Relapse / / h.s.

Twenty-Three.

     The sun streaming through the curtains was bright-too bright for my sleep-deprived eyes. I could hear Amelia's voice drift in from the other room and Elena's head had rested on my chest for the most part of the last couple of hours. I hadn't slept yet, but then again it's not like I had any desire to.

     My phone buzzed from my night stand and I tried my best to reach for it without moving around too much. It didn't work as I'd planned. Just when I thought I had my phone within grasp, it slipped and fell to the floor with a loud thud.

   Elena stirred, and I held perfectly still, not even daring to breathe until she stopped. She'd had a rough night. It didn't matter that she'd been asleep almost eleven hours. She needed it.

   "Harry," she muttered, her brown eyes blinking open slowly as she cringed against the sunlight.

   "Elena" I breathed, looking down at her. Her hair was wet from sweat and it stuck up in odd places and was matted down in others. "How are you feeling ?"

She sat up slowly, wiping her eyes with the heels of her hands and letting out a loud groan.

"My head hurts," she groaned, holding her temples between her fingertips. I handed her the aspirin from the night before and she took it quickly, swallowing the rest of the water she hadn't drank earlier.

Then, as if realization had hit her right in the face, her cocoa-colored eyes went wide and she jumped out of bed so fast. She swayed a little and had to hold onto the bed post for support and I was on my feet in less than a second, guiding her back to my bed.

"Get back in bed," I demanded gently. She furrowed her brows, testing me, but she did it anyway, waiting until I sat beside her to fall onto the pillow and cover her face with her hands.

"That guy put something in my drink," she muttered to herself. "He had been so nice. I can't believe I was so... stupid."

  "It's not your fault," I tried to reason with her, uncovering her face. Thick tears fell down her cheeks and her shoulders shook as she sobbed. I held her up, holding her right against me as I combed my fingers through her long hair. "It's okay, Elena. Calm down. You're all right, okay? Everything is all right."

"I can't remember anything," her tears were starting to soak trough the collar bone of my t-shirt. "The last thing I remember for sure is him handing me a drink. What if- what if he-"

  "Ashton and I  got you out of there before anything bad could happen," I murmured into her hair. "You're safe, Elena. Nothing happened. Okay?"

  She nodded slowly, biting hard on her bottom lip. She wrapped her arms tightly around my waist and tilted her head against my chest. She smelled like sweat- mixed with the smell of cheep booze and the faint aroma of her sweet perfume.

  "Thank you," she sighed, her shoulders still shaking. "For saving me. For taking care of me."

  I rested my hand on the small of her back, running my hands over the bunched up fabric of her shirt slowly. I didn't think of it as saving her. It was just something I did- something that someone had to do. Something I would do for her over and over every time she got into trouble. 

  "Except," she pulled away slightly, keeping her arms wrapped around my midsection as she looked up at me. Her cheeks were flushed and stained with wetness. "Why didn't you take me home?"