I asked for. Why is he like this? "Thanks for notifying me, now that you're home, I need to leave for the hotel room I've booked, I can't live here like forever," I say sensually and smile while standing up.

I gather up my mobile and my eyes couldn't help glimpsing at Nero, he's staring at me too. I smile widely and lift up in my arms gently as he was sitting beside Neville, he's so tiny I could hold him with one hand and with another broken one. I caress him and kiss the top of his head softly.

Even though we just spent half a day together, I'm going to miss him so much.

I glance at Neville staring at us playing, his face screams how shocked he is, "Maybe you never gave anybody a chance to befriend him, he's really a good cat" I say and smile.

I give Nero back to him and begin to stride towards the main door. I listen to the plate setting down on the table, and the next thing I hear stops me from moving any further, "Elara" my name from his mouth never fails to make me feel on cloud nine.

Hey, thanks for giving my book a read, I really appreciate it. For some reason, I can't post all of this book here, I don't really use this app at all.

You can read it further on my wattpad account @skyllen_

I'm bad at starting books, in beginning of this book the chapters might not have got you 'hooked', but I'm sure they're interesting when the story moves further. Hope to see you there.