Lover in the Window

Raven's Place

The next morning the Layton home is quiet, soft snores and loud breathing throughout the house. Eli has been awake for a few hours, as he had run out to do a few things before everyone else woke up.

Noon rolls around and everyone is still sleeping, Eli goes up to Eve who has her mouth wide open and her head cocked back snoring, he squeezes an ice-cold bottle of water all over her face and body for payback from her tricks.

Eve jerks awake, her eye's blood shot from her binge drinking last night, and she begins coughing and spitting out water all over the floor.

"What the fuck?" She manages to utter.

"Payback is best served cold, so they say."

"I'll make you eat those words; you just wait." Eve jumps up and starts looking for new clothes.

"Wait, in all seriousness, I need you to do me a favor."

"A favor? You never ask for a favor. Must be serious."

"Yeah, to me it is." Eli hands her a folded piece of paper. "Go pick this up in about an hour and meet me at that building I bought on Albany. I'll meet you there." Eli rushes out of the room to go wake Raven up.

He walks in Tracy's room and Raven has her arm over little Elijah, and he is drinking milk from his sippy cup.

"Eli!" He jumps up and runs over, leaping up into Eli's arms. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, bub. I got a surprise, let's wake mommy up."

Eli looks over to Raven and her sleepy eyes are already awake, and a smile rests upon her face.

"You're so good with him." Raven's sleepy voice cracks.

"Get ready. There's something I want to show you."

Eli helps Elijah get ready and goes downstairs to wait on Raven.

"Well you look mighty fine today." Blair stumbles through the kitchen.

"Good afternoon to you too, Blair." He laughs.

"You get any last night?"

"Oh my god, Blair. Do you have a filter? Hey actually, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Whoa, are you making moves on me, big guy?" she winks at him and turns her eyes to his pants.

"Oh my god, Raven." Eli's face turns red. "No, I'm not, I was just curious as to why you didn't tell me about the kid, or the man when you were here before. You didn't even tell Eve. I would've handled it a lot easier hearing it from the beginning than I did at the end. That shit was rough."

"She asked me not to. She's my best friend so I didn't. I thought she was just trying to escape that part of her life for a while, and honestly, I didn't think you all were that serious. Until Raven told me everything on the way back home."

"She asked you not to tell me the biggest part of her life?"

"She said she would tell you if it ever came up, but you didn't ask her about that part of her life, so she didn't bring it up."

Raven comes swiftly down the stairs and turns to the kitchen. "Oh god, are you hitting on him again?" she laughs. "Animal."

"You ready?" Eli grabs her hand and turns toward the door.

"You kids be back by midnight." Blair jokes.

Eli takes Raven and Elijah to the land he had bought on Albany with the abandoned building on it, they get out and he walks her around the outside, then on the inside.