For Tobias' Sake

12

"Still nothing?" I asks as soon as I stepped into the house and saw Elias on his computer in the living room. He looks up at me in surprise, almost as if he didn't hear me come in.
"Hello to you too." He says, making me roll my eyes, while taking off my coat and scarf.

I walk up to Elias, exhausted from work and sit down next to him, my leg brushing his. I quickly pull away. He sets the laptop on the coffeetable and turns to me.
"It's only been a day since we hung up the papers, give it time." He says, laying his hand on my thigh and giving it a squeeze.

"I know, but- What if he's laying in a dark corner-" I start to panic again, but Elias cuts me off.
"Stop, Hannah. How often do I have to tell you?" Elias asks, anger hinting in his voice. He called me by my name, so he's probably serious and wants me to leave.

"Sorry." I make a move to stand up, but his hand that is gripping my hand stops me.
"Don't go, I'm sorry." He sighs, running a hand through his hair. I nod and look away, still a little shocked at his outburst. I hear him groan and his hand lifts my hand and soon I feel his soft lips on my knuckles. I freeze, my heart picking up space.

"Work has just been stressing me out with people asking after Tobias, because we have clients that always come with their children and they love him. I miss him, too. I'm so sorry for snapping." He says, making me turn my head back in his direction.

"It's okay. I miss him too. I feel so useless, just sitting here while he could be- but I try." I say, using the hand he lifted up and is still under his chin, to rub his chin gently. He closes his eyes for a second and fixes them back on me. I stop rubbing his rough skin and look away, blushing at his intense stare.

"I cooked some chicken stew, it's on the stove." I hear him say.
"I'm not hungry, but thanks." I say as I stand up. He follows my action.

"You skipped dinner yesterday too. Let's eat together." Elias says, turning me around and pulling me on his chest again. He smiles down at me, but I shake my head. I feel his hand slide down my arm, lazily intertwining our fingers.

"Please, for me." He whispers, crooking his head to the side, giving me the puppy eyes. I bite my lip, making him glance at my lip, before looking back at my eyes. I noticed his grip on my hand tighten when he did so.

"Okay." I say, finally. He smiles, taking my breath for another time, before kissing my cheek and leading me into the kitchen. It's weird how used I got to his affectionate touches and kisses on my forehead and cheek. That was the first time, he kissed my knuckles though.

Just when he's about to turn the stove on to warm up the food, the doorbell rings and he turns around, frowning at me. I look at the clock, it's past nine.
"Are you expecting someone?" He asks, but I shake my head.

"Maybe they're bringing Tobias." I say, making him nod slowly. I'm about to walk towards the door, when Elias grip on my hand tightens and he pulls me back.
"Stay here, I'll open the door." He says, making me nervous. But I nod and gulp at the sudden seriousness in his voice.

I watch him walk until he turned around the corner. I hear the door being opened and wait for voices. The moment I hear a familiar female voice, my eyes widen and my palms start sweating.
"Hello, I'm sorry to interrupt your evening, but here's someone who couldn't wait to see you." She says. Tobias? I would love to run to him, but my feet won't move.

"Oh my god, thank you so much, where did you find him?" I hear Elias ask and smile at the relieve in his voice. So they did bring Tobias! Can't wait to cuddle him.
"My son here, found him in a bush not far away. It's only today that we saw your papers. I'm sorry it took us so long." I hear my mom say. Son? Nathaniel or Elijah? I doubt it was Caleb, my oldest brother.