Page 88 of Yours to Keep
“Finn…” Eli’s voice was tiny. “You told him to leave.”
Finn nodded. “And he didn’t listen. That’s the part I hate.” He reached out a hand slowly, giving Eli the choice, and Eli reached out and took it. “Someone thought they could put their hands on you and you’d just take it.”
Eli looked down at their joined hands. “I froze.”
“Yeah, you did,” Finn said softly, squeezing Eli’s hand. “You froze because your body remembered something your brain has been trying to forget. But you’re here now.”
I closed my eyes, letting Finn’s words settle in my mind. That was it. That was what Eli needed to understand.
His body’s first reaction was to freeze because Adrian had spent years instilling that terror into him: teaching him that fighting back only made it worse, forcing him to endure rough hands and surrender control.
So his body froze out of habit. But then Eli had snapped out of it. He had fought back. He had rejected what Adrian taught him, broken the grip, and escaped. He was finding his way back to himself.
* * *
After a few minutes, I stood up, bringing Eli with me. He didn’t let go for a single second, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around my neck, his face buried in my chest. Normally, I might have cared about the stares, but tonight? I didn’t give a fuck. Let them watch. Let them see that he wasn’t alone.
“We’re leaving,” I said.
Deck nodded immediately. “I’ll bring the truck around.”
Finn stood up. “I’m coming with you.” When I looked at him, he shrugged. “Someone’s gotta make sure you two idiots don’t try to carry the whole world by yourselves.”
Despite the heavy air, a soft, breathless laugh escaped Eli against my neck.
The walk through the club felt endless. The music was still pounding, people were still drinking and dancing, blissfully unaware of what had just happened in the dark hallway. Eli kepthis hand locked in mine, looking over his shoulder every few steps. Every time he flinched, I squeezed his hand tight.
“I’m right here, baby. I’ve got you.”
When we reached the truck, Deck held the door open. Eli climbed into the back, but he wouldn’t release my hand. His fingers tightened desperately.
“Stay,” he whispered, broken.
“I’m right here,” I said, climbing in beside him and closing the door.
Finn took the front seat next to Deck. Nobody made jokes. Nobody talked. We all understood that tonight wasn’t just about Adrian; it was about Eli learning that when the world hits him, he doesn’t have to survive the impact alone anymore.
Eli curled into my side, clinging to me as if I were the only solid thing left in the universe.
And as I held him, I finally realized something: protecting Eli was never going to mean shielding him from every bad thing in the world. Danger was always going to find a way in.
My job wasn’t to be an impenetrable wall. My job was to be right here when the dust settled: to pull him through the storm, and to make sure he never had to fight his way out of the dark alone again.
22
CJ
I sit on the couch, staring at the closed bedroom door.
Four days.
Four days since the nightclub.
Four days since everything changed.
Four days since Eli has eaten properly, left the room, or really looked beyond those four walls.
Finn and Deck sit beside me, both pretending to scroll on their phones. None of us is fooling anyone. Our attention never leaves that door.
