I didn't get far before I had to stop, taking deep breaths against the pain. The fact that I was only half of the way to my car only made things worse. Just a few steps had caused my discomfort to intensify, the irritating sting that had started at my hip now radiating down my leg. I wasn't sure I was going to make it.

Frick handsy chauvinistic people who don't know how to take a hint.

I allowed a few seconds to pass before lifting my head and beginning to walk again, the surrounding trees blurring as my focus cut in and out. I swallowed down the tears of frustration and pain, my gait wobbly as I tried to keep my balance.

Just a little further. I was almost-

My blood ran cold when a crunch of gravel sounded from behind me, and my heart jumped out of my chest. Goosebumps coated my skin and my breathing hitched as terror seized. I swung around, a scream suspended in my throat, as my gaze landed on a figure that emerged from the shadows slowly.

I nearly collapsed from relief when bright eyes caught the light, my eyes widening in recognition. He continued to move quickly, reaching me with a swiftness I acknowledged with a breath.

I swayed as Elijah extended his hands, gripping me by the waist before I could further lose my balance. The action only irritated the injury I was trying to conceal, and I winced, biting my lip to suppress the groan that threatened to escape. Fortunately, part of the jarring sting was drowned out by the rush of relief that had simultaneously arisen. I focused on that, forcing a burst of air into my lungs and biting my tongue to keep the tears at bay.

Jeez, sweetheart. You're trembling."

I released the breath I was holding, blood rushing in my ears as I scanned his face, watching his features morph into concern. Elijah's eyes met mine, forest-like swirls of green, washing over me like a river. The weight of everything he wasn't saying was nearly suffocating, causing my throat to tighten. I knew what he was about to ask when he opened his mouth.

"Are you-"

"I'm fine," I interjected before he could finish the question. "These shoes are just killing me."

What a lie.

I knew cutting him off was rude of me. It hadn't been my intention to be, but I didn't want to give anyone else a reason to be worried. They had all done enough of that.

His expression didn't change. Instead, a heavy exhale fell from his mouth. He moved his hand, cupping the back of my head. I leaned in as if pulled by an invisible string as his thumb trailed down the curve of my neck, his hold anchoring me. My breaths fell slowly from my mouth as my grip on his wrist tightened.

"I didn't mean to scare you." His words were whispered, nearly lost to the surrounding darkness. I swallowed, giving a slight shake of my head. I felt his fingers move, sturdy fingers kneading the muscles of my neck as his mouth curved further downward.

"It's okay. I'm just jumpy."

I found it in me to smile, hoping to show he hadn't scared me too badly. Elijah's eyes softened around the brims, the fire that had been in his eyes earlier dying down into soft flames. They warmed my skin, the twinge of heat that lingered in his gaze barring out the cold bite of the wind. My curls flailed around me, but I didn't move to hold them back.

"I thought you said you were going to wait for me. You shouldn't be walking alone in the dark," he said after a second. I crossed my arms when his gaze traveled to my arm. When he looked back at my face, his expression had hardened once again. After a few seconds, he sighed. "Come on, we better get going."

We?

The strength in my knees nearly faltered when Elijah let go, taking all of his warmth and surrendering me to the wrath of the weather. I tucked my hands underneath my armpits, staring after his retreating back.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm walking you to your car." He moved around me without another word, only stopping when he realized I wasn't following. "You will have to show me where it is," he added.

"You don't have to do that."

"I know and it doesn't change my mind." My mouth parted as my eyes trailed over the rigidness in his crossed arms before traveling back to his eyes. They were still hard, but as they lingered on my face a softness crept into the corners, drawing the corners of his mouth downward. "Rowan, please don't fight me on this. Okay?"

I blinked. I wasn't sure I could say no. Not with the way he was looking at me. I began to walk when Elijah moved beside me, seeing the agreement on my face. He was right. I hadn't felt entirely comfortable by myself.

When we made it over to the car, I pressed the key remote the headlights erasing the darkness. I expected Elijah to stop when I made it over to the driver's side but instead he ran a hand through his hair, a conflicted expression flitting over his features.

"Look, would you maybe let me drive you home? I really don't think I am morally okay with letting you do so by yourself."

I paused at his words, not having expected them. He was like the gift that kept on giving. But I didn't want to take more than I deserved. He probably had things to do. People to see. I didn't want to keep him from it.

"That's okay. I think I can drive myself home. I wouldn't want to inconvenience you if you've got things to do."

"All I am concerned with is making sure you get home safe." He took a step forward, lowering his head until it was just a mere inch above mine. We were so close. Almost too close for my fragile strength. My breathing faltered and I blinked, my eyes dipping to his mouth before lifting. "There is nothing else more important at the moment. Give me the satisfaction of knowing you made it okay."

Taken aback by the gentle whisper of his voice I took a breath. I winced when after shifting, I bumped the side of my car, irritating what I knew was going to be a growing bruise. Elijah's shoulders tensed as he took note of my slip-up.

His frown deepened.

Unlike before, he didn't ask me what was wrong, but his gaze remained focused on mine. His fingers drummed mindlessly against the rim of the door, his eyes unwavering as he exhaled without looking away. It was as if he was silently asking me to tell him what I was hiding, daring me to tell him that nothing was wrong.

When I said nothing he sighed, my body sagging from the relief of torturous tension when he backed away.

"I would feel better if I know for sure you got home."

"I could just text you."

"Sweetheart, that isn't good enough for me." He shifted my bag from one hand to the other, with a frown. "I don't know how I feel about letting you get behind a wheel when you are practically shaking. That is not a safe state for anyone to drive in."

I squeezed my hands into fists.

"Well, what about your car?"

"I rode with Cole, so I don't have to worry about that."

I took a breath, noting his tired eyes. I immediately felt terrible for all that I had put everyone through today.

Le sigh.

"Okay."

My voice was hoarse, and I tried to swallow the lump that formed in my throat as I got in the car. He only shut the door, after I had buckled up. But as he walked around the car, through the windshield his eyes remained on me.

His attention was unsettling in that I knew that he saw more than what I was saying. It was in the way tension lined his back, his eyes still hard as if he was playing what had happened back in his head.

When he finally got into the driver's seat, he started the engine before backing out. I punched my address into the built-in GPS, not trusting myself to speak, for fear that I might start crying.

It was bad enough that everyone was already worried about me because of my medical condition, and this just added something for them to worry about. I felt him look at me, but I avoided his eyes.

"I'm sorry that you got caught in the crossfire," I mumbled feeling as if I needed to say something. "I didn't mean to cause such a mess."

"You didn't cause the mess." I sure felt like I had, but I said nothing. There was a momentary pause, and I could feel him looking at me, but kept my eyes out the window, watching as the scenery merged together, lights becoming mere flashes of brightness.

"You know that what happened wasn't your fault, right?"

I finally looked at him then, having heard the change in his voice.

The softness.

The Hesitance.

My chest felt heavy, burdened with the weight of thinking the opposite. I knew that I hadn't done anything, but I couldn't help but feel as if I had been in a different place or would have put the guy in his place the first time I'd seen him looking at me, things would've gone differently.

"Yes."

"Do you really?"

I nodded, my response causing him to relax some. His shoulders descended as his eyes went back to the road.

When Elijah pulled into my driveway he turned off the engine, handing me the keys. I grabbed the door handle, hesitating for a second.

I knew I's told Skylar and Hayden that I wanted to be alone, but now the last thing I wanted.

"Do you want to come inside?" I asked biting my lip and fumbling with my sleeve. "You don't have to of course. I just..." I shrugged feeling awkward about asking him to come in. "I don't know."

There was a pause.

"Rowan?"

I released a breath. "Yes?"

"I'll do whatever you want me to."

I nodded not trusting myself not to cry if I spoke. We were both silent as we got out of the car, silence having settled once again as we rode in the elevator up to my apartment floor. When we made it, Elijah gestured for me to lead the way. I hadn't realized that I still hadn't stopped shaking until we made it to my apartment and couldn't steady my hand long enough to fit the key into the lock.

My irritation only heightened, as I continued to fumble. If it weren't for the steady hand that closed around mine a second later, I would have screamed in frustration. Or worse, started crying.

I stepped back, my chest tightening as Elijah slipped the key into the lock, effortlessly. He then took a step to the side, holding the door open.

"Thank you," I whispered, to which he nodded. I fumbled around for the light switch when I walked in, ignoring the burn at the back of my eyes.

If I hadn't been so concentrated on keeping my tears at bay, then I would have been paying attention to where I was walking. But no, my vision had blurred and that was exactly why I ran into the corner of the table in the hallway. My mom had bought it to place her keys and wallet so she wouldn't lose them. At the time, I had thought it was smart, now I wanted to hack it to pieces.

Stupid table. Stupid emotions. Stupid me.

I played the pain and embarrassment off with a small inhale, not looking at Elijah as my cheeks heated. When I finally found the light switch and flicked on the light, I avoided eye contact with him as I walked into my living room. I couldn't wait to get, my now wrinkled, dress off. It was just a stark reminder of the unwanted hands that had been on me earlier.

"I'm going to go change, real quick," I told him, before walking down the hall to my room. I let out a heavy sigh when I closed my door, pausing and trying to pull myself together before I walked back out there.

I ambled towards my closet. After pulling on a pair of Nike shorts and a large t-shirt, I made my way to my mirror, and lifted my shirt slightly, my eyes widening.

That didn't look so good.

Breathlessly I stared at the region around my waist was now a swollen and fiery mass. My stomach twisted. The fact that the injury was so close to the location of my fracture site, told me I'd most likely pulled or strained something. After the crash, I injured it two other times. I was afraid that it would be a spot that would forever be weak. With a sigh, I pulled my shirt down, tore my eyes from the mirror, and left my room.

Elijah hadn't moved from where I had left him when I found the courage to walk back out into the living room. His eyes dipped as if he was taking in the outfit change, but his gaze didn't linger long, going straight back up to my face after a second. I took another step, bringing myself closer to him.

"Thank you for driving me home," I said, realizing that I had yet to thank him.

"You're welcome." A smile formed on his lips and he cocked his head, but it didn't expel the heaviness in his eyes. "You going to stay right there all night?"

I hadn't even realized I had stopped. I made a move to sit on the couch but stopped abruptly when pain flared. Elijah straightened, his eyes narrowing and I scolded myself internally.

"Rowan?" The tension in his voice told me I hadn't done a good job of hiding my pain.

"Yes."

He flashed a doubtful expression.

"Still, you should probably sit down."

I eyed the couch, knowing that I would have to walk over to it. I wasn't looking forward to the discomfort that would ensue if I did.

"That's okay. I am fine where I am standing."

He raised an eyebrow.

Yes, I knew it wasn't the most subtle statement. But it flew out before I could think.

"You limped down the hall, and you are still limping even though you took your shoes off."

I took in his statement, mentally scolding myself for making such a lame excuse earlier. My lungs constricted when Elijah sighed, mumbling something under his breath and taking a step toward me. I took a breath, taking a step back not because I was scared but because the intensity in his gaze was overwhelming.

It was like he could see right through me.

If I didn't move, I wasn't so sure that I wouldn't let him inside my head. Because of the way he was looking at me, his eyes brazing my skin and causing my stomach to dip, almost made me want to cave.

I took a step, but luck had different plans for me, and my body jolted, my feet tripping over a snare in the carpet. My skin iced over as my heart dipped into my stomach. I grasped onto the air, my hands landing on nothing as my body began its descent backward.

I was going down.

Images of broken bones leaped through my mind, as panic stirred.

This was going to hurt so...

My breath caught, when sturdy hands wrapped around my waist. Although the grip wasn't too tight, pain radiated along my waistline. I shut my eyes, as Elijah pressed my body into his, the breast he took traveling through my body and drawing one out of me.

I could feel everything.

One of his hands traveled to my mid-back, stilling as we stood chest to chest. If not for the pain I probably would have been more aware of the way our bodies were pressed against each other. When his grip on my waist loosened, I took a deep breath waiting for the pain to simmer down, barely aware of him moving us towards the couch until I was sitting down.

The tears slipped from my eyes then, and a small whimper of pain escaped my lips. I was a baby when it came to any type of pain, and this hurt something fierce.

"I knew something wasn't right." I cracked an eye open, hating that he looked so darn apologetic for something that wasn't his fault. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

I pinched my eyes closed. "I'm okay. You have nothing to apologize for."

"It's okay if you aren't."

"But I am."

"Then why are you crying?" His eyes stayed trained on me intently, as I took deep breaths, trying to urge the pain away.

"I've had a long day."

Elijah's features softened. He extended a hand, brushing a strand of hair from my face. My breath caught, as a shiver ran down my spine, drawn out by the gentleness of his touch.

"I know, which is why I need you to tell me where you are hurt so we can figure out if you need to go to the doctor."

"I think I'll be okay."

He just grimaced, exhaling deeply as he lowered his head.

"Love, please move your hand."

I inhaled, my eyes not straying from his. When I blinked the tear that leaked from the corner of my eyes, betrayed the lie in what I had said previously.

Wordlessly, he brushed his thumbs across my cheeks, wiping away the proof of my pain. The expression in his eyes was so gentle, concern overpowering everything else, that all my stubbornness melted.

I moved my hand.

Elijah glanced down, brushing his hand along the fabric of where my shirt hid my swollen skin. His touch was light and deliberately slow, causing my thoughts to drift as he lifted the hem. Although my head shouldn't have gone where it had considering how unromantic the situation was, the blood rushed to my face. I was a human after all.

But any inappropriate thoughts fell away as soon as his gaze dipped, a sharp breath escaping him. I froze when his body went rigid, his mouth pulling into a tight line and his gaze hardening.

I held my breath as the seconds passed without him saying anything, his body eerily still. Deciding that he had seen enough, I tugged on my shirt, trying to cover it, but he didn't let me. Instead, he gently grasped my wrist, stopping my attempt.

I had never seen someone become so still.

"It's probably not as..."

His eyes rose to mine, and the slabs of stone made me close my mouth.

"Please don't try to tell me this isn't as bad as it looks," He whispered. His fingertips were a mere whisper across my skin, but pain responded nevertheless. When I flinched, his eyes flew to mine, and he retracted his hands quickly.

" I would never hurt you, Rowan."

"I know. It just hurts."

He nodded, but his body didn't relax.

"Why didn't you say anything? I can't believe you have been walking on this. You know what..."

Elijah straightened abruptly and I sat up in alarm, watching him walk towards my front door. I scrambled up as fast as the pain would allow.

"Where are you going?"

"I am going to go find Blake and do what I should've done back at that party. I mean, look at you."

He turned around, and his eyes widened. Three long steps brought him back in front of me. One hand went to the small of my back before I could say anything, and the other to my shoulder as he pushed down lightly until I was seated again.

"You shouldn't be standing up."

I was in too much pain to protest and slightly overwhelmed by the tenderness of the moment. I nodded, choosing my next words carefully.

"Just like you shouldn't worry about Blake."

"He should not have been handling you hard enough to cause you to injure yourself like that." He ran his hand through his hair roughly, curls falling heavily over his forehead as he glared at my side.

"I'm okay, Elijah." I grabbed his hand, undoing the fist, his eyes watching me as if he was torn between two things. I wasn't sure what the other thing was but I was sure he was deciding on if he was going to go find that guy or not. "I promise. It's not even that bad. Besides, how are you going to leave, you drove my car here?"

Although I didn't say it there was another reason why I didn't want him to leave. I didn't want to be alone.

"You are not okay if you are limping, Rowan." He shook his head. "It's not okay."

"It's an old injury. I fractured my hip in the car crash and it never healed properly. I twisted wrong when I was trying to get away from Blake." My stomach dipped as the name left my mouth. "It always bothers me when the seasons change anyway, so I am used to the pain."