Aloura West | ✓

Chapter Thirty Two

Elias placed the small picnic blanket in their designated corner as Aloura unpacked their dinner. They had, after Aloura's constant nagging, agreed to spend the majority of the night, and have dinner on the rooftop. Like the older days, as Aloura had described it. Although it wasn't that long ago.

Elias would never admit it, but he too liked the sound of spending the day at the rooftop. It was, when with Aloura, a safe space. Although he knew that really meant Aloura was his safe space.

Aloura reached for their book from the bottom of her bag and held it excitedly, waiting for Elias to sit down so she could take her place between his legs. Elias laughed at the impatient look she shot him but said nothing as he took a seat. Aloura didn't give him time to position himself comfortably, before she practically threw herself onto him. Elias grunted at the impact but steadied her, "easy there tiger."

Aloura shot him an apologetic grin before turning and pressing her back into his stomach. Elias pressed his lips against her hair and smiled, before placing a small kiss. Aloura pried open the book and found where they'd left off, before handing it to him. "We gotta finish it tonight" she told him, he frowned down at her even though she couldn't see him.

"And why's that?" Aloura shrugged, although she knew why. Elias laughed against her hair, "whatever you want princess."

Elias held open the book and read aloud as the smaller girl rested her head against his shoulder. A small smile grazing her lips. She felt peaceful, she felt at home. "Eli" she called for him, he paused his reading and hummed in response. "You said you wanted to make a home with me one day." Aloura felt him nod his head softly, "you made a home in my heart. And nothing that could happens tomorrow will ever change that."

Elias smiled and kissed her hair, "you have a home in my heart too baby."

Aloura's lip quivered, and tears filled her eyes, her eyes flew to the lone star that blinked the brightest in the sky, "my mum would have loved you." Elias swallowed the growing lump in his throat, her words meant the world to him.

"My parents would have loved you too" he told her sincerely, tears now filled his own eyes at the memory of his parents. "Especially my mum."

"Really?" Aloura sniffles, he nods. "Can I meet them?"

Elias frowned for a moment, thinking her words were some sort of sick joke, before realising. his eyes rise to the two stars sat together, glistening back at the rooftop. He clears his throat. "Mum, dad this is Aloura." He tells them, feeling a little stupid. He paused for a moment, realising his words had somehow closed a gaping hole in his chest. "Aloura, those are my parents. Katherine and Marcus Kader."

Aloura smiled at the skies, muttering a small hello, "My mum's called Dara West" she told the stars, "You guys should find her and get to know each other until we come."

Elias laughs at this but nods his head softly in agreement as a tear rolled his cheek. They watch the stars in silence for a moment, as if waiting for a reply.

"I feel guilty that I don't go to my mother's grave." Aloura confessed after a moment, "I feel like I owe it to her to at least make it pretty."

"Why don't you go?" he mumbles back.

"it's too painful" she confesses, "sitting amongst the sea of graves reminds me how truly irrelevant her death was to everyone else. I like the rooftop because I can pretend for a moment, she's alive even if she's not with me- she's out there. But her grave reminds me she's dead."

Elias nods, "I understand." He reassures her, "and so does she."

Aloura's eyes fly to the star at the mention of her. "Do you visit your parents' graves?' she asks. Elias nods again.

"I used to go almost every day." He forces out, "I found it therapeutic to rant to them."

"What were they like?" Aloura asks, turning her head to side to look at him. Elias forces out a sad chuckle.

"My mum was an angel with no wings." He smiled at the memory, "I used to be convinced that God sent her without them as a disguise. I still am, except she has wings now" Aloura laughed sadly at this. "She used to be so patient." He thinks for a moment before forcing out another laugh, "So patient." He repeats sadly, his voice now much quieter.

Aloura runs her hand comfortingly on his thigh, he looks down at it. "There's no nice way to say this but my dad was one son of a bitch. But I loved him." Elias wiped the tear that fell from his eye. "When he died, I used to sit at his grave and talk to him to spite him."

Aloura frowned at this, "what do you mean?"

"He was one stubborn mother fucker" Elias laughed, "his word always had to be the last. I was angry that he had left me and Kalian." He picked a bit of fluff from the blanket beneath him, "mainly Kalian." Aloura nodded, and rubbed his thigh again, this time bringing her hand to his knee and drawing small circles with her index finger. He tore his eyes from Aloura's hand on his knee and looked at the stars.

"Talking to his gravestone was the only time I ever got a word in with him."

♡ ♡ ♡

Elias lifted his fork into Aloura's mouth, she bit on it. Elias grinned and shook it as her teeth were still clamped around it- only to be annoying of course. Aloura glared at him and chewed her food, she grabbed a forkful of her own lasagne that they had reheated from last night and placed it at Elias' mouth.

Elias looked at her suspiciously. He had just messed with her, and Aloura took getting even extremely seriously. Aloura held her free hand up in surrender. "I'm not gonna do anything I swear."

He eyed her for a moment before going to bite down on the fork, but Aloura was quick to move it away. She fell into a fit of giggles as Elias threw her an unamused look "hey!" he cried. "You promised you wasn't gonna do anything." He told her.

"Nu uh" Aloura frowned, "I swore. There's a difference."

Elias scoffed, "No there isn't, you're just a cheater."

Aloura laughed and placed the fork back at the entrance of his mouth. "I'm serious this time. I won't do anything."

Elias frowned at her before grabbing her wrist and holding it in place, and only after securing it, he took the food. Grinning with pride, Aloura laughed at him, but said nothing. Silence settled over the pair as they ate their food under the moons light. Aloura swallowed her bite and looked at Elias, "Are we friends?" she asked him randomly.

He frowned at her words- did she let friends fuck her like he did? "I think we're a little more than friends." He told her gently, swallowing the jealousy that bubbled inside of him at the thought of another touching her.

Aloura nodded and smiled, "I want to be a lot more than friends" she confessed, her face beetroot red.

Elias grinned at her adorable nature, 'Then we're a lot more than friends." Aloura's grinned matched his. "After tomorrow is over, I'll take you on a date" he promised her. Aloura's smile faltered slightly, but he missed it.

"I can't wait" she told him.

Elias smiled at the girl who sat Criss-crossed a few inches away from him, "Me too baby."

He placed the lid on his now empty container and fished for his phone in his pocket. He frowned at the time, before looking up to Aloura, "We should head back and sleep sweetheart, its elven and we have a big day tomorrow."

"But we didn't finish the book yet" she pouted at him, he laughed and kissed her pout.

"I'll read it to you tomorrow baby, I promise."

Aloura looked behind her at the star, then back at Elias and nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Okay."