I woke up in the middle of the night and flipped over to see if Eli was okay but he was gone. The bathroom door was open but the light was off so he wasn't there either.

I got out of bed and started walking the hallway.

I got to the guest bedroom and saw Eli sitting on the bed with his face in his hands.

"Eli?" I called to him.

"She's gone." he told me.

I walked over to him and he laid his head against my stomach. I put my hand on it and gently scratched through his hair.

"What time?" I asked.

"3:25."

'That's not that much longer after we left.'

"I'm so sorry..." I told him.

_____________________________________

I woke up and Eli was still knocked out.

We slept in the guest bedroom last night after his misfortune.

I got out of the bed and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast.

I made French toast sprinkled with powdered sugar and some strawberries then put on a pot of coffee. I waited patiently for when he woke up.

The first hour went by.

Then the second.

Then a third.

Then I began to worry.

I went to the room and he was still laying there.

"Eli?"

"Hm?"

'So he was awake.'

"Do you wanna eat, maybe? I made breakfast."

No answer.

"Okay, well...I'll set it aside for when you're hungry."

No answer again.

I left him be and just went back to the kitchen so I could put his food away.

...

Eli finally left the room after about two more hours. He got dressed in workout attire then prepared to leave the house.

He had a cigarette between his teeth and he didn't even attempt to fix his hair.

"I'm gonna go get a workout in. I'll be back later." he stated.

"Okay."

"Are you staying here?"

"Oh, umm...no, I'll just-...I'll just head home." I said, assuming he didn't want me there.

"Why?" he asked.

"Oh-...I thought..."

"Stay here." he instructed and before I could respond, he'd left out the door.

...

Hours passed and Eli still hadn't come home, yet.

I began to worry, his workouts are never this long, 2 hours at most.

I tried calling him and he didn't answer.

So I left the house and went across the street to get in my car then I headed to his gym.

I got there but didn't see his car in the parking lot.

"Where the hell is he?"

Then something clicked.

I left the parking lot and headed to the building that held his boxing matches.

I got there and I saw his car.

After I parked, I went inside but I didn't hear an abundance of people like usual.

I went down stairs and only saw Eli.

'Why is no one else here?'

He was hitting one of the few punching bags with all of his might, he was drenched in sweat, and he was angry.

I quietly walked in and crawled into the ring. I leaned against one of the four sides and just watched him.

"Do you know you've been here for four and a half hours?" I asked.

He stopped and was breathing heavily. He threw his head back and removed his wet hair out of his face.

"I do now." he replied then went back to punching.

"Aren't you tired?" I wondered.

"Exhausted." he answered but kept throwing hits.

"Can you come home?" I asked.

He stopped again and turned to look at me. His chest was rising and falling fast, showing his fatigue.

"Please?" I begged.

Without another word he started unwrapping the tape around his knuckles and walking towards the locker room.

He showered and changed and we went back to his house.

____________________________________

It's been a week. Eli's done nothing but drink, work from morning to night, and workout for hours at a time. He doesn't want me to go home but he barely speaks to me and he hasn't laid a hand on me since we were at the hospital. No hugs. No kisses. When we sleep together he's on the opposite side of the bed. I've gotten a few quick kisses on the cheek or top of my head but his hands refuse to take part.

We were at work so the time might be inappropriate but I need to know why.

"Eli." I called and got out of my desk.

"Hm?"

"What'd I do?" I wondered.

"What?" he asked and continued to sign and flip through papers.

"You've been distant with me. You won't touch me and the most you speak to me is work related but you also won't let me go home. I feel like I'm being punished."

He put his pen down and looked up at me.

"I just wanna know why." I admitted shyly.

"You're not being punished."

"Then tell me why you insist on treating me like I am." I demanded and walked up to his desk.

"Leyla..."

"No, tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing is wrong." he lied.

I walked around his desk to him and grabbed his hands, turning his chair so he faced me, and I put his hands around me.

"Then touch me."

"Leyla." he called again and looked away.

"Eli, look at me and touch me." I instructed and rubbed his hands around my waist like he used to. He still didn't look at me.

"Elijah, please..." I begged.

"You know I saw your bruise? The one I caused." he began. "When you left the shower and started getting changed. I saw it."

Now it makes sense.

"Eli, I'm okay." I promised him. "It was just a bruise-..."

"It's not just a bruise, Leyla. I need you to stop saying that. I hurt you, baby."

He sounded like his voice was getting caught in his throat.

"I am so stressed and tired. I'm not in the right emotional state to touch you."

I sighed.

"Please, look at me..." I pleaded.

"Can you back away first?" he asked.

"No. Look at me."

It took a few seconds but he finally looked up at me.

I held his face in both of my hands.

"I am not scared of you. You shouldn't be scared of you either." I said. "I have zero fear of you hurting me. In fact I'm more afraid of the idea that you go out of your way to avoid intimacy with me." I explained. "I don't want you to be afraid to let me console and hug you. Let me be there for you."

"You tried that the last time and I put a bruise on your body."

"You didn't bruise me. The table did. You have never slapped me, punched me, kicked me, you haven't even flicked me. I am not afraid of you and you are not abusive."

"I just didn't want to hurt you." His thumb grazed where he memorized the bruise was then removed it.

"You won't. I trust you." I promised and I meant it. I pulled him up and he stood out of his seat.

I looked up at him and put his hands back on my waist. "I want you to kiss me."

"Leyla..."

"Kiss me, Elijah."

He pulled me closer to him and put his lips against mine.

Finally.

His hands ran all over me and then grabbed my hips and picked me up to sit me on his desk. One hand then went up to my face and the other held my thigh.

A knock at his door sounded.

Eli hit a button on his desk and his door unlocked.

"Come in." he instructed but began to kiss down my neck.

"Eli..." I called.

"Shh." he told me.

"Hello, sir-...ummm..." the guy entered but Eli's kisses and grip on my thigh didn't seize.

"Speak." Eli demanded.

"Umm, Okay, well. I received a contract from an incoming...uhh-..."

Eli's hand slid up my skirt.

"Baby..." I whispered and tried to move it away.

"A contract from who?" Eli looked at the man, annoyed that he was coming between him and a good time.

"Uhh, My newest client and they want you to sign it."

"Give it here." Eli demanded. The man brought the papers to Eli and I closed my legs. I couldn't get down because of how close Eli was.

He hurriedly signed the papers and then handed them back.

"Is that all?" Eli asked.

"Um Yes sir."

"Good. Get out and keep your mouth shut or you're fired."

The guy nodded and quickly left Eli's office.

He put his lips back on mine then spread my legs again and pulled me closer to him by them.