The Marvelous Elijah’s Return

Chapter 21

Why am I acting like this?

After Elijah took the briefcase from Matt and walked off, he did not look back to see if Peach was following him.

Knowing how unstable his mood can get, Peach got off the stool and nervously followed after Elijah, watching his back closely. The moment he got to his room door, he finally stopped, and looked back at her, standing behind him with her hands clenched by her sides!

His expression softened as he opened the door, walking in, and Peach silently walked in behind him.

After Elijah closed the door, he threw his briefcase on the bed and turned back, facing Peach who stood there, a few feet away from him.

“What’s wrong?” Elijah asked her, noticing how sad she looked. “Nothing,” Peach mumbled as Elijah approached her. “Don’t lie,” Elijah responded, cupping Peach’s face in his warm palm and wiping away any traces of tears from her cheeks.

With a sigh, Peach gave Elijah a small smile and whispered, “I was talking with James about my family, and it’s the reason why I lost control of my emotions…” Raising her eyes to lock with his, Peach gazed deep into them as though to tell him everything without being able to say the words aloud. “Damnit! What about her eyes that always seem to catch my attention?’ Elijah thought, unable to help his gaze from lingering on her fluttering lashes and tears, rolling down her cheeks. He felt his hand unconsciously reach up towards Peach face and then slowly, he wiped away each tear that rolled down as he thought, ‘A woman who can sway a man’s emotions with just a gaze is more dangerous than the ones that slap him in the face. But why…”

Peach’s fingers lightly ran across his knuckles as he stared at her for a few seconds longer before letting go of her face.

Clearing his throat, Elijah pulled his hand away, and replied, “I got the twenty thousand dollars,”

Immediately, Peach’s eyes lit up as she grinned widely, “You have the money!?” When Elijah nodded, she rushed into his embrace, burying her face in his chest and sobbing

uncontrollably, ‘Thank you!!! Thank you!!! Thank you… thank you!” The gratitude in her tone shocked Elijah as she continued to hug him tightly, pressing her head against his torso, while her body trembled with suppressed sobs.

Even though this was not some free money he was giving her and he was getting something in return, she still appeared extremely grateful, which made Elijah’s heart pound. It was the first time that he ever saw someone be so thankful for something so trifling, and this was one of those rare occasions for Elijah because of his experience with living with Melina.

“You are freaking amazing! You don’t know just how much this means to me!” Peach shouted between sobs, lifting her head to look at Elijah, but his gaze fell on her lips, which were now dangerously close to his own. Then he gently forced himself out of her arms, taking a couple of steps back and clearing his throat.

“No need to get all sentimental over nothing,” Elijah said with a small smirk, trying to make light of the situation. “You are my little buddy, right? It’s okay.”

For a while, Peach just stood there, her eyes wet, and then she started laughing, but tears were still streaming down her face. Elijah raised an eyebrow in confusion at her reaction, wondering what was going on in that small head of hers.

The raw sense of joy that overwhelmed Peach was too strong for Elijah to understand anything besides the fact that she felt happy and was tearing up.

“This is the first time I have had someone genuinely help me out of nowhere, Elijah!” Peach exclaimed, her voice filled with tears of pure happiness. “And a total stranger too!! What are the odds.”

After those words, the atmosphere around them shifted and the tension between them seemed to vanish instantly.

“Well…” Elijah said awkwardly, rubbing the nape of his neck sheepishly and shrugging his shoulders. “I’m glad that I could help with your problem.” Someone like Peach was kind of the first for Elijah… her bubbly, emotional, and kind of innocent personality came across to him as a refreshing change of pace compared to what he has been dealing with. He liked that she was different, although he wasn’t sure why he did. But he found it quite endearing.

“Is that the money in the briefcase?” Peach asked curiously, looking over at the bed.

“Hmm,” Elijah murmured, staring at her for a while before turning his head away. “Yeah.”

It fell silent between them again, except for the sound of their breathing. Suddenly, Peach broke the silence. “So, do you want to take me to the hospital to get this paid?” “Umm… sure…” Elijah responded hesitantly, unsure of himself. “Let me change into something comfortable.” Those words finally drew Peach attention to what he was wearing, and she blushed furiously, admiring the way the suit fit his broad frame perfectly. “Wow!” Peach blurted out before catching a grip on her tongue and quickly covering her mouth,

Unable to hold back his laugh, Elijah reached forward and ruffled her hair teasingly as he laughed, “You’re cute when you blush.”

Peach pushed his hand away roughly, “Shut up…! I will wait for you outside!”

Not waiting for his response, Peach ran out of the room, closing the door behind her, and then

she rested her back against its wooden frame, clutching her chest. ‘Why am I acting this way?’ Peach questioned herself, running her hand through her hair, Then she walked away from the door and headed into the lobby to see Ryan, Matt, Rookie, and James, staring back at her worriedly. “Did he get mad again?” Matt asked, his eyebrows furrowed. “Huh?” Peach asked, confused.

Ryan sighed and explained, “We heard sobbing sounds coming from Elijah’s room, and thought that he lashed out.”

“No! No, he didn’t. He was just talking to me,” Peach interrupted with a giggle, causing Ryan and Matt to stare at her quizzically.

“About what?” Ryan asked, raising his eyebrows slightly. Peach scratched her head and smiled shyly, “Just stuff.” “Oh,” Matt uttered, looking at the other in confusion. After a while of quiet minutes, Elijah walked into the lobby, wearing gray sweater pants with a white sweater. “Ready?” Elijah asked, looking at Peach with a smile. Her face brightened instantly and she nodded, rushing over to where Elijah was, “Yep!”

As Peach followed him out the lobby, Matt, Rookie, James, and Ryan gazed after them curiously, wondering what exactly went down in Elijah’s room, When they got outside, Peach stopped immediately, gazing at the brand new car, parked in the driveway.

The sight of the shiny, black car brought a look of confusion to her face and her eyebrows scrunched together.

“You bought a car?” Peach asked with an eyebrow raised, her voice laced with disbelief.

“Uh-huh,” Elijah answered, unlocking the door with the automatic key. Looking back at her, Elijah noticed that she had frozen, staring in disbelief at the car. “Are you ready to get inside?” Elijah asked, holding the door open for her. “Um… yeah,” Peach muttered, still standing in the exact spot, her hands

gripping onto her arms nervously as she bit the bottom of her lip. Frowning, Elijah walked over to her, lacing his fingers with hers, and pulled her along with the open door.

“What do you do for a living?” Peach said, turning to look into his eyes.

Their faces were so close to each other that he could feel her breath against his lips, and his body tensed up at the sensation.

“Get in the car,” Elijah whispered, breaking eye contact as he drew back his hand from hers’ and stepped aside.

After a brief hesitation, Peach reluctantly entered the sleek, black car, sitting in the front seat.

When Elijalı sat behind the steering wheel, he peeked at her and then sighed, leaning in closer to her.

Widening her eyes slowly as her heart pounded wildly against her chest, Peach stared at him, wondering what he would do next But he grabbed her seatbelt, pulled it over her head, fastening it securely around her waist, then buckled her in

“I could have done it mysell,” Peach mumbled, pouting as she stared away from Elijah, feeling hot in her cheeks, Her heart wouldn’t stop beating wildly no matter how hard she tried to stop it. “I know. But you are being difficult,” Elijah muttered underneath his breath as he reached out his hand to turn the ignition button and the car engine roared to life.

Suddenly, Peach turned towards him, frowning as she opened her mouth to argue but decided not to, instead, she turned away from him and let out a sigh. The drive was silent, but it wasn’t an awkward silence, but in fact, it was quite peaceful.

Yet, now and then, Elijah would sneak another glance at Peach, who was staring out the window with a blank expression on her face.

” James said that you want to open an investment company,” Peach randomly mentioned after a few minutes of silence. “Do you think… mmh…”