❄️ FARREN ❄️

"Farren baby!"

Elysian cursed underneath his breath before turning around to glare at Zeke who was now running towards me in the parking area. "This thing has a fucking death wish."

"You touch him and I will smother you in your sleep." I threatened.

"And you say he isn't your boyfriend."

I am not going to argue with him on that anymore so instead I welcomed Zeke's tight, warm hug and he even lifted me off my feet and twirled me around in the air making me chuckle loudly.

When he put me down, he pressed a kiss to my forehead and we heard a low growl beside us which obviously came from Elysian.

I ruffled Zeke's hair in return. "Ignore him." And intertwining our fingers together, we walked inside the office building with Elysian walking behind us with a permanent scowl on his face.

"Where's Nora by the way?" I asked Zeke as we all entered the elevator.

Nora and Zeke share an apartment hence they come to work together too.

Zeke suddenly looked uncomfortable on hearing her name. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? You both live together! Did you guys have a fight again?"

He scratched his chin and refused to look at me. "Hm...maybe..."

"He kissed her." Elysian spoke up, surprising us both as we snapped our head to him.

"What? Why would you say that?"

"Look at his face."

And I did. I looked at Zeke whose face was red and his mouth was parted in disbelief and anger.

"Zeke, did you kiss her?" I asked him cautiously.

Zeke gulped and masked his emotions and stared ahead at the elevator door. "Of course not! Why would I do that! She's my childhood friend!" And much to his luck, the door slid opened and Zeke sprinted from there leaving me standing there in confusion.

"How can you say that he kissed her?" I questioned Elysian as he walked beside me.

"I am good at reading people's expression."

I rolled my eyes. "Show off."

I didn't actually believe either of them but hours later when Nora didn't show up to work my suspicions were correct. She hardly ever takes a leave, she's a kind of a workaholic.

At lunch time Zeke showed up at my desk and knocked on it to gain my attention as well as Elysian's. "Let's go to lunch, baby. I'm hungry."

I smiled. "Sure. Let me save this first."

He nodded and waited for me to finish up and as I got up, Elysian got up too, ready to follow me like a loyal bodyguard.

Zeke glanced back at him exasperation as we walked up to the elevator. "Does he really have to come along?"

"Unfortunately, yes. He's my bodyguard so he can't leave me alone."

"And your husband." Elysian muttered, adding to my sentence.

"Whatever." And I didn't bother to see his reaction because as usual he must be scowling.

We all went down to the cafeteria and took our seats with Elysian opposite to me and Zeke next to me.

I decided to not ponder on the Nora topic and even refrained myself from asking Zeke about it or else he might run away again leaving me alone with Elysian who will then annoy me so it's better to keep my curiosity aside for now.

As soon as our food arrived we digged in and for dessert Elysian ordered himself a coffee flavoured ice cream which looked delicious.

"Can I taste it?" I asked him hopefully and he shot me a glare and picked up the ice cream cup in his hand taking it away from me.

Seriously? It's not like I asked him for something big. It's just ice cream.

"You are a really shitty husband." Zeke told him and he got up to buy me an ice cream himself and I stuck out my tongue at Elysian who had now paused eating it and seemed to be in a deep thought.

And seconds later, he got up too and followed behind Zeke and I watched as they both returned with an ice cream cup in their hands and placed it infront of me.

Are they competing against each other?

Zeke bought me a strawberry ice cream which is my favourite. And Elysian bought me the same flavour as his since I asked him to let me taste it.

"Um...I can't eat both of them..."

Elysian picked up the strawberry one and pointed at the other. "Then eat that."

"And what about that?"

"I will eat it."

"Hey!" Zeke shouted. "I bought that for her not you!"

Elysian took a threatening step forward. "She doesn't want to eat that. And don't shout at me ever again."

Zeke also stepped forward. "Strawberry ice cream is her favorite and I know that unlike you."

"Yeah, that's because you have been with her for years."

Why do I have a feeling that this is going to end up in a fight in the middle of the cafeteria and Elysian had a huge chance of winning because no offense to Zeke, Elysian has a strong physice. And people had started to stare at us.

So I got up and placing my palms on either of thems chest, I shoved them apart. "Enough. Sit down, both of you."

"And as for the ice creams..." I took the strawberry one away from Elysian and dumped it over the other one Elysian had got me. "I'll eat it both."

Now they both looked at me as if I had lost my mind because yeah, let's be honest...I don't think so strawberry and coffee flavoured ice cream would taste good combined.

I took a bite of it for their sake and I almost gagged at the horrible taste of it. Elysian looked like he had enough, so he snatched away the cup and dumped it in the dustbin.

Can this day get any more weird?

.

"I can't believe you hate Zeke so much. He's such a great guy."

Elysian's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Yeah, you should have married him then."

"What does marriage has to do anything with all this?"

"Don't people usually end up marrying their boyfriends?"

"Oh God, not this again. Didn't you say today only that Zeke kissed Nora? Doesn't that make it obvious that he isn't my boyfriend? Why you gotta be so insecure about it?"

If possible he gripped the steering wheel with even much force and remained silent.

"Okay, take a left turn from here." I pointed out.

"My house is on the other side, why would I take a left turn?"

"Because I am taking you to a hospital. To get your brain as well as your ear checked. I thought you can't become a bodyguard of you have a weak ear and all...I wonder how you got enrolled."

He gritted his teeth. "Very funny."

"I know right, I should have been a stand up comedian. People would have come in numbers to watch me perform."

"I doubt that." He muttered dryly.

"Ha, you are just jealous, asshole that I have a real talent unlike you."

"You know I have talent too. I can shut annoying people like yours mouth very quickly with my gun, want me to show you?"

"Asshole." I mumbled and sat back quietly because who knows he might actually try something, he has already lost a few screws of his brain.

Sighing, I rested my head on the window and gazed into the side mirror where I saw a huge black range rover following us. Wasn't this same car behind us when we left from the office?

"Um..." Dread started to sweep in. "Are they... following us?"

Elysian didn't question who, he took one long look in the rearview mirror and cursed underneath his breath.

He stepped harder on the accelerator speeding up the car, trying to lose them. Thankfully the road was almost empty.

And he pressed a button on the small car screen above the gear and spoke, "Call Hector."

There was a beep and automatically Hector's number was dialled who picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?" His voice echoed inside the car.

"We are being followed."

"Where?"

And Elysian gave him the address just as he took a sharp left turn making my head slightly bump into his shoulder.

"Try to lose them, I'm on my way." Hector commanded and hung up the call.

I gulped audibly as I watched the rearview mirror. "They are gaining on us."

"Thanks. I didn't realise that."

"It's not the time for sarcasm, asshole!"

"So, stop pointing out obvious things!"

And he once again took a sharp right and this time my head bumped into the window. "Ow."

He glanced at me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah...focus on the road!"

He might not have been panicking earlier but he was now as he slammed his fist on the steering wheel. "Where the fuck is Hector!"

"It takes time to reach somewhere, asshole!"

"Shut up!"

And then that car hit us from behind making us lurch forward and Elysian's hand shot towards me to stop my head from hitting the headboard.

The tires screeched as he took a u turn another of their car all of a sudden came right in front of us and Elysian grabbed my head with both his hand and pulled it closer to him trying to cover me with his body as our cars collided.

The world spiralled around us as our car flipped over a number of times before staying upside down and I watched with drowsy eyes as Elysian's face was covered with blood and I guess mine was too.

With shaky hands, he undid his seatbelt and it took him some efforts to push open the door and climb out and then I heard some gun shots firing and my heart stopped beating, afraid that something might have happened to Elysian.

No. I do hate him but I don't want him to die, not like this.

My hands were trembling as I tried to undid my seatbelt and I could smell something burning. Is the car on fire? Is he going to leave me alone here to die?

My questions were answered when Elysian's bloodied face came into my view and he crawled inside from his side and grabbing my arms, started to pull me out.

Once out, he pulled me up in his arms and carried me away from the car as I watched it catch fire.

I buried my face in his shoulder as the car exploded and Elysian's knees buckled and he fell down on the ground with me in his arms.

I cupped his face as his eyes closed completely. "Elysian! Wake up!" A tear rolled down my eyes. "You are supposed to protect me, asshole! Wake up! Don't leave me like this!"

I searched his pocket and pulled out his phone which thankfully was working despite its cracked screen and I dialled dad's number.

I pressed my finger against his pulse which I could feel weakly and I had some hope that he might survive.

"Hello?" Dad's voice filled my ear.

And I sobbed. "Dad."

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