HELLO! DEDICATED TO MY BEAUTIFUL READERS WHO VOTE AND COMMENT I APPRECIATE YOU SO MUCH BEAUTIES

Elijah's POV

Eli was bullshitting an essay about the coral reef in his bed when Porter barged into his room and basically jumped on him. 

"What the fuck?" Eli shoved him off and sat up straight in his bed.

"Guess what?" Porter grinned wide. "We got a gig at The Konoha this weekend. You guys have to come." 

"The Konoha? Isn't that in New Jersey?" Eli grimaced. He hated New Jersey with a burning passion.

"Yeah. Me and Del were just talking, since the bar is open pretty late we were thinking of staying at a motel or something overnight instead of coming back so late. You in?" Porter looked so excited with his bright eyes gleaming so wide that Eli just couldn't turn him down.

"Fuck it. Let's go."

"Great!" Porter said. "Oh, and one more thing," He smirked mischievously. "I invited Carter!"

Eli kicked him out of his room then. He walked back to his mirror and ruffled his hair, sighing at his reflection. He hadn't talked to Carter since their almost kiss. He shuddered at the thought. 

Hopefully, by that weekend, things would be less awkward and nothing weird would happen between them. (Boy was he wrong about that one.)

**************

On Friday night, Eli finished packing his bag for the weekend and got ready for bed. He closed his eyes and gently dozed off.

Elijah was a kid again. He was sitting on the bench at the playground and it was late at night. The moon was bright in the sky. There was rain trickling down onto him and gently bouncing off of his light yellow raincoat. The woman beside him was wearing a long white dress and she was holding his hand tight. Too tight.

She got up and bent down in front of him, placing a small blue bag and a note in his small hands. He frowned at the note. He didn't know how to read? 

Her white-blonde hair was blowing in the air behind her as she looked into little Eli's innocent eyes and her bleary grey eyes were shining with unshed tears as she sniffed slightly, 

"I'm sorry baby. I'll be right back, okay? Please don't hate me." She whispered, lifting his small hand to her lips and kissing it. Her hands were cold and clammy. Where was she going? Eli opened his mouth to talk but no sound was coming out. He tried again. Nothing worked. He closed his mouth. 

The woman stood up again. She was tall. She glanced down at the boy in front of her one last time as rain sparkled in her hair before she turned and walked away, not looking back once. She walked quickly. Eli's body was frozen as he watched her leave. He looked down and his hands were not small anymore. He was grown up. 

He looked back and he could see her back in the distance. He got up swiftly and started running after her, but she kept getting further. He ran until his lungs burned and his eyes teared up and his chest was heaving but he still ran. He tried to scream, but no sound came out. His legs hurt so much and he was panting for air as she kept getting further and further away from him. He desperately reached his arm out to grab her but she was too far. No matter how hard he ran, or how hard he tried, he could never reach her. 

Tears and water poured down his face and his clothes were soaked now but he kept running. 

He needed to reach her and ask her why she did this to him. 

He needed to ask her why she never came back.

Eli woke with a start, sitting up abruptly with his hand on his chest as he struggled to breathe. His blanket was on the floor and his forehead was sweaty. Fuck.

He glanced at the time and saw that it was 10 AM. Shit, he had class in 30 minutes. 

He got ready quickly and went about his day, ignoring that fucking nightmare that had wormed its way back into his life. 

That evening, when Carter and Della showed up in his apartment, he could hardly look anyone in the eye. He just wanted to get this weekend over with so that he could rot in his bed until he felt better.

He took his bag outside his room and avoided looking at Del because she had super skills at sensing when something was wrong. Lucky for him she was busy shoving food from their fridge into her bag while Porter watched. 

Eli sat down to put on his shoes at the door when he felt a feather-light touch on his shoulder. He looked up to see Carter with her lips turned down. She looked pretty today. Her hair was up in a high ponytail and she was in jeans and a cream sweater.

She bent down slightly and he pulled back a little. "What's wrong?" She whispered softly with her eyebrows scrunched in. 

He shook his head, "Nothing."

She frowned and Eli flinched when he felt her fingers lace through his own gently. He let her pull him up and guide him back to his room, his eyebrows raising as she shut the door behind them. He hoped Porter and Della didn't notice.

He opened his mouth to ask her why the fuck she brought them in here, but before he could say a syllable, Carter threw her arms around him in a tight hug. She pulled him down into her and he almost died.

WHAT THE FUCK? His brain was screaming.

Literal strings must have pulled his arms up to hug her back around her shoulders. 

She squeezed him tight and pulled back to look up at him. Eli couldn't help but notice how perfectly her head lined up with his shoulders.

"What was that for?" His voice was hoarser than he expected. She slid her hands down to his forearms and looked down. 

He noticed a faint pink colour staining her cheeks and he got the urge to pin her down and explore just how red he could make her turn.

He shook his head out of the dirty thoughts in his brain.

"You just seem so sad." She said softly. "I know you hate me, but a hug made you feel better last time so I just assu-"

"I don't hate you." Eli cut in before he could stop himself.

She paused, looking up at him, "You... don't?"

"No." He said. "I could never hate you, Carter." 

He pulled her closer then because even though Eli was a strong man with a will made of steel, Carter had the power to drive him to ruins with her softness and her sweetness and that fucking hug she just gave him.

Carter's eyes widened as Eli's hands went up to cup her face gently and she was reminded of that day on the couch when they almost kissed.

He bent down and pulled her face closer and this time she knew he was going to kiss her. 

His hold was gentle on her skin and she almost felt his pink lips finally colliding with her own parted ones,

and then the door slammed open to reveal Della in all her glory, causing Eli to quite literally push Carter a solid 6 feet away from him.

"Let's get this show on the road motherfuckers!" Del yelled, the sexual and palpable tension in the room completely flying over her head.

Eli was going to kill his friends. 

a/n ITS 4 AM RN FOR ME BUT I FINALLY FINISHED IM SORRY PLEASE ENJOY <3 

i have my ideas for the next chapters jotted down I just need to write them!