❄️ ELYSIAN ❄️

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. It hurts. It fucking hurts.

I swear if I open my eyes and find myself still on that road, I will lose it. I better be in a hospital or something.

And Farren better be in one piece or I will bring back those motherfuckers from their grave only to kill them again.

Fear trickled slowly inside me making it difficult for me to open my eyes, afraid to face the reality.

The beeping sound of the machines filled my ear and relief filled me knowing we were safe.

I slowly opened my eyes and was thankful for the dim lights in the room and it took me a minute to realise that I was in my own bedroom not at any hospital another thing which I was thankful about.

"Took you long enough to wake up." Hector's smooth voice came and I watched him leaning against the doorframe.

"What...time is it?" I groaned in pain.

"Time?" An amused smile tugged at his lips. "Ask how many days?"

Days? I have been out for days?

I gulped. "How many?"

He pushed himself off the doorframe and walked closer to me. "It's been three days."

Three. Days.

He grabbed a stool which I didn't know I had and sat down on it beside me. "You have a broken rib plus a concussion beside the huge cut on your forehead for which you received six stitches."

I didn't care about what injuries I received. "Where's Farren?"

"She's surprisingly alright. It looked like you received her side of the injuries too. She had concussion too and a few cuts on her body which got stitched up."

"Where's she?"

He leaned forward and resting his forearm on his thighs, intertwined his fingers. "You both seem to get along now. She didn't leave your side for these three days untill her mother dragged her away an hour back."

Oh. For some reason that made my heart flutter for a second before I stopped it.

"You must take rest now. She has agreed to stay at home with you for how many days you will be needing to heal."

She did? She has agreed to stay 'locked up' here?

"How many days will it take?" I asked.

"The doctor said that at least a month. Minimum."

Fuck. That's too long.

"Try not to move much." And he got up to leave but not before he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on the top of my head. "Take care. I'll send the doctor to check on you."

I nodded and watched him leaving, closing the door behind him.

When will Farren come back? I need to see her even though Hector did say she was okay, I have to see her myself.

There was a knock on the door before it opened and I looked up hoping to see Farren walk in but was disappointed to see the doctor instead.

"How are you feeling, Mr Leonidas?" The doctor asked, smiling down at me.

"Like shit."

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.

Hector was roaming around my room, he was supposed to be looking after me.

"Hector. I'm asking again, where is Farren?"

His gaze flicked to me. "Careful or I might think you are getting attached to her."

"It's not what you think. I am her bodyguard, I am expected to protect her."

"She's with Robert, she is safe."

"You said she left in the afternoon and it's been evening already and she hasn't returned back."

"She will return when she wants too. Stop thinking about her and focus on yourself." His voice turned serious.

My jaw clenched and I forced myself to not argue with him. He's right. She will come back when she wants too.

She is not meant to take care of me and it's not that I want her too...I just wanted to see if she was okay or not.

And then we heard someone climbing up the stairs and Hector peeked out of the door to check who it was. "Your wish got granted. Congratulations."

Is she back?

He answered my unasked question. "She's here. I'll be leaving since your wife is here now."

My wife.

He was about to leave but paused at the door and looked back at me. "Keep your heart in check. Don't fall for her." And then he left.

I am not falling for her! I just wanted to make sure she was okay nothing else. Why does everything has to be romanticized?

"Why didn't you tell me he woke up?" I heard Farren's voice outside the door.

"I am not obliged to answer to you, Farren." And he left as I heard him going downstairs and she let out an annoyed groan.

I waited for her to enter the room. What would I even say to her?

'Are you hurt?' No. Not that...

'Are you okay?' Sounds better...but I do know she is okay I mean if she wasn't she wouldn't be here.

'How's your concussion?' But I know that it healed already.

Wait a minute. Why am I even preparing myself?

And the door opened and Farren entered and I realised I should have definitely prepared myself because suddenly I didn't know what to say.

She stood at the door wearing a sleevless black halter neck top along with a pair of dark blue jeans. There was a cut on her forearm which was now stitched and the others weren't visible.

We stared at each other for I don't know how long, not knowing what to say. An awkward silence descended upon us.

My nails dig into my palm and I bit the inside of my cheeks.

And then she was walking towards me and for a second I thought she was going to hug me but she halted at the edge of the bed and bit her lips.

"Farren." I finally decided to break the silence.

"Elysian."

Hearing her call my name is a weird feeling cause I have grown accustomed to her calling me asshole and my name sounds weird coming from her. A good type of weird. I think I might have hit my head too hard.

"How are you feeling?" She asked softly.

"Not so good."

"Oh." She fiddled with her fingers.

"How are you feeling?" I repeated her question.

"Better." She replied.

"I am sorry that you will have to stay with me inside the house for so long...maybe I can talk with Hector and assign you a new bodyguard for the time being."

That fire in her came back. "Don't be ridiculous. It was my decision to stay with you and I am not getting a new bodyguard because God knows what he will be like. I am afraid I might get another version of you."

I raised a brow at her. "That sounds offending."

She rolled her eyes and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Can you blame me? Besides I don't want to marry someone else so that he can protect me. So, you better heal fast and then we will go back to that beach."

"Sure." And I couldn't stop the smile from forming on my face and I was about to wipe it off but she saw that.

"So you do know how to smile after all!"

I should have been annoyed but instead my smile only widened and I turned away my head so that she couldn't see it. "No, no, let me see it now. I gotta capture this moment. The grumpy Elysian Leonidas finally smiled." And she grabbed my chin and turned my face to hers and taking out her phone clicked my picture within seconds not even giving me a chance to react.

"Delete that!" I tried to grab her phone but she held it up, out of my reach.

"No way! This is awesome, I am getting this framed!"

"You wouldn't do that."

She stuck out her tongue at me. "Watch me."

"Oh, come on."

"Don't worry that little brain of yours so much, Mr Leonidas...take some rest." And she patted me on my chest making me groan loudly in pain.

She quickly retrieved her hands and covered her mouth. "Oh my god! I am so sorry."

I winced. "It's...okay..."

She got up looking guilty. "I am sorry. I will leave you alone now, don't worry."

I caught her wrist before she could leave and she looked at me, baffled. "Stay."

She chuckled sheepishly. "I am only going to trouble you, it's better if I leave."

I tugged at her wrist, pulling her closer. "You won't. Stay or I will die of boredom."

She looked unsure and she gulped and nodded. "Okay."

I released her wrist and she moved to her side of the bed and sat down there with her back against the headboard and gave me a small smile which I reciprocated.

Slowly, the awkwardness started to sweep in once again and she picked up her phone and busied herself with it and even I picked up my phone from the nightstand.

I wanted to say a million things but didn't know how to. Sometimes you don't need words cause her presence itself comforted me enough.

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.
.

"Do you have to do this?"

She placed her hands on her hips and gave me a glare. "I have been changing your bandage since past three days, then you didn't say anything."

"Yeah because I was freaking unconscious!"

"Whatever."

"Maybe we should call the doctor..." I suggested.

"The doctor himself taught me how to do it so that we don't have to call him for this everyday."

For changing the bandage around my forehead she would have to come close to me and whenever she comes close to me, it makes me feel weird. I have never been close to a woman.

"Maybe we should --"

"Shut up, Elysian. And let me do it."

"But--"

And she gave me such a deadly look that I shut up immediately and gulped. Damn. Women are scary.

I was still lying down on the bed on my back and she came and stood beside me and leaning down helped me lift my head a little bit so that she could unwrap my bandage and I closed my eyes because she was wearing a crop top and I could see her stomach peeking out of it.

Once it was unwrapped, she started to gently clean the stitches with a wet cloth.

"Where's the ointment?" She mumbled to herself and looked around and I pointed out that it was lying on the other nightstand.

"Oh..." And she leaned forward to get it causing her top to ride up even more, revealing her belly button and next to which was a small wound which was stitched.

I should look away but I couldn't. I kept watching it as she struggled to grab hold of the ointment.

I wonder where else she got hurt. I hope the stitches didn't hurt much.

I definitely shouldn't do this but I couldn't stop myself and leaning forward, I brushed a gentlest of kiss near her wound making her body stiffen. Fuck. Why did I do that?

She leaned back and looked down at me, a tint of pink on her cheeks.

"Um..." I cleared my throat. "I...um...I am sorry...that was an... accident...?"

"I mean my lips accidentally touched your stomach, I didn't mean to--"

Her cheeks reddened. "It's okay! I got it."

I once again cleared my throat and closed my eyes and waited for her to finish doing it.

Once she was done, she left the room making me sigh in relief.

Chapter completion on: 31/7/22
Published on: 11/8/22