For A Brief Moment

Chapter 19: I could stay here forever

They pulled into Elijah's driveway, the drive there being quiet and calming. Once he had parked the car, he got out, walking over to Cassie's side, tapping gently on the glass. She turned slowly, opening her eyes. She had fallen asleep whilst they were driving, and her head lay on the glass delicately. She moved her head off the glass, turning to unbuckle her seat belt, whilst Elijah opened the door. "It's not as fun when it's not a race," he commented, playfulness in his voice.

"Oh, I do sincerely apologise." She playfully responded, moving her feet over to step out. He held his hand out for her, which she held onto as she stepped out, her body weak from the fear that had controlled her over throughout the day. He walked them towards the front door, fumbling with his keys until he unlocked the door, opening it for Cassie, who hesitantly entered. It felt like a Deja vu moment. The car door, the hesitant walk into the unknown, it reminded her of that one Tuesday, when this first started this. What was this? Cassie really had no clue about any of it. They walked into the dim-lit living room, cigarette scent filling the air, which was almost cloudy.

"Sorry for the mess," he offered, "and the smell. I know it's not the best but, it does its job."

"I like it," she expressed, looking around and examining every aspect.

"You want a drink or something to eat princess, I have some soda and some chips," he explained walking into the kitchen, and opening the cupboard doors, in search of something. He closed one of the doors and opened another. "Scratch that I have beer and some mac 'n' cheese." She giggled gently at this before walking over to him.

"I'm good thank you," her eyelids hung low, sleepily. He looked at her face, the cuts still burning red. He looked at her eyes, noticing her tiredness, the same he had seen just a few days earlier.

"Do you want to take a nap," Elijah asked. She shook her head, weakly. "Yeah, you do," he teased, walking over to her, "Follow me."

She smiled at his remark, knowing he was right. He walked her through the small corridor of the bungalow, walking her into a room. It was quite big, with magazines and band posters decorating the walls and floors. The curtains were drawn, leaving behind a small crimson light. The bed wasn't made, the sheets messy and in the corner was a pile of clothes, visibly dirty. "It looks worse than it is, I swear," he explained. She smiled softly. "Do you want a change of clothes," she looked at him slightly confused. "It's just you have mud up your legs and I didn't want you to sleep in actual dirt. I can give you a pair of my clothes." She hadn't noticed the dirt on her, it was merely just another accessory she wore, but he was right, she really didn't want to sleep in the dirt.

"If that's okay." She sweetly responded. Without a second thought, he walked over to his drawers, pulling the top draw open. He scanned the contents of the draw for a moment before pulling out a shirt and some joggers.

"These okay for you princess?" he asked turning around holding the items in either hand.

"Perfect." He handed her the items, placing them softly in her hands.

"I will wait outside the door, okay," he reassured her before leaving, closing the door softly behind him. She pulled the clothes up to her face, nesting her nose in them. They smelt just like him, the strong aftershave that attempted to cover the scent of cigarettes, to no avail. She soon began to take her clothes off, gently pulling them off her body, revealing the bruises that painted over her, as if she was a blank canvas before, just waiting for an artist to leave their creative ideas, only this artist was an abusive father who had no control over his anger. The material of the joggers soothed the bruising on her legs, whilst the t-shirt gently fell down her back. Her arms were exposed, the bruising clearly visible to the eye but for all Elijah knew, it was of her own doing, she didn't feel the need to hide them. Moments later she heard a small tap at the door. "You can come in now," she expressed, folding her own clothes into a small pile. The door creaked open, as Elijah stood there in awe, his clothes blanketing her as she sat at the side of his bed. "It suits you," he commented, leaning against the door, receiving a small smile from her. "Can I get you anything or do you just want me to leave, while you rest up?"