Chapter Sixteen
Zarik
I sensed her before I ever saw her. As I walked toward the front door of my building, I stopped and turned. Sitting on a bench across the street was Ella. I could tell by the look on her face that things with Jacob had gone badly.
Checking the traffic, I darted across the street and sat down on the bench next to her. She looked up at me and offered me a weak smile. Her eyes were red and puffy and I could tell that she'd been crying.
“That bad, huh?” I asked softly.
“Worse than I imagined,” she said.
I took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. It was then that I noticed the bag sitting on the ground next to the bench. She'd either taken off or Jacob had kicked her out – which told me that she'd told him about me.
“You know that you're welcome to stay with me as long as you'd like,” I said.
She gave me a grateful smile and I could see a little bit of the tension drain out of her face. Only a little, but it was a start. Honestly, I enjoyed spending time with Ella. Having her around all the time actually sounded – nice.
I was terrible when it came to relationships and had a hard time opening up to people, but Ella made it easy for me. She made me want to open up. Or at least, open up to her. My life was crazy and unpredictable, but Ella understood that. She lived that life too. And she got me in a way nobody else – human or Dragonborn – ever had.
I knew it was too early in our burgeoning relationship to think about the future yet, but I couldn't seem to stop myself. The idea of having her by my side, of coming home to her, was more appealing to me than – almost anything.
But I had no idea what she was thinking or how she felt about me. I knew that she cared for me. Enjoyed being around me. But as far as her thoughts on a relationship or a future together, I didn't have the first clue.
“Thank you,” she said. “I'm sorry to wind up on your doorstep like this.”
“Don't be,” I said. “I'm glad you felt that you could come here. And to be honest, I can't think of anybody else I'd rather spend my time with.”
Her smile was genuine, but one filled with sadness as well. I couldn't pretend to know what she was feeling, but I knew how much she cared for Jacob. I had to imagine that having things go so wrong with him had left a hole in her.
I stood up and pulled Ella to her feet. She looked up at me as I wrapped her in a warm embrace, holding her tightly.
“I know that things are hard on you right now,” I said softly. “And I wish I could take all of your pain away. But I want you to know that we're going to figure everything out. Together. I'm going to do everything in my power to help put a smile back on your face.”
She clung to me tightly and her body shook as she buried her face in my chest and cried. I let her cry until she was done and ready to look up at me again.
“I'm sorry I'm such a mess,” she said.
“Don't be,” I replied. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
Holding on to her hand, we walked across the street and into my building. The ride on the elevator up was quiet, but when we stepped through the doors, Ella whistled.
“I figured your place was nice,” she said. “I just didn't know how nice.”
I looked around the place and shrugged. I'd never given much thought to how nice my place was. It was a place I came to rest when I was in LA.
“It keeps me off the street,” I said.
“Yeah, I can see that.”
We walked down a few steps from the foyer into the living room. I dropped her bag on the couch and watched her walk over to the large, plate glass windows that overlooked the city. Truth be told, the thing I enjoyed about the place the most was the view. There was something about sitting out on the deck at night, looking at the lights of Los Angeles that was somehow soothing for me. It was a beautiful sight and rarely failed to relax me.
“Come,” I said, “let me show you to your room.”
Ella gave me a smile and walked beside me as I took her down the short hallway toward the bedrooms. Mine was at the end of the hall, but I stopped about midway down the corridor and opened the door. Honestly, I'd hoped that she would stay in my room with me, but I wasn't going to put that kind of pressure on her. I didn't want to put any pressure on her. I just wanted her to relax and get her bearings again. The sooner we could turn her world back on its right axis, the better.
“You're welcome to stay here,” I said. “This room is all yours.”
She gave me a grateful smile and squeezed my hand. “Thank you,” she said. “For everything.”
“You're very welcome,” I said. “Truth be told, I'll be glad to have your company.”
She looked at me and then into the room. “Would you mind if I took a nap?” she asked.
“Of course not,” I replied. “This is your home now. For as long as you wish. Feel free to do anything you want.”
She walked into the room and looked around, her eyes wide with wonder. I grasped the doorknob.
“I'll wake you up for dinner,” I said. “Maybe we can order Chinese or something?”
“That sounds wonderful,” she said. “Thank you.”
I nodded and closed the door softly behind me.