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Ella's eyes began to flutter open as the excruciating pounding in her head increased with her movement. She hissed in pain as she lifted herself off the surface she was laying down on. Opening her eyes completely Ella looked around confused. She didn't recognize this place. It certainly wasn't her house and it didn't look like Doris and Giovanni's home.
Panic quickly set in as she realized that this place was foreign to her. Her breathing picked up as she frantically looked around for a way out. A hand gently gripped onto Ella's shoulder as she spun around in an attempt to free herself. In doing so she fell off the couch she was previously on.
Chris ran over to her and helped her up before placing her back on the couch. Ella looked up at him and relief immediately set into her mind as she realized that she wasn't in some strangers home but in Chris' hotel room. "Ella you need to calm down okay? Breathe please" Chris told her as he handed her a glass of water. She grabbed it out of his hands and took a gulp of water, sighing as the cold beverage came into contact with her hoarse throat.
"How did I get here?" Ella questioned him as she set down the glass of water on the coffee table. Images of what happened only hours ago began to infiltrate Ella's mind as she sat back, grasping her head in her hands. "Oh my god" she let out in a broken whisper as realization hit her. Chris sighed before sitting down beside her. "You fell asleep after having a panic attack. You were hysterical according to your grandmother. She told me that you fell asleep in her arms on the hospital floor and she called me to come and get you. Now here we are" Chris informed her sadly. "Oh my god I'm so sorry. I never meant to intrude or bother you. It must be so late right now and you have work in a few hours". Guilt began to build inside Ella as she realized what she just caused. She felt weak. She felt pathetic. She felt like she made a bad impression on Chris knowing Doris had called him to come and get her when they barely knew each other.
"Ella! Stop it. You didn't intrude and you most certainly did not bother me. And work is the least of my worries right now. Do you know how worried I was when I got that call? My heart stopped" Chris explained as he recalled his conversation with Doris. He had just gone to bed when his phone rang, startling him and increasing his heart rate immensely. When Doris informed Chris about what had happened he didn't even hesitate to get out of bed and rush out of his hotel room.
"You were really that worried about me? You hardly know me-" Ella was quickly cut off by Chris before she could even finish her sentence. "-I've had some time to get to know you and one thing I'm certain of is that I want you in my life and I know that I care for you in a way that I've never cared about anyone else before. That, Ella Lombardi, is what I'm most certain about". Ella scooted closer to Chris and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders as a broken sob escaped her mouth. Her body shook in Chris' hold as his grip on her tightened, feeling the need to protect her. They stayed like that for hours but neither one of them cared enough to move.
***
Chris sauntered into the living room of his hotel room to be greeted with a spaced out Ella. She stared at the wall straight ahead of her, not blinking once. Her eyes however were bloodshot. Dried up tears stained her face, being the only evidence that the young girl had only just stopped crying. Chris shook his head before crouching down in front of her. With the pad of his thumb he whisked away the remnants of her tears and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
The warmth of his lips seemingly brought Ella back to reality as her gaze met his. She smiled at him, though her smile didn't reach her eyes. "How are you holding up beautiful?"
"Honestly, I could be better, but I know it'll take some time" Ella sniffled as she played with her fingers. Chris took hold of her hands and interlocked his own with hers. "I want you to know that I'm here for you, okay? I don't care where I am, what time it may be, if you ever need to text me, or call me, don't hesitate to do so okay? Promise me that, please" Chris pleaded with her as he stared into her eyes. She gave him a reassuring nod. "I promise. I just wanted to say thank you. For everything. It means more to me than you'll ever know and I'm forever grateful for you"
"Anything for you. Now how about we make some breakfast?" Chris smiled at her as he got up. Ella looked up at him, confused. "But it's only one in the morning-" Ella quickly stopped herself as she caught a glimpse at the clock on the hotel wall. It was nearing seven in the morning which startled Ella. Time seemed to have passed by much quicker than Ella anticipated and she knew that Chris would have to leave for work. As selfish as it sounded, Ella didn't want him to go. His company kept her sane and it brought her a sense of comfort and protection.
"Don't you have work today?" She asked Chris as he outstretched his hand to hoist her off the couch. "I called in sick. What kind of person would I be if I left you alone when you needed me the most?". Before Ella could interject Chris kissed her. He pulled away first as he looked down at a flabbergasted Ella. "Are you okay Ella?" Chris laughed as he looked at her facial expression. "Yeah—yeah. I just wasn't expecting that" she laughed to herself. The room grew silent for a few seconds before Ella's stomach decided to reprimand her for not feeding it. A light shade of pink flashed across Ella's cheeks as Chris laughed. She cursed to herself before following Chris into the little kitchenette that was set up in the hotel room.
"How does a peanut butter and jelly sandwich sound?" Chris asked her as he opened the nearly empty fridge. She shook her head, laughing, before speaking. "It's my favorite!". "Good, because that's all we have right now" Chris placed a kiss on her cheek before placing his undivided attention on the food in front of him. Ella watched in admiration as he so graciously made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Never had she thought that someone could make such a simple action seem so attractive. His large muscles flexed as he reached over to grab the peanut butter, causing Ella to almost slip off the chair she was sitting in. "You know it's not nice to stare" Chris said suddenly.
"I'm not staring, I'm simply admiring"
"You keep telling yourself that Ella bear". Ella's nose scrunched up at the sound of that nickname but let it slide because she liked the way it sounded when Chris said it. "Did you just call me Ella bear?"
"Yes I did, Ella bear. Is there a problem with that?" He teased her as he placed her breakfast in front of her. "Not at all, Christopher". Chris raised his eyebrows at her before letting out a laugh. "Don't call me Christopher, please" he pleaded, making a puppy dog face. Ella laughed at him before thinking of another nickname to give him. "Fine, biceps" Ella retorted, sticking her tongue out at Chris. He turned around, giving her the cutest facial expression. "Did you just call me biceps?"
"Yes, yes I did" Ella admitted proudly. Chris shook his head at the petite girl before taking a bite of his toast. "Why?" he laughed. "Have you seen your arms? You can crack walnuts with those biceps"
"Ella Lombardi you are one special girl" Chris commented as Ella let out a small laugh. Chris mentally applauded himself for being able to make Ella feel somewhat better considering what had happened only hours ago. He disliked seeing Ella in any sort of pain and it physically hurt him to see her so broken. He knew that he'd never want to see her like that again, because to him, Ella deserved to smile and laugh. She deserved far more than what she thought she did. And Chris vowed right then and there that he'd do anything he possibly could to show Ella just how important she was and just how much she mattered.
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Thank you so much for 600 reads!! That's insane! This story is growing so fast and it makes me so happy that my work is getting recognition and that my hard work is getting noticed. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I love you all so much ♥️ ~ Sabrina
