The Beautiful Monster

That was it. She was getting a warning for something that she didn't even know. She had no idea what was going on or who was doing this to her.

She was growing sick and tired of it. Now, all of her belongings were destroyed.

"I'm going to take this person down. I swear," Elias growled beneath his breath as he paced through the apartment.

His cold eyes darted around, searching for any other clues that were left behind.

"What do I do? I don't know what to do," Alyssa fretted as she put her hands behind her head. She looked around hopelessly.

She didn't have the energy or the time to repair her apartment. She didn't even feel safe here anymore since someone could break in so easily.

Elias stopped his angry pacing immediately and strode over to her. He took her trembling hands, giving them a comforting squeeze.

"Hey, it's okay. Let's grab some of your things, and you can stay with me for now," Elias told her.

Alyssa looked up into his eyes, finding a sliver of comfort in his gaze. At least she wasn't here alone. There was no telling where her attacker was at.

"Okay," she said with a nod, letting him guide her into her bedroom. She watched him rummage through her closet, which had a broken door now, to find some more of her clothes.

She couldn't stop thinking about the note. She didn't even know what she needed to stop doing to not aggravate her attacker.

"Alright, I got some clothes for you. I'll just buy you a new toothbrush and stuff," Elias said as he shoved her things in her bag that he carried into the apartment. He reached out and took her hand, leading her out of her apartment.

"Do you know what that warning was about?" Alyssa asked him with a worried look. She felt like she was going to mess up and piss off her attacker again to make them go after her again.

Elias shook his head with a frown as they headed down the hallway.

"I'm sure we'll figure it out, though. We just need to get you somewhere safe," he said, leading her to the elevator.

He hit the down button before turning to face her. "They'll probably make another move soon, but they'll have me to face."

Alyssa swallowed hard and nodded, knowing that she had a better chance against her attacker now that Elias would be with her more. Maybe he could catch them and reveal their identity.

"Just don't leave me," she found herself saying. She was tired of being alone. The only time that she felt safe was when she was with him. It was like old times.

Elias' face softened before he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead in a tender kiss. He cupped the back of her head as he gazed at her.

"Never again."

**************

The next few days were an adjustment for Alyssa. It was strange living with Elias, waking up this sleepy morning face and saying goodnight to him every night.

They didn't sleep in the same bed since he had a guest room in his massive loft in the city. It was even nicer than her place, but that would change whenever she paid off all her student loans.

She enjoyed spending downtime with him, whether they were eating dinner together in the kitchen or lounging on the couch together.

She couldn't help but be reminded of the old days when they were so in love, wanting to spend every second with each other.

They had both grown up a lot, but she still felt some of those butterflies that she felt from before.

She wasn't sure what was going to happen between them. The tension between them grew stronger and stronger each day because they spent more time with each other.

There were so many unspoken words and missed opportunities, but Alyssa was scared of making a move on him.

What if that wasn't the best decision for either of them? She didn't even know what she wanted anymore!

What made things even more overwhelming was the constant feeling of dread that she felt any time that she left his loft.

She could hardly focus at work because she kept feeling the need to look over her shoulder to make sure that no one was sneaking up on her or following her.

She was completely paranoid, and she just felt like something bad was going to happen.

She talked to Elias, and he suggested that she take some time off of work. She agreed, believing that it was the best thing for her right now.

She hated letting her attacker derail her life so much to even scare her away from doing her job, which she loved doing, but she had to look out for herself. If she wanted her life to go back to normal, she had to stay alive.

Alyssa strode through the hospital after reporting to her boss that she needed to take some leave.

She gave herself two weeks of leave to figure everything out. Hopefully, she and Elias were able to pull that off in that amount of time. There was no telling what could happen in two weeks.

"Hey! Starting your shift?" Eva called out to Alyssa from down the hallway. She walked alongside Micah, who brightened up at the sight of Alyssa.

Alyssa shook her head as she stopped in front of them. She wished that she could be working with them right now and saving lives, but she had to look out for her own life right now.

"I'm actually going to be out for two weeks. I just need a break," she told them. They were her friends, but she couldn't tell them what she was going through right now.

She couldn't even tell Zoe, who she only spoke to over text lately because she had been so busy and overwhelmed.

"What? Why?" Eva asked, looking concerned. "Are you okay?"