Brighter Than The Stars: Book One

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝓌𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓎: 𝒫𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓈𝑒𝓈, 𝒫𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒾𝓈𝑒𝓈

Madeline used the key he'd dropped off around noon to let herself into his apartment, doing her best not to tip over with the two bags clutched in her left hand, with the backpack slipping off her shoulder. Once the door was open, she dropped all the bags next to the line of shoes.

It felt like a completely different apartment than the one she'd visited the morning before. His main furniture was still the same, but her mom had organized throw blankets and pillows on the couch and loveseat, hung a few pieces of artwork on the wall, and plants on each end table. They replaced his thrift shop lamps with stained glass ones, brightening up the space in more ways than one. There was a multi-mirror display on the wall beside the front door, with a long table added next to the line of shoes.

Though her parents hadn't been in town long, her mom seemed to work her best on a tight schedule. "Feels like an actual home in here," Madeline told him, hearing him busy in the kitchen.

Madeline followed his laugh into the next room and saw him hunched over a frying pan on the stove.

The kitchen had small upgrades made throughout. There was a multi-tiered hanging basket dangling from the ceiling, filled with many fresh fruits and vegetables. Her mom had added a small bistro table in the corner, so as not to take up too much space, while still giving them a place to eat besides the living room. There was a new spice rack next to a new coffee machine.

"I like it," Elijah admitted freely. "It's simple, but has personality."

He seemed so carefree that Madeline almost didn't bring it up, but the thoughts Eva had shared with her an hour earlier had been weighing heavily on her mind ever since.

"My parents are gone, right?" She double checked. Madeline didn't want her parents around for this conversation.

"They are," he confirmed. "Hit the road about an hour ago. Did you get your homework all done?"

She ignored the question. "I need you to make me a promise."

He turned at her words. "Anything, M&M."

"Don't leave again," Madeline begged. "Or if you leave, at least give me some warning."

Elijah's eyes narrowed on her, where the rest of his body seemed to slump. "What the hell is this about?"

Madeline licked her lips as she shook her head, suddenly feeling ridiculous for even bringing it up. "Eva. She's worried about me. She thinks all you know how to do is leave, and you have trouble letting people, and putting down roots. We're different. That's what I keep telling myself. But what if I'm not? What if I'm not enough to stick around for? What if I scare you off by asking for more than you're willing to give?"

Elijah turned the burner off, then stalked over to her, cupping Madeline's face in his large hands, his thumbs wiping away the tears she hadn't realized she'd been crying. "You can ask anything of me, and I'd give it in a second. I've never put down roots because I was ready to go after something, not because I was running away from something else.

"Look around this place, Maddie. Your mom wanted to make this place look like someone lives here. She wanted to turn it into a home for me, and I didn't argue about it because, for once in my life, I want this city to be my home. I want more than what can just fit in the back of my truck. Letting her do whatever she wanted to this place was my way of telling you I'm here, and I'm staying.

Elijah let out a huff, then pulled her against his chest. "You're already changing how I live my life, M&M. This apartment, sharing a bed, opening myself up. If you want that promise, you have it. I will never leave you again." Elijah pulled her away so he could look her in the eyes once again. "Did you finish your homework?"

Unable to trust her voice, Madeline nodded her response.

"Good. Go pick out a movie for us to watch while I finish dinner," he told her. "I've been waiting to do normal shit with you all weekend. Are we good here?"

Madeline nodded once again, this time answering him aloud as well. "We're good. Sorry about my freak out."

Elijah pressed a kiss against her forehead, allowing it to linger far longer than she expected, which reminded her of Eva's words to her. "Like I said, I trust you completely, Maddie. But I'm also the one who disappeared from your life, so I get why I need to earn your trust. But I promise you, I will."

It was so easy for doubt to be cast in Madeline's mind when she still felt like he wasn't hers to keep. While she'd never stopped missing him, she'd lost hope long ago. It didn't help to have Eva's words of 'he may not stay' or Marty's words of 'he doesn't give a shit about you, whispering in the back of her mind.

Since Elijah was already back in front of the stove, Madeline grabbed one of her bags from the floor of the living and made her way down the short hallways to get to his bedroom to change into her pajamas. It was only seven, but the best part of her day was changing into lounging clothes.

Except when she got there, Madeline noticed two drawers wide open in the dresser, completely empty. Glancing over at his open closet, same thing. His clothes were all pushed to one side, with a series of empty hangers on the other. Elijah had cleared a space for her. Now she was feeling like an asshole for even bringing it up. There she was in tears in his kitchen, admitting her worry of being temporary in his life, when he'd already made space for her in it.

"There's a washer and dryer in the hall closet," Elijah told her from the doorway. "I thought it would be easier for you to keep clothes here, so you wouldn't be packing and unpacking all the time."

Madeline swiped away the tears on her cheek. "I swear, I'm not usually this much of a crybaby."

The smallest smile took over his face. "It's okay, so long as they're happy tears."

"Half of them are," she told him. "The other half are 'I'm an asshole' tears. They're mixed in on each side."

Elijah's smile grew as he pushed his black-framed glasses up, then crossed his arms in front of him. "You aren't an asshole, Maddie. You're scared of losing me again, and I get that. I don't exactly have the best track record, and I've admitted that much to you.

"I've hurt people in the past. Some on purpose, some on accident. I'm going to be difficult sometimes. I've got issues, which I'll try my best to open up to you about, but I'm not used to doing that to the extent you deserve, so it'll take time and patience. And there's also a fair chance I'll try to push you away in some failed attempt to protect you from my shit, but when that happens, just stand your ground."

"I will," Madeline promised.

There was little she could do if he disappeared, but if he tried pushing her away, there was no universe in existence where that would work. As she'd told him before, Madeline didn't need the perfect version of him. She was ready to do her part of being his light through any darkness that dared haunt him, and be the calm that helped ease the anger.

Elijah gave her a short nod, then turned out of the room. "Dinner should be ready in ten minutes."