Page 47 of Twisted Throne
I stopped pacing long enough to catch my breath, hoping my heart would slow down just a little. “Sorry, I’m just…”
“Worried about Paul! I knew it!” Lucy exclaimed.
“Yeah, I am,” I answered her.
My mind was racing with thoughts of everything that could possibly go wrong tonight. What if he got shot? Or got caught up in one of the explosions?
“God, Elena,” I said, stopping to look at her. “How do you do this all of the time and not go batshit crazy?”
“What?” Her head snapped up, cheeks going pale. She’d been just as lost in her thoughts as I was.
“How can you not worry about Alec twenty-four seven?” I asked her. “Anything could happen!”
A wan smile crossed her face as she looked up at where I stood.
“Oh, well, I guess it’s just something that you get used to,” she replied. “After a while you don’t really even think about it anymore.”
The pallor of her skin and the worry in her eyes told an altogether different story. Her hands twitched, birdlike, in her lap. Her thumbs rubbed back and forth against each other, her hands clasped firmly together. She noticed me staring and stopped, blushing slightly.
“Everything will work out just fine, I promise,” she told me. Maybe she was trying to sound upbeat, but she missed the mark entirely.
“Are you sure you’re not preggo or something?” Lucy piped up.
Elena whipped her head towards the teenager. If looks could kill, Lucy would have immediately keeled over under her glare.
“I already told you I’m fine!” she snapped. “And definitely not pregnant!”
Lucy was utterly unfazed under Elena’s scrutiny.
“Just checking,” she said calmly. “You’ve been an even bigger bitch than usually lately and you look like you’re going to hurl any minute now.”
Elena glared at her another moment, then huffed and stood up suddenly.
“I’m going to bed. I suggest you all do the same,” she said as she turned toward the door. “I’m sure the boys won’t be back for quite some time. These things take time. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Lucy and I watched her leave, then looked at each other.
“What’s up with her?” Lucy asked me.
“Well, you did just call her a bitch and tell her she looked like hell,” I said, laughing slightly.
“Yeah, but I always say shit like that,” Lucy said, frowning. “She usually tells me off, she doesn’t just walk away. It’s kinda our thing.”
Elena did seem sort of “off” today. Maybe she was more worried about Alec than she wanted to let on. Their relationship seemed strained, but maybe there was love tucked away underneath the layer of ice that seemed to surround their marriage.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” I replied. “And she’s right, we should get to bed too. It’s late.”
Lucy rolled her eyes so hard I was surprised they didn’t just fall out onto the floor, but hopped up and gave me a quick hug.
“Ugh, okay, fine,” she said. “We can hang out tomorrow though, right?”
“Absolutely,” I told her with a smile that dropped off my face the second the door closed.
Paul. Please, be okay.
***
I stayed up most of the night, too anxious to sleep. My ears pricked up at every car that passed by, every sound that echoed through the house. But Paul still hadn’t returned, and I couldn’t rest. I paced. I read. I rearranged the pillows until they felt like my own personal Lego set. I finally made myself get in bed, tossing and turning until I finally drifted off into a fitful, restless sleep.