Close Your Eyes, Remember Me (TBF Book 1)

Elijah

Time had begun to become a far more solidified concept for Elijah since Lucia had moved into his bedroom, suddenly he had a way to track the days going by that mattered. She slept during the night and was awake during the day, so simple but he had never needed to consider this previously. Unlike himself and his family, she couldn't maintain a twenty-four-hour reading streak. When she slept, time dragged along almost deliberately slowly, unlike anything he had ever experienced before. When she awoke, time returned to it's usual barrelling speed. He finally understood why small children supposedly hated bedtime so much.

Lucia snoozed quietly now, bundled in the blankets Elijah had been collecting for her like a magpie every time he found one left abandoned in the house. Eventually he would have to invest in a larger bed to contain them all but for now he simply admired his mini mountain of fluff that contained his fiancée.

Sariyah gave a quiet fake cough to gain his attention, "Can we have a little walk and talk?" she asked.

Elijah stared at her with his brows almost buried into his hairline with how high they were pulled, was she out of her mind?

"And leave Lucia on her own?" He asked incredulously.

"Of course not." She huffed, before suggesting, "Why don't you let Reginald take a watch?"

He considered her words for a few moments, while he had yet to cross anyone else off his list of suspects besides Sariyah, the only person Reginald was a threat to was himself. If Reginald was hired as a hit-man he wouldn't make it through the door of his target. He liked his cousin though, he was a good man despite his ditheriness.

"Well... maybe for a few minutes," He conceded, adding, "enough for a walk."

Sariyah rolled her eyes and stood, "He's oblivious to a lot of things but I think he would notice if someone made an attempt on Lucia's life." she said before leaving to fetch her husband.

"Fine." Elijah mumbled.

It did not take long for Sariyah to nab their temporary watchman and lead him back to Elijah's bedroom.

Reginald bumbled into the room behind his wife as a dopey donkey trundles behind its owner. Elijah knew the man had a great mind and an incredibly impressive range in artistic ability, when it came to common sense and mindfulness to the world around him however, Reginald could certainly find room for improvement. Elijah often wondered if he would have ever returned home from his travels if he hadn't met Sariyah and eloped, she was his personal compass leading him through the hurricane inside his head.

"She's asleep." He noted aloud.

"Yes, I'd like her to stay that way, she needs her rest." Elijah advised him sternly.

"She has been getting plenty of rest," Sariyah reminded him with a sigh, "you can't keep her cocooned in bed forever."

Elijah ignored her.

"Watch over her." He said in place of a farewell to his cousin.

Reginald nodded, his thick glasses sliding down his nose a tad, and dropped into what had been Elijah's seat.

Sariyah closed the door behind them and they began to walk through the house silently.

Eventually, Elijah grew tired of her lack of explanation "What is it you want to talk about that we can't discuss in my bedroom?" he asked irritably.

"Your bedroom has Lucia in it."

"She's asleep."

"But if she woke up she would be mortified to hear me telling you to pull your finger out of arse and start behaving like a real fiancé!"