Don't Let Them In (Part 2)

(End of Part 1)

Against my better judgment, I let Elijah in. He convinced me that he wasn't one of them, that he wasn't going to hurt me, that he was kind and trustworthy. Something about his demeanor pulled me in, my wariness settled down. I felt safe with him. I finally let myself go after being so cautious all these years. Never letting anybody in. I just hope that I won't regret this decision in the near future…

~

It's been 2 weeks since I first saw Elijah and his captivating blue eyes. Not only did I let him in on his first day here but he’s come over every day since. My decisions have been nothing close to judicious, initially letting him in and now letting him sleepover, I might as well have lost my mind. Turns out he’s a good cook, though. I like that about him because the only thing I can do is boil water and burn unseasoned scrambled eggs. This is the best I’ve eaten in months. The best conversations I've had too. Up until now I’d been holed up for 3 years, ever since Bethany's, my sister, death.

My current job as a waitress doesn’t pay very well, although, I get decent tips. I talked to Elijah about my situation, and he offered me a job at his office. Apparently, he was assigned to the spot just above the manager but below the CEO, I think he's a COO, but don't quote me on it. I’ve always wondered how the government assigned the jobs. So I asked Elijah, but he said that they don’t get very much info besides the basics; their name, birthday, and job.

I wonder, do they ever get assigned a love interest? Or a family? So many questions, and yet, close to no answers.

It’s my first day on the job, turns out I’m Elijah’s secretary, or something similar to one. I take calls, file paperwork, and set up appointments. It’s not the most exciting but it's a desk job, what did I expect? Nonetheless, I enjoy being around him. He makes me feel safe and- Interrupting my thoughts, as if he knew I was thinking about him, Elijah asks, “So, Laura, how’s your first day going?” So simple yet so charming, each word spaced out perfectly. I respond, an awkward amount of time later, “It’s going good”. Met with “Oh, uh, thank you. Again. I really appreciate it”. I don’t know what it is about him, but he makes me dumbstruck. He gives me a hearty chuckle, coming deep down from his gut, and says, “I see… And you’re welcome. Again. Maybe you’ll eat lunch with me to show me how appreciative you really are”. Followed by a wink and then he walks away, not waiting for my response because my eyes (and my heart) already told him yes. Could I be any more obvious?! I was basically drooling.

~

"Do you like chicken salad? I made some sandwiches."

"Yes, thank you," I responded, for once he seems almost nervous. The whole picnic feels like a date you'd see in a cheesy rom-com. Even if he's not nervous, I am, but I'm keeping my cool.

"How about a little sparkling water, or is that doing too much?" His voice wobbling, seeming to rethink his words.

"Sparkling water is perfect, thank you," I've never seen him so unsure of himself. I like it.

"You don't have to keep thanking me, you know. It's my pleasure," He stated smoothly as he served me and then himself, now back to being "large and in charge".

I looked at him, maybe a little too long not to have an underlying meaning. He looks at me and it feels like he's staring into my soul. He crawls closer towards me, and sits, our knees almost touching. He leans in, our bodies 3 inches away from each other. And yet, he gets closer still... He reaches behind me and grabs the napkins out of the basket. I blush, feeling embarrassed for thinking he was going to kiss me. I don't even know how I would react to something like that, especially at our workplace. I'm glad it didn't happen, but part of me hoped that he would.

"You feeling alright?" He asks, startling me.

"Yep! It's just a little hot out."

"It's 50 degrees and cloudy. I wouldn't call that hot. Maybe you have a fever." He rests the back of his hand on my forehead, testing my temperature. "Wow! Do you run cold, because you're freezing."

"I guess you could say that, I'm always cold. I don't know why I said I was hot, I meant cold," Stumbling over my words, I blush again.

"Ah, I see."

The awkward silence and tension building, I take a pull of my sparkling water.

"You look pretty today," Elijah tells me, breaking the silence. The compliment catches me off guard and I choke on the awfully bubbly beverage.

I get myself together, say thank you, and start laughing until I can't breathe. I can see the hardness in his eyes soften, letting down his guard before joining in on the laughter.

"You're laughter is contagious, that's one reason I like you."

"Thanks. You're hardworking, and you can cook, that's why I like you."

"Wow, so you like me for my cooking, I see how it is."

I giggle, "No! It's not like that, just one of your many eminent qualities."

"If you say so!" He proclaims, throwing his hands up and grinning.

~

The time flew and before we knew it lunch was over, and we had to get back to work. The flirting would have to wait.

~

Elijah left the office before I did, heading off to my apartment. I was stuck at work for maybe another 45 minutes.

~

I head home, it only takes me 5 minutes to get back; a 4 minute drive and a 1 minute walk to my front door. I go to unlock my door, the key slides in and the lock clicks. I stroll in to see Elijah rummaging through my sock drawer. He has yet to look up, not registering my presence.

"Hey..." I say slowly, not wanting to startle him.

"Oh! Laura! You're home!" He jumps, and has the eyes of a mischievous 5-year-old.

"Yep. So, Elijah... Whatcha doin'?" I murmur, dragging out my words.

"Oh, uh, well, you know, just, yeah." He mutters, never quite reaching an answer.

"Well, do you need some more socks or are you looking for something else?"

"I-, uh, socks, good, no, me, I'm."

"I'm just going to assume that you meant that you didn't need any. Now if you could step away from the socks, that'd be great, thanks."

"Yeah, sorry." Elijah said remorsefully and blushed in embarrassment, backing away with a pair in each hand.

"Holding 'em for safe keeping?" I ask, now more amused than anything.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me..." He trails off and tosses the socks back into my drawer, and walks backwards to my desk to finish up some paperwork.

~

We had continued the rest of our evening like nothing happened. That is, until I woke up from a sound of rummaging in the kitchen.

I shot up out of bed, throwing on my bunny slippers, and running out of my bedroom.

In the kitchen I find Elijah, once again searching threw my belongings. I creep up behind him, trying not to make any noise. "Aha! Found it!" He proclaimed in a loud whisper. I walked back behind the wall and began to walk back towards the kitchen as if I had just gotten up.

"Hey, Elijah. Couldn't sleep?" I managed in my best groggy voice.

"Oh. Hey. Yeah just wanted a glass of water."

"Oh ok. Could you grab me one as well?"

"Sure." He said and grabbed two glasses out of the top right cupboard.

"How long have you been up?"

"Eh, maybe ten minutes." He muttered, handing me my water.

"Mm. What have you been up to?" I asked curiously.

"Just sitting. Thinking."

I said ok and dropped the subtle interrogation and headed back to bed. Another suspicious encounter to tally. Another discovery making me more cautious.

~

At work I was filing paperwork when I came across something that needed Elijah's signature so I headed over to his office. I stopped outside his door and was about to knock when I heard that he was on the phone. I put my ear to the door to hear his conversation clearer.

"Yes, I found what we were looking for. The plan worked out perfectly. I have her wrapped around my little finger. Funny isn't it, how we got into the heart of her sister and now history is repeating itself? I'll report back soon, just let me drag it along for a little while longer."

I was in shock, he betrayed me. I knew I shouldn't have let him in. Now it was my time to barge in.

I open his office door. "Hey, Elijah," I begin, "I need you to sign this." And I walk into his office, restarting our story.