Lustful Hearts
Chapter 80: Aроlоgіеѕ Again - P1

"Iz, are you awake?"

"Hmmm." I felt the heat of his body when he climbed in bed beside me. He snuggled in tight so our faces were barely inches apart.

"I'm sorry, Iz," Elijah whispered, his warm breath tickling my face.

My eyes slowly opened. "Hey, there's nothing to apologise for. If anything, I'm the one to blame="

"Shh, it was all me, being melodramatic as usual. I don't do things by halves, do I?" He tried to make a joke of it, but I saw the fear in his eyes last night when he wasn't able to masquerade his true feelings, like he normally did in life.

"Elijah, promise me you'll talk to me, let me know when you're feeling like this," I pleaded. I had to make him understand that I was there for him whenever he needed me to be.

His eyes flicked to mine as tears filled his own. "I just missed you so much-the coffee shop-the way you looked at me-it hurt. I just got so tired of missing you. I just wanted to take my mind of it for a few hours..."

"Elijah, will you tell me what you meant last night about it always being inevitable that people would leave you?"

His eyes dropped down and a frown quickly crossed his face. "Not right now, Iz." I could tell from the guarded look he gave me that pursuing it right now was not an option.

But I needed him to know I was there for him should he ever wish to offload.

"Well, I hope one day you will. I need for you to know you can trust me with your secrets too." After all he had shared enough of mine, I wanted to feel like he could do the same with me.

"I will, just not now." There was a finality to his voice that warned me to drop it. For the sake of causing him any more pain I would for now.

"Okay, I'll let you be, but I'm not giving up." I smiled, hoping he'd see that I was in this for the long haul.

"I wouldn't expect you to." He winked back and I could see a spark of the old Elijah coming back. "Well, that's why I'm your best friend."

His eyes dropped down, and he bit his lip before hesitantly looking back up. "Are you though? I wasn't sure—” "Hey, best friends forever, right?" I asked, feeling hopeful. There was no other person that could take his place.

He had become such a big part of my life, the thought of losing him was something I couldn't even consider.

A huge grin spread across his face. "It's so good to have you back." He pulled me into a tight hug, almost squeezing the life out of me.

"Good to be back, and if you remember we have a date watching The Notebook later on."

"Yeah... about that, we may need to watch that at yours... I kind of snapped my DVD in rage after leaving Starbucks."

I snorted at his admission. "I don't blame you. I was a complete bitch that day." I truly was and felt the guilt beginning to take over again at the reminder.

"You were, but I shouldn't have meddled. If the shoe was on the other foot and someone tried to make me date again, I would have reacted exactly the same. I promise never to meddle again." I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, like that's going to last long."

He grinned knowing that would never be a possibility. "You're probably right, but you aren't getting rid of me again."

I sighed with relief. "I wouldn't even try."

"What time is it?" he asked.

I clicked on my phone. "Just after six, we should try to get some sleep." I could feel the weariness taking over once more.

"Hmmm, maybe forty winks," he said, settling himself back down.

I snuggled up next to him, our bodies curled against each other as we felt the heavy weight of the pain we'd carried begin to lighten.

I was glad we had resolved the situation, he was my best friend and without him my life was incomplete.

"Err, should I be worried?" Sam asked, as we both slowly roused from our sleep to replace our bodies tangled together. We both laughed at the situation, it certainly put a lighter spin on what we'd had to deal with the night before.

"As much as I love Izzy's hot rocking little body, she is missing a vital part that I'm very partial to." My cheeks instantly heated as Sam and Elijah's eyes filled with lust. God, they were so in love it was almost sickening.

"I was worried when I woke up and found you gone." Sam climbed in beside Elijah, wrapping his body around his. There was still fear inside Sam's eyes; last night had been traumatic for us both.

"I'm so sorry, Sam. I promise I'll never do it again. I was just so down about Iz, it brought back old demons I thought I'd long laid to rest."

"Will you talk to me about them, please? Let me share the burden," Sam asked, almost pleading for Elijah to just let him in.

Elijah turned to face him with a look of conflict there in his eyes. "One day I promise, but right now I want the strongest coffee you can make and some paracetamol."

We both laughed together, only imagining the kind of hangover he was dealing with. I didn't envy him in any way.

"So this is the guy you were raving about?"

Elijah and I both turned to glare at Ryan, not only had he rudely invited himself around in the middle of The Notebook, but he now had the audacity to say Ryan Gosling was not hot.

The cheek!

Yes, we didn't expect him to fancy him, but there was no denying as a male he had to admit Ryan Gosling lucked out in the hot stakes.

"Err, Ryan, you'd better not be talking about Ryan Gosling as I swear I will beat you with this textbook for ever uttering those filthy words."

I burst out laughing at Elijah's straight face; he really took his crushes very seriously.

"But he ain't all-"

I quickly covered Ryan's mouth to try to save him from a battering. If he carried on down that path, Elijah would not be responsible for his actions.

"Ryan, I think it's best you keep schtum throughout." I threw him a chocolate bar. "There, that should keep you quiet for a while."

He gave me a cheeky grin as he took a huge bite. Jeez, by the way he was scarfing it down, it wouldn't keep him occupied for long.

When Ryan took his shirt off the other Ryan left the room, he said it was to make a coffee, but we knew better.

"I swear to god, Izzy, if he makes one more murmur about Ryan, I will physically strangle him with my bare hands."

I laughed even though a part of me knew he wasn't kidding.

"I think he feels threatened," I replied, trying to diffuse the situation.

"So he should be; he could only dream to be that hot."

"Ryan is cute though, you can't deny that."

Oh god. Why the hell did I say that?

"So you're finally admitting there is an attraction there." Elijah's eyes widened, waiting for an answer. I had tripped myself up with my stupid admission, but it wasn't in the way Elijah was insinuating, nothing had changed on that front.

"Elijah," I warned.

"Okay, okay. I'll keep it zipped as we've only just made up, and I can't lose you again."

I smiled, snuggling into his side, as he pulled me in tighter.

"Love you, Iz."

I sighed at his sweet words. "I love you too."

"But I may love Ryan even more." His eyes once more turned to the television, grinning his approval just as the other Ryan walked in with a mug in hand and a handful of biscuits.

"Helped yourself I see." I motioned with my head towards his hand. He grinned in response until he turned towards the television.

"Oh god, has he still got his top off?"

"Right that's it!" Elijah snapped and lobbed a pillow in his direction.

Oh well, we did warn him.