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Chapter Thirty · Four

Julian

I sat there, slowly, watching all the color drain from her face and still, with a hand over her mouth, she tosses her phone down, then jumps up from her seat. Her other hand clutched onto her stomach, and with that, she took off, running straight to her kitchen. Only a few seconds after, I could hear loud, retching sounds escaping from there. Was she... vomiting?

I got up from my seat, intending to check on her, but I couldn't help the strong urge to take a look through her messages. I know I shouldn't. It's wrong and I can't invade her privacy like that. On the other hand, it's just a small peak and she won't even know about it. I picked up her phone that was left open and before I started; I took a quick peek around the corner, making sure she wasn't coming. When I felt I was in the clear, I took a look, scrolling through her conversation she shared with her friend Becca. There was a recent news article that she sent to Eliza, dated back on 4/13/2021, which falls on a Friday. Its caption read, "A Dead man's body wrapped in a trash bag was found on the Santa Monica beach." I scrolled down further and stopped when my eyes landed on a photo. Instantly, I froze, feeling my blood run cold as I stood there, staring in horror at the sight of Eric's swelled up, dead body. Oh, shit. This was not good. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Out of all the things that could happen, this couldn't be happening right now. There was only one question I had in mind at this very moment and that was, "What was I going to do?" I thought I was taking a safer route, but I was wrong. Very wrong. His death was now public. I guess the good news is they haven't put a name to the body, not that it matters because there are people out there like Becca, Eliza, and anyone else who may know him already have. If either one of them identifies him to the police, it'll be just a matter of time before they start looking for potential suspects and anyone close associated with them. I cannot become a suspect, not with all the shit I have on me already, and the last thing I needed was for them to discover it. So in the meantime, I had to make sure Eliza stayed away from the police until this all dies down. I should probably keep tabs on her friend Becca, too, and figure out if she really is just that or somehow further involved.

I exhaled. I was relieved to have some sort of plan, but now I had to be careful of my words and actions. I heard footsteps approaching and acted fast, putting her phone back to how she left it. Eliza returned to the living room, still pale-faced, shock written all over it. I focused back on her as she took a seat. "He's gone... Eric," she says softly. I came up and sat beside her, then wrapped my arms around her and held her close to me. She laid her head on my chest and I gave a peck on her forehead. "I'm sorry. Is there anything you want to do?" I asked, but she shook her head, no. "I... I don't feel like doing much of anything right now. Seeing him like that has me feeling so... unsettled." I nodded my head, even though she couldn't see me. "It's fine," especially now that he's out of the way. My brain finished for me. "We can just stay like this. I don't mind." I told her and we did. For the rest of the night, I held her in my arms, comforting her until we fell asleep.

The next morning, I awoke to smelling a delicious aroma, something along the lines of bacon. I adjusted my eyes to the brightness of the living room. I sat up from the couch, stretching my body and yawning, before I got up and headed to the kitchen where Eliza was. I walked in and saw her all dressed up, nothing too fancy, but she still looked beautiful. A simple knit sweater and dark denim jeans. Her hair in its natural loose waves hung down her back. I came up behind her and slithered my arms around her waist, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek as she flipped the bacon over in the frying pan. Above it was a skillet of freshly made, fluffed scrambled eggs. "This looks great." I said with a smile. "Not bad for someone who says they can't cook." I teased, and she shrugged, then smiled. "Well, I can't be a total loss cause," she said. "So, how did you sleep?"

I hummed before giving a response. "As good as anyone can on a sofa." I answered. She twisted the knob on the stove, turning it off, then turned to me. She sighed. "Yeah... I'm sorry about that." She said, and I shrugged. "It's no big deal. I've slept in worse places. How are you feeling?" I asked. "I... I guess... I'm okay, for the most part. I keep telling myself he wasn't a good person. I mean, he had this hold on me and now I'm free of him. Just still in shock, really, but I'm holding it together. I have to anyway. I have work." She answered. I gave a small nod. "So that explains why you're dressed. Are you sure it's the best thing for you to attend work right now?"  

"Probably not, but it's not like I have a choice. I have college debts that need to be paid," she says, sighing again. I made our plates and brought them to the dining table, prior to pulling out a seat for Eliza, which she appreciated, sitting down in her chair and scooting herself up to the table. I sat down in the seat nearby her, and together, we began eating breakfast.

We sat in silence as we ate, only the sounds of silverware clinging to our plates. I looked up from my plate, catching Eliza's eyes on me. I smiled at her and she returned a small one before making a slight frown and dropping her fork onto her plate. "Hey, can I ask you something?" While still eating my food, I nodded in response as I eyed her curiously. "How come you don't say much about your parents or family? I've said so much about me, but there's not much of you. Why is that?" Eliza quizzed. Damn, I knew this was coming. I swallowed my food and after hesitating, I then answered, "I don't like talking about my family... They're not the kind of people you'd want to know about." She furrowed her brows at me. "What if I do?" She questions. "I... I don't think it's the best time to be talking about me... right now." I told her. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about my family. She would only see the mess I'd become because of them. Her face fell with disappointment. "Oh, okay. We don't have to," she said. "Look, I... promise I'll open up more about me. I just need some time, okay?"

She nodded and shot me a warm smile in response, which melted my heart. We finished eating, and I picked up the napkin from the side of my plate, wiping my mouth and hands. Afterwards, I stood up, then leaned over and grabbed her plate, stacking it on top of mine before heading to the kitchen. I washed up the little mess of dishes from our breakfast and as I did; I heard Eliza come into the kitchen and open the fridge. When I was finished, I turned to her, leaning back on the edge of the sink. I watched her pour herself some orange juice into a glass, bringing it to her lips and taking a sip of it. Suddenly, I remembered she had somewhere to be, and so did I. "What time do you have to be at work?" I inquired. "Nine-thirty. What's the time now?" she asks. Just then, I reached into my back pocket, and pulled out my cellphone, hitting the power button. When my screen turned on, I saw that it was currently nine-twelve on the clock.

"We should get going. You only have eighteen minutes before your shift starts." I told her. "Shit–wait, hold on, we?" She gave me a questioning look. "Yeah–well, I just thought I'd be taking you to work, you know, since you're my girlfriend now and... I'm already here." I said. "Oh–um, no... no, that's fine. I mean, if you want to do it, then you can. We just... didn't... establish anything, so I didn't know and I didn't want to assume anything." Eliza said in one breath before releasing it. I smiled at her. She's so cute. I walked over to her. She sat the cup on the counter and I cupped her face in my hands, and said, "It's okay, just relax." I soothed, and she sighed deeply. "Sorry, my mind is just all over the place right now." She explained. I responded by wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into my chest. "You're not alone in this. Whatever you need, I'm here for you. Just let me be there," I tell her. "Now let's get you to work." She nodded her head. "Okay,"

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Congratulations! A lot of you were right about what Eliza saw.

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