A Penny For Your Tears

Twenty

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten." I counted, trying to regain control of my nerves, however it was a task that was proving to be difficult. I had been laying in bed for at least three hours, the party having long since ended,sleep refusing to come to me. Returning from the patio,hours before, no one seemed to have noticed my disappearance. I laughed,smiled and conversed all the while the thought of Matteo occupying my mind. His presence left me conflicted, I didn't know whether to be relieved at the thought of him protecting me or scared that yet another person knew my whereabouts, one person closer to Luca finding me. Eventually, the night grew old and one by one the guests retired to their homes, not without leaving words of praise for my grandparents.

I turned around in my bed for the fifth time, my clock reminding with a bright light that it was three in the morning and yet, I couldn't sleep. I huffed as I sat up in bed,throwing my feet over the side as I stalked towards the large window in my room. It seemed I wasn't the only one suffering from insomnia; opposite me in his own home, Elias sat in an arm chair, his legs resting on a stool as he read a book. I smiled, my heart warming at the sight, gone was the intimidating and ruthless gang leader but instead before me sat a man, a man enjoying the tranquility of the night. As if sensing my eyes on him, he looked up from his book, through his window, directly at me. I panicked a little, wondering what he thought of me now he caught me spying, however he smiled, putting my mind at ease. He got up from his position, disappearing into his room before approaching the window again, this time holding something up against his ear. Suddenly my phone rang and I picked it up, cautiously holding it against my ear.

"Hello?" I asked slowly,

"Hello, love." I could see Elias smirk all the way from his house and I rolled my eyes in response, though I doubted that he saw it.

"How did you get my number?"

"Adam." He replied simply and I sighed, I should have known. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I couldn't sleep. You?"

"I couldn't sleep." He replied,the line was silent for awhile before he spoke again. "Come outside."

"What?"

"Just meet me outside in five minutes." Elias hung up the phone before I could say another word and opposite me, he had already disappeared from sight. I threw on a jumper and some boots before quietly, leaving the house. The night air was cold and crisp causing me to immediately regret my decision of not putting on bra.

"Olivia, love, over here." Elias called from behind me and I turned to see him standing behind me; plaid pyjama bottoms adorned his bottom half and on top, a simple white shirt and a leather jacked kept him warm,I had never anticipated to see Elias in such a look. He looked comfortable, dare I say adorable.

"Hi,"I muttered, not exactly sure of what to say. He gave me a small smile, his eyes flickering to my chest for a brief second before returning to my chest. I crossed my arms over my chest, hiding the portrudingly obvious fact that I was cold.

"Come on, let's go for a walk." He spoke, having already begun walking away. I watched him wearily,my mind battling with itself on what to do next.

"If I wanted to kill you, Olivia, I would have done so already." Elias called and after a moment's hesitation I raced to catch up with him. He laughed as I huffed, finally reaching him. We walked in silence, the crowded sky keeping us company. There was an unspoken agreement between us, that this was a moment for us to be a candid, only a layer of truth was to exist between us now. I wasn't sure what had brought about this sentiment within me. Perhaps, it was the way he looked at me, no longer were his eyes filled with hostility and void of any pleasurable emotion but now he looked at me with kindness, sometimes even admiration. I felt his gaze on me and I turned to give him a questioning look.