she's mine.

84

"Please don't ever do that again," his lips were soft on my temple, and even though he said please his tone was authoritative in a way that I knew he wasn't asking.

I nodded.

"I won't," I told him firmly as we began to walk, his arm wrapped around my shoulders and mine around his waist.

"Why did you?" he asked again in a more calm voice than he had the first time. "Why would you go to him?"

I sighed. "I didn't plan to- he literally pulled into the parking lot right after I opened the second picture and was the first familiar face I saw," I glanced up at Eli to catch him nod as he stared forward, letting my words roll through his mind.

"And why didn't you come to me after the first picture?" his voice was strained, the only inclination that he would allow to surface and let me know he was still hurt, even after the sorries.

I looked down when we stopped in front of the doors to get inside the arena. "I know it's no excuse and I am not putting this on you in any way, but you just seemed so.. distant lately. Like you are worried about something, but you wouldn't let me close enough to know what it is," I kept my eyes down, not wanting to look up into his soft brown hurt ones. "The past few days have been moments of pure bliss clouded by confusion and fear of what is actually going on in that head of yours," I looked up to see him watching me carefully, making sure I was unable to read his features.

"When I saw you this morning, and you finally looked happy, I didn't want to take that away," I sighed and looked away.

Eli lifted his hand to take my chin between his fingers and lift my face to his. "You are quite possibly the most aggravating girl I have ever met," his voice was a low thrum that softened the blow of his words. "I have been stressed, and I told you why," his tone somehow seemed to come out soft and harsh all at once. I could tell he was trying to control his temper causing his sweet voice to show, but I also saw heard how irritated he was behind it all.

He was right, even when he didn't want to, he told me about Rock coming after him. He was honest and up front even when it was hard. His transparency, though I can see how difficult, is unmatched. How could I have ever questioned if he was hiding something from me. He told me exactly why he was stressed, yet I went ahead and let myself overthink the way I do and questioned him.

"I know," I sighed. "I am sorry, I don't know how I could ever question you. All you have ever been is honest with me, even when I can see how hard it is for you," I smiled up at him, but his eyes left mine. He looked elsewhere for a moment, his features unreadable.

"Let's just not let anything like this happen again," he said. "No more running to my friends for help," he clarified. I laughed which finally got his eyes back to mine.

"Yes sir," I smiled to lighten the mood. He shook his head and glared at me, but I could see the small smirk at the corner of his mouth when he took my hand and led me into the arena.

It was large and full of more people than I had ever seen before in my life. I had never been to a concert or any sort of gathering with this amount of people, so when I stepped into the small aisle and looked around, my breath hitched.

I felt Eli watching me when I stopped to take in the scene before me. It was amazing, terrifying, and amazing twisted into a surreal feeling. I looked down toward the lights in the center of the building. The octagon was a Heavenly facade with the lights shining down illuminating the white mat surrounded by a cage. I wondered if it was glimpse Heaven or Hell. When I looked closer to see the blood staining the center of the white mat, I didn't question it any further. Hell. This was what my father had warned me about. The world masking the most painful experiences in life in a beautiful lace to convince you that there was nothing in the world that you wanted more. A rose that was so achingly pretty it may even cause your knees to be weak, tempting you, waiting for you to get closer just to make you bleed.