I finish my cigarette to stub it out, and I drink some more of the cocktail, keep the glass in my hand, and head towards her, I nudge my way to her, not pretending to be going anywhere else, I reach her out and stand right in front of her, but she already offers me one of the sweetest smiles.
Towering her with my height, I tilt my head towards hers to speak in her ear. "Are you okay?" my cheek brushes her warm one when I move my head to look into her eyes, and she nods but drops her gaze on my lips. "And you?"
I copycat the movement of her head to answer with the same, and I lean in once more. "Can you come with me?" I slide my hand down to hers to grab it, and she merely gazes up into my eyes. Without saying anything, she holds my hand and smiles, so I lead her to the side of the room where some sofas are. I pick the one that is the furthest from the occupied ones, close the curtains to wall us in, and I pull on her arm to make her sit down first, and I squat down to take her high heels off.
"Mister Miller," she touches my shoulder and brings her foot towards the sofa. "I can't."
I stare into her eyes, but before I could say anything, the screen of her watch lights up.
She hurries to check the notification, and as soon as she looks back at me, I understand that Gael has his attention over all her comings and goings.
She slides her foot back into the pump I almost took off of her, but I seize her calf to prevent her from standing up. "Wait," I fix my eyes on hers, feeling the need to ask her one particular question but fearing the answer.
"Tell me," she remains still, so I breathe out and let my words escape. "Do you have to avoid me?"
Her facial expression turns gloom, and she nods to me, not even trying to hide or lie, she answers with honesty, to my greatest relief. "Alright," I gaze down and retreat from her, get up on my feet, but feel her stare on me. I make eye contact, knowing she must not be willingly doing this but obeying to her boyfriend.
I think twice before speaking, and she does not leave, she does not move, she keeps her chin up in order to maintain this strong connection between us and let me sink deep into her beautiful soul, which, I know, has been darkened over the years.
"I was talking about myself..." I finish the sentence that was cut short earlier when Gael came in the room, but the look into her eyes tell me she may not have forgotten. Regardless of her silence, I carry on and do not care about anything else anymore. "I can't stand it to see him use you and hurt you like that. I cannot stand it to feel so powerless in front of it. I will be there for you like you deserve it, Eliana. I will take care of you, protect you, let you live your life the way you want to. You'll be free to do whatever you want...and I'll make sure that you're happy..." I nearly beg her to leave him and this place, promising her something better, but she does not say anything.
Not feeling reassured at all, I go down to her level and hold her hands. "You'll have your own house if you require it. Your own privacy, your own life, I won't ever bother you or be around if you don't want me to. I'll just be there for you if you need me to, I'll listen to you and help you—"
"Mister Miller..." she fakes a smile and glances down, tightening her small hands around mine. I remain quiet to let her talk, and I skim her skin with my thumbs. "I..." she shakes her head, but some glisten appears in her eyes. "I can't..." she declines it as expected. "Are you scared to tell me the reason?"
A tear runs down her cheek to hit the back of my hand, and she confirms my assumption. "I told you...I can't leave," she lifts her head up to look into my eyes but shatters my heart into pieces with the discernable despair through her teary ones. "You can, sweetheart. I won't let anyone hurt you. He won't ever be able to be in contact with you again, he won't approach or manipulate you again. Even if you're scared about your financial situation, I can promise you that you'll have more than enough. You'll have your own bank account, your card and money that I will never touch or try to take back from you. You'll do whatever you want with it. I'll do anything to make sure you're safe and out of this for good, Eliana...I hate to know you're going through so much all on your own..."
