Her Escape, His Safe Haven

Chapter 37- I Hate Clowns

Athena's POV

He loves me. He actually loves me. I'm fairly certain I stopped breathing when he told me that. How could someone as incredible as Elliot Voss love someone like me. There's nothing special about me. I'm damaged goods. I've been told for as long as I can remember that no one could ever love me. For years I have believed no one could love me. 

But he does. 

How do I make myself believe that? How do I convince myself that he's not just full of guilt about something he can't fix? How can I look at someone so perfect and be so sure that he does actually love me?

It's not that I think Eli would lie to me, especially about something like that. I just...It's unbelievable. 

"Are you ready Athena?" I heard from the living room. 

Tonight is Halloween. Deliah convinced us to take her trick or treating, she even convinced us to let her pick our costumes. She pulled the whole "since you moved out I never see you anymore" card and it worked. She didn't let us know what the other is dressing as.

Right now she has me in an awkwardly short and revealing Lara Croft costume. Personally I wouldn't have picked something like this out, but I didn't hate it. I have no idea what she would have Eli dressed as.

"Coming!" I yelled back before slipping out of my room. 

I made it to the living room to see Deliah in a very cute princess costume and Eli looked very ruggedly handsome in an Indiana Jones costumes. 

We are kind of matchy, but not in a cringy way. It's cute. 

He's cute. 

"Wow. You look hot." He said after looking at me with a hungry look in his eyes.

"You don't look so bad yourself." I winked causing him to smile.

"You did good, D. You ready to get some candy from strangers?" Eli asked his little sister who smiled and ran to the door.

We went outside and turned to the right going to the end of the road. There are families everywhere. Most of the kids seem to be younger than Deliah, but I like that this is what she wanted to do today. She's too innocent to be going to parties or anything.

"I'm glad you asked us to take you trick or treating, this is gonna be a lot of fun." I told her before we went up to the first house. Eli and I stayed back a bit so she could run up and get her candy. 

Eli grabbed my hand and pulled me to his side before throwing his arm over my shoulder. "I think your costume is more badass than mine." He said into my ear.

"That's because it is. Although I do love Indiana Jones." I told him with a wink.

"Next house!" Deliah shouted when she got back to us. We chuckled and followed her lead. "SO do you guys like your costumes?" She asked.

"I was kinda worried about it being to revealing, but I do kinda like it." I said honestly.

"I knew you would." She giggled.

We went to every house within a two block radius and Deliah had a blast. When we got back to the house she plopped her butt on the couch and dropped her huge bag of candy next to her.

"Deliah!" Eli shouted when he noticed all her candy spill out on the floor.

"Eh. I was gonna dump it anyway to check out my loot." She giggled and sat next to the mess. "Athena sit with me!" 

I chuckled and found a spot to get comfortable next to her. "Alright what did you get?" I asked.

"Hey what about me?" Eli interjected. "Don't you want to hang out with your big brother?"