Falling Apart

c h a p t e r t w e n t y f i v e

Please vote and comment.

The smell of bacon is what awakens me.

I lift my body up, but I for some reason feel empty this time. As if nobody is here with me anymore.

I feel cold, my body begins to shiver. I look behind me and see no sight of Elias on the couch. I sit it up, walking directly to the kitchen to discover where the smell of bacon is coming from.

I am not in sight of Elias, though, which grows to concern me. I walk around the kitchen island, one hand softly on it, as I walk to sit down on a stool, opposite the burning bacon.

I sit for a moment longer, awaiting for someone to appear.

Then all of a sudden, Elias comes out of the pantry, flour all over him. He's coughing vigorously, as he slips on the flour, which I have now just realised has oil all over it.

He's laughing aloud, still not realising I'm here.

He once again, attempts to stand up but falls over again. He notices the burning of the bacon and quickly sprints on his hands and knees to stop the cooking - turning the oven off.

He finds finds himself able to stand when suddenly his phone begins to ring.

He goes to grab his phone with a smile on his face, but then quickly it fades in sight of who called him.

I wonder who it is?

He sighs aloud, stepping back a few steps, most likely to make sure I don't hear his conversation. He answers the call but doesn't put the phone to his ear.

It's a video call.

I hear movements and soft giggles coming from the other side of the phone. A smile reappears on Elias's face as the other person begins to talk.

It's a girl. A young girl. From the sound of her voice, I'd say she seems the age of five.

"Elias! Elias! Elias! Guess what?" The young girl ask aloud.

"What?" He says, voice low and cautious of me.

"Wait" she starts laughing, "you're covered in flour!" She yells aloud, laughing hysterically. Elias laughs with her, quieter though.

Ones they've both stopped laughing, the young girl moves the camera around causing loud sounds on Elias's end.

"Look, I got three rabbits! Look" she says.

"Wow"

"This one's called sweetie! This ones called fluffy, and this one's called glitter!" She speaks loudly.

"I love their names, I'm a little upset you didn't name one after me" he says sarcastically, laughing quietly between his breathes.

"Mommy said I'd be a whore if I named one Elias. What does whore mean?" She asks.

Elias's face drops, "umm-

"Sophia! Get down here right now!" Someone yells for the young girl, aggressively.

"I- I- I have to go" the young girl - Sophia - says, voice shaky and scared.

Elias panics, his hand drops with the phone still in it, and he bites his bottom lip. I can tell immediately that he's unsure of what to say to her.

I stand up, not making any sound and walk towards Elias.

Confusion and concern fill his eyes as he watches me grab the phone and look straight at it to see a beautiful little girl that looks just like Elias.

Who is she?

I smile brightly at her, "wait? Are you Elias's girlfriend?" She asks, now smiling.

I laugh aloud, "yes, sweetie. I'm his wife. Can I see your rabbits?" I ask, voice sweet.

I put the camera in-between I and Elias so she can see both of us. I choose to ignore the fact that Elias is staring right at me.

Sophia shows me her rabbits and I melt in awe. "They're so beautiful! They look just like you, beautiful and cute" I say, she smiles back.

"Now you should go, you don't want to get in trouble with your mother, but after you can call us back. I can you show the house and you can help me persuade Elias to buy a puppy." I say.

She smiles brightly, her anxiety seeping away. She nods her head, "ok! I'll call you back later" she seems more excited and calmer now.

I smile, waving goodbye.

Ones the call ends, I place the phone down on the kitchen counter and look up at Elias, whome is still staring at me.

"She was anxious. I know how hard it is when nobody understands how it's like to have anxiety, so I wanted to make sure she had that help" I say, smiling slightly.

Elias's eyes move down to my lips and his licks his own. He leans in forward, in an attempt to kiss me, but quickly slips and falls from all the oil.

I laugh loudly, but then with one sudden movement, I slip and fall on my back. I continue laughing as does Elias.

I move my body to the side, seeing Elias besides me. We stop laughing. We stop laughing. Then passionately, he kisses me with all his heart.

He uses his tongue to taste my mouth, I copy his movements.

Elias moves onto his back as I straddle him, making slight movements with my body as I kiss him more.

I laugh some more between our kisses, "maybe I should cook" he smiles.

"Yeah. I think that's safer for the both of us" I smile back, placing one last kiss on his lips.

I stand up, using the counter to stabilise Mer Elias copy's my movement.

I start at throwing the well burnt bacon in the trash can, grabbing a fresh few pieces of bacon and beginning to cook them.

Elias's hands move to my hips, and his chin rests on one of my shoulders.

"Thank you" he whispers.

"You're my husband now, Elias. And from what I could see." I turn around, my body right up against the counter, our bodies barely separated.

"She's my family now" I whisper, "am I right?" I ask.

He looks down, biting his lip and unsure of what to say.

"My mother had an unexpected birth five years ago. I didn't want word to get around that she... excited. I wanted to protect her from the world. But now that I'm here, I call her everyday, worried my mother and father have told someone. They haven't yet, since it would seem weird if they had a child for five year, nobody knew about. I could tell she had anxiety, but I never knew how to help her" he looks back up at me. "I'm not a comfort person"

I place a hand to his cheek and looking him in the eyes with such acceptance of him. "Believe me, Elias. You're the most comforting person I know. And I bet you're Sophia's comfort place, too. I bet that's why she wants to talk to you all the time. Because she loves you and knows you will always be with her" I reassure him.

He nods his head, still unsure. He leans in forward and kisses me softly on the lips. "Thank you" he whispers once more.

I shake my head, laughing between my breathes. I then turn around flipping over the bacon.

God, I love bacon! Did I ever mention that?