Elijah

“So, what happened? Did your plans change on this place?” I stared at the concrete slab in front of me, which had been utterly untouched until early this morning. My construction manager, Daryl, stood beside me, peering at the construction vehicles that had finally arrived on-site after an adventure up the winding mountain.
“Something like that,” I told him. “I can build a house anywhere, but I think this is the perfect location for what I had in mind.”
Before Daryl could ask what I had in mind, I turned to greet each of my new employees, introducing myself and learning names.
“It’s a beautiful spot you have here,” someone said with a low whistle, standing at the edge of the clearing with a steaming thermos of coffee. “Does this all belong to you?”
“For now,” I told him with a polite smile. My phone buzzed in my pocket, demanding attention, and I stepped away to take the call, seeing Malcolm’s name pop up on my phone screen. That was weird. He never called when he knew I was working.
“Hello, Malcolm.” I raised the phone to my ear and tried to force tense pleasantness. “Everything okay?”
“Terribly sorry to bother you, sir, but we have a situation here,” said Malcolm into the phone. “I drove past Miss Newman’s house to check for safety, as you asked of me, and found a guest sitting outside her apartment door.”
“What guest?”
“If I remember correctly, her name is Sara.”
“Sara’s there?”
“At Miss Newman’s house.”
“But Ava’s not there?”
“No, sir, I imagine she’s still at Meadowbrook.”
“Very well,” I told him. “I will let Ava know Sara is with you.” I sighed and glanced over my shoulder as the group of construction workers huddled together, hopefully working out their plans for the building.
“Very good, sir.”
“Until then, take her back to the high rise, please. Make sure she stays there and stays safe.”
“Very well.”
“And Malcolm?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Don’t call the police. Ava and I will handle it.”
I had no idea what either of us would do to handle this evening, but I was doing the right thing by Ava and Sara. I knew how much Ava cared about the girl, and whatever was precious to her was by default precious to me. As I brought up Ava’s number and called, I hoped things were alright with her. I hated she had to go to that shitty job with that bitch boss. She deserved far better.
“Hello?” Ava sounded breathless when she answered, scattered a bit, and I wanted nothing more than to swoop in and rescue her from a shitty day.
“Malcolm called me,” I told her. “Sara winded up at your house. He found her when he drove by for a safety check.”
A sigh of relief escaped her lips before she responded suddenly. “Wait, a safety check?” she repeated, and I cringed. I hadn’t exactly told her about those yet.
“Anyway, I’m having Malcolm take her to the high rise to stay until you get there.”
“God, thank you, Elijah,” she said, dropping her voice. “I was worried when she took off this time that she might not come back. I yearned to be near her; hearing her voice intoxicated me like a high that wouldn’t fade. Anyway, I have to go. I’ll—I’ll explain everything later.”
Behind me, the roar of a tractor engine starting rumbled through the air.
“What’s that noise?” Ava asked. “Are you at a construction site or something?”
“Or something,” I said into the phone. “I’ll head home soon to be with Sara. See you tonight?”
“See you tonight.”
“I love you, Ava.”
She giggled. What a beautiful fucking sound. “I love you too, Elijah. And... and thank you.”
“Anytime.”
I slipped the cell phone back into my pocket and left the construction team to their project, going to the bottom of the hill where my Jeep was parked, awaiting my arrival. Sometimes I didn’t want someone to drive me around. Sometimes, I just wanted to be me. I wanted to do whatever the fuck I wanted.
The drive down the mountain was nice and relaxing. The jeep whipped around the bends and grooves of the road, offering a taste of freedom I longed for. Sometimes, work was too much. Life was too much. But I felt happy, happier than I’d felt in years, strictly because of Ava. She had changed me in vast ways in the short time we’d known each other; she had brought out the real me, my true self, and I was eager to do whatever in the hell it took to keep her around. I would do anything for her.
I would die for her.
The rain started as I eased the jeep off the mountain road and headed towards the city. It lightly drizzled against the windshield, cleansing the air around Seattle, and as I pulled into my underground parking garage, a windy storm was just taking hold.
Spotting Malcolm’s limo already parked, I gathered my shit and made my way to the high rise, mentally preparing myself for what kind of state Sara could be in. I wasn’t sure what I’d do if she were inconsolable or high, and I didn’t have the motherly touch or Ava's training. I hoped she’d be home soon, and I hoped Malcolm hadn’t keeled over of a heart attack, having dealt with an unruly teenager for a couple of hours.
Much to my relief, I found the apartment just as I’d left it, aside from a young girl’s tattered purple jacket draped over the back of the couch. I found Malcolm standing in the kitchen on his laptop, tapping his foot to a non-existent beat.
“Ah, good day, sir,” he said, flashing a grin at me. “Welcome home.”
“Thank you, Malcolm. Is the girl still here?”
“Miss Sara is in the shower,” he said. “I hope that’s alright. It sounded like something that would calm her down a bit.”
“How is she?”
“Frightened, mostly,” Malcolm said. “Many tears, sir. A bit of rage. She’s obviously a scared child.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “That seems to be part of the problem because that’s all she is. A child.”
“Miss Ava called me to tell me she was on her way home from work,” Malcolm continued. “Are you fine if I leave you, sir? My grandson has a school play tonight at seven.”
“Of course, Malcolm.” I reached into my back pocket for my billfold, then pulled out five one-hundred-dollar bills and handed them to him. “Send Stevie my best. You can either gift him that or put it aside as the start of a college fund.”
A small, uncertain smile appeared at the corner of Malcolm’s lips. “Very well, sir. Thank you.”
"Thank you," I told him, meeting the older man's eyes. "Thank you for all you do and all you've always done for me, Malcolm."
With a curt nod and a loose smile, Malcolm moved to leave, turning back only briefly at the front door to speak once more.
"Mr. Trevino, may I speak freely?"
"Always."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that this woman has changed you. I—I have never seen you so happy. You're a different man. A good one." He said nothing more as he turned and left, leaving me looking after the closed-door with what I could only assume was a stupid look on my face. Down the hall in the bathroom, the water turned off in the shower, and I promptly got to work on dinner: spaghetti and meatballs. Always a safe choice. Or so I hoped.
I was just laying a dinner plate out for Sara when she came out of the bathroom, dressed in a pair of Ava's sweatpants and a tee shirt. An old, old one of mine. She stopped short when she saw me, her eyes going wide, probably expecting to see Malcolm still there.
"Metallica," I noted, nodding at her shirt. "That was the year I met the band. Before—before I really was anybody else."
Sara glanced down at the shirt and flushed. "I—I'm sorry. I thought it might be Ava's."
"She likes to think it is." I winked at Sara and turned back to the oven to cut the garlic bread. Sara slowly walked up and took a seat at the table, looking anxious.
"Ava is on her way home," I told her, placing a small plate of sliced bread on the table next to her. I went to the liquor cabinet to pour a scotch for myself, then grabbed a coke for Sara.
"Thanks," she mumbled, starting in on the food. "I haven't eaten today."
"No," I said, sitting at the table across from her. "I don't imagine you have, considering you're not supposed to be here?"
Sara flushed and focused on her food, picking at it more than eating it. "No. But I didn't know where else to go."
"Do you want to tell me what happened?"
Sara sighed and took a bite, chewing slowly, avoiding the question. Fortunately, I didn't have the time to keep pushing her because Ava arrived moments later, hanging her purse by the door and kicking off her shoes before finding us in the kitchen.
"Sara, thank God," she said, hands on her hips as she glared at the girl. "What were you thinking today? The police are looking for you. You still have parents."
"I hate them." She didn't cry or even look upset. But she didn't meet Ava's gaze, either.
"Elijah, thank you for allowing Sara into your home," she glanced at me. "She's fortunate she has people to turn to."
"I can give you two a moment," I said, standing, but Ava shook her head and eased me back down.
"Stay. You deserve an explanation, too."
Sara didn't speak as Ava leaned down to kiss me, then went to the counter and poured a small glass of red wine. She grabbed a piece of garlic bread from the top of the oven and then took a seat next to me at the table, her body near and pressed close against mine.
"Well?" she said to Sara. "I deserve an explanation, don't I?" When Sara didn't immediately answer, Ava continued. "Sara, I know you and your parents have a tough time getting along, okay, but it sounds like they want to try to make it work—"
"I can't live with him," Sara said sharply. She didn't speak again for a long moment, and then finally, she did. Sara pushed her barely touched plate of food aside and met Ava's gaze with a sigh.
"Do you remember our very first counseling session?"
"Sara, that was ages ago."
"I—I told you about something that happened to me in my past. But I never told you who."
I looked at Ava, who seemed momentarily confused. She frowned at Sara, but it slowly dawned on her face as I watched her. Ava blanched, and the entire vibe in the room swiftly turned.
"Him?" she demanded. "Him as in Gary?"
Sara didn't respond to this, and she didn't have to. The tension in the room was high and anxious, and I stood to leave, seeing the look cross Sara's face. I could tell this was dangerous territory that I knew nothing about, and I didn't want to frighten her.
"I think this is where I bow out," I whispered to Ava, kissing her gently on top of the head. "If need be, she can have the guest bedroom. I'll wait for you in bed."
"Thank you," she whispered, catching my hand as I turned. "For everything."