by Claire Adams
“Ah, my dear, that is not from work, wonderful relationships certainly put a spring in your step, let me tell you. There’s no better feeling than holding the one who you care for, you should try it someday,” he said as he walked to his desk and leaped.
I sat there and smiled at how the office was changing for the better, if only Elijah could know the difference before and how glum he made the staff feel. There had been no end to them threatening to leave because of his attitude. Even I had considered it and had changed my mind.
I had just finished compiling my reports and uploading them to the server, I lifted my head as the elevator door opened and out walked Elijah. I could see from his face he looked haggard and wasn’t his normal, chirpy new self. I wondered if he had gone back to the tyrant boss he was before for a split second. He walked down the hallway and headed straight to the office. Had he forgotten he wasn’t supposed to be here today?
I entered his office behind him and closed the door, “I thought you were out all day visiting your mother, has something happened?” I asked concerned by his unusual demeanor.
“I have had hardly any sleep, I’m knackered and a little worried. Well, not really worried. I’m disturbed, that’s it. I’m deeply disturbed.” My heart dropped with worry.
“Something has happened, Elijah what is it? Is there anything I can do?” I asked.
“Those fucking flashbacks I mentioned. I had another, I woke up just after one am soaked in sweat,” he explained. “This one though was bad, and it’s not one I can explain.”
“Shit, it must have been bad,” I replied as I took a seat. I wanted to help him.
“There is no way I can see my mom like this. I need to figure this out. I need Peter’s help to figure this out. God, the flashback was of him and Dad,” Elijah explained.
“What were they doing in the flashback?” I asked as I tried to tread carefully.
“That’s the problem, Peter was doing nothing, it was Dad, he was giving Peter a real beating, and from what I could tell there was no reason for it. Maybe he just said something to him, or maybe Dad had found out something about Peter,” he said as he placed his head in his hands.
I looked at Elijah, he was truly concerned about these flashbacks, and there wasn’t anything I could do to help physically, he needed to understand them himself. He needed to learn how to deal with them. I was just a bystander in all of this, and there was only Peter who could really help him right now, anyway.
“I need to rest now; can you leave me for a while? Please?”
“Of course, no problem,” I replied as I helped him to his couch. “Lay down for a while, and I’ll take care of everything.” I turned off the light and closed the office door.
I wanted to help, but there wasn’t anything I could for Elijah apart from comforting him in his time of need. I thought maybe I could contact Peter and let him know what had happened. Maybe he could advise me what to do.
“Hello, Peter? It’s Kendall,” I said in a slight whisper over the phone.
“Hi, Kendall what’s up?”
“I have to be quiet. It’s Elijah, he has had flashbacks again. Bad ones this time,” I informed him.
“That explains why he didn’t come with me today, is he okay?”
“He said he had no sleep last night, so he’s resting in his office.”
“Good, so did he say what the flashbacks were about?” Peter said with a concerned voice.
“Yes, he mentioned this one was quite graphic, and it wasn’t of him this time, it was you and your dad,” I explained.
“Well that is strange, all the other have been of him and Dad, I wonder why I was in this one and not him?” he said in a puzzled tone.
“When he told me, he said it deeply disturbed him, and that was why he couldn’t, or wouldn’t go back to sleep, I think it scared him,” I said.
“So, what was in this flashback? I mean what was I doing with Dad? And where were we, at the office or something?” he replied.
“No, it wasn’t anything like that. He didn’t mention the location and that you were being badly beaten by your dad,” I explained quietly.
“Ah,” said Peter sounding like he understood.
“So, you know what it was about then?” I asked.
I quickly thought about what Peter said so far. I could sense that he knew what the flashback meant, and what caused the scene that Elijah had seen.
“I have a good idea what it’s about. It’s something I’ll talk to him about when I get back into town. He just needs to relax and try to get over the emotions accompanying the feels. It’s all in the past now. Nothing to worry about,” Peter explained without seeming worried at all, “I had hoped he wouldn’t remember any of this, or at least not yet. His mind is still so fragile. Any information overload could do something drastic, or that was what the doctors explained to me.”
“Are there many bad situations that might affect Elijah while he’s in this state? Or if he keeps having these flashbacks?” I asked Peter.
“Unfortunately, there are, and if this one is the one I’m thinking of, on a scale of one to ten of how bad his flashbacks could be, well, I would rate this one a seven.”
“Holy crap, so he can really get in a bad way at some point if these come flooding back to him?” I asked as I started to worry.
“He could. I’m just worried he could have one while he’s driving, there is no saying what might happen if he had one in his car, or even on his bike… it could be catastrophic,” he said plainly.
“Damn, I never thought of that, I just always assumed he would be asleep when he had them, the possibility of them coming at any time is dreadful,” I replied.
"Like I said, I’ll speak to him when the time is right, and I won’t force the issue, maybe he will sort of forget it again, or he might accept what he has seen. Hopefully, that happens so it can become an old memory like it should be,” Peter explained, his voice soft and kind.
“A good point, I won’t mention anything to him even though I know, if he wants to talk about it, I’ll just go with the flow. But I won’t instigate any conversation,” I replied.
“You’re a good help, Kendall. I’m sure he wouldn’t know what to do if you were not there for him, you have even supported him more than I have, so thank you.”
“Is there anything else I can do while he’s like this?”
“I suggest you keep him occupied as much as you can, the more his mind is taken away from things like this, the better.” He was being so lovely and cared for his brother so much.
“It’s obvious that he relaxes around you, which is great. The more he can see you, the more he will have less time to think about his flashbacks. And like I said, hopefully, they can gracefully become just lingering memories again,” he said.
“Alright Peter, I’ll do my best and see what I can come up with. Do you want me to inform any of the staff you will be in the office tomorrow, or just keep it quiet?” I asked.
“Good point, just have a quiet word with Jefferson, he’s the one I trust the most. So. just let him know I’ll be in touch with him in the morning,” Peter explained.
“Not a problem at all, I’ll do it just before we finish for the evening so he can’t spread the news, you know what a gossip queen he’s, sometimes,” I said with a laugh.
“Don’t I just, Kendall, don’t I just,” he said with a chuckle, seeming calmer than when we first spoke.
“I better go, I think I can hear Elijah in his office, I don’t want to lie if he asks who has been on the phone,” I explain.
“Good girl Kendall, see you soon!” Peter hung up the call.
I opened the office door and peeked in toward Elijah. I could see he had finally fallen asleep. He looked so fine laying on his couch but, he was so troubled in a way that no one could have predicted. I quietly closed the door behind me and smiled as I let him sleep.
I sat at my desk and tried to think of what could take his mind of the recent flashbacks that he h
ad been having. It had to be something totally different than the dog park because that was too quiet and he had a chance to think there. What I needed was something noisy, somewhere full of distractions so he would have no chance to think.
I looked at the clock and noticed it was almost four, Elijah had slept for most of the day. I was about to check on him when he emerged from his office.
“I have slept!” he said.
“Nearly six hours,” I replied with a smile.
“Well there is nothing I can do now, I’m going to head off home and try to continue resting, I feel shattered,” he said as he rubbed his head.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I replied trying to make him feel comforted.
I waited for Elijah to leave and called Jefferson over to my desk. I explained that Elijah and I were going to be out of the office, tomorrow and that Peter would be in charge for the day.
“Oh great, Peter is in charge, yippee!” Jefferson quipped.
“Get excited, why don’t you!” I laughed at his excitement.
I explained to Jefferson that I had to distract Elijah for the day, and the reason for doing so as well. He understood easily, and I felt great that I could confide in him,
“I know just the place you can take him, Dear. Somewhere he will have no chance to think,” Jefferson explained with a wink.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Elijah
I had slept like a log and had no signs of any flashbacks. I still wanted to speak to Peter about it, but this morning I wasn’t as disturbed as yesterday. I showered and headed downstairs for my morning coffee. I had just taken my first sip when there was a knock at the door, this was strange. I thought for a moment. Only Peter had access to the house, and the security gate at the bottom of the drive was always closed. Who could be knocking at my door? I wondered.
I opened the front door, and Kendall stood there holding two large carrier bags.
“Good morning,” I said with a puzzled expression on my face. “Have I missed something here?”
“Surprise! I’m going to make you breakfast,” Kendall replied.
“I, um… What’s going on? Is Peter playing tricks on me? It’s Tuesday, isn’t it?” I asked.
“Yes, it’s Tuesday, and no Peter is not playing tricks, he’s running the office today,” I said as I walked through the door and headed toward the kitchen.
“I’m confused, what’s all this about?” I asked, glad to see her.
“It’s nothing to concern yourself about. Today is about you and you’re having a day off from the office. I’m going to show you some fun,” I said with a grin. “So, are you hungry?” I started to empty the groceries out from the bags.
“I’m starving, I’ve slept for God only knows how long, I could eat a horse,” I added as Kendall messed around in the kitchen. What have you got planned, Kendall?”
She smiled a perfect smile. “Well, I thought pancakes followed by bacon and eggs with toast. That is, if you’re up for it.”
“No, silly, I meant what have you planned for the day,” I replied as I rolled my eyes to tease her.
“Well, I was given some good advice, and the place we are going is the fair… ta da!” Kendall threw her arms in the air like a magician who had just finished a cool trick.
“Cool, what are they like? I can’t remember.”
“You know, scary rides where you have to hold my arm and keep me safe and all that!” Kendall tossed the first set of the pancakes.
I sat and thought about the day ahead. I was happy about the time I was going to spend with Kendall. I looked on as she increased the stack of pancakes. I was super hungry, and this was just for starters. I had bacon egg and toast to get through after all of this.
I set the table and poured some juice. We sat and talked about Peter being in the office and in charge.
“Do you think he can cope?” I asked Kendall.
“Yep, sure. He has a good understanding of things. It’s not at all alien to him. He’s smart and has Jefferson to help him,” she replied.
“I suppose you are right, again. Speaking of Jefferson, do you think him and Peter are, you know?” I asked.
“I don’t know. They do seem to get on well. You never know. They’re both grown men, Elijah,” Kendall replied with a cute wink.
“Well, we can save that information for another time. We should eat!”
I sat there and thought of everything that had happened so far. It had been a ride and a half. One that left me confused and disturbed and angry at times but, I had Kendall who had become so supportive of me, I don’t know what I would have done without her.
“I’m stuffed, you are a mighty fine cook, do you want a job?” I said with a laugh.
“Nah, I have heard the boss is a douche bag.” Kendall finished washing the dishes and turned me on with her cheekiness. “Are you ready?”
“Uh uh, I think the 911 should work today. Sporty but practical and not too flashy.” I grabbed my keys, and we headed toward the garage.
I pushed the remote on the garage door and started the engine on the 911, the exhaust roared and echoed around the garage. I looked at Kendall and could see her smile as she felt the car’s power beneath her.
When we arrived at the fair, the road was like it had been no match for the Porsche’s superb grip, and whatever was thrown at it, the car handled with ease. We queued at the gate with the rest of the happy faces in the crowd, we looked like a normal couple, but the circumstances were different.
“So, what do you want to go on first? Big ride, or little ride?”
“No rush, we have all day, you have got to win me something first, that is what all the real dates do!” Kendall says as she dragged me to the small stalls.
“Here is one for me, the shooting gallery, maybe I can win you a teddy?” I said, smiling. “You point to the target, and I’ll shoot it.”
I was happy. I felt like I was on a real date, a meaningful date and one with a person who appreciated me in the same way as I appreciated her. She was sexy and sweet.
We visited all the smaller stalls and Kendall became the proud owner of several stuffed toys in the process, she looked like a big kid walking around with an armful of teddy bears. And it made me feel special that I could make her feel so happy from something so damned simple.
“Come on, roller coaster time,” I said to Kendall.
“I’m scared they are so big,” she replied with a scared face she put on.
“You will be fine. I’ll take care of you, promise,” I said.
We climbed into the car, and Kendall held tightly onto my arm. I could feel her body tremble as we climbed, and climbed. The car crept over the top of the track and “whoosh,” we headed down. I could hear everyone screaming and saw them waving their arms in the air. Kendall gripped my arm tightly and had her eyes closed.
“Fuck!! that was scary,” Kendall said as we exited the car.
“That wasn’t anything. That was a small one,” I replied laughing.
“Another ride?” I asked really excited to spend the time with her.
“Is there anything less fast? Geez, I know you only want me to hold your arm, but…” she said with a wink.
“I might like you holding my arm. Mhm, the tighter, the better! Ferris Wheel?” I asked as I pointed at the huge wheel which stood before us. “It’s not fast.”
“It might not be fast, but fuck me, it’s high,” Kendall said as she craned her neck looking upward. She sounded hilarious when she swore.
“Come on, don’t be a pussy, we can cuddle up on here,” I said as I pulled her to the entrance.
We climbed into the Ferris Wheel carriage and snuggled up tight. I placed my arm around Kendall’s shoulders. I pulled here closer toward me, and I could feel her rest her head on my chest. The wheel started to turn, and we made the slow ascent toward the top, the carriage rocked back and forth as we stopped for other people to climb on below us.
“Shit. This is so high,” Kendall said a
s we looked out over the horizon.
“It’s exciting, and even more exciting to sit so close to you,” I said.
“Aww, you think so?” Kendall placed her hand on my leg.
“Yes, especially if you keep putting your hand on my leg,” I replied with a devilish grin.
“Does it scare you? Me having my hand on your leg,” Kendall added as she rubbed my thigh.
“Not at all, but it may just get you into trouble,” I replied, smirking.
“Then I’ll remove it!” Kendall removed her hand and laughed playfully.
“I said it would get you in trouble. I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” I gave her a look that told her to get her hand back on me – now.
Kendall smiled and placed her hand back on my leg.
I had visions of her running her hand closer to my cock, teasing me. I smiled and started to feel aroused. I certainly looked at her in a different way than before. We exited the Ferris Wheel and decided we should head off home because it was getting late, and the clouds were drawing in and the chance of rain was high. Summer rain. Perfect!
We arrived back to my house, and the rain had already started to fall, and the day had fallen into dusk.
“Rain shower?” I teased Kendall as I climbed out of the car.
“You’re crazy!” she replied with a smile.
“Come on it will be fun,” I shouted as I ran into the downpour.
We stood there in the rain, our clothes getting soaked as we embraced the cool water washing over us. I looked at Kendall and her long blonde hair falling down her back. Her nipples became hard under the dampness of her clothes. She was spectacular, something to behold for sure.
“Wow, this is fun,” she said as she spun in circles with her face held upward.
“I told you it would be,” I replied.
“We better get in. We’ll catch our death if we get any colder,” I said as I shuddered.
We entered the house, and I rushed to get two bathrobes. When I returned, Kendall had made two steaming cups of hot cocoas. We quickly got undressed and wrapped the robes around our damp bodies, and headed into the living room.
