Chapter 49 - Leaving The Country Tomorrow

Arianna had a comfortable sleep this time. There was no marrying the short man Big Joe in her dream nor the man she stole from coming after her.

If there was anything she dreamed about, it was of gorgeous blue eyes. Hence, it came as a huge shock to her when those gorgeous blue eyes stared back at her when her eyes finally opened.

"Aah!" Arianna screamed, falling from the bed because, in her bid to come down quickly, she had somehow tangled her legs with the sheet. 

"Oof," She fell on her stomach and it hurt like shit. This was not funny at all.

"Shit!" Elijah cursed, coming over to her side to her feet. Arianna didn't dare to reject his help and clung to him like an octopus as he lifted her back to the bed, his powerful muscles rippling with the effort. 

Carefully placing Arianna on the bed, Elijah leaned over her and that was when he made the mistake of staring into her eyes. 

Arianna gulped when her eyes connected with his and it seemed like it was just the both of them at that moment, nothing else mattered. 

Her heart pounded in her throat and she was so scared that he might hear the sound. Arianna wished she could shrink into her bed but there was no way to go anymore.

Her gaze fell on his face and she discovered he had a different face paint this time. Arianna wondered if he somehow had a company that customized his paints because of how readily he applied them to his face. Wasn't he scared they would damage his face since he wore them excessively? 

Unlike the Phoenix wing on his face yesterday, today's painting was in white entirely and was unique. The painting covered only the bridge of his nose upward and was drawn in such a way that it looked like he wore a thin transparent mask when it was only a painting. 

"It's beautiful," Arianna said to his painting, "You draw them on yourself?" 

"Yes," He answered without cutting contact with her gaze.

"You are insanely talented," Arianna chuckled in a bid to lessen the tension between them.

It was obvious Elijah came out of the bathroom since he carried a trace of the sandalwood-scented soap he used. Moreover, his hair was a bit wet and was sexily tousled, the curls spreading messily over his face. She was tempted to run her hand through it. Gosh, he was an epitome of manliness. 

Aside from that, Arianna was acutely aware of half of his body pressing down on hers since he sat on the edge of the bed while hovering over her. It was pretty much uncomfortable, his presence was messing up with her ability to think straight.

"Thank you," Elijah said, still staring at her.

"So, you sleep with the paint on your face?" She inquired out of sheer curiosity.

"Of course not, I take them off at night," He said to her, and Arianna's brows raised as she realized that this man slept with his face exposed.

The fact that his room was just opposite hers tantalized her with the crazy thought of sneaking into his room to see his identity.

"I know what you're thinking," Elijah stopped her right there, "Never take that dare as far as you're not ready to belong to me, body, mind, and soul," He told her.

A crazy thought entered Arianna's head, what if she wanted to belong to him? Think about it, she had nothing now. Her family betrayed her and she has nowhere else to go. Elijah was the only one keeping her from being discovered by Big Joe's and did she forget to add that crazy man named Marcel. Gosh, why did she bring this up?

Arianna was still lost in thought when Elijah pulled away, rousing her. He stood to his feet just as she sat up, the attraction between them dissolving away - not entirely though. Now, her brain was back and functioning to make a clear decision.

"I'm sorry to have woken you up. I didn't mean to," Elijah apologized to her.

"It's alright," Arianna shrugged, "I'll just have to put a bell on you to alert me of your presence," she joked.

Elijah laughed, staring at Arianna who stared back with a smiling expression. It was obvious that both of them were insanely attracted to each other yet were holding back for reasons best known to them.

"This," Elijah said, lifting bags that he dropped by her bedside, "I wanted to keep it in your bathroom before you woke yet you caught me like a cat trying to steal its owner's fish," He scratched the back of his head nervously which was kind of cute in her eyes. 

"Wow," Arianna breathed, staring at the shopping bags in disbelief. All of them must have cost a lot. 

"I should pay you for..." Arianna said, already reaching for the wallet she stole from Marcel.

How shameless she was to use stolen money - she doesn't exactly care. Money was used for the same purpose anyway, spending!

"No, don't. Please," He begged her, "I'm not doing all of this to coerce or manipulate you into accepting my proposal. You can choose to reject my offer, but please don't reject my help,"

"Ahh!" Arianna screamed inwardly like a fangirl would when she sees her favorite celebrity crush. Elijah was her dream boyfriend.

"Well, thank you," Arianna said in a calm yet appreciative tone, trying not to show she was taken by him already.

"Sure. And you should come down for breakfast when you're done freshening up," He reminded her.

Arianna smiled at him throughout his entire stay however the instant Elijah left, her smile fell at once. How could this happen again? She had been speaking to him with her morning breath?

"Gosh Arianna," She threw herself on the bed; turning, tossing, and kicking the air. By the time she was done with her internal turmoil, Arianna decided to go through what he got her and was dumbfounded at what she saw. 

All of the clothes Elijah got her were all designers and even bare the company's logo. She didn't even dare to imagine how much he spent on them. And to her amazement, all of them were decent.

Arianna sighed, she had been expecting him to buy those provocative ones so she could seduce him and blame it on the clothes he got her. 

"Seriously!" She slapped her head. What the hell was she thinking? As if she could even seduce him, just a look into those eyes and her legs become as weak as jelly. 

Words could not form in Arianna's mouth when she looked into the bag that contained her underwear. He got her each of every type of underwear the store had - Hipster, Bikini, Boyshort, G-String, Tanga Brief, High-Cut panties. You name it. 

Arianna went red in the face and she couldn't help but wonder if he ordered these online or got them himself from the store. She was so embarrassed. How would she face him later? 

But no amount of cringing stopped her stomach from growling and she had no choice but to wash up and hurry down for breakfast. Arianna chose to put on a silky tank top and leggings, following the sweet smell of the pancake to the kitchen. 

"You're right on time!" Elijah announced, his back turned to her. Gosh, how did he know she was here? She didn't even make much noise when she walked. 

He finally turned around with a plate in his hand, drizzling the ever-amazing maple syrup on her pancake before passing the food over to her on the kitchen island. 

"This looks delicious," Arianna was already salivating. How much she loved a man who could cook. She was seeing more than enough reason to give in to his request. What's the worst that can happen anyway? 

"Thank you," Elijah smiled at her, before placing his own food on the Island as well. 

But to her surprise, she saw him use honey instead of maple syrup. 

"Why didn't you use the syrup?" Arianna narrowed her gaze at him, suspiciously. 

"In case you decide mine is more delicious, then we can share. Don't you think it's a good idea," 

"S-sure," that is not a good idea at all.

Elijah sat beside her and then using the knife, cut a piece and picked it with his fork, "Here, have a taste," 

"Urm, okay?" Arianna opened her mouth and took it into her mouth before chewing on it only for her eyes to widen. 

"Geez! You are right! It's so good, both flavors. You are so brilliant," Arianna complimented him as the both of them shared their food. 

It was the nicest breakfast Arianna has had in a long time till she noticed the sudden change in Elijah's demeanor.

Arianna dropped her fork, "What is it?" she asked. She might not know much about Elijah, but she knew something was bothering him now. Arianna hated that he was disturbed, Elijah was a good person. 

"You would be leaving the country tomorrow," 

"Oh," Arianna's face fell at once.
RECENTLY UPDATES