Solace (completed)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Part 3 of a triple update, I've edged yall for long enough so here's the moment you've all been waiting for....
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Elias Salazar

   She started crying.

At first I couldn't tell if it was from happiness or anger but as she sobbed into my shirt and said thank you multiple times, the answer became obvious.

I had asked her what the tears were for and she said she didn't know if this was all a joke or not. Meaning she didn't know if I was messing with her or I was being serious.

   After pulling out all the books with the multi-colored tabs she picked out, she started to whimper even more and I chuckled a bit before pulling her into my chest.

   She cried a bit more before she wrapped her arms around me and thanked me with a big hug.

   The way she clung to my body and her sobs dialed down to soft sniffles, gahhh it made my heart melt. I felt a bit bad for liking how she clung to me as she cried, but I'll keep that to myself.

   After I wiped her tears and fixed her up a bit by making her laugh, I asked her to get in the car to start phase 2 of 4 of her birthday.

   I don't know where my girl found the strength to carry the bag filled with 14 different books but she didn't. She carried them to the passenger seat and refused to let them out of her sight. We've been driving for at least three minutes already and she keeps staring at the bag, picking out a book and smoothing her hand over the cover as if she can't believe this is real.

My right hand settled itself on her inner thigh a long time ago and I've been rubbing circles on it with my thumb ever since. I squeeze her thigh a little to get her attention. "What're we thinkin', baby?"

She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and shakes her head disbelievingly. "Elias, how much money was this?" She breathes and out the corner of my eye I can see her looking at me expectedly.

Welp, she's never finding that out.

I kiss my teeth, "Sorry, sweet cheeks. That's classified information," I shoot her a wink which is code for please drop it.

Apparently that didn't go over too good, "Oh god, that much?!"

Mayyyybe?

"Have I told you how fucking fabulous you look? I don't think I did." Sweet talk, always works on the ladies.

"Elias, how much was this?" Okay, so apparently not on this lady.

   Okay, be cool. Just lie. "Honestly, sweet cheeks, it didn't cost that much—"

   "That's bullshit because Mariana Zapata books are like twenty bucks each and there's all ten of them in here." She snaps. "Plus the other four and the tabs, how much was it?"

   "Why do you wanna know? Hm?" I flip the conversation onto her, already having a feeling as to what she's gonna say next.

   "So I can pay back—" What did I tell you?