I needed a shower. Something to clear my head.
I left the bathroom door cracked open just slightly—not enough for Elias to see anything, but enough that if something went wrong, he could be in here in seconds.
Just in case.
Once I stepped out of the shower, I hurriedly got dressed and climbed straight into bed without wasting a second.
Elias was already lying there; he had turned on the television and selected a movie for us to watch together. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, like a protective shell, and we lay there in silence while the film played.
I tried to pay attention to the movie, but staying focused was incredibly difficult. Elias wasn’t fully watching either—I could tell. His entire body was tense, his instincts on high alert, locked into that protective mode.
Suddenl
