Chapter 43 – Elijah
43
ELIJAH
I n the living room, Niko was settled on the sofa, clad in his suit. We had a lot on our plate and couldn’t afford any delays.
The morning light poured through the windows, creating a soft glow on Zanae’s face. She looked stunning, sitting there and gazing out at the sky, almost ethereal.
I took a sip of my coffee and glanced over at Niko. “You practically live here, Niko. Why don’t you just move in?” I teased.
Niko chuckled. “Oh, I can’t be depriving you of your privacy, Elijah. What if one day I accidentally see something I shouldn’t?”
I let out a small laugh, but looked back at my love who didn’t laugh. Zanae, lost in her thoughts, seemed distant, elsewhere.
She has had horrible nightmares since that night, waking up screaming ‘my fault’ every time. She had experienced them before, but the ones she was having now were more intense, more violent.
Yesterday was the worst.
She had cried and screamed so hard that I thought she would never wake up. I had to kiss her, give her back her own breath and I was so scared.
She was staring out the window, lost in the cityscape, and there was a look on her face as if she was searching for something beyond the boundaries of the city, beyond the sky.
Nikolai put his hand on her arm, gently pulling her back to us. “Hey, Little Z, we have something important to do today. If you need anything, call us, no hesitation. Are you going to be okay?”
Zanae managed a small smile. “Yeah, go ahead. I’ll be fine here.”
I leaned in closer to her and kissed her softly. “Don’t get lost in your thoughts for too long, Milaya . I don’t like seeing you alone in there.”
She returned the kiss and waved goodbye as Nikolai, and I stepped into the elevator. We’ll have to talk about it when I get back.
I saw it in her eyes – they turned cold.
She was here physically but emotionally distant.