Looking For A Legend (Book 1)

Looking For A Legend Chapter 47 - Elijah & Valentina

            Eli was in a better mood in the morning, but not by much.  Despite, not having anything left in his stomach, he was woken in the middle of the night to vomit again.  He had trouble getting back to sleep after that, so he just held Valentina in his arms.  He had time to think, and that wasn’t a bad thing.  He vaguely remembered the conversation with Valentina the night before, and Eli knew that something needed to change.

The morning found him alone in bed with a dull headache and the smell of sausage cooking coming from the kitchen.  Eli crawled out of bed and fumbled for his glasses.  He found Valentina in the kitchen cooking breakfast, still in her pajamas. 

“Good morning, Eli.” She smiled at him over her shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

“Alive, at the least.  Sorry about last night.” Eli put his hand on her hips as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

“As long as you are feeling better today, it’s alright.  But you really worried me with some of the things you were saying.” Valentina turned under his touch to put her arms around his neck.

“I know.  I’m sorry.  I love you, and I didn’t mean to do that to you.” He looked down, but Valentina tilted his chin back up to meet her eyes.

“Eli, stop apologizing.  You have nothing to be sorry for.  I only want to help you be happy.”  She leaned up to give him a kiss on the lips, short and sweet. “I’m making eggs and sausage for breakfast and your tea will be ready in a few minutes.”

“Thank you, Valentina.  For this.  For everything.  It’s a lot more than I des…” Eli cut himself off with a sharp look from Valentina.  He forced a smile and corrected himself.   “It’s a lot more than I expected.”

Valentina ushered him to the table.  The newspaper had been left out for him, along with a glass of juice.  After he sat down, his tea appeared, and then his meal.  Valentina brought her own food over, long with some coffee and joined him.  There was a tension between them, but not one of anger.  Valentina was still concerned for him.

“This sausage is very good,” Eli broke the silence, sort of, as he ate.  He was hungry, and despite fears of losing his breakfast aside, ate seconds and thirds.  His appetite made Valentina smile.

“I’m glad I made so much for you.  Honestly, I expected to wrap most of it up for left-overs.”  She paused to eat.  Unlike Eli, she wouldn’t speak with her mouth full.  Eli’s method wasn’t as impolite, and could also be fully understood while he spoke. “So what time is your meeting with Dr. Utkin?”

“He didn’t say.  And I didn’t have any messages from him.  I’ll just go later this morning, after I get dressed.” Eli shrugged.

“Do you want me to go with you?  I wouldn’t mind.”  Valentina offered.

“I think I can manage on my own.  I do appreciate the offer though.  You should just do something to relax today.” Eli smiled again, this time more naturally.

“Alright, but if you need me, just call and I’ll be there.” Valentina reached across the table and took his hand.

“I promise, Valentina.  If I need you, I will let you know.”  He gently squeezed her hand.  Valentina laced their fingers together, taking his hand as she stood up.

“Alright, Eli.  Hmm, you want me to relax today? Maybe, if you are feeling up to it, there is something I can do to relax, and to make you feel better at the same time.”  Valentina took his other hand, guiding the both to her hips.  She bit her lip as she looked down at him, slowing moving her body under his touch.

“Valentina?” Eli was surprised.  She was being very straightforward, but he couldn’t complain.  “The bed or the shower?”

She leaned in, kissing her way up his neck as she pulled him from his seat.  Valentina led him down the hall to their bedroom.  The door closed and Eli’s hands immediately set to stripping her clothes away.  Her fingers curled at the drawstrings of his pants, tugging the knot loose and pushing his pants to the floor.  Valentina had only a moment to admire his body before Elijah walked her to the bed.

Valentina didn’t have to choose between the bed and the shower after all.  Eli had enough passion and renewed vigor to go twice.  Valentina mused over the advantages of a hearty breakfast as she watched him dress.  Eli worried more over what to wear than she did.  He stood in a pair of black trousers, his black suspenders hanging down around his hips as he agonized over what color shirt to wear.

“Are you going to get dressed?” He asked, looking over his shoulder at her.  Valentina laughed, and stretched out in bed, in no particular rush to cover her nudity.

“Why? Is it distracting you?” She teased.

“You know that you are distracting me, but you don’t have to be naked to do that.” He smiled.  After a moment he took out a Prussian blue and held it to his chest with a questioning look.

“Oh, is that new?  I like that color on you.  It brings out your eyes!”  Valentina cooed at him as she slid from the bed and helped him into the shirt.  She did up the buttons, leaving the top few open and pulled his suspenders up, taking every opportunity to touch Eli.

She left him to tuck in his shirt and roll his sleeves, finally getting into some clothes of her own.  Valentina picked out a coral cotton sundress and pulled it on over her strapless bra and panties, then stepped into a pair of sandals.  As she worked at the delicate clasps of her shoes, her phone began to ring, breaking the silence in the room.

“Hello? Oh, Dad! Hi!” Valentina’s face lit up as she heard her father’s voice.

“Hey, Valentina!  Guess what, Katya and I are in London!” Murroh enthused.

“Really? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming in? Eli and I would have come to pick you up!” She cradled her phone in her hand and stood up.  Eli watched her with an interest in the conversation.

“We got in at five this morning.  I wasn’t about to wake you.  So… This is weird to ask… Is Eli with you right now?” Valentina could nearly see the uncomfortable expression on Murroh’s face.

“Yes, we’re together.  Is something wrong?” Valentina met Eli’s eyes.

“Well, I’m not sure I want to talk about it over the phone, but it has to do with a job offer.  Can you meet me for lunch?”  Murroh asked.

“A job offer?  For Eli?  Well, Eli has a meeting with his professor…” Valentina was interrupted by Eli waving his hands.

“Your father has a job offer for me?  For what?  Does he want to meet?”  Eli asked.  In her mind, his voice had a tone of concern mixed with curiosity.

“He wants to meet for lunch,” Valentina told him after excusing herself to her father. “But what about your appointment with Dr. Utkin?  Are you bailing on it?”

“I can get expelled this afternoon, or tomorrow, or whenever.  Let’s go see your Dad.  It’s not like he’s in London every day.”  Eli laughed.  He was wearing a carefree smile, unusual on his face, but he wore it well.

“Hey, Dad.  Sorry about that.  Eli and I would love to have lunch with you.  Where should we meet you?” Valentina took down the address, and time.  She said her good byes to her father before packing up her purse.

“Eli?” She called to him, catching up with him in the kitchen.  He was washing the breakfast dishes.  Valentina couldn’t help but smile.  He looked so cute doing domestic chores.  “Hey, are you serious about the expulsion thing? You don’t care?”

“No, I don’t.  I couldn’t get back to sleep last night, so I got to thinking about it.  Denvellia can’t be my life forever.  I always resisted Levi’s want to help me, because I wanted to be an adult.  But as long as I hide in Denvellia, I’m not really an adult.  I realized sometime around Christmas, that I was still acting like a teenager.  I lived in a dorm, I didn’t have a car, or a job, or any serious commitments in my life. And I guess some part of me believed that if I was still in school, I was still a student, and if I was a student, I didn’t have to grow up.”  Eli turned from the sink.  His hands were still wet when he reached for hers.

“I get all that… Sort of, I guess.  You missed out on all the best parts of your teenage years in high school so you didn’t want to let them go from college?” Valentina tried to follow his logic.

“Maybe.  But the point, I don’t need Denvellia to research things.  I don’t need Dr. Utkin, or his approval.  But what I need in my life are commitments.  And the first one is to you.”  He gave her a kiss.  Valentina was still confused, but with his lips on her skin, she could hardly care.