Tangled Shadows [COMPLETE]

chapter 12.

Author's pov-

Next morning, Eliana woke up, blinking against the dim morning light filtering into the room. The unfamiliar surroundings took a moment to register she was in Kian's room, nestled in a bed that wasn’t hers. Panic flared briefly until she realized she was dressed in one of his shirts, the fabric soft against her skin and carrying his scent. Her head throbbed painfully, a reminder of the alcohol she had consumed the previous night. Try as she might, she couldn’t piece together what had happened. Every attempt to recall the night before only intensified her headache, leaving her more frustrated.

She shifted, trying to push away the fog in her mind, and caught the sound of running water. Kian was in the shower, just on the other side of the partially open bathroom door. Her heart raced as she sat up, hugging the shirt tighter around herself, anxiety mingling with the confusion that clouded her thoughts.

A moment later, the water shut off, and Kian emerged from the bathroom, his hair dripping wet and droplets tracing lines down his toned chest. He wore only a towel slung low around his waist, revealing the defined muscles of his torso. His presence seemed to fill the room, commanding and effortless. As their eyes met, Eliana felt a rush of emotions disorientation, embarrassment, and an undeniable heat that flushed her cheeks. She could only hope he had answers to the questions she was too afraid to ask.

She swallows her saliva before speaking "what am I doing here?"....
Her voice was calm, and confused.

"Sleeping I guess" Kian response.

"Very funny? Isn't it? Whi brings me here..?" Eliana asked.

"Are you still drunk honeybee? What kinda questions you're asking... Ofcourse it's me, who brings you here..." He replied while wearing his clothes, looking at her through the mirror.

Her eyes were stuck on his tattoo, which one his back, a huge one, yin yang, wolf and bats it was spooky. "Did we... Did i embarrassed myself last night?" She finally asked getting up from his bed.

Kian turns to face her, and took few slow steps towards her, standing exactly infront of her. "No you did not... You were tensed last night" She looked down, confused wheather to tell him or not.

"Aren't you gonna ask me, why?" She said again looking at him. "No, i already know it.... Well seeing you depressed, I just couldn't help, but to check what was the thing which was bothering you"

"One second... You are stalking me since that dinner night!" She said, her voice was now cold. "Correction since that race night" he replied.

"You sounds to proud of yourself, what are you now? My personal shadow?... She raises an eyebrow, trying to keep the mood light.

Kian chuckles softly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pant, "Yeah, maybe I am. Or maybe I just enjoy watching you pleasing yourself. Call it... a hobby, by the way you look sexy when you don't know someone's watching you." He flashes a half-smile, his tone teasing but with a hint of something more.

Eliana rolls her eyes dramatically, but there’s a glimmer of amusement and embarassment. "Great. But I hate you for stalking me." (She took a few steps closer to him, her smile fading slightly and her eyes become teary.) "Seriously, Kian, you know everything?"

Kian's humor fades from his expression as he watches her, sensing the shift in her tone and her teary eyes, "I don't believe in god, but tomorrow by coincidence or whatever you'll call it, I saw you, and I just saved myself because.... I don't know how my life will be without you.

A hollow laugh escapes her, and she shakes her head, looking away into the shadows beyond the streetlights, "Right, What if I don’t want to be saved? What if... I just want everything to disappear?" Her voice wavers, the humor in her words vanishing like mist.

A muscle in his jaw tightening as he steps closer, his voice taking on a quiet, urgent edge, "Eliana, don’t say that. You don’t know what you’re talking about." Kian reaches out, his hand hovering just above her arm, hesitant to touch her but desperate to reach her.

Eliana turning her head sharply, she glares at him, her eyes glossy with unshed tears "Why do you care, Kian?"

Kian's expression softens, and he gently places his hand on her shoulder, his touch cold against the her warm skin "I don't know, Eliana.." (He looks down, swallowing hard as he fights to keep his own emotions in check, his voice lowering as if the words are slipping out against his will.) "I can’t stand by and watch you destroy yourself. Not when I see so much more in you than this... darkness you think you’re drowning in."

Eliana stiffens at his touch, her shoulders tense, but she doesn’t pull away, her voice breaking as the vulnerability seeps through "You don’t understand, Kian. You don’t know what it’s like to feel this... empty. To feel like nothing you do matters, like... like no one would care if you were gone."

Kian's  grip on her shoulder tightens slightly, his voice trembling with an urgency he can no longer hide "You’re wrong. I care, Eliana, so do your mother. And I can’t... I won’t let you slip away." (His voice drops to a whisper, his eyes searching hers for any sign of hope.) "You matter, Eliana. To me. To your mother and sister. You always have."

Her breath catches, and she meets his gaze, the tension between them thick enough to cut with a knife. She tries to maintain her composure, but a tear slips down her cheek, betraying her "Kian... you’re really bad at hiding what you feel, you know that?"

A small, bittersweet smile pulls at his lips, but his eyes remain serious, filled with a depth of unspoken emotion "Maybe I am not. But I don’t care anymore. I just need you to know... I’m here. Whether you want me to be or not, I’m here, Eliana. And I’m not leaving, never."

She closes her eyes, taking a shaky breath, his words settling in the space between them, a fragile comfort in their weight "I... I don’t know if I can believe that, Kian. But... thank you. For trying."

He lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, his thumb brushing the tear from her cheek with a gentleness that surprises even him "We’ll get through this. Together. Even if I have to be your personal shadow every step of the way." He tries for a small smile, but the emotion in his voice betrays him, revealing just how much she means to him.

By saying that he pulls her into a kiss, a deep passionate one. She kissed him back-