Stolen Voices ✓

June 15th

Thank you so much for 1k reads!!! This is amazing, I dedicate this chapter to all of you.

June 15th:

It's been two weeks since Darla's wedding. All of which time Elias has spent at the doctors, attempting to make his voice more active. By now, he can talk almost easily. Although his voice is still raspy and long sentences hurt his throat.

Now, as Elias re-stacks the shelves, the library charges with boisterous chatter. The weather is brutally warm today, dragging out parents and children. He feels stuffed in the scanty library, his chest heavy as he avoids the swarm of people. They all gather in clumps, sticky-fingered kindergartners who liked to touch everything and teenagers who could care less about being there other than socializing with their friends.

Halfway pushing a book back to its respected place, two warm hands wrap around his eyes. He chills, at the touch, only letting out a shattered breath as the smell of pine attacked his senses. His hands, cupping hers, bringing them down from his face with a tiny smile.

"What are you doing here?" Elias turns around, voice scratchy as he searches her eyes. They are wild with passion, sparkling with animation.

"I came to see my favorite person," she stands on her tiptoes, placing a light kiss on his cheek. They haven't spoken about that night since it happened. Both two are afraid that if they mention it, then they will have to acknowledge it. It just remains in the back of all their actions, lingering like an explosive ready to set off.

They will just have to deal with the consequences of its chaos. Neither has the willpower nor the want to do that, so they effectively ignored it.

"Well, your favorite person is working right now," he breathes, turning back to his cart of books. He leans over it, his back muscles straining against his shirt as he picks up the title he dropped on the floor.

Not hearing footsteps retreating, instead, they sound as if they are getting closer to him. Two bony arms wrap around his torso as Mara hugs him, breathing heavily. She peppers kisses on his back, twining her fingers together, so he is locked against her.

"I missed you," her voice is muffled by the fabric of his t-shirt. Elias sucks in a breath, rolling his eyes as he turns into her embrace. Holding her back with equal strength for a second, he pushes her away from him with a flippant laugh even faster.

"Sit over there then," he shoves her towards a small wooden chair as he moves behind the counter and stalks into a back room. He starts messing with the computer, his fingers flying fast over the screen. Ignoring the sounds of her pen tapping against the counter.

"I'm running away. Do you want to come with me?" Mara speaks into the empty silence. Elias sighs, rubbing his temples as he gnaws on his lip in slight annoyance. He looks at her, his brown eyes flicking over her open features.

"What?" He chuckles darkly, moving to her side. He isn't getting any work done anyways.

"Yeah. I'm thinking about going to Italy, maybe Dubai," she shrugs, her tongue flicking over her lips. Her feet are thrown on the table as she relaxes lazily in her chair, twisting a lock of blonde hair around the pen.

"Common. You're eighteen, I'm eighteen," she exhorts, leaning forward, so she is looking straight into his eyes. Her fingers twine in with his, her fingertips brushing over his knuckles.

"Don't you think that it's a little immature? We don't even know each other that well."

Elias talks in harmonious entertainment laced with truth. Elias prizes the little things about Mara that make her up as a person. Like how she says her favorite color is red but seems more fascinated with yellows and blues. The way she bites her nails when she is stressed, or how her eyes change color based on her mood.