Desperate Lies

Chapter 7 (Trigger Warning)

A/N: Trigger warning for abuse.

December 14th.

Eve hurriedly ran from her final class to the Hedgewood Park neighborhood. Today had been her last day of classes before her winter break, and it was also Chris's first day home. She couldn't wait to see him and be in his arms again. It had only been two weeks since Eve had gone to Motionless in White's concert and seen Chris last, but it felt like it had been forever. Eve ran through the brisk, cold air, nearly slipping on the icy sidewalks several times.

Eve decided to slow down; slipping on the ice probably wasn't worth it. She also likely needed to be aware of the people that she was walking past in the event she were to bump into someone from the church; God forbid one of them ask why she was going into a private neighborhood.

Luckily, no one seemed to see her.

Eve approaches the front gates of the neighborhood. She looks around one more time to make sure no one she recognized could see her, then she punches in the code to open the gates. The gates open, Eve slips inside, and she makes her way onto the sidewalk and to Chris's house. She still kept a lookout though; she didn't know if anyone from her church happened to live in this neighborhood as well. It seemed as though the only peace she could find was actually in Chris's house with him.

Eve reaches Chris's house and the door opens before Eve can even knock, as if Chris had seen her coming. Eve squeals with delight and runs into the house, closing the door behind her before jumping into Chris's arms.

Chris chuckles, holding Eve close to him, "There's my girl."

Eve nearly started crying in joy; how could someone that she'd only been involved with romantically for a couple of months make her this happy? She supposed she had developed an emotional connection to him prior to them becoming romantic with each other, but it still shocked Eve how happy Chris made her sometimes.

Eve throws her arms around Chris's neck and they kiss for a long time. She runs her fingers through his hair and Chris lightly bites her bottom lip. Chris scoops Eve up bridal style and carries over to the couch, where he lays her down and climbs on top of her. Eve smiles and wraps her legs around Chris, figuring he wouldn't be able to see the bruises on her legs with the position he was in now.

For a moment, Chris simply rests his forehead on Eve's and closes his eyes, breathing her in, so happy to finally be with her again. They rub noses for a moment, then eventually kiss again, deeply and passionately. Chris cups the back of Eve's head, lightly tugging on her curls as Eve reached under his shirt to lightly scratch his shoulders.

They come apart ever so slightly, and Chris lightly strokes Eve's cheek and looks into her eyes, unable to keep the smile off his face.

"You're so beautiful," He whispers, "You make me so happy."

"I make you happy?" Eve asks, "I don't think I've ever been happier."

Chris sits up and pulls Eve into his lap. He does notice a couple of the bruises on her legs and furrows his eyebrows.

"What'd you do?" He asks.

Eve shrugs, "All the fun of being anemic; I bruise like crazy for the littlest things."

Chris nods, then kisses Eve's cheek, "Do you have any plans for New Year's Eve?"

"I don't think so."

"Cool, 'cause me and the guys and some other friends were thinking of having a little get together here that night. You should come."

Eve smiles and nods, "Yeah, I'd love that. That sounds like a lot of fun."