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I shouldn’t. I’ve only known Elijah for two months, and even then, I don’t really know him. All I know is that he doesn’t judge me. He knows only what I’ve told him, and even then, doesn’t push me to do anything I don’t want to. I can’t blame him for not divulging much about his life if I only give him glimpses into mine. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, I do trust him.
Without speaking, I nod, giving him the okay to drag me with him toward the small boat.
Ten minutes later, we arrive at the edge of the yacht, which is definitely much larger than I expected. I’ve never been on a boat this large, not even the one my uncle and Eliza wed on was this luxurious.
“Elijah,” I whisper, afraid someone on the boat will hear us. “We can’t be here. We’re going to get caught.”
He had a pair of keys in his hand, but I know there is no way that he knows anyone that can own a boat like this. “Come on Stella. I got the keys. We’ll only be here for a bit. We won’t get caught. I know the owner is out of town and the staff has the afternoon off.”
I gaze skeptically at him, unsure he’s telling the truth. I mean how can a guy who lives down in Pleasant Hills, a guy who’s a member of a Motorcycle Club of outlaws, bring me to a yacht in the middle of the ocean, at the edge of one of the wealthiest beach towns around. “You mean they just coincidentally left the boat all alone out here on the ocean?”
He grins wide, one hundred percent aware I don’t believe a damn lie he’s telling. “Yeah, I never said rich people were smart.” He laughs, but I don’t join in. I’m still confused about why and how we are here. “Humor me Stella.”
I nod in agreement, following his lead, and taking his hand as he lifts me out of the small motorboat and onto the yacht. Once we board, I look around, exploring the luxurious vessel. It’s like an entire house on the water.
“Okay, so the owner of the yacht is out of town, and you somehow know someone on the staff, which is why you have the keys, and you surely threatened them using that snake on your jacket. But there’s still one thing I don’t understand. Why’d you bring me here?”
Elijah takes my hand in his, leading toward a sitting area at the end of the boat. “You once told me you used to dream of escaping this world you were born into. Every time, you’d find yourself sailing away on a boat out toward the horizon, never once looking back. Yet every time, you’d wake up before you reached the safety of land.”
I feel something hard lodged in my throat, only there isn’t really anything there. My fears and anxieties suffocate me as the memories of these dreams become vivid pictures in my mind. Closing my eyes, I swallow down hard, bile burning my esophagus on its way down to my stomach and rising back up to the top. Pulling my hand out of his grasp, I bring it to my chest, trying to calm the thundering of my heart.
I don’t know why I’ve confessed so much to him. A stranger, a man who owes me nothing, yet he’s here trying to make me feel whole.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been aching to tell the truth for so long, only afraid nobody would hear me. Maybe it’s because with Elijah I feel at ease, comfortable to be myself, and not pretend to be someone I’m not only to please him.
Whatever the reason may be, all I know is this is exactly what I need right now.
Opening my eyes, I stare out into the sea, watching seagulls fly overhead, free and at peace. How I wish I were one of them, soaring high into the sky, able to have my freedom and not be locked in my gilded cage, trapped forever.
“There came a day when the hopes of escaping became nothing more than that, and I realized I’d never make it to the end,” I whisper, his hand resting on mine against the railing of the boat as I continue to speak. “The dreams started getting darker. I’d face thundering storms, unpredictable waves, and I’d drown over and over again, waking up gasping for air.” I feel tears puddling in my eyes, slowly dripping down my cheek, the salty taste slipping onto my tongue. But I don’t wipe them away. For once I allow them to pour out, not caring who’s watching, not caring if I’d appear weak.
“My dreams of fleeing became nightmares, reminding me of my captivity. One day, I stopped dreaming altogether.”
I hear Elijah groan beside me, but I’m too afraid to meet his gaze. I can’t fathom the look of pity surely on his face as he listens to yet another one of my sob stories. It’s not like I want to appear like a helpless victim. I don’t need saving. I accepted the fate I was burdened with and am not looking to escape any longer. All I want now is to get on with the rest of my life. The sooner, the easier it is to swallow the fact I’m marrying a man I don’t know.
“Stella, I once told you if you were to fly away, I’d make sure you’d always find your way back. I said I’d never clip your wings the way they have. I promised to set you free from the cage you’ve been kept in, and I’m willing to keep that promise.”
I pull away from him, walking over to the large couch in the middle of the seating area. There is a whole buffet set up of fruit and pastries on the coffee table in the middle, making me think that there must be someone coming soon and we’re going to get caught. There is no way Elijah set this up for us.
“It’s not your responsibility Elijah,” I murmur, fiddling with my fingers on my lap. I can’t feel a thing as I dig my fingernails into my palms. “I’m not your problem to fix.” Looking up into his eyes, I notice small specs of green and gold I hadn’t seen before. His eyes are softer than they usually are, compassionate, empathetic, kind. I’m not used to people looking at me this way. I’m accustomed to pity, disgust, and hatred. But the way Elijah looks at me is the way I’ve always wanted to be looked at.
Holding his gaze, I continue speaking. “You’ve done more than enough keeping me company, keeping me sane these last few weeks, as my life fell apart before my eyes. I want nothing else from you.”
For a second, I see something resembling pain flash before his eyes, but it’s gone just as fast as it passed. He moves to join me sitting on an ottoman beside the table. Leaning forward, he pushes a tendril of loose hair away from my face, tenderly tucking it behind my ear. “Run away with me Little Dove,” he whispers, so low I almost imagine I’ve heard it. “Here and now, let's sail away and never look back.”
It’s tempting, this request he’s making. I’d want nothing more than to believe I could escape, but I’m no longer a naïve little girl who’d fall for these false hopes. I’m a woman who’s been marked by death and stamped with never ending sorrow.
“You’re crazy Elijah. You have no idea what you’re saying. This won’t end because I ran away. He will follow me, hunt me down to the ends of the earth, all to prove he has control over me. My uncle is a sick man. He won’t let me get away with this. It’s not possible.”
Suddenly he leans in further, so close I can almost taste the scent of his cologne. It’s soft, subtle yet invades my senses despite the lingering smell of the sea floating around me. His lips are so close to mine, just a small flick of his tongue and it’s my lips he’d be touching. Afraid he’s going to kiss me, I close my eyes, only now I fear he thinks I expect him to. But he doesn’t. Instead, I hear him groan just before he continues speaking.
“Then there is really only one other thing we can do.”
“And what is that?” I ask, slowly opening my eyes.
I should have never opened them, because instead of almost kissing me, instead of remaining so close I could almost taste him, Elijah is on his knees before me, grasping my bloodied hands in his. I guess I dug my nails deeper than I thought.
“Marry me, Stella. Marry me and let me be by your side. Together, we’ll fight the monsters in your life.”
