Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews/subscriptions/favorites/alerts on the last chapter. Please enjoy the eleventh chapter of "Magic Eli"...
Twitter: TheCliffyG
No Beta Reader, so ignore mistakes if any :)
A/N: I know I said Eli would be going "home", but that'll happen in the next chapter! I promise! :D
Magic Eli
CLARE
"He's taking me out again tonight, but he won't tell me-he claims it's for the guy to know and the woman to find out," I smiled in the mirror, twirling in front of it, watching as the edges of my sundress flow with the wind.
"Clare I'm so happy for you! You finally found the right guy," Imogen cooed on the other line, as I picked my phone up, bringing it to my ear, "It's weird, our relationship or whatever we have going on. It's weird how we can hang out, not say one word but when we leave, feel like we've talked until our voice box wore out."
"That's love," Imogen sighed, "You guys have such a stable relationship, and here I am, doing nothing but sex with Jake. I just wish he could take me out on a date besides the after morning breakfast..."
"Hey, don't talk like that, Jake is a good guy. A little misguided, yes, but he'll come around. How many times have you two slept together?" I asked, only to hear an overwhelming amount of silence on the other line.
"Imogen..."
"Imogen come on, it can't be that bad."
"Sixty eight and a half."
"I mean, it really can't be-HOLY SHIT, WHAT?"
"I slept with him Clare, sixty eight and a half times," she admitted, as I smiled in the mirror, "It's not that bad, I mean, you haven't been in the game for a while either. It's only normal for your bodies to attract, but I see the way he looks at you Imo, it's more than sex. Trust me."
"Clare Edwards you never seize to assure me when I'm in doubt. Now, I'm going to assure you that it's nearly midnight, which means Eli should be arriving in about a half hour, no?" I skimmed my fingers over the back of my dress, nodding, "He gets out at twelve fifteen, so I've got a half hour."
"Alright, I'll let you go Edwards. I'll see you tomorrow, during your lunch?"
"Sure, love you."
"Love you too! Use a condom with El-."
I hung up, sliding my phone into my denim jacket pocket. I smiled warmly at the door, just thinking about how Eli's going to be waiting on the other side in just a half hour. My lips tugged up into a wider smile, thinking about how we've gotten so close lately-close to kissing. But tonight was going to be the night, there were no restrictions (meaning the bandaging on my nose was finally off).
To pass the time, I decided to scroll through my texts from Eli over the past few days;
You're blushing aren't you? Your little heart is racing at the message in this via text? ;) I could imagine if we sexted until four am, you'd probably go into cardiac arrest ;)
Why aren't you asleep blue eyes? You need rest.
You know I'm here for you, you give me hope ;) . You can talk to me about whatever-I was born with two ears for a reason you know, to listen to your beautiful voice.
I don't care if you have baggage Clare, we all do. We've all got a past we don't want to talk about, and we've all done things we're ashamed of.
How's your nose feeling? Do I need to come over and give the boo boo a kissey kiss? ;)
Knock!
Knock!
Knock!
My eyes shot up, a blush across my face as I smoothed the wrinkles in my dress out for Eli. I wanted him to think I was pretty, or at least-halfway decent. I approached the door, my fingers pulling on the warm doorknob eagerly, "Hey Eli, how are-."
"Fitz?"
ELI
"I think they want another dance Elijah! Get up here!" I heard Ted yell, making my fucking brain rattle. I've already done my rounds for the night, and it was bad enough Clare had to wait until twelve thirty in the morning to go on a date with me; I didn't want to be any later.
"Ted, come on man, I'm already pushing my limits with Clare...please, I don't want to be late."
"Do you hear that crowd out there?" Ted roughly gripped my shoulder blades, making my body jerk back and forth in a nauseating motion. I swallowed the lump in my throat, pushing him away, "I hear the crowd, and I don't give a fuck-I need to go, Clare is waiting."
"If you leave right now I'll fire your ass and tell everyone the truth about you!" My eyebrows tightened, heart racing in the fear that Clare would find out-that she would know and wouldn't spend time with me anymore. She was my only outlet, and I wasn't going to blow out the fire we've lit up.
Not now-not ever.
"Fine, I guess she'll just have to wait for me."
CLARE
"W-What are you doing here Fitz? I thought you-I thought you left town...you went to New York, what are you doing back here?"
My heart raced unsteadily to the glance of my ex-boyfriend whom had his fists clenched at his sides, his devious lips up in a grin. I swallowed the lump in my throat, and slowly brought my hand to my back, rubbing the tattoo for confidence. Eli told me whenever I was down, or afraid, I should rub the tattoo lightly and believe in myself.
"I need to talk to you."
Those six little words were dangerous, murderous even. His shoulder bumped into mine, as his heavy boots stomped across my apartment floor, while his head spun around slowly. He observed my apartment, not saying a word.
"I don't think that's a good idea Fitz."
He chuckled dryly, before pouring himself a cup of water, and chugging it down. I looked at him in confusion, opening the door up wider, "Fitz, please, you need to go."
"I've got to talk to you."
Fitz's voice was dripping with desperation, as he wiped off the tiny droplets of water seeping from his lips. I avoided eye contact with him, staring at the floor, letting fear overcome my tingling body.
"No other woman will stay with me like you did Clare. That's why I need you back," he whispered sternly.
My head slowly lifted up to the occasion, as I squeezed the doorknob behind me, nervousness and anxiety taking over my body. My knee caps were snapping, and I was shocked that my legs haven't given out on me yet. I looked up at him, ready to make my move-and to not give up hope, "Did you hit them?"
He scoffed, as if he didn't know the reasons to why no women would stay with him.
"Did you hit them like you hit me?" I spat, my voice raising with confidence.
"What? No? I don't-I don't hit women Clare, that's disrespectful, inhumane-," my lip twitched, the feeling of anger and aggravation mixing inside me at dangerously high levels, "But you hit me!"
I quickly sealed my lips, just realizing what I've done.
"That's right Clare, I did. You were disrespectful to me, and you deserved it. You took it like the strong woman you are. You needed a little roughening up to adjust to your body. I gave you a blessing," he whispered, inching closer to me, as I whimpered, "It's time for you to leave."
"Raising your voice is disrespectful Clare...do you remember your punishment for disrespecting your boyfriend?"
"You're not my boyfriend."
"Oh right, I've seen the pictures all over Facerange...the whole messed up goth look is really working out well for him. But you see, the funny thing here is-," I cut him off, "There is nothing funny."
"Then why I am laughing?" Fitz smiled, backing me up against my apartment wall, and then stroking his hand over my cheek, "It's funny how you think that you can move on to another man like that...which is another reason why I needed to come back."
"Why?" my voice cracked,ctears streaming down my face, the tension in the room making my lungs tighten uncomfortably.
"You need to be taught a lesson Clare. Your master doesn't approve of such behavior."
The word: master.
Master was what I had to call him in bed, what I had to call him when he made me do the laundry on my hands and knees while carrying the basket on my back. Master was what I had to "beg" him to take me. Master was what I had to scream at the top of my lungs when he hit me.
Master, was more than just a word.
"I'm not your fucking slave anymore Fitz," I clenched my fists tightly together, pushing him away from me, and when he came closer, I slapped him across the face. I smiled, looking at the ring mark on his face. It was red, and slightly bleeding. I giggled under my breath, thanking Eli for buying this ring for me. It was on our fourth date, and he had promised me a surprise-which was my very own mood ring.
I was surprised to say the least, but looking down at my hand now, observing the green and blue mixture in the tiny piece of jewelry, it meant so much more.
"You can't keep stepping on me Fitz, you had your chance...and I had mine. Please, leave."
He had tears in his face, as he charged at me, his fist held high. I clenched my eyes together, tears streaming down my cheeks, bracing for the impact of his rough, scratched knuckles.
My entire body shook, hearing Fitz punch the wall beside me, puncturing a gigantic hole, as he stared me in the eyes, his chest heaving through his sweater, "I don't care what you say Clare, I always loved you."
From my fingers to my toes, I had no feeling.
ELI
"Shit, shit, shit," I muttered repeatedly, pulling into a vacant spot in front of Clare's apartment.
I inhaled deeply, getting ready to come face to face with an upset Clare. Then, she can officially be another person I've disappointed in my life. My fingers gripped the bouquet of roses in my hands, as I nervously knocked on the door. But what made me confused was the second my knuckle touched the door, it craned open, the only source of light coming into the room.
"Clare?" I called out in a whisper, walking cautiously into the dark apartment.
In the corner of my eye, I saw a tiny flicker, a movement if you will. I gripped the roses tightly to my fingers, the tiny thorns sticking into my fingers as I made my way further into the apartment.
"Clare? Are you there?"
A soft whimper came from the left side of the room. My neck craned to the direction of the sob, and the floor lightly creaked beneath my feet. I slowly approached the dark figure that was illuminated by the moon reflecting off the window in the kitchen.
"Clare?"
Her head was buried in her lap, tears soaking up her yellow flowered sundress. I placed the roses by her feet, and she was unaffected by my attempt to make her forgive me. I've gone too far this time- I've angered the wrong person, I've broken the wrong person.
"Sorry," I whispered, but she only shook more violently.
Instead of leaving-like I should've-I slowly took a seat beside her, letting the darkness consume the both of us. We sat side by side, her head buried in her lap, and my eyes gazing out the window.
I knew I was the one who caused her tears, who upset her on a Friday night. This was all my fault, and yet again, I was the one who fucked up. It's amazing how we always end up hurting the ones we lov-like.
Clare and I were different from other friends, we enjoyed each other's silence when we were in a fragile state. Though many people find comfort in words, we find comfort in the presence of another person. Just knowing someone else is out there, and someone else cares enough to be beside one another, we know, that we'll be okay when it passes over.
We never really asked what was wrong, or if we needed help, because we knew this was all we needed.
Each other.
She continued to cry, but after about an hour, it seemed as if her eyes were fresh out of tears. Her head looked unbearably heavy as she raised it from her lap. I heard a slight crack, startling the both of us as she whimpered, "Ouch."
"Here, let me work the kink out...it's the least I can do. I'm sorry I upset you, that I made you cry this long because of my stupidity and lateness," I whispered apologetically, and as I leaned against the wall, letting Clare slide in between my legs, she chuckled dryly. Her back leaned into my chest, while I massaged the back of her neck.
"It wasn't you who upset me Eli," her voice was hoarse, cracked, and full of sadness.
"What made you so upset then?" I asked, my tone below average.
"When the past comes back to haunt you, it really bites you...really, really hard," her back heaved a bit, so I eased her tense muscles by rubbing the pads of my thumbs over her spinal cord. I moved my palms over her back muscles in a circular, soft yet hard motion, earning a tiny pleased moan from her lips.
"The past sucks. Trust me, I would know," I continued to move my hands over Clare's back, bicep, and neck as she rolled her head around in pleasure. My fingers dug into her shoulder blades gently, as she whispered, "We've known each other for a while now...and yet, we know nothing about each other."
"That's what makes us special Clare, we don't have to talk to understand who we were...and who we are now," she nodded, leaning into my back, resting her body on me. But I didn't mind, she was a joy to feel, to touch, to hold.
Clare played with my right hand pinky finger-something she always did when she was tired-as her eyelids began to flutter close. Between the tears and the emotional distress of her night, I knew she would be out like a light in no time.
"I wish I could tell you all about me Clare, about how I hold a deep dark secret, about how I always feel the urge to throw up after going out to dinner with you, or how I hate my job with a passion...or how I'm a struggling hoarder dealing with depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder."
I waited for her reaction, for her to get up and leave me, but when a light snore filled the air, I felt defeated.
She didn't here-nobody ever hears...
But one day, someday soon, I'll make her listen because she deserves to know.
END OF CHAPTER 11
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Now, In the next chapter (for sure)-Eli will be going home.
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Cliffhanger Girl
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