Chapter Seventeen

"I am full." Clare proclaimed, pushing her plate away and covering her mouth as she finished chewing.

Eli chuckled, pushing his already finished plate next to hers. "I was full after the entree." He admitted. "I don't know how you manage to eat all of that."

"I'm eating for two, remember?" Clare said, reaching for her pocketbook. "I guess we should pay the bill now?"

"What do you think you're doing?" Eli said, sounding offended. "I'll pay the bill. Don't you worry about trivial things like that."

"Trivial?" Clare repeated. Her expression softened to the point where it looked like tears might spill from her eyes. "Eli, you've suffered so much since I came back into your life. Please. Just let me buy this one small dinner."

Eli looked into her sincere blue eyes and he didn't want to refuse her. He didn't want to tell her no. But he was still the Eli Goldsworthy that she knew from the past, and he wouldn't let her pay for this dinner. "I'm sorry, Clare, but this one is on me."

Clare's lips compress into a fine line and Eli knows she wants to argue. As he lips part and she's about to protest, Eli stands up and walks over to the cashier and pays the bill. Receipt in hand, he walked back over to Clare. "Ready to go?" He asked, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Clare tried to stay upset with him, but as she saw the smirk she smiled and stood up, giving his lips a quick kiss. "You're lucky I love you." She said, taking his hand and pulling him with her out of the restaurant.

"Is that so?" Eli murmured with a grin. "Why's that?"

"Because that means I won't try to make your life hell when I'm mad at you." Clare said sweetly.

Smiling to himself, Eli continued to follow Clare back to the car, ignoring the hooded man that was nearly beside them the whole time. Clare, lost in her own thoughts, turned around abruptly and almost smacked the man that was so close to them.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Clare apologized, reaching for the man to give him a touch of reassurance that she hadn't meant any harm. The man jumped backwards, and Eli braced himself for a fight. This man should've known that Clare hadn't meant any harm. Eli squinted, trying to get a better look at the man.

"It's fine." The man grunted.

Eli could see the man tensing even in the darkness, causing himself to tense as well."All right." Eli whispered, wrapping his arm protectively around Clare. "Have a good night. We're sorry about that."

Nodding gruffly, the man continued on his way, allowing Eli and Clare to reach the car. "What do you think that was all about?" Clare asked as she clambered into the passenger seat after he'd unlocked it.

"I don't know." Eli murmured as he got into the driver's side. "He definitely had a problem with us, though."

"With us or with the world?" Clare muttered under her breath.

"Both, probably." Eli said with a chuckle. He started the car and pulled out of the parking spot and onto the main road that would lead them to his place. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Eli asked softly, "Are you sure you want to go back to my apartment? Are you ready for that?"

Clare did not reply right away. She allowed the question to linger as she stared out the window at the passing traffic and the sunset. "I would have to go back eventually," She murmured, her gaze unwavering, "I'm just glad that you'll be with me. We'll be in bed and it won't be wrong. I won't be the crazy bitch that's sleeping around." She sneered at her reflection.

Eli's own memory flashed back to when Jake was calling Clare a slut and a whore. How long must she have endured the name-calling? How long had she must have dealt with the emotional, as well as physical abuse, of Jake Martin? How much damage had her heart taken? Tears threatened to spill and Eli reached put and grasped Clare's hand softly. "I love you, Clare."

Clare smiled, despite being caught in a wave of self-loathing and self-pity. "I love you, too, Eli."

A comfortable silence followed as Eli pulled into the small secluded parking lot that was used by his apartment complex. He shut the car off and got out, walking over to the other side and holding the door open for Clare. "Thank you." She murmured politely and Eli gave her a reassuring smile. They walked together, hand and hand, to the apartment and took the stairs to his floor. He retrieved his keys and opened the door, holding his breath before pushing the door open and turning on the light.

Clare exhaled behind him and he walked inside slowly, turning on the light. "It looks kind of different." He muttered under his breath.

Clare giggled and closed the door behind her. "That's just your imagination."

Or was it?

Eli walked over to the counter, bemused. Resting on the counter in the foyer was a sealed envelope with a note that just said: "To Mr. Goldsworthy. Deepest Regards." He picked it up cautiously; almost afraid it might be a bomb.

"What's that?" Clare asked, joining him.

"I don't know." Eli replied and ripped opened the envelope. He peered inside and saw that there was only one piece of paper inside. Delicately, he took it out. He scanned it, his eyes narrowing as he saw the date and the content of the paper.

Clare swallowed nervously. "W-What's that?"

Eli looked up slowly from the paper, his eyes shadowed. "It's a DNA test. Dated about three months ago."

Clare blinked.

She blinked again.

"How?"

"I don't know how!" Eli snarled, thrusting the piece of paper at her. "But it looks pretty legitimate to me!"

Clare smoothed out the paper and quickly read it, her jaw hanging slightly agape. "This was supposed to be a private test..." She murmured under her breath. She felt like she couldn't even look Eli in the eye.

"You lied to me." It wasn't a question.

"Eli... I can explain.."

"There's nothing to explain." Eli said, his voice cold. "I'm going to go for a walk. I'll be back."

Before she could say another word, the door slammed closed