Page 127 of Fall
“Maybe Evie impregnated him with a clutch,” Micah chimes, trying to lighten the rapidly darkening energy in the room.
For a moment, everyone in the kitchen looks at him like he’s lost his mind.
Micah shrugs. “What? I read it in a book somewhere about a dude who impregnated the other dude, but—”
“Grow up,” Elijah sneers, titling his head.
Caleb walks to Elijah, placing a hand on his shoulder. “What’s wrong, Eli?”
Elijah grips the strap of his duffel bag and clenches his jaw. “Look, you guys are happy. I’m happy for you. But I’m not up for all of this,” he says and finally lifts his eyes to mine. “She stays, I go.”
“Don’t make us choose, Eli,” Micah pleads in the background.
“Excuse me,” I say in shock. “What the fuck is your problem now?”
His steel-gray eyes bore into me, swirling with…pain?He slowly closes his eyes, and when they open again, they’re almost black. He looks at Caleb with a cold indifference.
“I can’t do this. I’m gonna go away for a while. Take care of yourselves.”
“Elijah,” I shout, but he refuses to look at me again.
He turns on his heels and walks out of the room. Caleb’s shoulders sag as he walks back to the breakfast table.
The room is silent. Both of Taylor’s eyebrows rise in shock as his eyes jump from Micah to Caleb to me. Micah squishes his eyebrows in concentration, and Caleb just stares at the empty doorway.
Something doesn’t feel right.
“No,” I say out loud, slamming the coffee mug on the counter, and storm out of the kitchen.
“Evelyn, let him go,” Caleb shouts after me, but I ignore him.
I grab a coat, slip on my boots, and let the front door slam behind me as I run out. The hallway is empty, so I run to the elevator and rapidly press the button as if that will make it move faster.
After about a minute, my impatience gets the best of me, and I run to the emergency exit. I can faintly hear Micah yell down the hall, but I keep going. I push the entrance doors open, and I’m instantly assaulted by cold wind as I race through the parking lot.
“Elijah,” I shout at the man in front of me. “Talk to me!”
“Go back inside, Evelyn,” he yells back, pausing his steps, but refusing to turn around.
Bracing the cold, I run towards him and grab his elbow, forcing him to face my direction.
“You don’t get to leave them.” I pause, trying to catch my breath and whisper, “You don’t get to leave me.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” he scoffs, pushing my hand off his arm.
Hurriedly, I move in front of him, blocking his way. Freezing rain starts to fall from the sky. Behind him, Micah, Caleb, Taylor, and Celeste walk out of the hotel and stand under the awning, watching us. My feet step closer to him as I grab his shirt, pulling his face to mine.
“You owe me.”
He closes his eyes, grips my wrist, pulling it from his shirt. “You don’t understand, Evelyn. I’m doing thisforyou.”
My eyebrows press together in confusion. “I didn’t ask you to leave.”
He opens his eyes slowly, and I see unshed tears pooling in them. “You should,” he whispers. “You all should.”
Lifting both of my hands, I angrily push against his chest. I don’t understand what’s happening right now, but I can feel anxiety crawling up my spine.
“You don’t get to just use me and spit me out,” I rush, continuing to slap against his chest. The fact that he’s just standing, bracing for each hit, is starting to scare me.