THE ARISTOCRATS #1

00:32

It was Sunday night, and Clementine lay with her back flush against the floor as she gazed at the ceiling of Elijah's apartment. They had school the very next day, and the thought lay heavy on her chest, the usual sense of dread and frustration. Next to her lay Elijah, his chest moving up and down rhythmically as he quietly slept. Scattered around them were multiple odd trinkets, like a box of macarons from a bakery she had stumbled across, and her diamond earrings which she had taken off and forgotten to put back on. Elijah's Ralph Lauren coat was currently being used as a pillow for her head, her angora scarf strewn haphazardly across the coffee table and across his left leg. His warmth seeped into her side, through her Loro Piana shirt, a soothing reminder that she was not alone.

She had grown used to his apartment in the few days she had spent there, until it was second nature for her to reach for the light switch without looking at it, or unconsciously making her way to his bathroom without thinking about the path too much. It was the way she casually moved through his space that unnerved her, and yet she had never felt more at home. She lay with her hands clasped delicately atop her stomach, peering out the expansive window to the city of London below. Her favourite spot was next to the window, where she could rest her head against the glass and observe the individual lives occurring down below on the ground, each one on a different path.

Her breath fogged up with window, and she moved back slightly, her elbow accidentally digging into his shoulder.

Elijah exhaled deeply, eyelashes fluttering as he rolled over towards her, unconscious of the way he almost trampled her broken arm.

Clementine winced, patting his shoulder gently to wake him up. He was an unbelievably deep sleeper. She patted him once more, sniggering to herself at his ability to completely debilitate himself. He continued sleeping, his back an uncomfortable weight atop her arm, which lay wedged beneath him. She shoved him once, firmly.

He startled awake, blinking blearily and yawning instantaneously.

"What's wrong, sweet girl?" He grunted, rubbing at his eyes tiredly.

"You're on my arm," she replied sheepishly, pointing at her sling.

Elijah reared back, eyes widening with panic.

"I'm so sorry," he groaned, hands coming up to clutch her face.

His lips were warm and dry as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. His fluttery hands came and fussed with her sling, shaking his head slowly as he silently reprimanded himself.

"Does it hurt?" He glanced up at her through her lashes, his thumb rubbing a slow circle across her arm. "And don't lie to me, you know I hate it when you minimise yourself."

Her mouth went dry. How could she continue living when he looked at her like that? He had a sort of innocence to him at times like these, when the moon shone and reflected off his pale cheekbones, his eyes glittering with earnest. Like the two sides of a coin, Elijah had two sides, and one of them was the quiet and soft version of him, reserved only for her in the early hours of the morning.

"No, you're good," she shook her head, tilting her head and sending him a reassuring smile. "I should probably head home though, it's like..."

She trailed off, eyeing the face of Elijah's watch.

"It's 11pm, i'll probably have to sneak into my room to avoid getting in trouble," she scowled.

The dean held particularly severe punishments for those outside of school after curfew, and Clementine preferred to avoid the unnecessary trouble.

"Stay over tonight," Elijah murmured, his hand trailing down the side of her head to cradle her cheek, thumb sliding across her bottom lip.

"I can't," she breathed, her heart pounding in her chest. "I have a period 0, and i'd have to wake up at 5am to travel from here to school."