#likeknives

Listen/purchase: Like Knives by Elsewhere Bound

Eli: felt as though his body was rejuvenated the moment he set foot off the bus, reveling in the crunch of gravel beneath his boots. He was finally able to breathe some crisp, fresh air into his lungs, his entire system having felt stagnant for the duration of the tour they'd completed so far. To be fair, nothing but dread filled Eli from the start of the journey, but a break from their mode of transportation was long overdue. Beyond that, he had ulterior motives in being antsy for the change of scenery, desperate for some semblance of privacy. His staff was always breathing down his neck, understandably at times but it made certain circumstances more difficult to juggle, among them his budding romance with Clare. It was an instantaneous, semi-precarious thing- whatever it was that existed between him and the journalist. The very last person he should have been divulging information to was the exact person who was slowly peeling away layers of him, working through the false facade he'd created as an author. It should have been terrifying, being so vulnerable before her but there was something undeniably thrilling about being himself around her; knowing for a fact that she wasn't falling for a persona as fictional as the characters he'd created in his book. Clare knew the real Eli Goldsworthy, not the one who hid behind a pseudonym to outrun his past and felt far too damaged to take a chance on anything even remotely romantic. After grabbing his bags and slinging them over his shoulder, he took a headcount of everyone around, not catching sight of the curly haired woman he needed to conspire with. His manager had already given him the key to his room, one he imagined had a decent view and most importantly, a lock on the door. Tentative plans had been made between the two, ones that would require upwards of an hour of alone time. Eli was all but chomping at the bit to get the girl alone, finally making good on his promise to span past their previous boundaries. He hadn't even gotten a chance to kiss her yet, the idea of the simple gesture enough to douse him in a heavy veil of vertigo. Finally spotting her near the entrance, he meandered towards her, quietly slipping up behind her. "Don't get too comfortable in your room. You're joining me in mine." he whispered in her ear, intentionally letting his bottom lip skim the shell of her ear. He shot her a smirk before he entered the hotel, getting a head start on Clare so no one would be the wiser. Even as the elevator rose up each floor until the one he needed, it felt like time was moving slower just to taunt him, just to make the ache that much more agonizing while he waited.