30. Saturday Week Ten

"Ty is staying at Mason's tonight so you don't need to look after him," my Nan's voice crackled through the phone.

"Okay, I think I'll stay out then," I replied.

There was a pause on the other side of the line and I heard her stop shuffling around, "where?"

My mouth opened to say 'Lana's,' she had already agreed that she would lie for me, but then guilt engulfed me, "um, with Eli."

The silence swallowed me and I anxiously bit my lip as I awaited her response, "okay."

"Okay," I breathed out, relief flooding me, "see you later, Nan."

"See you, and Rei," she paused, "thank you for telling me the truth, monkey."

I closed my eyes and leant on the kitchen counter of Eli's apartment as I thought of all the other times I had lied, "love you, Nana."

"Love you too," she hung up and I placed my phone down on the counter behind me.

A loud sigh was expelled from my lips as I thought about my Nan and Noah. I could feel how fragile my relationship with my Nan was becoming. She knew I was lying half the time and I knew that she was worried that history was repeating itself. And Noah, where to even start with Noah.

I heard Eli come into the kitchen and he pulled me into his arms. Seeking comfort, my head fell to rest on his chest, "everything's so fucked up, Eli."

He kissed the top of my head, "I know, tigru."

"I don't want to lie to her anymore," I moved my head so I could gauge his reaction. My breath caught in my throat when my eyes met his, they sparkled with emotion; emotion that he was blatantly revealing to me.

"Okay," he breathed before leaning down to place a soft kiss against my lips, "we'll tell her tomorrow."

"Just like that?"

Eli smirked at me, "why would it be more complicated?"

My brows furrowed, "they're your secrets to tell, Eli, you have a say in whether I tell her or not."

He whispered, "I thought my bullshit was your bullshit," I smiled, "she's your Nan, tigru, if you wanna tell her, it's your choice."

"Thanks, baby," and then I froze, I had called him that twice before but in both instances, we had been wrapped up in other things.

His smirk grew, "baby?" I groaned, letting my forehead fall onto his chest again and he chuckled, "I like it."

Lifting my head, my eyes narrowed at him which made him smile more, "are you teasing?"

"Mm," he leant down again, "only if it means you kiss me like you did this morning," he mumbled against my lips.

I pulled away with a smile, "I'm not kissing anyone until I've eaten."

Eli grunted, "what do you want?"

I hopped up on the counter, "can you cook?"

"No, and you're being lazy today, so we'll order in."

I stuck my tongue out at him but his eyes darkened and he took a step closer to me, desire swirling in his ocean blue orbs.

Before he could get too close, I stuck my leg out so my foot rested on his chest effectively halting his advance. Like lightning, his hand shot up to grip my ankle and I could feel the heat of his palms through the white socks I wore. His eyes were glued to my legs but they flickered up to meet mine and my legs began to tingle in awareness to his proximity. My breathing turned choppy as tension thickened the air and crackled between us.

"If you want to eat, tigru," his voice was husky with desire, "then keep that little tongue of yours inside your mouth."

My head moved in a slow nod as I tried to shake off my growing desire. I cleared my throat, tugging my foot out of his hold so my legs dangled beneath me, "so what do you wanna eat?"

Eli gave me a deadpan look, "what do you think?"

Well shit, pizza it is.

— — — — —

We were both sat on the sofa, pizza finished, curled up in each other's arms with a movie playing in the background; it felt so normal. I had my head on his chest and I could hear his steady heartbeat in my ear.

"What are you doing next year, Eli?"

"College?"

"Yeah, where are you looking?"

"I'm not."

I sat up so that I could see his face as we spoke, "why not?"

He shrugged, "it's never appealed to me, why?"

Easing myself back down, his arm came around me again, "just wondering."

But then my mind drifted, what was going to happen next year. All nine of us were going to college as far as I knew so what would happen to Eli. What would happen to me and Eli?

"I'm applying to Berkeley."

"I know."

I sat up again at his response, my brows furrowed, "how do you know?"

"The application was on your desk, tigru."

"So why didn't you say anything?"

"What would I say? I knew you were going to college and I knew it was going to be out of state."

My back straightened as I moved away, sitting up straighter, "so you don't care?"

"If you hadn't noticed, Rei, I have other things going on right now."

I scoffed, "I'm well aware, Elias," his eyes closed at the use of his full name, sensing that I was getting annoyed, "but I still think about it. I'd like to know where we are going to be next year."

"Why does it matter, tigru?"

The crease between my eyebrows deepened as I whispered, "because I don't want this to end."

His eyes opened abruptly and he sat up straight, turning to face me before he cupped my face between his hands with a small smile on his face, "tigru, this will ever end, different places or not. Besides," he pulled away to lean back on the sofa, turning to watch the movie again with a shrug, "wherever you go, I'll come with you."

Kill. Me. Now.

Because if I died at that moment, I would die as the happiest person alive. Because, at that moment, my heart exploded and I finally let my mind whisper that I loved him.

Because I did.

I loved Elias Ryker.

"Where's Raven?"

"Out."

"For the whole night?"

Eli's eyes flickered over to me and they blazed with desire at the sight of me. I was sat with my legs folded beneath me, thighs clenched together. My lips were parted as I breathed in and out slowly, willing my heart rate to calm down.

Eli growled low in the back of his throat before sitting upright, "what do you want, tigru?"

"I want you," I whispered

Another growl then he demanded, "come here."

I rose from my seat on the sofa and moved to stand between his legs, looking down at him. His hands gripped my waist and he fisted the material of my dress, "this needs to go."

Complying, I gripped the hem of my dress before slowly pulling it up and over my head before discarding it to the side. Inch by inch, I revealed my skin to him, delighting in the way his eyes darkened second by second.

"Fuck," he breathed out, "so fucking stunning."

His molten eyes scorched me as they ran up and down my body in appreciation, not knowing where to look. I silently thanked myself for wearing matching black lace underwear today. Eli's tongue flicked out to wet his lips and my thighs clenched at the action. He noticed, flickering his eyes back up to mine, and making me melt under his molten stare.

"You just gonna stare, boxer boy?" I whispered

He met my gaze with a wicked grin which warned trouble and then he was tugging me down onto his lap and crashing his lips to mine.

Both of us moaned low in our throats as our lips met in a heated clash. Eli tugged me up his lap, hands gripping my rear as he held me as close as I could get.

He nipped my bottom lip, making me gasp and open my mouth to him, allowing his tongue to meet my own as our lips fused together. My mind swirled as he devoured my mouth with his — his touch, his feel, his scent, engulfed me. Every hard contour of his body pressed against every soft curve of mine.

Hands gripped in my hair, he tugged, making me moan and tilt my head, he ripped his lips from mine before kissing down my neck, biting and flicking. He sucked along the line of my collarbone, marking me for everyone to see — and I wanted the whole world to see. My hands ran through his hair and then down his back before they rounded his defined waist and slipped under his shirt.

"Eli," I moaned against his lips, a groan from him in response.

His hard body was warm under my hands and I felt his muscles tensing under my touch, I moved my hands up, taking his t-shirt with me. He moved backwards allowing me to tug it off him before he dove back down to capture my lips.

He ran his hands up and down my thighs, my waist, gripping the flesh as he moved his lips against my own. Desperation clawed at us and neither of us let the other breath but the lack of air only made every sense heighten. Every sound; louder. Every touch; harder.

Legs straightening, he rose from the sofa, holding me in his arms, his hands gripping my rear. He moved but I was too focused on him and his kisses to care.

My back was smashed again the wall of the hallway and my legs tightened around his waist as my fingers curled into his hair. His mouth swallowed the sounds of my moans. Our kisses grew rough, needy, desperate, as we fought for more of each other.

The breeze caressed my back as he pulled me from the wall and opened the door to his room with a harsh kick, throwing me onto the bed and gazing at me with unkept desire.

I took in the sight of him standing at the foot of the bed, chest heaving, hair mussed up. He crawled over me and then met my gaze.

"My tigru."

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okay. so, yeah. that finally happened.

good? bad? shit? please let me know what you think, I'd really appreciate it! ❤️

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