Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to update, with regents and stuff still left to take, I've been really hardcore studying. Please Enjoy the next chapter of "Magic Eli"...
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTINA8605 ;D
Magic Eli
The two lovers had both woken up at the same time, as if an alarm clock was set to shock wave their awakening. Sleeping in the same bed together was hard for Eli, because it showed him how much he cared. And if anyone knows about losing people he cares about, it's Eli.
But he couldn't let his fear of human loss get the best of him.
And so he stayed.
"Y-You like me Eli, right? That's not a lie, right?" her voice was coming off shaky, and she was so scared of being rejected by this man. Clare was notorious for being attracted to crazed, abusive, controlling men, that this was her taking a leap of faith-in the right direction.
"No. I would never lie to you about my feelings Clare. My life, yes, but that's only to protect you."
His voice was stern, but to Clare, the tone had just reassured her that he wasn't like those men she feared. He was different, and that meant the world.
"T-Then stay the night with me," she whispered, stroking the back of her hand over his tense jawline.
Eli's body froze, and just hearing about not being in his rightful environment-alone-, worried him. He wanted to impress Clare, to convince her that he was worthy of a spot in her apartment bed.
But what if he failed, what if he couldn't own up to her previous boyfriends? Previous lovers?
"It's just to sleep Eli...to sleep together, we don't have to do anything," her short, petite fingertips grazed over his hard structured frame of muscles across his face.
"J-Just sleep?"
"Just sleep."
And so they did.
Except, the two didn't expect to wake up in this particular position. Before falling asleep, Clare and Eli had engaged in a little contraband kissing. Though, it didn't last long because Clare had fallen asleep on top of Eli. In the mist of a shower of gentle kisses, Clare had become accustomed to the feeling of trusting him. She knew he wouldn't hit her, or harm her in any way.
Learning to trust and believe in one another is hard, for both of them.
And this is why, this moment was all the more special.
"D-Did you sleep okay? Did I take up too much space? Did I hog the blankets? Are you cold-," she silenced his worrisome questions with a kiss, locking his head in place with the palm of her hand.
"You were fine Eli," he pecked her lips, "I j-just needed to make sure that I didn't dissapoint you."
"Everything but," Clare leaned her head on his chest, interlocking their legs beneath the sheets, "T-The last time I had a sleepover...I um...it wasn't so pleasant, so thank you for recreating the perfect slumber party."
The look on Clare's face had made Eli concerned, but he wouldn't push-he never did, "S-Since we're kind of together now...you know you can talk to me, whenever, wherever...I'll pick up the phone, I'll run to you Clare."
"Can't you just...be here now? I don't want to dwell on the past when we have something...good," she gestured between them, and he smirked, "This is the first time since I was seven that I've slept through a full night...I wasn't worried about people leaving, I wasn't worried about waking up alone again."
"You're not alone anymore Eli, you've got me," he corrected her, "We've got each other."
CLARE
I was smiling at Eli from the kitchen, as I made lunch, heating up some chicken nuggets that we would split. Eli was crouched down in the living room by the television, the outline of his spine showing through his shirt as he skimmed through the DVD selection.
"You know, I'm really glad we both decided to take the day off. I think a personal day with you is just what I need to recover from life," I called out to Eli, and I watched his head bob in agreement, "How do you feel about Titanic?"
"A man suggesting we watch Titanic? Did I hit the mother load on this relationship?" I teased, walking out with two full plates of chicken nuggets, with crinkle cut fries on the side.
"What would you like to drink?" I asked, as he slipped the Titanic disc into the player, before standing up in front of me, teasing, "Your saliva."
He pulled me into a surprising kiss, his tongue slipping through my lips. I moaned, feeling the warmth of his mouth radiating me, rejuvenating me. His hands palmed my sides, as I rested my hands on his tense shoulders.
"Ah, refreshing!" he smirked, squeezing my hips slightly in his grip.
"What have I gotten myself into?" he chuckled, "Oh Edwards...you're in for some crazy ride."
ELI
"Maybe we shouldn't have watched Titanic after all," I glanced over at Clare, who was shaking in my arms, a box of tissues rested in her lap. She was sniffling, her button nose red, and cheeks flustered, "No-no, it's such a great movie...it's so realistic...and oh God, Mr. Andrews! Why did he have to die Eli? Why! He was just like 'I'm sorry I couldn't build you a stronger ship, young Rose'! Oh my gosh, I'm dead...dead!"
I was shocked to see this kind of Clare, being that she wasn't one to express emotion-always keeping her rock hard expression to impress the people around her.
"It's just a movie Clare," I cooed, watching the credits roll in, "Based on a true story Eli."
I wrapped my arms around her, while she rested on my bicep. We were both staring up at her ceiling, while I memorized how many numbers of cracks are above me.
Her apartment, to say the least, wasn't exactly a place for a young woman to develop in, or live in. The cracks in the walls made me a bit on edge, thinking about them caving in on her when she was asleep. What also bothered me a bit was the busted pipe in her bathroom. Another thing-.
I stopped my thinking trail, just trying to calm myself down from over doing it.
"Promise me something Eli," she whimpered, and I wiped her tears with my thumb, "Anything for you."
"Promise me that we'll never go on a boat or any type of thing that's on the ocean. I can't stand this ever happening to us, and losing you would just...oh god Eli," I stroked my fingers through her curls, trying my best to sooth her.
For Clare, I knew exactly what made her tick.
I shifted on the couch, so that she was now resting on top of me. I could hear her heart beating against my chest, and I smiled down at her, stroking my right hand over her lower back.
"Nothing like that will ever happen again Clare...there's more technology, more-," she cut me off, "But if Mr. Andrews would've fought to have more life boats...more people would've survived, hell, the whole ship of people could've lived. All these innocent children, people Eli, they're all gone."
"But we remember them Clare," I whispered, rubbing soft circles over her skin.
She nodded, "I for one will never forget...ever. I've read so many articles, went to so many exhibits when I could get away from Fit-. I mean, when I had the time."
Silence came upon us, as I snaked my hands slightly up the back of her shirt, resting my hand over her bra strap. I haven't felt a woman in years in this kind of situation. Sure, at the job I was forced to unhook bras of women that disgusted me...but just the thought of even touching the fabric of Clare's bra made me want to burst.
My fingertips grazed over the back, and she grinned up at me, "What do you think you're doing mister?"
"Do you mind it?" I asked, my jaw tightening.
"Not...not one bit," she stuttered out, kissing my earlobe, across to my lips.
Her lips burned my skin with a feeling I could not describe, a feeling I refuse to describe because it gives me too much hope. When she kisses me, all I can think about is having a future with her, being with her, marrying her...having kids with her, teaching them to love, teaching them to grow, and letting them know each and every second that I love them.
Doing something that my real parents never did for me.
My fingers traced the outline of the clasp beneath her shirt. I swiftly unhooked it, hearing the 'click' noise it made before tossing it to the floor. I smiled at the tiny frogs plastered on the womanly fabric, "Frogs Edwards? Really?"
"I didn't know you hated frogs so much...I'll get rid of it, I don't want you to be mad, please don't be mad," when she reached for the bra, rambling on and on, I smiled at her, locking her face in place so she could only stare at me, "I could never be mad at you Clare. Ever. I need you to understand that you could never do anything wrong."
I pulled her in for a kiss, and before fulfilling the deed, I whispered, "I love frogs Clare, they're cool."
"Really? See, cause' when I went shopping the day for that bra, it made me smile, and at the time a lot of things didn't make me smile so I wanted to bring some happiness into my life. It was a big day for me," a grin at this point was too hard to hold in, because every waking moment I spend with Clare makes me feel like I'm floating on more and more clouds.
Just as my hand skimmed up the side of her waist, inching up to her breasts while she straddled me, her left leg jerked when I must've hit a sensitive nerve. The drink in the cup that rested beside us had soaked my entire shirt, and Clare gasped, "Oh my gosh Eli, I'm so sorry! You just...you hit my tickle spot and now your shirts all wet. You're going to get sick, and it's all because of me. Give me it, I'll wash it."
My first thought was to run for the door, but I knew it would only hurt her.
"Eli please, you'll get sick. It'll be washed and dry within an hour...," she looked nervously down at the floor. I cleared my throat, saying in a hushed tone, "When I take this off you have to promise me...that you won't judge."
"This is a judge free zone."
CLARE
I watched intently as Eli pulled his dead hand shirt over his head, to reveal the bones puncturing through his skin. It looked like they were all screaming out, begging for someone-something to push them back in.
When he stood up to hand me his shirt, I warily eyed the outline of his spine. You could easily count out the bones, and trace them with your fingertips.
"E-Eli..."
"Don't say anything Clare, just wash the shirt as quickly as possible."
My feet couldn't move fast enough, hearing an order so strong and commanding. It reminded me of Fitz, of how he used to order me around...make me do things on my hands and knees. Simple tasks, like doing laundry. He'd make me gather his clothes on my hands and knees, naked, then wash them while he watches.
Once I put Eli's clothes in the wash, I slowly walked back into the living room, keeping my distance from him.
"Will you stop staring at me like that? Like you're so goddamn perfect!" he hissed through gritted teeth, as I watched him struggle with himself. I didn't even say anything, nor was I looking at him at all.
His fingers were roughly tugging at his locks, while he whispered incoherent words. I bit back my bottom lip, rubbing my arm uncomfortably, unsure of what to do in this situation.
Maybe food would help him, considering he didn't eat a tiny bite of the chicken I made him. Perhaps he didn't like it, so he didn't eat it. Or I can possibly be a horrible cook...either way, he didn't eat it.
"E-Eli...do you want something to e-eat? I can make some pasta, or-," he slammed his fists against the glass table before the couch out of pure frustration, his skin cracking open, blood gushing everywhere.
He marched towards me, pressing his bloody hands on either sides of my face, "Food makes you fat Clare...fat doesn't make you acceptable...fat means you need to stop eating, fat means there's pressure, fat is fat and there's no way out once you go down that road! You have to stay thin, thin to the point where there's only skeleton and skin. That's what perfection is in today's society. Perfect is hair on your head..skin over your skeleton...and no meat on your bones."
The warm liquid of blood from his hands were oozing onto me, staining my skin and absorbing my shirt. But when I looked into his eyes, I did not see anger...or hatred...I saw an innocent little boy, begging for me to help him in any way I could.
"Eli, you need to relax for me...okay? You're injured," my hands slowly crept up to the side of my face, feeling the glass puncturing out of his skin. The glass and loss of blood seemed to have no effect on him. The mental battle was more intense than the physical one.
"Perfect is the way you want to be Eli," I whispered, relaxing him by using a soft tone, and stroking my fingers through his hair.
"The definition of perfect is who you are, who you want to be...not what others want to see, or what others tell you to be. Be you Eli, not the Eli they want you to be," I kissed his lips briefly, and he loosened the grip of his bleeding hands beside my face.
I smiled, leaning my hands against both of his hips, guiding him back to the couch so he wouldn't get blood all over the place. I kissed his cheek, to show him I was still here, but he didn't budge, un-phased by my attempt to show him I love him, and I care.
"C-Can I take this glass out of you, Eli?" I asked softly, bending before him to get a better look at the damage.
"Does t-the glass make me look...perfect?" his voice broke my concentration on how I would do this procedure. I didn't have a car to drive him, and he was in no condition to get behind the wheel to get to a hospital.
I had to do it myself.
"Eli, I need you to relax, okay? I'm going to get tweezers and take this glass out. You're lucky it's tiny pieces," I made my way into my bathroom, gathering gauze, tweezers, tape, and a clean towel.
His chest was rising up and down as I neared him. Tears dripped down from his eyes, while I hesitantly kneeled in front of him. I cautiously rested his hands in his lap, but he did not flinch, just stared.
Picking each tiny little shard was getting on my nerves, but the fact that Eli was calm, made the process easier. I studied each inch of his hand, and in the mist of pulling a piece from his pinky finger, he asked, "What does it feel like to be human?"
"W-What are you talking about Eli?"
He smirked, "You know...to be the average weight, to feel pure, to have parents...what does it feel like?"
"Considering I don't see my parents anymore, I am overweight and I'm not pure anymore, I'm not the person you should come to in asking those questions," I whispered, tightening my brow as I plucked the last piece from his left hand.
The tiny gashes must've been throbbing, and he must've been in pain-their was no way he couldn't have been. I poured alcohol onto the towel, and warned, "This is going to sting a little, just bear with me."
"You're beautiful Clare...your bones aren't clawing at your skin, your innocent demeanor is ravishing, and I'm sure your parents loved you though...with all their hearts," he held back a sob, and I laughed, "Love was something I was never good at showing, and frankly neither were they."
"Did they ever abandon you?" he asked, "Literally, no. Emotionally, yes."
"What happened to your parents?" I smiled faintly, wrapping a bandage around his right hand first, concentrating on the wounds, "When I was sixteen, I got into a bad relationship with this guy...Fitz. I tried to tell my parents, signal them in a way besides talking. I refused to tell anyone, to speak out. They never realized, and then that summer came around, they told me they were getting a divorce. When I didn't say anything, they blamed each other for my silence. Little did they know that they were just the icing on the cake."
When I looked up to take a breather, Eli was staring at me, his eyes never leaving my lips, "F-For a year I struggled with school, being that I had to go back and forth between my mother and fathers apartments. I lost some friends, gained some. When I was seventeen, Fitz asked me to marry him."
"Did you?"
I gave Eli a stern look, before wrapping his other bleeding wound, "I said no...that we were too young, that it would only make things more complicated."
"You were right."
"So he claimed I made a fool out of him, robbed him of his manliness. He decided it would be appropriate to rob me of the only thing I was hanging on to," a tear was about to dribble down my cheek, but I held it back, letting out a dry chuckle, "I lost my virginity at the Ravine, this hang out where pot heads go, drug addicts...and the list goes on. H-He um, thought it would be romantic to do it in a van with blown out tires."
"Oh Clare..."
"Looking back, I think it was one of the worst experiences of my life. He wasn't sweet...he didn't love me, even though he said he did. And he hit me, but I've moved on Eli...and that's what you have to do, move on from your past life. It makes living with yourself easier, dealing with your flaws," his eyelids clenched shut, "Do you know where this 'Fitzy' character lives? Has he come to you since you broke up? Does he still hurt you?"
I smiled, "He won't be coming back here anymore...and I'm not telling you where he lives, because confronting him will only make things worse. I already confronted my past Eli, and I'm in the process of fixing myself. With you, I'll be healed in no time."
"I'm sorry you had to suffer through that. Whenever I hear stories about rape victims, being forced into sex, or even molestation, violation...I just imagine it's my own little girl, my own flesh and blood...I'm sorry, it's just-it's not fair! You're sweet, innocent, kind-hearted, how could a person do that to you?" he asked, cupping my cheek with his bandaged hand.
I felt the gauze against my cheek, and smiled up at Eli, "There's evil in the world Eli...and when there's evil, there's good too. I'm just glad I found the good part before giving up..."
He kissed my lips, the emotions overpowering the both of us when combined. Our noses brushed against each other's lightly, a grin plastered on my face, "I-I want to let the past go too Clare...I'm just going to need your help. I want to get better, I want to."
Eli pulled me into his lap, and I traced over his rib cage, "That's good Eli...that's really really good."
I placed my head in the crook of his neck, our bodies fitting together like two broken pieces of a puzzle. In a way, we are opposites, meant to travel in different directions...but somehow, someway I was convinced that we are meant to be.
And I would never give up on us.
END OF CHAPTER 14
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