Fallen From Grace (#Wattys2017)

Chapter XVII

Upset couldn't begin to describe how Apollyon felt about Eleanora's decision. When they got home, he seriously contemplated to leave her alone for the night, but he didn't have the guts to. That night they ate dinner in tense silence as he wouldn't even meet her gaze. Eleanora tried to engage him in conversation, but he wouldn't respond.

She eventually gave up in trying to make him talk as she got dressed for bed. Sliding beneath the covers, she sat with her knees pulled to her chest as she looked at him expectantly. Apollyon walked over to her, gently pushing her down by the shoulder until she lay on her back as he tucked the covers beneath her chin and brushed a few strands of her white hair out of her eyes.

Eleanora looked up at him as this was usually the point where he placed a kiss on her forehead, today however, he simply pulled away from her at the last moment and walked over to the door. Switching off the lights, he walked out the room and closed the door behind him. She sat up in bed as she solemnly looked at the closed door, never realizing that Apollyon stood on the other side, his hand on the handle as he contemplated weather to just relent to his wishes.

He didn't.

Apollyon settled down on the sofa and perched his feet up. Placing the needle onto the record he allowed the sound of Elvis to resonated through the lounge as he grabbed a blanket and started reading the book. On and off he'd get up to grab a cup of coffee to keep him up as he glanced at the bedroom door every now and then.

Eleanora had stumbled out of the bedroom at approximately 4 a.m. Upon hearing the door open, he glanced up from the book, watching a disheveled Eleanora make her way out the bedroom and patter across to the kitchen. There she filled herself a glass of water, and brought it back with her. Drowsily, she gulped the water and placed the glass onto the table.

Apollyon sat up as he looked at her silently as she was pouting at him like a petulant child. Grumbling something under her breath she walked over to him, pushing him down as she lay down on top of him, and pulled the blanket over the both of them.

"Shut up." She murmured to him as she cuddled closer to him while Apollyon looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "It's cold in there."

Sighing softly, he allowed her to fall asleep on his chest as he continued to read his book to the voice of Elvis drifting around them.

Eleanora awoke alone on the sofa and it was 6:30 a.m. Drowsily she kneeled on the sofa and rubbed her eyes, looking around she saw the curtains to be pulled apart to allow the sunlight in along with breakfast on the coffee table beside her. Getting off the sofa, she stretched her sore joints before taking a round of the apartment, finding it clean and vacant of Apollyon's presence with clothes laid out on her bed.

Eating the breakfast he had made for her, she freshened up and got dressed. Pulling the beanie over her head, she grabbed her bag and headed towards the door. Opening the door, she was surprised to find Apollyon leaning against the wall in front of her.

"Hi." She spoke a little breathlessly as he gave a curt nod before making his way over to the stairs, walking down as she trailed behind him. Apollyon still didn't talk to her, and it was becoming increasingly tense around them. They stopped at the bus stop, the air thick and silent around them.

Mounting the bus, Apollyon greeted the bus driver a good morning before he went and sat down next to a guy, smiling and conversing with him while Eleanora took the seat next to Jennifer who was practically asleep. The guy Apollyon sat next to seemed like an unlikely friend for him. He was blonde with hazel eyes and wore a batman hood with blue denim jeans and converse, where as there was Apollyon in his black leather jacket, jeans and boots. However, Eleanora had this nagging feeling that she knew the guy from somewhere and that he looked eerily similar to a kid she used to know.