Fallen from Grace

Chapter XX

Red hot anger flared through Apollyon's system as he slammed the door shut. His vision flashed red as he wanted to hurt someone, and hurt them bad. He hurtled the bouquet across the room, allowing it to dismember the wrapping against the far wall as he yelled out in anger, clutching at his hair.

How could he have been so stupid and blinded to think that she felt the same way for him like he felt for her? She simply kissed him back because she had gotten lost in the moment, she didn't feel the same way that he did for her. Eleanora didn't love him, not like he loved her, and it hurt to know that she would rather choose Elliot over him.

The anger grew unbearable as he knew he had to get it out of his system. He needed to do something otherwise he was going to explode with the imploding rage inside him. Stalking out the apartment he ran down the stairs and into the chilly December evening. He welcomed the cold air against his skin as he ran down the sidewalk.

He ran as far as he could, pushing himself further than he had ever done before. Slowly he came to a stop as he still felt the urge to hit someone. Apollyon knew that it was wrong, but he didn't care, he just needed to vent his anger out. So he looked down ally-ways, searching for people he could pick a fight with. He found the perfect group just around the corner. It was a group of 3 guys, seemingly between the ages of 18-19, and they all seemed slightly edgy.

Apollyon walked over to them and provoked them by saying 'does your mother know that you're here.'

One of them simply growled for him to back off, but he didn't. It didn't take long for one of the guys to try and punch him, but Apollyon simply grabbed hold of his wrist and slammed his fist into his face. He was seriously outnumbered. Apollyon released all his anger on the three guys, punching, kicking, and defending himself, but in the end, he was one getting beat up.

Two of the guys restrained him as one of them kept punching him. Apollyon did not give them the pleasure of hearing him scream or begging them to stop, instead, in a very sardonic manner, he relished in pain, a final relief against the burning rage inside him.

The guys finally released him, allowing him to crumple to the ground as he spit out a mouth full of blood. Just before leaving, one of the guys kicked hi in the stomach, causing him to gasp for breath as he collapsed on the cold gravel floor. He lay there motionlessly for a moment as he felt the anger drain out of him. Apollyon felt like he needed the beating.

He closed his eyes for the briefest moments, but when he opened them again, the sunlit sky was turning a dark shade of purple and pink. Inhaling a sharp breath, he struggled to sit up as all his muscles ached and seized to work, his movements jerky. Once on his feet, he gasped for breath as it hurt his side.

Wincing, he placed one foot in front of the other as he started to make his slow way back to the apartment complex. Just as his luck would have it, the temperature continued to drop and it started to snow, on top of his injuries, he had left his jacket back at the apartment, having ripped it off himself in anger and thrown it at the floor in blinded rage.

It hurt to know that even after all that they have been through, she went for Elliot. He doesn't even know that she is dying! Elliot has no idea what it felt like to have Eleanora seize in your arms, no idea how it felt to know that she will not get the surgery done. Elliot has no idea how hard it is to smile at her and go on with normal day to day life when all he wants to do is break down and hold her tight to him. Elliot does not know how it feels to be responsible for her cause of death.

The air around him seemed to become colder and he was shivering uncontrollably by the time he got back to the apartment. He shivered against the door as he tried to warm his hands, the blood having dried on his knuckles as he felt light headed. Pushing himself off the door, he made his way up the four flight of stairs.

As he neared the fourth floor, he heard loud banging like hammering on the wall. Apollyon momentarily stopped on the steps as he continued to listen. Too tired to be curious, he continued on with his way up the stairs as he hammering grew louder. Coming to a halt on the forth floor, he was surprised to find Eleanora kicking at his door yelling at it.

"APOLLYON MASTERS! YOU BETTER OPEN THIS DOOR!" She yelled at the door. "I KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE AND HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO ME FOR THE PAST TWO HOURS!"

"I GET THAT YOU ARE ANGRY! BUT JUST HEAR ME OUT!" She cried out in vain to the door as Apollyon shivered behind her. "Please, just hear me out."

Sighing in defeat, Eleanora leaned her head against the wooden surface as she continued to beg the door to open. Shaking his head at her, he fished out his keys from his jeans pocket with trembling fingers as the jingling of the keys redirected Eleanora's attention to him.

She gasped in surprise at the sight of him bloodied and bruised, and instantly rushed to him. Apollyon held up a hand to stop her as he walked passed her and to the door, jamming the key into the slot, he turned the lock open with shaking fingers as his teeth chattered together. Eleanora rushed to him as he stumbled forward, wrapping an arm around him as she supported his weight. Apollyon leaned against her because she was so warm.

His eyes dropped as he had no idea what was going on around him, having fallen asleep due to sheer exhaustion. When he woke again, he was wrapped in warmth and his body didn't ache as much. Trying to turn, he realized that he couldn't as Eleanora was cuddled next to him, looking down at her he noticed her to be looking up at him with wide blue eyes. Pulling away from her, he pushed her away as she looked at him in surprise.

"Get away from me." He growled as he created some distance between them.

"Apollyon, stop. You're hurt and you have a feve-"

"Go and fuss to your boyfriend." He glowered. "Not me."

"He is not my boyfriend." Eleanora sighed patiently.

"Please, you slept wit-"

"I didn't." She interjected his sentence while looking down at her lap. "I stopped him before it was too late. I don't feel the same way for him anymore."

"Can't be...you were wearing his shirt and he was smiling so smugly-" Apollyon stated in confusion as she didn't make any sense.

"He was smiling like that to get under your skin." She sighed tiredly. "And I wasn't wearing his shirt. I was wearing yours."

"Mine?" He questioned in bewilderment before sneezing. "Where would you have gotten my shirt?"

"I-uh-Remember the time you took a shower in my apartment and left your shirt there?" She asked as he nodded for her to continue. "Well, I washed your clothes and thought I should give them back, but one day all my sleepwear was in the washing and I didn't have anything, so I wore your shirt, and I have been wearing it to bed on most nights."

"Why didn't you return it?" He asked softly as he realized that it was all a big misunderstanding.

"Because I thought it would look weird if I suddenly return your shirt back to you after 2 months, and now it smells more like me, too." She informed hastily. "I didn't want to make things awkward."

"Elliot made things awkward. The shirt wouldn't have." Apollyon scoffed as he glanced at Eleanora who was looking at him from below her lashes and biting her lip.

"Let me check your temperature." She murmured as she grabbed the thermometer. Once it beeped she looked down at it and saw that he still had a slight fever. "A good night's rest and you should be fine by morning. Hopefully."

Eleanora made to get away, but Apollyon grabbed her wrist preventing her from leaving. Turning around, she looked at him with uncertainty as he looked back at her with pure gentleness.

"Did he kiss you?" He asked softly as he pushed her sleeves back and placed tender kisses on her scars.

"Yes." She squeaked out as his kisses trailed higher up her arm and to her shoulder, before placing butterfly kisses on the base and length of her neck.

"You don't feel the same way for him anymore?" He confirmed as he kissed one cheek then the other, his lips grazing the end of her's as Eleanora's cheeks flushed and she felt warm, but a fuzzy sort of warmth.

"Not anymore." She agreed with a blissful sigh as her lips grazed his with each word.

"Good." He nodded in satisfaction. "Because I like you, a lot."

"I like you, too." Eleanora murmured softly as she ran her fingers through the back of his hair.

"More than Elliot?" He smiled teasingly while caressing her cheek with his un-bandaged knuckle.

"More than Elliot." She laughed at his antics.

"Good, because I don't share what I like." He growled possessively before connecting their lips together and pulling her impossibly closer to him.