Running Away

Chapter 6

Sera woke up with a pounding headache in a bed she did not recognize. The room was modern-deco with minimalist furnishings. There were large windows that gave the view of the ocean side. The memories from the night before flooded in at once and she then noticed that she was wearing a man's shirt and not the dress she remembered wearing last.

Fear of the worst case scenario began to feel real. She hurried out of the bed and began to look around for her clothes so she could. She was afraid that whoever brought her there would soon be back.

Suddenly, there was the sound of the door's lock twisting. Sera froze and backed away slowly, her eyes scanning the area for anything she could possibly use to defend herself.

The door opened and in came Elias and one of his best friends/coworkers Preston. Preston smiled brightly, "Oh sh*t! Sera! What's up? I didn't know you two were–"

"We're not." Elias harshly interrupted, his eyes fixed on Sera. Then he shot Preston with a warning look, "She's not dressed, man, look away."

Preston put his hands up in surrender and promptly exited to the other rooms.

Sera was still in disbelief. "Did you...Did you drug me?"

Elias stared back blankly. "What reason would I have to drug you?"

"Cause I barely remember last night, and I sure don't remember changing into this. What am I doing here?"

"Well, first of all, you're welcome." He said, handing her the coffee cup that he was holding in his hand. "And second of all, I did not travel across the world so I could assault you."

"So why am I here?!"

"Look, I am working. Working on a new case in the area and I saw you, which by the way, why were you there last night? That restaurant is literally known for being littered with criminals."

"Oh, well, then where are my clothes?!"

"In the trash, you puked like six times. Each time projectile. I can get them for you if you want."

"How did this happen?" Sera shook her head in disgust. She regretted going out last night and couldn't believe the situation she found herself in. A small gasp slipped out her mouth, "Bryan is going to freak out! Does he know?! And why does it feel like I was drugged?!"

"I don't report to him, I think you're asking for too much." He responded, while taking off his shirt and changing into a black hoodie. Even in the midst of her crisis, the brief sight of his abs and chest being revealed threw Sera off.

Elias caught her staring at his body. "And I don't know why you are so shocked by this. This happened on our first trip to Cairo, remember? We spent the first two nights in the hospital."

"Oh. My. Gosh, you're right! Ugh, you're right." Sera felt sick to her stomach. "Can you drop me off? Bryan is probably worried."

"I'm still working. Tell him to pick you up."

"What do you mean?!"

"Tell him to come pick you up." Elias sat on the kitchen counter. "I have work to do, I don't have time to chauffeur you around."

"That's not possible and you know that, he doesn't have a car out here! How would you feel if it were you? Picking up your girlfriend from her ex's house while she is wearing his clothes?"

"I can't say how I would feel because I would never put myself in that situation." He shrugged. "I would know my girlfriend well enough to not take her out when she isn't well."

Sera folded her knees to her chest. She knew how stubborn Elias was when he felt the need to make a point. She knew that fighting him was a lost cause. "Fine. What's the address?" Sera asked while pulling out her phone.

"Tell him to go to library on 6th. I have work to do near that area, after I can bring him on the way back."

Sera huffed, "Why are you making this difficult?"

"No. Just because I've gotten myself swept up in your relationship drama, doesn't mean I'm not still on a case. You're not leaving unless he picks you up and he doesn't get to know the full address, period."

Sera's head was still throbbing. With all that had happened, she couldn't bear to hear Bryan yelling at her in a frenzy.

"Do you have any pain medicine?" Sera asked quietly. Though his tough exterior did not show it, on the inside, it deeply pained Elias to see Sera hurting. It always had been that way.

He went searching and digging around the pantry while Sera typed out a message to Bryan. When Elias found a little bottle of Tylenol, he shook out two and walked it over to her. He also passed her the water bottle that he had been drinking from.

She paused, not wanting to drink from it. Elias shook his head at her, and then brought her a glass cup to pour the water in. "Pretentious."

In one big gulp she took down the medicine. Sera laid back down on the bed, at this point she didn't even care, she only wanted the entire night mare to be over. She just wanted to be with Emilia. She got under the covers and snuggled in, the smell of Elias's cologne smelled like evergreen and home. The familiar scent awakened core memories of the time they spent together.

Out of nowhere, the heartache became present and Sera was overwhelmed with the grief that has become of her life. She wanted to sleep away until it was all over. Closing her eyes, she fought the tears back.

As the first tear rolled down her cheek, Sera pulled the covers over her head.

"Sera...Sera."

"What do you want?" Sera asked in between quiet sobs.

"Come on, don't do that, Si. You're alright." Elias pleaded. It broke his heart to hear her cry. "Seriously. Sleep it off."

Elias then got up and went to the room to continue working. He knew that if he stayed next to her a moment longer, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from holding her.