The Beautiful Monster

A feeling of relief washed over Alyssa as she nodded. She was glad that Stella was exposed and finally out of the picture now. She didn't ever want to see Stella again, and she hoped that Stella was too embarrassed to show her face after that fight. Alyssa was afraid of what she might do if Stella came lurking around back here again.

"Good. I never liked her," she admitted with a light laugh. She was pretty sure that was obvious, though. Then again, Elias was a guy, so he probably hadn't even noticed that at first until Alyssa started accusing Stella of being weird.

"I'm very aware of that. Looks like it was for a good reason too," Elias chuckled, letting his hands trail down her arms until they reached her hands so that he could hold them. "I'm sorry that I didn't believe you."

Alyssa shook her head dismissively. She could understand his reluctance to believe her at first. He thought that he knew Stella, and he was lied to. She called him weak and pathetic on top of it all too, so it was obvious that she had no respect for him either, which irked Alyssa. Then again, a lot of things about Stella made Alyssa pissed off.

"It's okay. I'm just glad she revealed her true colors to you," she replied. She didn't want Elias to be tricked by Stella any longer. That could just lead to manipulation and who knew what else. She didn't want Elias to fall victim to that. She had to look out for him like he looked out for her.

Elias nodded as he sighed.

"You're the only person that I completely trust," he admitted to her.

That meant a lot to Alyssa because trust weighed heavily for her. She didn't trust many people at all still, but she did trust him, especially now. He proved to her that she could always count on him to have her back, and that meant more to her than nearly anything else that he could do for her.

"I can say the same about you. I'm glad I lowered my guard because I really didn't want to let you in," Alyssa admitted. She tried to push him away so many times, but none of those attempts worked. Maybe that was for a reason. She was stuck to him, and he was stuck to her. Nothing could tear them apart, and that gave her a sense of comfort. They would always have each other.

"Because I hurt you. It's warranted," Elias replied, giving her an understanding look. "But I want you to know that I won't ever hurt you again. Just protect you."

"I know," Alyssa said, giving him a bright smile. "It's been nice having you as my bodyguard."

"You should stay close to me. Just in case," Elias said with a sly smile.

Alyssa laughed, giving him an intrigued look.

"What do you mean?" she asked him,

Elias breathed in deeply through his nose before laughing in a nervous manner.

"I'm going to ask you something that I should've asked you a long time ago," he said. "Will you move in with me?"

Alyssa stared at him in shock. She hadn't expected to be asked that tonight.

"Really?" she asked him, making sure that he understood what he was asking her. They hadn't even lived together back when they were in college. Now, after just getting back together, he was finally going to ask her to move in with him? It was crazy!

But Alyssa wanted to say yes. The more that she thought about it, the more appealing that it sounded to her. Her old place was already trashed, and she lost all of her things basically. What she had left was already at Elias' place.

Plus, she had been crashing with him for a minute now anyway, and things had been great. Her final point was that she loved him and wanted to be near him again.

"Yes, I'll move in with you," Alyssa replied with an unbelieving laugh. "I can't believe this is happening."

"I want you with me," Elias told her as he pulled her into a tight hug. He rubbed her back. "I hate being without you."

It was torture not being with him. When they broke up, she had always felt like there was a missing piece to her life. She didn't want to admit that it was him back then, but she definitely knew now that he was that missing piece. She wouldn't ever feel complete unless he was in her life.

"I'm ready to go home," she told him as she rested her chin on his shoulder. She was exhausted from tonight, and she wanted to lay down with him in his bed. Whether they cuddled or more, she just wanted to feel his body against hers once more. It was her favorite feeling.

"I'd be happy to take you there," Elias said with a bright smile. He turned and pecked her affectionately on the temple before letting her go. He held his arm out for her to take.

Alyssa gripped his arm, letting him lead her down the sidewalk to his parked car. Her plan actually worked, and things turned out so much better than she ever imagined them to be. She took a risk, and it paid off. He took a risk and kissed her, and it paid off. She was so glad that they both decided to be brave tonight.

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

Things were peaceful for the next week. They went as close to back to normal as they could possibly get. They were a human and a supernatural couple, so they could only be normal to an extent. Alyssa didn't mind, though. It was their own form of normal, and it was perfect for them. Everything felt perfect, but she was pretty sure that was her lovey dovey feelings filling her head.

It didn't take her long at all to fully move into Elias' place. She gave up her old apartment trashed most of her things since they were broken.

It was a tiring day, but at least she didn't have to worry about a ransacked, unsafe apartment anymore. Elias' loft had plenty of room for both of them. She tried to pay rent, but Elias refused, telling her to focus on paying off her student loans.

Being with Elias now that they were grown up was like being in a whole new relationship. They had matured so much. They didn't storm off, give each other the silent treatment, keep secrets, or make rash decisions. They talked to each other. They supported each other. They were a stronger team than they were before.

Alyssa hadn't ever felt so happy before in her life. She took her last week of leave to spend time with Elias. They mostly cuddled and caught up on a lot of lost moments of intimacy, but they also explored the city together, showing each other their favorite spots to go. They were steadily melding their lives together, and it was seamless.

"I think we should get frozen yogurt after this," Elias said as they walked through a local park together. It wasn't the same park as the one they used for their plan to expose Stella. They hadn't been back to that one since, and they hadn't heard from Stella since then either. The attacks had stopped thankfully.

"Frozen yogurt? Why would we get that when there's ice cream that's way better?" Alyssa asked him, giving him a strange look.