Young Writers Society

Waking up was often hard to do.

Aching bones and aching joints lie beneath flesh that only just barely understands the purpose for which it is being moved. 

The act of simply opening the eyelids of a man with little left in the tank, well, it was excruciating.

But, it is how everyone starts their day. Emerging from the primordial abyss that is one's mind and the dream realm it resides in, to open themselves up into something more akin to reality.

That simple, obvious, unconscious movement, is what brings us here now. Following a man whom despised the act of waking up every day and despised the feeling of falling asleep at night even more.

That man, a 26-year-old from the heart of Russia, was Ezra Yankovich. He stood there at a breathtaking height of 6'7, his hair almost immediately falling down into his face as he did so. The jet black waves draped effortlessly down his face, masking the uninterest with an almost unnerving anonymity. He brought his arms up from where they had sat before at his sides.

Tanned and rugged hands, spotted with cuts and scars and gentrified with thick veins, he pushed the hair out of his face. Once again revealing a nearly perfect face.

A masculine jaw, flawless pale skin, pointed and uninteresting nose, and little to no facial hair.

His visage was the epitome of attractive.

So much so that he almost appeared unreal.

The black shirt he wore was ripped and soiled with his own blood, the rips exposing a chest tightened by years of personal indulgence into fitness as well as circumstance, muscles and toned abs on every inch.

Scars decorated his sides and chest, somehow avoiding the lone tattoo that ran along his right hip; a rose for his little sister.

Both his arms were just as muscular and vascular as his chest, holding a similar, if not more concentrated amount, of scars and few scabs.

The man was smart, too smart. He was like the king of the streets, nobody messed with him. He read people like books constantly with that cold gaze of his. Though due to his childhood.. had so much emotion and anger pent up, and it left him into the cold man he was today.

Ezra always had this dead look in his eyes, he always did..but there was just a faint sadness within them if one were to look deep enough.

Ezra got into fights daily. Anything went on in the streets of downtown Chicago, but for Ezra, he managed. He was simply a passer-by to the scene that was going on upon his terrain.

His hair that usually fell to his shoulders in gentle waves was up in a messy bun. With a raised eyebrow, he watched as a rather young girl was walking drunk down the streets.

Although..the stumbling drunken girl seemed to gain a friend within moments. A man approached her with a sly grin upon his face that Ezra didn't like the look of.

He couldn't quite hear what the man had been saying, though he knew enough upon watching as the man tried to take a hold of the girl's arm and lead her to god knows where. The man was clearly trying to get something from the even more obviously intoxicated woman. And so, he sighed.

Finally, he decided to interrupt, walking over and confronting the man.

"Ok, show's over. Get your hands off the girl." He spoke to the other, his hand grabbing the man by his shoulder which ended in the girl getting knocked over.

His voice was deep and powerful, coated in a slight Russian accent. Of course the other got defensive, he wasn't having it at all.

"Who do you think you are? I'm just trying to have a little fu-!"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Ezra grabbed the man by the collar and glared him down with a dark look in his eyes, taking a gun out from his pocket and pointing right to his head.

"If you don't get the fuck out of here, you're going to have more than just a little fun in hell, yeah?" The man spoke to him in a bone-chilling cold tone, even the look in his eyes was just emotionless. The man froze, trembling under Ezra's touch before nodding and holding his hands up in surrender.

"I-..I'll go..I'll go!"

Huffing, Ezra shoved the man to the ground who then scrambled to get to his feet and run away as far as he could. Shoving his gun back into his pocket, the man then turned his attention back to the woman whom he had just saved.

"Get up." He said to her, taking her hand and helping her back unto her feet as he looked down at her, the moonlight shining up against her features. And for a moment, he looked down at her. Something was different about her. He had seen her before.

"O-Ow.." The other let out a whine as she rubbed at her hip from the small fall she had just endured. Ezra didn't care

"Wait..I know you.." He paused as he suddenly recognized her, squinting his eyes as he raised an eyebrow.

It was Elle. A girl who was ripped from her quiet life in a small town in Ohio, and thrown into the scene of LA, New York, Chicago, and many other big cities. She finished recording and producing an album in record time and was now doing her first country-wide tour, selling out the biggest stadiums within seconds..

Yet, she was in the dark streets of downtown Chicago?

Elle stumbled and grabbed the man's arm, giggling as he recognized her.

"You..-You recognize me!? Of all the men in the bar-.. a stranger in an alley recognizes me!"

She was slurring and leaning back and forth on her heels. Ezra wasn't having it, he narrowed his eyes full of annoyance.

"You're some celebrity, what are you doing here?" The man questioned her, looking her up and down with a rather confused expression.

"I..." She drew out her words like a child. "I had a concert...and then I went to a bar, and they just kept giving me drinks! And so I kept drinking them!" She began to go on. For that moment, just listening to the girl attempt to speak to him through slurred words and giggles, he had only squinted his eyes.

"We're in the middle of the city, your face is everywhere, kid." He bluntly explained as he dragged her along with him, getting more and more irritated with her. "Are you stupid? You're going out like that alone?" Ezra scoffed and shook his head, this girl letting all these probably creepy random men buy her drinks was ridiculous. He had then suddenly heard some more talking..it was multiple voices. Multiple men.

"Hide your face and shut up." Ezra sternly spoke, pulling over the hood attached to her hoodie and hiding her face with it as he walked her into another dark alleyway. It was getting cold, he could feel her shivering. "If you don't want to get hurt, come with me. You're already fucked up enough."

He spoke to her as he guided her into someplace where he then took keys out and unlocked a door, bringing the girl inside before quickly locking it back.

"Wheeere are we going!" She asked in a fit of giggles while poking his arm.

"Somewhere where you won't get attacked." He simply said to answer her question before they had gotten to his home, shaking her hand away as she kept poking him. "Don't touch me."

Ezra narrowed his eyes at her, he didn't seem to be a...very touchy-feely kind of person.

It was an okay-looking apartment. The first thing he did was point to the couch.

"Sit there. Lay there. I don't care. Don't move until whatever you're on is worn off, don't touch anything, and if you absolutely need to, bathrooms right there." Ezra quickly and tiredly explained, pointing to the first door in the hallway. Ezra just seemed to be done with everything. He wasn't the friendliest person in the world.

Elle skipped over to the couch but ended up tripping and falling onto the couch.

"You have a nice couch...I like this couch..." She mumbled and ran her hand over the fabric, making Ezra sigh and put his hand over his face for a moment.

"You go out there by yourself again, you might as well end up dead. Don't know how you even got here in the first place."

He said to her, grumbling angrily to himself whilst stressfully running a hair through his hair for a moment, it was a habit of his.

"I wouldn't end up dead silly..I was juuust fine..!" She defended herself, clearly out of her mind before he started walking to a bedroom; his bedroom.

"You're fucking wasted out of your mind.." He sighed, crossing his arms before he eventually made his way out and into his room. "Don't bother me unless you're dying. I'm going to bed."

Glancing at her once more, he finally walked into his room and closed the door for the night. He was done.

Sober Elle would probably regret all of this in the morning, but sober Elle was nowhere to be found.

"Can-..Can I bother you if I'm bored?" She called out but his door was closed.

"No!" The man yelled out to her from behind the closed door.

"Well fine then.." She pouted and crossed her arms like a petulant child.

While this night would end in her safety, it could hardly say it was a success. The girl was on a stranger's couch. She sat and pouted for a minute, then stood up, almost falling over. She was lonely. Not just tonight in her drunken state. In life in general, she was lonely.

Sure, everyone in the grocery store knew her, but nobody cared for her. Her family, if she could really call them that, had either passed on or cut contact. Her team saw her as a job, and boyfriends? The thought alone could make Elle laugh. Few people saw beyond the singer, few even listened to the words she wrote.

And who knows, maybe it was a mistake on his part to bring her here. He didn't know how this girl was when she was drunk, he wouldn't know whether he just brought a human leech into his household or not, though it was whatever.

If he had a little friend try to mess with him during the night, he'd just put her back on the couch. He didn't do relationships, they just weren't his style. Matter of fact..he just didn't like people..not after what happened to his family. And if anything, that was incredibly evident..

Nonetheless, his bedroom door was unlocked whether that mattered to the drunken girl in his living room or not. He just wanted to sleep.

He wasn't really one to go out, have fun, or play games. He was his own person, he didn't like people, he had no friends, and probably the only family he had lived all the way in Russia. And though he wasn't a nice guy himself, he still understood good and wrong, he wasn't going to let that man take a vulnerable girl away with obvious bad intentions.

After a few quiet moments, Elle fumbled her way to the man's door, but before she could knock, she found herself plopped on the floor. Exhaustion decided to have its way with her. It didn't creep up on her, no, this time it crashed over her in a tsunami of sleep. So, she ungracefully fell asleep on the floor, in front of the strange man's door.

Ezra perhaps could finally have some sleep tonight, he was in his nice bed, attempting to close his eyes and let himself drift off into a somewhat peaceful slumber before he was then quickly interrupted by the sound of a loud thump outside of his room. Gritting his teeth in annoyance, the man scrambled out of his bed and opened his door.

"What the hell are you-" He paused for a small moment as he then looked down, realizing that the girl was dead asleep on the floor. The man closed his eyes and practically face palmed himself, groaning in his own anger. He was trying not to lose his cool "You little-..."

He..obviously had some temper issues. Though nonetheless, angrily grumbling to himself, he leaned down and gently scooped the girl up into his arms with ease, carefully bringing her down to the couch so as to not wake her up. He didn't want to deal with her anymore tonight. Now as she was up on the couch, he looked at her for a moment with another sigh escaping from his lips. Letting the sight of her get the best of him, he proceeded to go up into his room and grab a blanket, coming back into there and gently placing it over her slender frame. She'd freeze easily just laying like that with nothing else.

Would he regret this? Probably. Just one night, Ezra! Then she'll be off and away in the morning or whenever she wakes up and he'd never have to see or deal with her again. Perfect. He could be patient.

Finally seeming to finish whatever he was doing, he then quietly made his way back to his room, closing the door behind him before getting into his bed and closing his eyes. Perhaps now he'd finally be able to rest tonight.

But why in the world was he doing this? Well, he couldn't just leave her there, and she was too drunk to walk back home by herself, he still had morals. And if he walked her back home to her hotel, well..he'd still look bad either way. A girl like her and a guy like him? Somebody would think he was kidnapping her or something, he didn't like dealing with all that mess.

Ezra was probably the most dangerous man in the city, though ironically..Elle was the safest with him.

Elle used to sleep in the arms of a lover. She met a man while she was producing her album. A kind and gentle man named Samual. The two fell in love fast. They went on dates, he watched her record. The problem was, he was one of her producers. But it soon turned cold when Elle couldn't give him what he wanted anymore. Passion turned to jealousy when Elle would take a photo with a male fan. Or when her name was thrown around the internet. Samual began to accuse her of cheating. It got so bad, that Samual ended up getting fired for blowing up at Elle in the recording booth. He never once tried to hurt her physically, but his insults stuck hard in her.

To go from someone speaking only love and kindness over you, to having them crush you down, hurts more than anything Elle could think of. From that point on, sleep was not her friend.

All of these things ran through the girls sleeping brain until the pale rays of morning caressed her skin. She peeled her eyes open and immediately regretted doing so. Her head felt like it was being ripped open by someone's bare hands.

"Dear god..." She muttered and sat up, the blanket falling off of her. Where was she..? She had very few memories from the previous night. She held her head and groaned, then looked around.

An apartment. Not her own. But she was on a couch, alone, and fully clothed. Thank god she didn't do anything. The room was quiet, not a sound to be made. Elle got up on shaky legs and groaned again, finding her way towards a bathroom.

She looked awful. Sunken in eyes, hair a downright mess. Her cheeks were hollow and her lips chapped. She looked at her phone and her eyes widened.

"Crap..." 10 missed calls from her manager. She was in for it now. Once she finished using the bathroom, she went to the man's kitchen. "Water..I need some water.." she muttered and searched his cabinets looking for a glass. She found one and filled it with the tap, drinking it as if she had never tasted water before.

"Now where am I..?" She asked and started looking around, searching for any clue or anyone. "Is anyone here.?" She called out, not too loud, but loud enough that someone might hear. Ezra was in the middle of throwing on a shirt over his pants as he heard this.

He was..at least thankful that Elle stayed peaceful the entire time, he could finally get some sleep for once the entire night. Sleep was something important to him; sleep and books. They were his only escape from the cruel reality of the world. He had always had it hard. Growing up in Russia wasn't the best, it was harsh and cold. After the unjustified death of his parents, he joined many gangs for revenge, went into a life of crime, and he was a beast, feared among all. Though after a while, he found himself getting tired of it all, eventually taking his things and running away. Nobody stopped him, god knows what would happen to them if they tried. The man had been through countless amounts of things, and even in jail a few times in and out, though he was too smart and always found ways out of there.

With an annoyed groan, he adjusted the black waist-high pants hanging upon his built torso, fixing his hair. It was gorgeous, the silky jet black waves rested at his shoulders with a natural ease.

If we're being honest, he's probably the only guy that didn't bring Elle with him for bad purposes. He was just being a good guy, though he'd never admit that. He just seemed to be annoyed at the world. He had too much self-control to be constantly violent, though that didn't mean that he was a nice person. He definitely wasn't. But he wasn't ill-intentioned. No, he wasn't just going to let that man take the girl, he didn't know who she was, and when he did, he didn't care. All he ever actually cared about was keeping her face hidden in public for the time being until they were inside his home.

Nonetheless, he got to sleep, that's all he cared for, honestly. Though the morning came. He was not a morning person-..or really, he wasn't an anytime person.

He rubbed at his eyes a bit as he then opened his door to find the sight of the now-sober girl in his apartment.

"Looks like you're finally awake." Ezra simply said without a care in the world, the light from the windows illuminated his features as he walked towards the living room. He glared at her for a moment, letting out a sigh before going on his way and walking over into the kitchen.

"You realize you were drunk as hell, walking on the streets by yourself at night, yes?"

He spoke as his back was turned to her, opening his drawers to find some medicine for her headache.

"Some man tried to get his hands on you, I found you before he could take you anywhere."

He explained, grabbing a bottle of Advil and walking over to her, handing it to her as he let out another sigh.

"Take these, they'll help with your head."

Ezra then stood back a bit and ran his hand through his soft hair, it seemed that he did that when he was stressed or annoyed.

"Thank you.." She mumbled as she slowly took the pills, tossing them back and swallowing them. "For these, and for getting me out of there. I went a little too far last night.." Elle said almost sheepishly.

Elle let herself look at him for just a fraction of a moment before her splitting headache reminded her that she wasn't actually here on good terms. Being the quiet girl she was, she waited for him to be done speaking before she said anything else.

"Now, I don't know where you're supposed to be or whatever, but I'm walking you there. You shouldn't even be in this part of the city, kid."

Elle narrowed her eyes at him.

"My name isn't 'kid' by the way. And I'm not a kid anyway." She defended herself, but eventually sighed. Even she knew that her actions last night didn't quite prove her maturity.

In return, naturally, Ezra then narrowed his own eyes at the way Elle was trying to defend herself from what Ezra was calling her. Raising an eyebrow, he looked straight down at her with his very European height.

"I'm older than you. Therefore, I call you what I want." He stated as he then walked over back into his room and grabbed some black hoodie, it smelled something like roasted vanilla, must, and pine. It wasn't bad, it was comforting in a way. It was Ezra's scent. He handed that to her as well.

"When you're ready, you put that hood on before you go anywhere. You don't need anybody recognizing you right now." As he looked at her, she smiled ever so slightly at him, he squinted his eyes at her in return, looking her up and down. Why in the world was she smiling at him? Nobody smiled at the sight of Ezra, and to be honest, nobody wanted to even be near Ezra. Not a fun guy to be around, especially when one would be on his bad side. He turned into an absolute monster when he wanted to be.

Though for Elle..It was refreshing. He treated her normally, like she was nothing more than an annoying girl who had ended up stuck with him, not some big celebrity. In reality, Elle was a reserved girl, she wasn't cold. She tried to be sweet, kind-hearted to whom she met. She just didn't let everyone into that deep cavern that was her troubled soul, reserved for a piece of paper and a pen. She wanted to share that with her fans, but nobody quite seemed to understand her lyrics.

"Guess there is no need to introduce myself huh?" Elle made an attempt to be kind to him in some sort of way, showing the man yet another soft and gentle smile.

"..Not really, no." Ezra didn't care for introductions, he already knew who she was. He didn't care to learn any more than that. Although it seemed she was still going to try.

"..Either way, I don't want to be rude, so my name is Elle. It's nice to meet you... your name is?" She asked him, sipping some water and slipping the hoodie upon her slender frame. It smelled good. She liked that.

"Ezra." He simply stated his name, his Russian accent somehow being rather prominent as he said it.

"Ezra.." Elle repeated his name. She chewed on it for a minute, letting it settle in her mouth. Her ear perked as she caught the accent. She didn't say anything else, she just adjusted the hoodie over her head. It hung on her, leaving nothing of her slim figure. His sleeves went long past her hands. She flopped them around a little bit and smiled to herself, finding a bit of amusement in them, though Ezra was watching with judging eyes. She didn't care.

Elle began to run her fingers through her hair, pulling the brown locks out of its lazy updo. As she worked through the knots, it lay just to her collar bone, framing her soft face. Though it was rather messy, it still had a slight caramel shine to it with subtle waves. They moved with her head, falling over her shoulders in a gentle caress.

"You really don't have to walk me anywhere by the way. I think I can handle myself just fine. It seems I have inconvenienced you enough for one day." She said with a slightly sarcastic laugh. Her laugh was light and breathy, sitting in the air and floating as if it were drifting in the sea. "Anyway.." She said and set her mug down. "I guess I'll get going."

"You don't know where you are. I'm walking you." He interrupted. He wasn't going to let her go out like that, especially since she was so small and fragile. These streets weren't any safer during the day. He wasn't one to really get amused easily, it would be a miracle if she got him to smile even once.

"Y-You don't have to come..though you are welcome to. I'll appreciate the company. Maybe you'll let me get us some coffee as a thank you?" She asked and tilted her head, smiling at him. She had a soft way of speaking, almost like she was whispering through the wind with each word. Her words hung in the air, waiting to be grabbed upon by some willing hands.

Her offer of coffee was quite intriguing to him. It seemed to catch his attention.

He glared at her with narrowing eyes for a moment before he looked away, walking over to grab his wallet and stuff it into his pocket. Elle watched him for a moment. She was trying to read him. Not that it was difficult. He was the broody- nobody messes with me- type guy. But there was a darkness in those eyes. A darkness that scared her, but intrigued her all the same. As he towered over her with his full height, she gulped. He wasn't just taller than her. She could stack a whole other person on her shoulders and he still might be taller than her. Elle actually had to crane her neck to look up at him.

"As long as it's free.." He mumbled to himself, seeming to give in to the girl's offer. Ezra liked free things.

Elle looked up from the hoodie and rolled her eyes.

"No Ezra, I'm just going to offer you coffee and then not pay for you." She said sarcastically. "Of course, I'll get it for you. It's the least I can do after you so valiantly rescued me." She said feigning drama.

Ezra looked over at her with a raised eyebrow, eyeing her down as if she did not just do that. Nobody had ever dared to speak to him that way, not even his closest men in his past gangs.

"Tch..'Valiantly'.."

He chuckled quietly to himself, shaking his head. Bravery was out of the question for what Ezra did, he simply just did what he had to. Fear was just something he learned not to have anymore. "Come on." He said as he motioned towards the door.

"Very well then." She said back, but couldn't help the little smile on her face. Elle followed him to the door and walked outside, waiting until he locked it behind them. As the two walked, Elle let silence settle for a little bit, until she couldn't bear it anymore. "You might have to direct me to some good coffee. I don't really know my way around, even when I'm sober." She said, poking fun at herself a little.

"Well, I don't know what 'good' is up to your standards, but there's a coffee shop down the street."

He replied, he didn't seem like he was going to poke any kind of fun back at her, it seemed he just shut everybody and anybody out of his life, he was truly a lonely person.

She leaned over and looked at his face. "You don't smile much do you?" She asked, knowing that she was prodding

"You've noticed?" He raised his eyebrows for a moment whilst guiding her down the street towards where the coffee shop stood. His fingers ran his hair back so he could feel sunlight against his features, it was refreshing.

"I can tell. If you're older than me, you should have smile lines. I mean, I'm 21, and I have smile lines. But you don't." Elle said and turned to walk backward so she could face him.

"I'm 26, kid. Not that old."

Elle gave a look of shock, but also admiration. 26. He looked way too good for that. He was like a picture.. no no.. a painting? No.. then it hit her. A perfect marble statue, hard and precise, but also so pristinely built. Elle was a literal celebrity, she ran into hot guys all the time, but this guy? Well, he was something else entirely. Not to mention, she actually found him quite adorable. 'Am I still drunk?' She thought to herself before finally speaking out to him once more.

"You should smile more." She commented, smiling up at him.

"Why?" He asked. He had no reason to smile anymore so he didn't.

"You have a face that would suit a smile well."

Ezra furrowed his eyebrows at her with narrowed eyes before he quickly looked away from her.

"What is that supposed to mean.." He mumbled, his face was hidden from her..but not too hidden..If Elle really looked close enough, there was a light tint of crimson upon his pale cheeks. He was blushing. And he was even seeming to be shy about it. Perhaps he wasn't as stone cold as he perceived to be...

Ezra truly did have a kind of darkness in his eyes, he had seen and done some awful things, though he'd never speak of it. He ran away to America to escape it all, and even then, he had his own problems here. He was incredibly intimidating and brooding, and there was never a smile upon his face; no sign of happiness. Who knows how truly sad this man had been all this time. He was lonely, but he refused to find anybody. He lost his faith in humanity long ago.

Elle watched his face as he looked away. She was still walking backwards, so as he hid away, she got up on her tip-toes and followed his gaze, leaving her body at a bend. Was he shy...? And blushing?! This was too good for Elle. She smiled wide, ear to ear, and let out a little laugh.

"Have I made you nervous? The stone-cold, broody 26-year-old?" She teased him.

Ezra's eyes widened as his eyebrows furrowed. He looked down at her with what looked like a pout of an angry child, she was making him flustered.

"Screw off.." He mumbled as he looked back away at the road, biting down upon his bottom lip

"Look at those cheeks. My, you are adorable." Elle teased him once more and turned on her heel, that very grin still standing.

"Don't call me that." Ezra simply said in an angry grumble. He wasn't as bad as he seemed, only the rough exterior was what she was seeing, though Elle was breaking it down just a bit enough to see the real man beneath that cold empty gaze.

Elle herself found that she oddly enjoyed talking to this man. There was a sullen shadow deep in those cold eyes, somewhere inside was a hurting person. She felt a pull of compassion towards him. But she also liked to push his buttons, poke at him and prod a little bit. It had been a long time since Elle had actually enjoyed the company of another, so much so, that she felt free to just be herself. Silly as it may be.

But Ezra? Ezra was a person who had been through hell and back, he lost all faith in everybody and everybody long ago. The things had seen at only his age and younger were insane, he gained way too much power at an age too young. He was too smart and too strong, he could practically get whatever he wanted, he was just that good at what he did. He wasn't violent or anything, but he was quiet and kept to himself, got annoyed too easily, and put up an act just so others wouldn't like him. He had seen firsthand how people could just disappear within seconds, he was afraid of getting attached to someone and losing them so easily. He couldn't go through that pain again.

As they walked on, there was the coffee shop right before him, Ezra motioned over to her as he glanced down at her.

"There's your place." He said to her, letting out a sigh as they approached it closer and closer.

She faced the coffee shop and nodded her head. "Yes, this will do!" She said and hopped over to the door. She opened it with a -ding- from the bell and walked inside, holding it for Ezra. The smell of freshly roasted coffee hit her and she breathed deep. She walked straight to the counter and got in line as Ezra was walking in behind her with his hands in his pockets. The coffee shop was half-full, it was nice and busy, but not too busy. And of course— Ezra was getting looks all over. Plenty of stares from women. That was unsurprising though.

Elle was a fast girl. She zipped and zoomed around life, hopping from one thing to the next. That's why she could record so fast or go on easy tours. She teetered through life too fast... was it just a coping mechanism? If she slowed down, would she be forced to actually deal with her pain? She wouldn't let herself go there. Not now, not ever.

With Ezra looking around with a rather unamused gaze, Elle ordered two large, hot coffees- his black, he seemed like the kind of guy who drank black coffee, and hers with an exuberance of sugar and cream. She brought his cup to him and held it up. Ezra took it from her as she handed it to him, he looked down at it and back up at her and he raised an eyebrow.

"I hope you like black coffee. You radiate black coffee energy to me. If not, they have sugar packets if maybe you're a little sweeter than you come off." She said, poking fun at him once more.

"Black coffee energy?" He questioned her choice of words before rolling his eyes. "Odd American.." With another sigh escaping from his lips, he looked over at her with another raised eyebrow, taking a step closer to her and pulling down her hood a little more onto her face. He needed her face hidden, he didn't like all that attention.

Ezra then went over and sat down at a table.

"As long as it's free, I don't care what kind it is." He said as he took a sip of his coffee, looking over at her. "Are you going to sit down or stand there the entire time?"

The man took another sip of his coffee and then proceeded to just sit back and chill, he was just enjoying his free drink, of course.

Though as Elle heard these words, she realized she had been lost in a whirlpool of thoughts. Shaking her head out of her stupor, she sat down clumsily with Ezra watching. "Sorry, got a little foggy-brained," she said and chuckled at herself. Ezra once again did not care. She took a sip of her coffee and sighed. It was the perfect thing for a hangover. Elle rubbed her eyes and looked at Ezra for a moment. He was way too attractive for his own good.

"Uh..huh.."

He replied with an uninterested look, wanting to focus on his coffee before Elle began to speak up to him.

"So, Ezra." She said, his eyes looking up at her from his coffee cup. She liked to say his name, she liked that it rolled off her tongue like honey.

"What." His tone was so blunt and uninterested, he wasn't much of a talker either. He just wasn't a people person at all.

"Where are you from? I heard a little hint of an accent a little bit ago, and now I am curious." She asked and tilted her head to the side, a habit she had a lot. His gaze then looked over at her, raising an eyebrow at her as he sat the coffee down onto the table.

"Moscow." He replied, letting out a sigh as he let his chin rest upon his palm. This girl was so odd, she was asking him all kinds of questions and she didn't seem to be intimidated by him at all, she was just kind of annoying him..or he acted like she was anyways. He hadn't talked to anybody that showed any kind of interest in him except for police officers.

Though this made Elle think a bit. Moscow...So he was Russian?

Before she could think any longer, she suddenly felt her phone buzz in her pocket, which she quickly silenced and Ezra had watched this take place too, which only made him a bit curious about it. On Elle's side..she knew it was her manager, Luke. He was pushy and mean. She hated him, but he was chosen for her by the record label. She was pretty sure that he hated her as well. They got into awful arguments sometimes. He has a habit of being a little too rough for her liking.

"You know Ezra..I like the name by the way. It suits you." She took a sip and smiled mischievously.

"It's a name. Nothing special about it." He just said, dismissing the little compliment, though she went on...

"..Juuust like that smile would.." She teased.

"You really like irritating me, don't you?" Ezra said to her with eyes once again narrowed. This girl just wouldn't shut up!.

"Yes, I do like to irritate you. It brings out some small form of emotion in you, which you clearly don't seem to do often." She said, poking at his stoicism a little bit, Ezra had only rolled his eyes once again.

Elle then waved her hand dismissively and chuckled. "Don't mind my teasing by the way. I only tease if I'm comfortable around someone, so count yourself lucky Ezra." She said a little more seriously and even with a subtle hint of sadness. The sadness being, there weren't many people she was comfortable with anymore.

In response, Ezra blinked his eyes a few times and looked down away from her, bringing the coffee cup back up to his lips to sip at it.

"What's so lucky about that.." He mumbled as his cheeks flushed over with yet another light red tint, sipping at his coffee yet again as he looked away from her.

Elle noticed the blush immediately and smiled wider. "There's those cheeks again." She mused and giggled a little bit. 

"You're seeing things.." He mumbled, taking another sip of his coffee as his eyes looked anywhere but at her.

Elle watched everything. Every little facial expression, every movement, every intonation. She just liked to watch people. And Ezra was no different. Well except that she also watched him because she liked his face.

"Admit it, Ezra, you like me. Or at least you enjoy my teasings, or else why would you get so red in the face?" She asked, and just as she did, her phone buzzed on the table again. The name 'Luke' popped up, and Elle, without even looking at the phone, silenced it.

"No! You-..You're annoying! And my face is red because of the coffee! You know what hot things do? Turn your skin red!"

Ezra  finally snapped at the girl with an even redder face and furrowed eyebrows. He wasn't actually yelling, it was like that whisper-yell kind of thing as he showed that little angry pout upon his lips. He was getting defensive because he didn't want her to know she was making him blush even if it was obvious. Elle could easily tell how flustered he had become and it only caused her to let out yet another little laugh.

Elle smiled a large, childish smile as he got nervous. That was cute. He got nervous. She knew it wasn't the coffee that was making him blush, so of course, she picked at him a little more. "The coffee? Oh yeah, sure it was." She said sarcastically and rolled her eyes. He totally liked her. She knew it. How couldn't he? He was cold, she was warm. He was broody, she was goofy. They clicked like magnets, pulled towards each other by a force that neither of them could control.

"Whatever.."Ezra angrily mumbled. He couldn't find anything to argue back at her with, and perhaps that just annoyed him even more.

"It's lucky because while I can totally tell that you like me, I also like you." She said, very matter-of-factly.

He grit his teeth as his eyes furrowed towards Elle before him "No you don't." He argued

"Well, I think you're very nice." She stated and took another sip of her coffee.

"Nice? I've been anything but nice to you!" He yelled to her in a whisper as he looked over at her with wide eyes full of confusion and shock. Nobody had ever called him something like 'nice', who does that!

Elle scoffed and waved her hand dismissively "You have too been nice to me! Most guys would have let me get taken by that man last night. And I woke up on your couch with a blanket! Which means you put that blanket over me. Which is a very nice thing to do. And now you're walking me where I need to go." She pointed her cup at him with the man just looking away angrily.

Elle didn't know exactly who she was dealing with, but he seemed lonely. And sad. She wanted him to smile, laugh, and be happy. But why? She hardly knew the guy. Perhaps it was that statuesque physique of his or those shining eyes. He had a very hardened exterior, one that maybe she had seen some cracks, but nothing large enough to let his true personality through.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure.." He mumbled, being as dismissive as he could.

Elle's phone buzzed yet again and finally, she looked at it with Ezra doing just the same. She didn't have to look to know that it was Luke. But he was just going to yell and scream at her for not going to the hotel last night, and she didn't want to have to hear it. Plus, she was enjoying Ezra's company.

The teasing, happy-go-lucky face dropped as she realized she couldn't run anymore. She had to face her team and get this over with. "Well..." she said, her voice dropping.

"What is it?" Ezra asked upon immediately sensing the mood change.

"..My manager..He's been calling all night and all morning and I've been stalling. But I've got to deal with him at some point.." she muttered disappointingly.

"Huh..That sounds unfortunate." Ezra played it off as if he didn't care, although, for some reason, he was somewhat saddened by the news. He wasn't sure as to why. He just wasn't used to all this company, he guessed. Perhaps he got used to it for only a few moments..it was nice. He'd never admit it, but it felt relieving almost. He didn't really know how to explain it.

Elle stood up and adjusted her hood. "Are you going to insist on walking me?" She asked with a half-hearted smile. "I would like the company.." she admitted, now it being her turn to blush a little bit.

Ezra's eyes then blinked another few times just watching her, making his face flush even more whilst seeing the way she herself blushed.

"I might as well..It could still be dangerous..Or something.." He mumbled a bit as he quickly stood up and threw the now-empty coffee away with Elle smiling wide.

It seemed that he and Elle were still getting looks, so for the people who kept looking over at her, he gave them the most intimidating of glares and made sure nobody was looking at her before he motioned her to the door with his hands in his pockets, eventually opening the door for her.

Elle got up and threw her cup away, adjusting her hood...

"Come on, don't need your people waiting, yeah?" He looked at her, his head tilting over to the side. And for the first time, a thought had swirled through his mind as his eyes looked over her:

She was pretty.

"I need to get to First Wave Recording Studio. Think you can get me there?" Elle asked as they started walking, a phone in her hand. "I'm supposed to be working on some Demos today, new singles and whatnot. I'm excited about these ones, the songs I mean." She said. He nodded.

"It's down more into the city, but not far from here." Ezra couldn't do all this stuff, he'd hate it. If he ever got into singing, he'd be doing his own things and not taking anything from any other people. He liked being in control.

Elle spoke quickly as a general. She was very expressive. Her hands fluttered about while she spoke, her face was lively and animated. No emotion could be hidden on the girl's face unlike how Ezra was. They truly were opposites.

"No doubt I'm going to get a bunch of crap from Luke today about 'how I can't go out drinking and blah blah blah'" she said, mocking her manager in an annoying voice.

"Well I wouldn't blame him, you did end up drunk on the most dangerous side of town..and you were almost attacked.." Ezra could honestly go on. He noticed that Elle seemed to like to talk a lot, though Ezra didn't. But he was content with just listening, he had listened to the silence for way too long.

Elle rolled her eyes and shrugged. "It's not like that was the first time I'd gone out to some random bar. I'm 21, I'm not a kid anymore... I just wanted a little bit of freedom." She muttered.

"You can have freedom, though you put yourself in a state where you were vulnerable and anybody could have taken advantage of you. Sometimes being an adult means you have to be responsible for yourself as well." He pointed out. "What you did was reckless, and you just about got yourself into a situation that would hurt you beyond repair." Ezra calmly spoke to her, and yet what he was saying was incredibly serious. She didn't need to be going out and doing things like that by herself, that's why Ezra was walking her where she needed to be. Even when she wasn't drunk, he still felt the need to walk her wherever. Chicago wasn't the safest of cities.

Elle hated that he was right. She hated even more that he said everything so nonchalant-like. She knew the constant going to bars wasn't a good idea. She needed a new way to cope with how overwhelming a show was. But going back to a hotel by herself only led her into a panic. But that didn't mean she needed to be reckless. "Yeah...yeah yeah, you're right." She admitted through a mumble.

"You wouldn't like Luke." She said and looked up at him as he glanced right back down at her. "He isn't like you. He is mean and arrogant and thinks he owns me and my songs. News flash! He doesn't. But he sure likes to act like it. Even got mad at me yesterday for something I wore! How dumb is that?!" She suddenly stopped talking. She realized she was rambling.

"Ohhh I'm sorry Ezra!" She said in a genuine tone. "I just started dumping all this on you. Luke isn't all that bad I guess. They just say he is passionate about what he does.." she muttered and gave Ezra a half-smile. He just glanced down over at her and shook his head at her apology. He didn't care.

"Key word right there, kid."  Ezra suddenly said to her. "'He'. He's passionate about what he does. He's your manager, yes? His job is to take care of what you need to do. You are his job and his priority, the thought of himself is irrelevant. He had nothing to do with your job, your..how do you call it..' producers'..take care of your music. The manager just sets up appointments and makes sure you're where you're supposed to be."

Ezra ended up explaining all of this with some quite intricate knowledge. "In other words..manager is stupid, kid." He shrugged it off after just giving his two cents. Ezra was still a foreigner, so as he spoke a good bit to her, his English seemed to slip up a bit. But to Elle, his glorious accent made up for it.

Ezra had actually talked a lot more than Elle thought he would. She found herself smiling at him once again. "Yeah. I guess you're right. Doesn't mean it isn't going to be a blood bath when we get there." She said and paused for a minute. "Don't take it personally if he is mean to you by the way. He isn't the greatest people person in the world." She warned him, though he didn't seem the type to get his feelings hurt.

Ezra looked down at Elle, his eyebrow raising yet against Ha! What a joke, nobody was mean to Ezra.

"He wouldn't dare say a word if he knew what was good for him." He spoke lowly. He didn't take kindly to rude people.

Elle shrugged. "I don't know Ezra. Luke doesn't really care who he is around, he just says whatever is on his mind. And from the 10 missed calls I have from this morning, I can't imagine he is too happy.." She said and looked up at him again.

"I don't really care how he feels. Sometimes you just need to keep your mouth shut, you know? People like that get killed." He explained with a bit of coldness to his voice as he said all this without any pause, he wasn't even phased.

Soon, they walked more towards the city, which only increased the amount of people who were around. His gaze grew serious as he made sure to keep a close trade of his surroundings, it seemed he had some knowledge on all of this, he looked like a robot scanning the area for any threats.

Elle watched as Ezra scanned their surroundings. He was..good at this. He saw everything, heard every movement. While Elle could read a person, he could read people and surroundings. Ezra's hand had then come over and gently took a hold on the side of her waist opposite to him, slightly bringing her closer to him as they continued to walk, nearing the studio, making the girl let out a soft surprised gasp. His arm was around her.. and she liked it. She bit her cheek and smiled a little bit, liking his touch.

"Stay close to me." He said before he glanced down at her, his hand coming up to pull down her hood that raised a bit from all that moving as they walked.

Elle had definitely let herself walk close to the man, she noted that he smelled good. There was a safety she felt with him that she hadn't felt from somebody before. Maybe it was his height. Maybe she just liked him. The connection was odd.

Although..Elle was starting to get a little nervous. She leaned in a little more to him and held her arms over her torso. She hated being recognized in public. "People are following..." she whispered with a little crack in her voice.

"Pay them no attention." He said before he then turned around and glared at the others with an intimidating gaze, making sure they went on and looked away from that direction. "They'll screw off and mind their own business." The more they walked, the closer they got to this big building before eventually coming to a stop as he sighed and looked around.

Elle decided right then that even though she found him very attractive, nothing could come of this. He was just a kind stranger who helped a girl in need. She wasn't good for him. Her life was too fast and too unpredictable. The paparazzi were ruthless and she had already begun to receive death threats from those who hated her and her music. He didn't deserve all that. She thought all this, not knowing what his home was like or really even what he did. But Elle tried her best to be a selfless girl nonetheless.

"Well..This is building, yes?" Ezra asked her as he looked down at her. He really didn't want her to leave but he knew she didn't need to be with a guy like him anyways..All he brought was bad luck, it seemed.

Elle looked up at him and gave him a smile. He still wasn't used to those.

"This is it.." She said and hesitated. "Thank you, Ezra. For everything. I had fun. Despite what you might think, you are actually a very nice and kind soul." She said and fished something out of her pocket. It was a crumpled receipt. Ezra watched with a raised eyebrow as she unfolded it and grabbed a pen from her other pocket, she always seemed to carry one and scribbled a number on it.

Before he could say anything, Elle handed Ezra the receipt. "It's my personal cell, so please don't go parading that around. The media has already found it twice so I keep having to change it. But, that's for if you ever get lonely." She didn't mean anything super serious by it, but he looked like he might need a friend.

Ezra glanced down at the paper, a blush forming upon his cold unchanging expression as he looked back up at her. He looked almost surprised in a way, this had really never happened to him before.

"Thanks.."

He mumbled, looking away from her for a moment.

"I had fun Ezra-" The girl began to speak once more, although quickly getting interrupted in the meantime.

"Where the hell have you been??!" Elle was interrupted by a man bursting through the doors of the studio. He stood at about 6'2, with clean-cut brown hair and cold green eyes. He wore a sweater with a collar and nice pressed pants. He wore arrogance like a badge of honor. Luke.

Ezra's demeanor had changed in an instant, his gaze was soft toward hers for that moment although now it was cold and intimidating, and to make it even more so, Ezra was like an entire person taller than the other man just about. His eyebrow raised as he looked him up and down.

Luke suddenly grabbed Elle's wrist rather harshly and pulled her away from the man. "A call would be nice, yeah? I can't believe you, Elle, get inside." He spoke to her very commandingly, then looked to Ezra who then grit his teeth the moment he saw what he did. Oh, that wasn't going to fly with him.

Elle winced at the tight grip Luke had. She gave Ezra a sad, soft smile and a small wave. She had better get inside so as to not provoke anything, before she disappeared, she pointed to the receipt to remind him to use her number every now and again.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked, looking up at the man. "Elle doesn't usually bring around... strange men.." he said. "Anyway, just tell me how much I owe you for whatever you did for Elle. She's a pain in the ass so I can't imagine you had a good night." Luke sighed and reached in his pocket, ready to sign a check.

To stop the man from doing anything else, Ezra took a step forward and grabbed his wrist, having the knowledge to harshly press a pressure point upon it to release the feeling of his fingers, then ripping it away from Elle's arm, making Luke let out a pained whimper.

"Don't touch her."

Ezra growled deeply, his dark eyes piercing deep into the other's.

This..was probably the side of Ezra that Elle wouldn't see, though she did now.

There was a lot more to him than just what she had seen.

Though surprisingly, he was being protective of her. It seemed that he really did care more than he showed.

"What the fuck man!" He yelled, but his blood ran cold. This strange man wasn't to be messed with, but Luke wasn't the smartest guy around. His pride got the better of him.

But who did this tall giant think he was? He isn't Elle's manager, he isn't the one who has to deal with her! Why does he care so much? The man was truly terrifying, not that Luke would ever show his fear. Fear is weakness.

Elle rubbed her wrist and winced at the faint blue-ish bruise starting to form. Her gaze was pulled from her wrist to Ezra in an instant. He was absolutely terrifying. She hadn't seen this side of him. With her, he was gentle and soft. But here.. well no wonder people left them alone on the street and in the restaurant.

Ezra didn't take manhandling of women too lightly. Nobody ever treated any woman like that, ever. It pissed him off and shook him to his core that Luke thought he could actually do that, and it definitely didn't help that Elle was bruising ever so slightly upon her wrist.

His hand then took her wrist for a moment, his touch being so, so gentle. His thumb softly rubbed over the forming bruises before he then snapped his head back over towards, looking the man up and down with a threatening gaze.

"And I don't want your shit, I want you to treat her like a human, yeah?" The man spoke in such a tone that would send shivers down one's spine. It was intimidating and threatening, Ezra could definitely be scary. And he was.

"You treat her or any other woman like that again, I'll make sure you regret it. You understand? No wonder she didn't answer your fucking calls."

The man growled once more, then grabbed his shoulder and manually shoved him out of his way. He was damn strong compared to her string-bean manager. Ezra was terrifying when he wanted to be.

"Move."

Ezra then walked over to the girl and looked down at her, taking the receipt he had in his hand and ripping a piece of it off, taking her pen and writing down another number upon it, shoving it and the pen into the pocket of his hoodie that she still wore.

"You call me if this piece of shit hurts you again." He didn't ask, that wasn't a question at all.

Nobody had ever called Luke on his crap before. It surprised Elle a bit. But she was thankful that somebody other than her saw how awful he was.

Though nonetheless, Elle nodded slowly. She didn't know what to say. She was equally scared and grateful. She looked over at Luke who was fuming. She knew when her manager was angry and he certainly was. Oh, but Ezra?

Ezra glared over at the manager, his eyes narrowing deeply towards him.

"Leave." Ezra growled yet again with crossed arms, he was terrifying right now.

And the entire time, his eyes glared right into Luke's, not breaking eye contact once. He was anything but intimidated, and it showed just how much power Ezra could have.

"Me? Leave? I think you should be the one to leave." Luke said and crossed his arms. "This scene isn't for you pal. Do you even know who you have had this whole time?" Then Luke stopped as if a realization hit him.

"You've been with one of the world's most famous singers and songwriters.." he lowered his voice. "How did the paparazzi not find out? How did you walk the streets of Chicago and no one recognized her?" He asked. "You want a job or something? Is that why you're here? Wanna protect little Elle here from all the big baddies of the world?" He asked in a sarcastic tone. Ezra just looked down at him without one care in the world, like he was some annoying little kid. And he was to him.

Ezra crossed his arms and looked at the other with an unfazed look in his eyes. He knew who she was, and did he care? No. Not really. Ezra stood there and grit his teeth whilst he seethed in anger. He was tired of listening to his guy's voice, he was getting angrier and angrier.

"No, who am I kidding.." Luke chuckled. "This life wasn't meant for someone like you. You couldn't handle it. What, you probably sell drugs for a living? You're a lowlife. But, you managed to get Elle here safe. So if you want a job, I guess we can work something out." He rolled his eyes as Ezra's gaze only darkened more towards him.

"Luke stop it..." Elle said quietly. "There's no need to be mean to him okay? He has his own life, don't be so presumptuous.." she said and gave Ezra an apologetic look. She really was sorry for Luke's behavior. It was embarrassing to have a manager who was so rude and prideful.

Ezra then took a step forward and looked directly down at him with the deepest and sharpest gaze.

"Are you done?" He seethed, his hand grabbed Luke by the collar, and picked him up into the air with one arm.

Luke gasped, kicking and hitting at Ezra's arm, and started to speak- but fear took over. Luke's face went pale. He had never been so scared before.. this man..this man was going to kill him!

"The real lowlife is the fucker who thinks he's doing something when he runs his mouth." Ezra's eyes looked at him up and down.

"You watch your mouth. You don't know who the hell you're speaking to." His voice was deep and his demeanor was dark and almost murderous. If Luke wasn't scared, he had to be terrified now.

"Taking a job from somebody like you is the last thing I'd want. Fucking insulting."

Ezra spat, letting go of the man within his grasp, letting him suddenly drop down from the height he was picked up from, he fell to the ground. Luke picked himself up, scrambling to get away.

"I'm getting sick of your presence, so I am going to tell you once more and I will not repeat. Leave." He growled with every intention to attack as he took a step forward, glaring straight down at the man with fear-filled eyes.

Luke wasn't an idiot.. but who had Elle brought to them..? He stammered something unintelligible, then looked to Elle.

"Who the fuck is this guy...?" He asked with a waver in his voice. "You're crazy...fucking crazy.." He gasped out and went to the door. "Meet me in the studio when you're ready Elle..." He muttered and disappeared back into the studio.

Ezra chuckled and shook his head. How funny. He really thought it was funny that he said he was crazy. Elle had really no idea who this man truly was, but he was definitely something else for sure.

To say that Elle was frightened would be an understatement. She had never seen someone so terrifying before. She had never even seen Luke so scared before. It made her wonder..who exactly was this guy..?

With Luke running back inside with his tail between his legs, Elle turned to Ezra. She didn't know what to say. Should she thank him? He could read people better than she could, he would know right away that she was absolutely terrified of what she had just seen.

"Thank you..." She muttered, Ezra gave her a nod in response as he took a few steps closer to her. She didn't want him to think that what she thought of him had changed. She still thought he was kind and nice. But she just knew now not to get on his bad side.

"I'm sorry about him.. Luke shouldn't have called you that.. you're not a lowlife. It wasn't fair of him to treat you like that." She said and finally looked up at him, her eyes still wide. "I think you're the only person who has ever gotten through to Luke though." She said with a small chuckle.

He didn't respond quite yet to her words, he just listened and watched. He knew he had definitely shaken her up quite a bit, though he couldn't blame her. He did feel ever so slightly a tint of guilt about it, though there was nothing he could really do now.

"He shouldn't treat you like that." He finally spoke up to her in a now-much softer tone.

Elle couldn't believe how quickly his demeanor changed once Luke was gone. He was soft and kind to her. He was right.. Luke shouldn't treat her like that. But Luke treats everyone like that. He did seem to have a possessiveness over Elle that she didn't like.

"Is there..anything I can do for you?" She asked him, tilting her head to the side. "I mean, you've helped me a lot in the last twelve hours. The least I can do is offer my help if you need something.." She said and gave him a soft smile.

"Call me." Ezra said. That was his answer. That's what she could do for him. That's all he wanted.

Ezra then gently took her hand and brought it up, his thumb once again gently rubbing over her wrist. "And put this on ice for me, alright?"

His eyes then met hers as he spoke to her in a much softer and gentle tone.

And ever so slightly, for the first time, he smiled. Ezra had the sweetest smile.

Elle couldn't believe it. It was such a perfect smile. It sat on his face and bunched up his cheeks beautifully. She truly thought she had never seen something so lovely as that. It made her blush, quite prominently this time.

She didn't respond yet. His gaze was soft on hers, his words quiet and his touch just barely grazing her. Perhaps she shouldn't read too much into these little things. They way his thumb brushed over the little bruises. His smile.

Finally, Elle found words. "I think I can manage those things.." she spoke quietly, matching his gentle tone. Elle smiled herself, a wide, overjoyed smile on her features. Her eyes were bright with amazement and wonder.

"Yeah?" Ezra was quite relieved to see that she had agreed to his requests. Maybe a little change was what he needed. He was 26, he couldn't be alone forever.

"I told you.." She stated softly.

"Told me what?" His head tilted to the side, he was just teasing her ever so slightly, he knew the answer.

"You have a nice face for a smile." Elle reminded. "It is quite a lovely sight to see." She tilted her head. "The cold and broody man, smiling. I could get used to a sight like that." She said rather unashamedly, of course, Ezra rolled his eyes.

"Uh huh..Whatever." He chuckled just a bit. She was so different. Not that she was a celebrity, it was just..her.

"I like you Ezra. The lonely, unsmiling, kind of scary man who is hidden." She was only slightly teasing him. "But underneath all that is a kind soul, who helps strange girls and doesn't stand for injustice. I am glad to have made your friend." She said, happily calling him a friend. Ezra sighed and looked away just a bit in a shy stance, he wasn't used to having all these words being tossed his way.

"Huh..'friend'..Alright." He spoke the word, that was something he hadn't heard in a while. But..he liked it.

Elle wouldn't let herself go any further than that. She couldn't. Relationships, crushes even, were just too much. Especially after Samual. Ezra was too good for her life, it would be unfair to bring him into her world.

"Try not to forget it okay?" She asked him.

"Forget what?" He asked with a little grin.

"Don't forget that you are actually a very nice person." She said with a soft smile and a light laugh.

"I don't know what you're talking about.." The man replied, following another chuckle. He'd never admit that he was nice. Ever.

"I guess I need to get in there.. I'm very behind schedule and I've got three demos to record.." she reluctantly stepped back. "I'll call you, oh broody one~." She teased. Sure, it sucked she had to go, but Ezra understood. She had a busy job.

"Uh huh. You better." Ezra rolled his eyes yet again. "You're still annoying, though."

He winked. Slowly, he was coming out of his shell with her..he was starting to play with her like how she played with him..and Elle was shocked.

What a change from five seconds ago when he had her manager lifted from the ground, to now. And that smile. The smile was going to be the death of her. At that moment, no matter what warning signs went off in her head, she decided that she wanted him to smile more and that she would help him.

"Go on, kid. Don't get yourself in more trouble because of me."

He motioned his hand over at the door before putting his hands within his pockets. Even then, he was still standing there and making sure she was okay until she'd walk through those doors. It seemed he had been protecting her since he found her.

Elle didn't want to go back inside. She wanted to blow off the day and just talk to Ezra a little bit more. But, she had a job. A job that she enjoyed, even if she didn't enjoy all of it.

She walked to the door and turned around one last time. "It was lovely to meet you, Ezra. Keep a sharp eye on that phone of yours. I'll call you."

"Oh, I will. Don't worry." He assured her with that smile remaining upon his lips, giving her a nod as she gave him a little wave before she finally walked through those doors

Somehow, it seemed that he was growing a soft spot for Elle. Ezra didn't know why, but that's just what seemed to be what was going on. He was creating an effect on him, he couldn't understand why.

Though it seemed Elle had gotten a little taste of what he was really like. He wasn't the best guy, although she also saw how he was towards her. He was awful, of course, though he could be sweet and gentle, and it seemed he was like that towards her. He was even shy and flustered towards her.

But he couldn't help but think. They were both very different people. She was like America's sweetheart, and for him? He was everybody's worst nightmare and a vicious 'American' convict. He didn't want to put all that on her, she was too good for him.

Although there wasn't much drama surrounding his past, he knew that if they had gotten into some kind of romantic relationship, the news would come out and it would tear poor Elle and her career down.

And with a sigh, he began his walk away. And he walked all the way back to the other side of town, hands in pockets.

Nobody bothered him, of course. Nobody ever did. It was all rather quiet around. He had never noticed how quiet it was before.

Dang.

It was a little too quiet. Especially for when he got back to his apartment.

He locked the door and sighed, sitting down upon his couch as he looked down at the blanket that had been around Elle before.

And after a while, the sun was down and he was only laying in his bed, the tv was on, quietly playing in the background because he suddenly was bothered by how quiet it had become without Elle.

Suddenly, he took the paper out of his pocket, biting down his lip as he hesitated for a moment before suddenly grabbing his phone out and dialing the number into it.

"Hello?" She picked up immediately. Ezra then looked down at his phone, his eyes widening.

"Hey..uh-..I-..I just-.." He started to stutter, why the heck did he call her? "You-..You forgot something here.." Ezra quickly said an excuse. She didn't leave anything there and she probably knew that. He sighed and face palmed himself.

"I did..?" She asked, playing along a little bit. "Please, tell me what I left would ya?" She prodded with a lift in her voice.

"You know..things."

He just randomly said, facepalming himself once more. Things! What was he thinking, she didn't leave anything!

"Things? Did you really just call to say that you missed me already?" She decided to call him out, knowing it made him flustered. It indeed did.

Ezra's eyes widened as his face flushed a deep red. "What-?! N-No! It's only been a few hours, why would I miss you!"

Elle giggled. "Why would you miss me? Well, it's that obvious, I'm just that charming." She teased and laughed. He made her laugh... She liked that. No matter how cold he tried to be with her, he was just a softie.

"Oh, charming? Come on, really?" He audibly rolled his eyes, pulling his blanket further up his body as he curled up into a ball. His phone was on speaker too. He wanted her voice to fill the room like it had before when she was there.

"I'm assuming, if I *did* leave something there, you'd like me to come by and get it? Hm?" She teased and sat on the edge of her bed. She couldn't be happier that Ezra had called her. Now she didn't have to try and distract herself.

He was silent for a moment before he ended up responding. "..Maybe."

Ezra mumbled his reply, shifting around in his bed as she could even practically hear him making that little angry childish pout of his when he got all flustered. He was laying on his side, holding the phone close to himself.

This stupid girl kept going through his head. She was a leech to him in person, and she was a leech even when she was gone! It was frustrating. He couldn't stop thinking about her. He wanted to know her, he wanted to spend another day with her, get to know her, and pretend to get annoyed when she'd playfully tease him and ask him all kinds of curious questions. It was something new to him, though it was also something that he also found himself wanting more of.

"What're you doing right now..?" He asked softly, letting out a sigh as he kept his phone close.

This definitely felt comfortable to have somebody else to talk to, it was such a relieving feeling to have.

"I'm just in my hotel room now. Enjoying the fact that Luke isn't around." She put the phone on speaker so she could lay it down beside her.

"Did your recording sessions go well..? I'm sure they did..You're very..talented.." He mumbled that last word. Ezra wasn't one for giving compliments. He got all shy when he said that.

To Elle, there was no shortage of people who told her that she was talented. But this felt different. It actually made her nervous that he had listened to her music..

"It- uh, it went well.. Luke was a jerk, but we got the three songs recorded. It's up to the label to decide if they're good enough to make them an album." She said nervously.

"I bet they are.." Ezra said ever so softly if it was hers, any song was good enough. To him at least. Just because it was Elle.

"Thank you...by the way." She whispered and laughed sheepishly. Elle never got shy, she made a living on not being shy. But Ezra made her more nervous than any crowd had been.

"No problem.." He mumbled.

"What are you doing? Other than blatantly missing me and making up excuses to get me to come over." She was unashamedly flirting with him now. Though she had to keep reminding her that she shouldn't.. but she couldn't help herself. She was in trouble this time, there was no getting Ezra out of her head now.

"Oh screw off..I was just-..concerned about what you forgot!" He quickly said to the other, blushing like hell.

Elle let out a loud belly laugh as he quickly got defensive. "Oh yes, the imaginary things I forgot at your place." She sarcastically remarked. "You're an awful liar Ezra." She teased and blushed a little bit.

"Shut up.." He mumbled. "But uh-..I'm just in my bed..I'm laying down." Ezra finally ended up answering her. He was just in a ball, keeping himself nice and warm.

"It's..really quiet.." The man suddenly said, his eyes looking up at the roof as he let out a sigh.

"You know..without you here..and all.." He mumbled. It seemed the two were drawn to each other so instantly. It was like fate. "I-I didn't mean it like that! It's-..You're annoying and talk a lot.." Ezra kept going on and on, mentally face palming himself over and over again, he was damn embarrassed. And he only kept embarrassing himself even more as he kept panicking and saying things abruptly from how flustered he was.

She laughed again as he tried to cover up his tracks. "You don't think I'm annoying." She rather bluntly stated.

"I do." He argued and huffed, pulling his blanket up just a bit more as he proceeded to just become more and more flustered as she went on. She really knew how to push at his buttons.

"If you did, you wouldn't have gotten coffee with me, and you wouldn't have walked me to the studio. You could have gotten me a cab. And you wouldn't have called me. So no, you don't think I'm annoying." She laid it all out with that one.

"It was free coffee..and..I didn't want you to get killed."

"Sure..but I like annoying you.." She softened her voice.

"Course you do.." He replied with heated up cheeks, suddenly biting down upon his lip..he seemed to do that a lot.

"Maybe I didn't forget anything there.." she started. "But I still have your hoodie. I was going to keep it since it's so warm and very cozy.." she suddenly paused. "...that and it smells good..." she said so quietly that she wasn't sure if he would hear it..but he did. Now it was her turn to get flustered.

"So you're a thief now? I see.." Ezra suddenly teased back at her, he didn't care about the hoodie. She had a piece of him with her, wearing that hoodie was probably like being enveloped within his arms.

"A-Anyways, I could give it back to you.. sometime.. I don't know how long I'll be in Chicago.. so it would have to be soon..." she stammered, not wanting to admit that she wanted to see him again.

"If you want it, you keep it, kid. I've got plenty of those.."

Elle smiled wide as he said she could keep the hoodie. "Really??" She bit her lip and felt her cheeks grow warm. "You know, I wore it during recording.." She muttered.

"You did..?" Ezra really couldn't help but smile at the way she said she wore his hoodie. It made him feel special in a way. It really did.

"Luke said it made me look stupid, but I like it..."

"Luke doesn't know what he's talking about. He think he looks good in stupid sweater he wears."

He said to the other in a bit of an annoyed tone, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

"You can pull off all kinds of crap and look amazing. Who cares what he thinks." He got all worked up when he was irritated or mad about something, he didn't even know that he had just complimented her. It had just seemed to slip out from him. But oh..Elle caught it right away.

"You think I look amazing?" She asked him in an almost small voice.

His eyes widened as his face heated up ten times hotter than it had before.

"N-No! I-..I mean..I-It's-...Y-You know what I mean!" He quickly stuttered out the most flustered reply. It meant he thought she looked amazing. He just wouldn't admit it. Elle could understand though, he could hear her laughing on the other end.

"You know..." She then said softly. "People tell me everyday stuff about myself. And I never really care what they have to say.." she lowered her voice. "But um.. I-I like hearing it from you.." she muttered, shocked at her own bravery.

You-..You do?" Ezra spoke up, his eyes blinking a few times as he hugged his pillow tighter to himself. "I mean-..You know..You're..pretty..or whatever.." He mumbled as his blush only seemed to grow. God, what in the world was he doing? Ezra was saying all these things, it felt like they were just slipping from him. But he couldn't lie, he did think she was pretty.

But..she was just too good for him. Luke was right, Ezra really was just some street trash. His mind was fogged up and full of trauma caused by memories he wished he could forget every single day. He didn't want that to be put on Elle. It just sucked that everything was so complicated. But he couldn't help but have her take his mind away.

"Thank you..." she whispered softly. This was bad. She was in for it now. He worked his way into her mind and he lodged himself there.

"You're quite attractive too you know?" She commented, making Ezra widen his eyes. "You have a nice face." She stated matter-of-factly like. "I didn't know who was getting more stares at coffee today? Me, the famous singer, or the ruggedly handsome brood." Elle said in a silly dramatic voice.

What was she doing..? She couldn't lead him into her life! The media would harass him relentlessly.. he didn't deserve that. It wasn't fair. To have this connection with someone, but know that they are better off without you. It almost made Elle angry to think. Would she have to push him away? Or should she let herself be happy and dive into this connection with reckless abandon? Her past memories of her last relationship only led her into a deep darkness, she could only imagine what would come of this one if she let it go just like that.

"Oh shush..You're just messing with me." He rolled his eyes and chuckled. He never really thought of himself as much, he wasn't vain or self centered even if he should have been just from how gorgeous he was.

"I-I'm not!" The girl giggled out with Ezra rolling his eyes. She took another moment before speaking out to him once more. "You know, I've always wondered..What does the world look like from your height?" Elle asked the next question rather bluntly, out of the blue-like.

"I-It's just normal, I don't know." Ezra chuckled and shook his head, this girl was going to be the death of him, she really was. "Sometimes I have to duck down to enter some places..doors aren't tall enough for me, I hit my head a lot."

"You're like..an entire person taller than me, I'm curious as to what you see. How you view the world around you.." Such an odd question she asked. But she wanted to know everything about him. Everything.

Ezra chuckled some more, adjusting himself a little bit in the bed. "You've never really been around Europe, have you? You'd be in for treat, everyone is tall like me."

He also just had that certain way of speaking as English was his second language, though that accent was glorious to Elle. She loved it.

"I've been to Europe for some shows, but I didn't get to explore much. Mostly just venue to venue. It was more exhausting than anything." She began to speak quieter as she began to get a little tired and Ezra could notice with ease. She wanted to stay up all night, but her eyes were starting to droop.

"Th-That's what I mean..You probably stayed in the more touristy areas and hotels or whatever." He chuckled. If she were in the more rural places, she'd probably be surprised at every sight of a person she saw. His eyes then looked over at his window and let out yet another sigh. "It's uh-..It's getting late, kid..Aren't you tired? I don't want to keep you up all night if you have things to do tomorrow.."

He had a bit of sadness to his voice, he actually cared. He wanted to talk all night, but he didn't want to keep her up later than she needed to be up if she had things she needed to do. Perhaps he'd get to see her soon, but he didn't know. He didn't want to get his hopes up and disappoint himself later on.

"I..unfortunately do have a busy day tomorrow. I'm in Chicago for a few days, I've got a photoshoot for an ad campaign tomorrow, and a couple of more demos to record." She laid out her next couple of days out. Ezra himself frowned at the sound of all this. He was glad this wasn't a FaceTime call. He couldn't mask his disappointment.

"Sounds like a lot, huh?" He spoke with a slightly more somber sound to his own as he let out a sigh.

"Y-Yeah.." Elle spoke with a soft laugh. "Though, we might get some weather so we are waiting to see if my flight gets canceled.." She yawned again and rubbed her eyes. "I don't want to hang up..." She whispered so quietly that even she had a hard time hearing herself. But Ezra heard it..and he smiled

"I don't want you to either.." He whispered just as quietly, it may have been inaudible but who knows what the microphone picks up. He didn't care.

"I'm glad you called Ezra. Even if you still haven't admitted that I didn't actually leave anything.." Elle teased once more, despite sleep pulling at her. It made Ezra chuckle just a bit. "We'll see each other again right?" She asked, even though she knew that was more up to her than it was him. He wanted to see her again..but would it be good for her? He didn't know.

"If you'd wish for us to.." He said softly. "I'm a call away, you know? If you need anything, you call me." Ezra assured her, it really seemed that he cared no matter what he did or said.

Elle sighed. He was there.. there was a comfort in that. Elle hasn't had comfort in ages. Not during childhood, definitely not in her career. The media was just waiting for a scandal from the innocent young sensation. "I'll call you.." she whispered while biting at her cheek. He wanted her to call him..

"I'll wait for you, then.." He whispered back to her, letting out a sigh. Those words made Elle's heart do flips. It pulled at her heartstrings, plucked like a fine instrument. Lyrics about him already flooded in her head. Melodies on an old piano with a sweet, clear voice sitting upon its sound. "Now I want you to go to sleep for me, alright? I can hear how tired you are.."

He spoke so sweetly to her, it seemed she had melted away some kind of cold exterior from him already on day two of knowing each other. There was just some kind of instant spark that they experience right away, he didn't know why or how, it just happened. He was attracted to her like a magnet, he couldn't get over it.

Elle blushed a pomegranate red at his gentle tone. It was a stark contrast from his dark tone when he had Luke in the air. "Yeah yeah.. I'll go to sleep. But you have to get some sleep too alright? Tic for tac here." She chuckled lightly.

Elle took a moment to compare Ezra and Samual. Ezra was real, he didn't try to fake anything. When he was angry, he showed it. When he was flustered, he showed it. He was kind and gentle, at least to her. Samual was fake. He told Elle what she wanted to hear, just to get with her and get what he wants. He wanted to produce the music for America's newest star. He wanted his name out there. And he got it. He was now recording some of the most famous singers in the world. Once he got what he wanted from her, he turned cold. That was the difference. Ezra was just Ezra. Pure.

"A-Alright, kid..Fine." Ezra chuckled. He was tired too, but he'd stay up all night if she'd want him to.

"Goodnight Ezra.. thank you for calling. You made my night...pleasant." She muttered the last part, but she didn't hang up. She just watched the phone. The numbers counted how long their conversation had been going. She watched the time tick away. The minutes of pure happiness..

Why couldn't she just stay here? Locked in this circle the two seemed stuck in. It was soft and whispy. Like a calm breeze caressing her skin. High above the ground, the stars sat in the sky. They were a curiosity to the girl. How they knew their place in the sky, how they glistened. Perhaps that is how she saw Ezra. High above her, glorious and steadfast. Someone to be studied and mapped, explored, and respected.

"Pleasant?.. Huh..I'll take it." With another chuckle, he adjusted himself in the bed, leaning over and putting the charger into his phone. "Goodnight..Elle..I'm-..uh..I'm glad I called." He spoke softly. "I haven't really spoken to anybody in a long time.."

How lonely was this soul that she spoke to? Ezra was locked inside his own mind, a prisoner of grief. She wanted to crawl her way deep into that thick abyss and free him. Show him the light that she knew. Elle wasn't without her own darknesses, but she knew how to put them aside. Or maybe she was just ignoring them.

"Whose going to hang up, huh?" He asked with a small smile, he sounded sad, he didn't want to hang up at all. Never in his life had he had such a free-flowing conversation. They really just clicked like that. He never clicked with anybody in that way. It was..strange, to say the least.

I

"I'm not hanging up.." She finally spoke, her voice but a whisp on the wind.

"I-I'm not hanging up either.." He chuckled out, letting out her another sigh as he pulled up his covers. Ezra could hear her moving around in her bed.

"I'm supposed to be done tomorrow at four. So wait for me alright?" She smiled to herself. She knew the entire day she would count down those hours until 4 hit.

"I will.." Ezra promised her softly, listening for anything else, though she said nothing. It was complete silence, though if he listened close enough, he could hear the slight sound of her soft breathing.

"Elle..?" He spoke out her name, yet to no avail. With a sigh, he chuckled, adjusting himself unto his side. She was asleep. "You silly girl.."

Ezra murmured, finally letting himself relaxed as he then let out a final sigh, letting his eyes close.

He too drifted into a quiet, gentle sleep as those numbers on the phone only went on and on white time passing.

The next day, something happened that wasn't supposed to happen. 3:30 rolled around and Elle didn't call. 4:00 came and went...and still, the girl didn't call. 4:30 passed to 5:00 and 5:00 passed to 6:00.. and still, the girl didn't call. Nor would she answer if anybody tried to call her. It worried Ezra..just a little. He waited, he had even gone out and walked for a bit to pass the time, he had even then just never got the call. Eventually, after hours of being out, he never got anything. He came back to his house and even then..nothing.

After it was starting to get late..Ezra ended up calling her. Maybe she was just unexpectedly busy, but he didn't know and he was getting worried..but it was nothing. She didn't answer. Maybe she didn't want to talk to him anymore..Ezra knew he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. She was too good to be true, wasn't she? Although after a while, he was not really feeling great. Maybe he was just thinking things when he thought that she actually liked him.

But suddenly, he got a call. Ezra scrambled to get his phone and quickly answered the call. It was Elle.

"Hey-" He then suddenly realized there was crying on the other side of the phone, and instantly snapped. "Kid, what's happening? Why're you crying?" And with a window open, he could hear those exact cries in the distance.

"Where are you? Did somebody hurt you?" He was quick to go to questions as he didn't get a response, quickly opening his door and standing in front of it, looking around just to make sure she wasn't around.

"I-I don't know...where I am..." She finally stammered and sniffled. "The cab would only bring me this far." She turned around and saw off in the distance, the alley. She walked briskly to it.

Elle was dropped off just a little ways off from the alley that Ezra first met her in. She looked around frantically, her mind racing a mile a minute. She couldn't think straight. The photoshoot had gone bad...really bad. By the time she was out, all she could think about was Ezra. He would be able to listen to her, comfort her..

"What do you mean, kid? Are you by yourself in the city?" He asked her. He didn't know what was going on, and it was worrying him sick. She didn't call nor pick up his call all day, and now she was calling him in the midst of what seemed to be a breakdown.

"N-No, I just-.." She was still wearing the outfit from the shoot which was a short black dress and heels. "Everything went wrong today. Luke was..." She hiccuped and turned around, finally seeing him in his doorway. his back to turned to where she was, so he hadn't seen her in that very moment in time.

"Luke? What the fuck did he do to you?" He asked with a sternness to his voice, looking down at his phone, realizing she had just hung up before hearing the quick clicking of heels upon the pavement approaching behind him.

His eyes widened as he shoved his phone in his pocket. It was Elle. As she got closer, it would be easy to see that she was quite disheveled. Her hair was down and lost most of its shape, her makeup was running down her face. But most noticeable was the red welt on the side of her face.

"Elle? What are you doing here!" Ezra asked a bit panicked, it was insanely unsafe for her to have gone all this way alone, especially looking like that.

Elle lost all ability to speak. One look at Ezra's concerned face sent her over the edge. She broke and began to sob. Large tears fell down her red face. "I-I didn't know where else to go..." she sputtered and buried her face in her hands.

"Hey, what happened? Speak to me, kid." He asked as he looked over at her with all the concern in the world in his eyes.

"I can't do this anymore, I can't..I can't deal with him." Her voice was muffled against her hands. "I just wanted to call you and everything went wrong. The shoot went hours over and-..and-" She let out a few more cries before she looked up at him.

"Why? What happened?" He repeated, he was looking over her every detail, making sure she at least looked like nobody hurt her, but again, it was dark outside.

"Oh my goodness, I should have called earlier and asked if I could come over! I just showed up. I couldn't think straight.. I'm sorry Ezra.." Her voice sounded small like a child's almost. Something had happened at that photoshoot.. but Elle was a mess, she could hardly form full sentences.

"No, no, don't apologize, you have nothing to apologize for. Just- Come on. It's cold out here." Ezra put his arm around her shoulders and led her inside, quickly closing and locking the door behind him before having her sit down on the couch. Elle was so upset that she didn't even realize how cold it was. The stress was thin-strapped, she hadn't noticed that she was shivering, but Inside, it was properly lit up and warm.

"Now can you explain to me what's going on? You've worried me, kid." He said to her as he then quickly grabbed a tissue from a tissue box upon his table and crouched down in front of the girl.

"Come here, you're a mess.." Ezra frowned, his hand gently taking a hold of her chin and tilting her head up to look at him as he gently wiped away all the running makeup along with her tears before he then noticed the red welt upon her cheek..which only made Elle cry more.

Immediately his gaze darkened as he sat back. He couldn't believe what he was looking at.

"..Who hit you?" He asked in a darkened tone, "It was Luke, wasn't it? I'll kill that fucker!"

Ezra growled, he was absolutely angry, though once again being rather protective over the girl. He was treating her much more gently and sweeter than he had been the day before. It seemed she was really starting to get to him..along with the fact that she had scared him to death with all of this suddenly happening.

Elle sniffled and shook her head. "It wasn't Luke.." she muttered and tried to compose herself. She took a few deep breaths. "Luke was awful today, but he can't be blamed for this..He was mad that I was late and I never heard the end of it. I got to the photoshoot and everyone was angry. I was working with two other actors, we're doing an ad thing. I got free samples.." She rambled, her mind still running too quick, though Ezra listened and kept up with her every word.

"Okay, and..?"

"The-..The actors were mean and just blatantly rude all day. And I was in so many different outfits and Luke kept insulting every single one of them. 'She's too small in this, too big in that, her hair isn't right, her makeup doesn't cover her enough..'" She mocked her manager quite dramatically.

"It was like all of his critiques were just about me, not the clothing or the makeup. So I eventually snapped. I figured- I don't have to take this. I hired HIM. So, I told him off. In front of everyone.." she muttered the last part. "He ended up leaving around five. The shoot ran until 7:30 because one of the actors couldn't decide if he liked his stupid hair!" She was trying to explain everything to him, while still crying.

"Anyways, I was fed up. And we were doing these poses and one the actors was just *way* too handsy, and since I was already so angry at Luke, I blew up at the actor too. That's when I made the mistake of turning around and saying something passive-aggressive and he... backhanded me.." she mumbled the last part so quietly that if anything had made a noise, he wouldn't hear her. "That's when I lost it. I mean, he's a big guy Ezra. One minute I was staring up at him, the next I'm on the ground and my face hurt like hell!" She sighed, she was starting to calm down. "Anyway, after that, I just left. I bolted. And the paparazzi were right outside the studio, and they got tons of pictures of my face and no doubt it's going to be *all* over the tabloids and the internet... "

"I'll fuck that man up." He growled with a dark gaze, though he sighed, his hand still coming up to wipe some more tears away, he hated that she was like this. This was the last thing he could have ever wanted.

She got quiet and just looked at him. "I'm sorry I scared you... now that it's all out..it doesn't seem as bad.. even though it was. It sucked! And I just wanted to go back to my hotel and call you and make fun of you so you would get all flustered and cute and make me smile after an awful day.." she rambled, not even caring that she called him cute. Ezra closed his eyes and chuckled, trying to get himself to calm down as he shook his head.

"Kid.." His hand gently took a hold of her chin once again and cupped her cheek, Elle quieted down almost immediately as he did so. "Look at me,"Ezra said as his thumb rubbed over her cheek so gently, creating a gentle flush of crimson over her soft complexion. Her eyes looked directly into his own as she looked up into his eyes, noting in the back of her mind how beautiful they were.

"None of this is your fault, alright?" He said to her, "You were late, mistakes happen, and that's okay. You're human. But Luke had no right to treat you like that, and that shitbag definitely didn't have any right to ever think it was okay to put his hands on you."

Ezra then sighed, his free hand coming up to gently bring a blanket and put it over her shoulders in which she relaxed under it. Elle nodded slowly, her deep eyes conveying that she understood what he was saying

All of the day, all anyone told her was that everything was her fault. That if she was on time, this wouldn't happen, that if she was just prettier, the shoot would go well, if she just kept her mouth shut, she wouldn't have gotten hit. Ezra was the only person who looked at her and told her that she was okay..

"You're safe here, alright? I'm not going to let anything else happen to you."

The man then gently assured her, his hand moving some hair from her face with the girl closing her eyes as he did so. Such a small movement. Why did it mean so much?

"Do you want to stay the night again? I won't get mad if you say no, I understand.." He spoke so softly to her, showing a small smile as his head tilted to the side. He figured he might as well offer even if she'd probably say no. But he'd never know for sure.

That alone, brought a little grin to Elle's face. She rode through the canyons of grief, but when Ezra smiled, it was like a rescue team, saving her from her sorrows. Their connection was strong, perhaps too strong. But Ezra somehow knew the little things that made Elle feel seen and safe.

Perhaps it would surprise Ezra, but maybe not, to hear her say, "I'd really like to stay the night... you know, sober this time.." she said, still able to poke some fun at herself.

"Th-That's fine.." He chuckled out a response.

Her face soon fell into a serious one. "But seriously..." she spoke quietly. "Thank you Ezra... I didn't have anyone else I could go to.. and I trust you...so thank you for everything.." she whispered, her cheeks flushing a subtle blush under her already red cheeks from crying and the red welt.

"Well, I'm glad you came..and I'm glad you trust me." He said softly, his hand cupping her cheeks once more. Elle slightly leaned her head on Ezra's palm, such a gentle and kind notion. "Ah, is that a blush I see?" Ezra suddenly teased, playfully raising an eyebrow at her as his hand pulled away. She almost stood up, but instead Elle just rolled her eyes and scrunched her nose at him.

"Not so fun, is it? With a wink, he chuckled as he stood up unto his giant legs, beginning to walk down the hall.

"Yeah it's a blush, no big deal. Not like you don't do it all the time." She fired back, only blushing harder as he chuckled and looked back at her. She pulled the blanket around her and watched him, still in awe of his height.

"Actually, you know what, I'm bringing you with me."

"Huh?"

Elle watched as Ezra then made his way right back into the living room, crouching back down as his arms suddenly wrapped around Elle's slender figure, picking her up and carrying her down the hall with a surprised yelp coming from her. He was definitely getting much more comfortable around her, though even then, he still touched her as if she were the most delicate of porcelain.

"It all looks so different from up here..." She mumbled as they walked.

"Yeah?" He chuckled, shaking his head just a bit.

He then brought her into his room. It was big, bigger than his living room for some reason. And there was a fireplace. That's why he brought her in there. In front of it was some blanket and pillows as his tv was off to the side. He had lots of expensive stuff, it looked nice.

Ezra gently brought her down unto the pillows and blankets around the burning fireplace warming the room, there was a book laying off to the side, it seemed he was there a lot.

"Here, it's much warmer in here, kid." He said as he was on his knees behind her, pulling the blanket back around her that he gave her earlier before standing up. Elle held the blanket close around her, suddenly feeling so warm and homey.

"I think..I have something that might make you feel better.." Ezra said as he walked over into a closet.

"What? " Elle asked, watching him pull something out of a closet and bring out what looked like...a hoodie! Her smile was uncontainable, giddy, like an excited child. It would smell like him... that thought alone made her jumpy with anticipation. Dang. She liked him too much for her own good.

Ezra sat down and handed it to her, showing another small smile. He was smiling more with her, she made him smile. "You think this'll make up for a bad night?"

"Yes, I think this will!" She exclaimed and stood up. She very promptly put the hoodie on over her dress as Ezra watched with hands on his hips. The hoodie completely covered the dress and fell long passed her arms. She flopped the sleeves around and giggled like a child, making Ezra himself chuckle at the sight. So cute. "I love it!" She exclaimed and sat back down next to Ezra. His smile was burned into her brain.. it was lovely.

Little things made her happy. That's part of why her and Samual never worked. He would always go above and beyond for these grand gestures. The thing was, they had no meaning. They were just to keep her in line with him. But Ezra did little things. Giving her hoodies because he knows she likes them, smiling at her every now and again, letting her into his home. It held so much weight, so much intention. She was going to miss him when she had to leave..

"I-I'm glad, kid." He chuckled out, his hand running his hair back as his eyes glanced over at her.

"You know..Is it weird to you, that just last night we were strangers. And now we're friends?" She asked him, turning her body to face him. "I've never connected with someone so fast before.. it kind of scares me... does it scare you?" She asked barely above a whisper. He tilted his head to the side a bit, the question made him think.

Even if Elle hadn't really known Ezra that well..it seems that she came to the best person possible. He had no bad intentions with her, all he was doing was taking care of her because that's what she came here for. She was upset, and all he wanted was for her to not be so. He was definitely trying his best for sure. And it seemed that he was doing a good job so far.

"I'm..not sure.." He said with a shrug, he didn't think much of it at all. Eventually, hr shook his head as he then sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "After my family was killed..I-..I was afraid of ever finding someone to just..be there for me." He confessed, taking a moment to pause before he then continued.

"I was afraid I'd lose them too.." He whispered before then looking back down. "After all these years..spending a day with you made me realize just how quiet it had been..all this time.." Ezra then looked back over at her and smiled with a certain sadness within his gaze that was unexplainable.

He had opened up to her for the first time and he had never done so before with anybody else. The sight made her stomach do somersaults.

But she felt the air shift from a child-like excitement to a heavy sorrow.

What had this man been through..?

Elle was..rather shocked by his words. Her eyes were wide. His family... killed. No wonder he was lonely and brooding. Fear had overtaken the man. She couldn't blame him.

He had been alone for so long because he was afraid of feeling that same pain he felt all that time ago.

Elle gently laid her hand on his arm, making his eyes look up into hers. "You don't have to be lonely anymore.." she whispered in a hushed voice. "I am sorry for what happened.. I'm sure your family was wonderful. I mean, you came from them, and I think you're wonderful.." She said and looked at him.

"Loss is...a part of life. Being afraid of losing those you love is not an irrational fear. But don't let yourself live in silence because of it. You are strong Ezra. You could probably survive anything.." She truly meant what she said.

She saw him as strong and steady, able to handle whatever life would throw at him.

His eyebrows raised as his gaze softened. For a moment, his eyes glossed over with tears, making him quickly look down and away from her.

He didn't want to seem weak, though her words had truly hit him deep out somewhere. He couldn't explain it.

Elle saw it. The hint of something deep inside those dark eyes. Something she had said had struck deep in the man's emotions. Elle kept her arm on him, running it gently as a comfort. She didn't necessarily mean anything by the movement, just a comfort to her hurting friend.

"But I am your friend now. Which means I won't let you be so alone anymore. And I'm never quiet so you can't escape that." She joked lightly, keeping her hand on his arm. "I'm glad to have met you Ezra. Even if it wasn't intentional.. you have turned into a most lovely surprise.." Elle gave him a genuine and soft smile.

His eyes glanced up at her as he let out a forced laughed, a tear falling down his cheek.

"Fuck.." He quickly wiped his eyes, still chuckling. Ezra was embarrassed to cry in front of her.

"S-Sorry, it's just-.." He rubbed at his eyes some more, letting out yet another quiet chuckle. "-Nobody's ever said anything like that to me before.."

Elle couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Her heart cracked almost immediately at that sight.

Such despair and pain resided in the sweet man before her.

Sure, he was broody and dark.. but under all that was a soft, broken soul. How she longed to repair those cracks with laughter and joy. She got on her knees and shuffled to sit in front of him, still on her knees to accommodate the height difference as listened.

Ezra showed the girl another sweet smile. "You make me feel..so different.." Shaking his head as a blush flushed over his cheeks, he looked away from her, looking down at the carpeted floor covered in blankets and pillows. "Like I think I-I'm going crazy sometimes.." Ezra chuckled out, letting out a sigh.

He didn't know what all that meant, but that's just how he explained it. She could only take that in as he wished..he didn't really understand it himself.

Without another word, Elle took her hands and gently used her thumbs to wipe away his tears, making his gaze almost immediately meet back with hers. The gesture made his own heart skip a beat a few times.

"You're not crazy Ezra.." she chuckled softly "You're feeling." She said, "It's what friends do when they can trust each other." She smiled and tilted her head.

"Haven't done that in a while, kid.." He chuckled out, biting down upon his lip as he looked down.

Though What she did next surprised Ezra.

She hugged him.

Elle wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, her face on his shoulder. She held on not too tight and not too loose. It was perfect. His eyes widened as his face flushed a deep red. His heart immediately began to speed up as he froze for a moment. It's like he almost forgot how to hug. It had been so..long.

"You don't have to hide yourself around me Ezra. I want to see you, and who you are. And that means all of you. Even when you're crying. Especially when you're blushing." She teased, having to add one jab in there for fun, he rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"O-Oh..You're still on that?" Ezra chuckled once again before slowly pulling away, though not all the way. Her arms were still around his neck as his arms were still around her waist.

He didn't want to be seen weak in front of her. Real men didn't cry..did they? Ezra wanted to keep believing that, but he couldn't help but be hit with the wave of emotions that she was causing him to feel. It was a lot and overwhelming to take in all at once.

But he melted within her gentle embrace.

His eyes closed for a moment as his strong arms slowly wrapped around her slender figure, showing a small smile as he let out a sigh.

One of his hands then came up and cupped her cheek, his fingers tucked ever so slightly under his chin as his thumb rubbed over her cheek, making her eyes look up into them, suddenly realizing how close they were.

Elle studied him for a moment. His face was near perfection, each feature able to stand on its own. Yet it all came together to one picturesque face.

"You're beautiful..You know that?"

He spoke softly with a small, sweet smile whilst he looked down at her.

Elle's heart stopped. Her breath caught in her throat. The world seemed to stop spinning as it turned its attention to the two, locked in an embrace. And that smile.. no amount of fame, no award, and no amount of success could have prepared her for this. For this connection that seemed to sit above everything she thought she knew.

"And I'm not just talking about this face.." He chuckled as his fingers playfully pinched at her cheek, making her face just turn pomegranate red right then and there with a smile upon her lips. "I'm talking about you..What's inside of you, kid..All of you..You're beautiful..I really think you are." Ezra spoke so softly, so delicately to her as he looked down at her. They were so close, he wasn't used to it all.

He didn't even know why he was saying all of this like he was..but he was.

He thought she was beautiful.

That was it.

Elle knew at that moment that Ezra wasn't leaving her life any time soon. She didn't have any words.. somebody had finally rendered the girl speechless.

Elle's hand gently came up and brushed some of his hair away. "Well.." she whispered. "I guess it's my turn to be flustered.."

"Yeah?" Ezra chuckled just a bit more. It was rather amusing just to watch her. It was cute.

She looked away nervously for a moment, biting at her lip as Ezra chuckled . "Thank you, Ezra.. it means something more.. hearing it from you I mean." She said quietly.

"I'm glad..I was only just speaking the truth.." He said softly as his hand still cupped her cheek, his fingers moving some hair from his face.

She stared at him for a moment, not wanting to leave this bubble of protection and happiness she had found. "I made the right choice coming here tonight huh?" She said and smiled at him.

"I think so.." Ezra said softly as he smiled down at her, his head tilting to the side a bit

"And I knew it, you totally like me. Mr. 'I am darkness' over here. You totally like me." She poked at him a little.

"Maybe.." He teased at her with a little grin, making her smile grow.

"But I like you too. So I guess we're both in for it.." she teased and he rolled his eyes, but there was also a seriousness in her voice that he caught unto.

"Yeah you do.." He said with a wink.

"You've worked your way in Ezra. And now you're stuck with me." She whispered and inched closer to him. She really just wanted to be close to him, especially his warmth.

"Stuck with you..?"

He asked with that very grin, his eyes looking down directly into hers as he didn't dare leave her gaze. His arms pulled her just a bit closer to himself as his thumb continued to rub over her soft cheek ever so slightly, she was only getting closer and he was letting her. This was a bad idea, but he was letting her.

"What're you up to, huh?" He teased at her as his voice fell into a whisper, biting down unto the inside of his lip, his eyes watching her as close as physically possibly as he looked down at her.

How could Elle know? This was new.. all uncharted waters. And she was but a ship, hoping to travel safely through the waves of her own feelings.

Ezra felt as if he was frozen in time in the midst of her embrace. The world seemed to stop for a moment. Just for the two of them.

Everything stopped.

The air stopped moving.

Elle's heart stopped beating, even the crickets in the night stopped their chirping. It was as if the world had gone silent just to give these two the space to be. Elle was left with no other thought.

She was here..with him.

But fear worked it's way in like a virus. She could see them happy... for a moment..Then the press would get involved, they would do anything they could to tear Ezra down. He would never have a moments peace.

The memories of being bombarded by paparazzi, memories of the hate, the rumors, the drama that would go around. Memories of Samuel. How tormented Ezra would be like she was.

She saw, plain as day, that her life was not good for him.

Elle was an inch away from him, almost there.

And she froze.

Ezra could read people like books, there would be no denying that Elle wore the fear just like she wore the hoodie. Her eyes conveyed that she was about to do something she didn't want to do..and he understood.

She pulled away.

It was all too obvious that it pained her deeply to pull away from him.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered, her voice cracking. "I want you so much that it hurts... but I can't.." she said, another break in her voice.

Ezra looked down and bit down upon his bottom lip, his cheek flushing. He wasn't blushing because he was flustered. He was embarrassed.

"Elle.." He breathed out her name, his gaze was filled with nothing but hurt as soon as she backed away from him, suddenly feeling so cold as soon as she let go and backed away from his gentle hold, regretting every step. But this was for the best.. even if it killed her to do so.

"My world.. isn't good for you Ezra.. you're too good. Too kind and caring.. it would be cruel for me to bring you into it. No matter how much I want to.." She almost looked angry now. "I would follow you anywhere. I would want you by my side every minute of every day. But at what cost Ezra? It's not fair.. but i can't hurt you any more than you've already been hurt.." She stood up and wiped her eyes. And perhaps she already hurt him enough. He was much more fragile than he seemed to be.

"I really like you.. I like you so much. I don't want you to ever doubt that.." she whispered, immense pain filling her chest as she spoke words she never wanted to say. Ezra couldn't look at her.

After an excruciatingly silent moment or two, Ezra then let out a soft, forced chuckle as he looked down and shook his head.

Maybe it never really would work.

Maybe he was just putting all this shit in his mind.

Why would it even work by this point? Why did he get his hopes up? He felt like an idiot.

Though he also had his own thoughts. His past..how dangerous he was..He feared it would hurt her social view in a way..that she was with nothing but street trash, a dangerous criminal..a convict.

God, if he ever were to put her in any danger..he'd never forgive himself. The things he's seen, the memories of his family's death, of the people he had hurt, the people out to hurt him, everything. It was so painful, it was so unbelievably painful.

"You-..You don't really know who I am, do you?" He asked her in a soft tone, finally looking over at her.

Elle hated that look in his eye. The look of complete hurt. She felt like she had just stabbed him in the chest and then told him it was for his own good.

"My world..is nothing like yours, Elle. I'm not good..If you heard the things that I've done, you'd turn around and run out that door."

Ezra looked down and away from her.

"Why do you think I'm here..and not..in Russia..?" He said lowly, his voice filled with hurt. He was practically hinting out that he was running from something. Ezra was a very, very dangerous man.

He'd hate to put that on Elle. His last. He'd never hurt her, he treated her like delicate glass. But still. Elle slumped. She sat back off her knees and brought them to her chest. She looked so small.. wrapped in his sweater with eyes larger than the pain she felt.

With one last sigh..He ran his fingers through his hair and slowly stood up.

"But uh-..I-It's fine, kid. Really..I understand."

He showed her a small smile that was obviously forced. Everything he was doing was forced.

"Ezra-" Elle wanted to apologize. She wanted to tell him she was sorry so many times, but she was interrupted. She knew simple apologies could't fix this.

"I'll be back, alright? Need to..take a shower.." With one more smile, he was quickly walking right into the rather nice tiled bathroom before he shut the door right in front of her.

Regret was a sharp stinging pain in her side. Her heart felt like it was cracking into a million pieces.

She didn't want to say what she said. She wanted to tell him that everything was okay, that they were destined by the stars for one another.

But she couldn't. She didn't know his life, he hardly knew hers.

They simply weren't good for each other.

Elle simply broke being alone on the other side of that door. A small tear fell down her face. This wasn't fair. In order for them to not hurl one another into a world of despair, they had to hurt each other. She felt cold.. so so cold.

Guilt created a dull ache in her bones as she stood up and reluctantly took the hoodie off. She folded it neatly on his bed and crept to the bathroom door. Elle rested her forehead on the door, a sharp stab of excruciating pain almost doubled her over.

"I'm sorry Ezra..." She whispered.

And with that, Elle grabbed her shoes and crept out his front door. She walked to the street, the cold biting her bare arms and legs. This was for the best...this was for the best..

"Goddamn it!" She exclaimed and let the tears roll down her already reddened cheeks.

She blew it. She had him there, she could have leaned in and been happy. Elle knew that she would regret this for the rest of her life..

Finally, she could see a yellow cab off the street. She hailed it and waited. Waited for it to come get her and take her away from the one place she truly felt safe and into a world where she could only be a fraction of how happy she would have been with Ezra.

It seemed that..they were two different people. Two different worlds. So many complications. And god, did it hurt. They both knew they wanted to be with each other..and yet they were both scared. So, so scared.

~~

Ezra knew he wasn't good enough for her. He was too dangerous for her. She deserved to be with somebody who didn't have a criminal record, who wasn't street trash. Damn..she just deserved better.

She deserved the world, and he'd give it to her if he could. He really would.

He should have just let her go back home alone that day, he shouldn't have let himself get attached the way he did.

He didn't blame her. He wasn't upset with her. He was just a little..disappointed, honestly. Perhaps there could be something, but..nothing.

He should have known better than to get his hopes up. Even Just a little bit.

He was stupid to think that maybe he could have had something nobody else could ever have, something that nobody else could ever give: Her.

After he got out of the shower, he was only in some pants. He noticed how quiet it had been..again.

"Kid?.." He looked over down at the hoodie that she had neatly folded upon his bed. His eyes widened as he quickly began to run towards his living room. "Elle!" Ezra yelled her name before realizing her shoes were gone. Everything.

His gaze darkened as he looked around, his heart breaking more and more as he listened for a response that he was never going to get. Ezra then ran over to the door and opened, looking out and around for her..

"Elle!...Elle!"

He yelled her name as much as he could before his eyes suddenly flooded with tears as he reached over and grabbed a pistol.

Screaming Russian curses to the top of his lungs, he shot at the cement ground before him, breathing heavily as he turned and walked back into his house, slamming the door shut as he locked it as quick as it closed.

Never again.

This is why he couldn't have friends.

This is why he was alone.

Why he couldn't be loved?

He always ran people off. He shouldn't have let her in and he shouldn't have gotten as close to her as he did.

He couldn't trust people.

This was a reason.

There were so many reasons within this one moment.

And this had only made him darker. More miserable.

All of it.

He couldn't be happy, could be? Maybe he believed her words to him..but now?

As he was now in his bed, his body trembled as he let out a sigh, he hated the world right now. He hated everything.

The tv was off and the fire was off.

So now, for the second time, it was quiet. And cold.

And Elle got no messages or calls from Ezra for the rest of that night.

If Ezra wasn't hurt then, he was hurt now.

He felt so lost. So empty.

Perhaps in the midst of trying not to hurt him..Elle only hurt him more. She left him there. Alone. In the quiet. It was probably the most painful thing he had felt in a very, very long time. The memory of it all drove him crazy.

He felt abandoned and more alone than he had ever felt before. God, it was so isolating now.

His body trembled for who knows what, he didn't know why. It was probably of his immense anxiety issues, he had already taken his meds for the..other issue he had. Maybe somebody might figure that one out with time. Who knows.

He felt like he did something wrong, he wanted to reach out to her and ask, but he refused. She left him. Here. Alone. She snuck out when he wasn't looking without a word. That stung. He was upset. Real upset.

That was probably the longest night he ever had. He didn't really sleep much if the dark eyebags beneath his eyes hadn't explained that enough.

He stumbled into the living room, making some stupid cup of coffee after taking his meds. Though he heard some random noise, looking over and walking over towards his couch with a raised eyebrow before picking up the glittery pink device.

"Oh hell.." He groaned, biting down unto his lip as he then brought her phone over to his desk and took a piece of tape, putting upon her screen and pulling it up to have her fingerprint upon it, then putting it down to her finger sensor and pressing his thumb down. Quick trick to get into somebody's phone with a fingerprint. It was easy.

Unlocking her phone, he looked through it, specifically finding messages with Luke where he'd describe the hotel details to her. Cool. Okay. So now he knew where he was going.

He also ended up finding her schedule and decided that he would be going early..which means right now..before she did anything.

Ezra quickly got dressed, yet again in all black, along with a thin jacket as his hair was put up in one of those man buns of his.

He grabbed his phone and put hers into his pocket and he started the miserable travel to the hotel he was to go to. He didn't want to go, but the girl needed her stupid phone.

Eventually, he walked in the place with nothing but a blank face, looking just like how he did the first day they met. Cold.

Nobody said anything to him as he walked into the hotel, and if they tried to, he'd glare at them and scare the shit out of them. He was done with people, he wasn't having it today. He was just going to give her phone to her and go.

Though was trying to hold himself back from having his heart beat swifter the closer he found himself coming up to Elle's door..and then there she was. Right after he knocked.

When Elle opened the door, her breath was knocked out.

There he was..

that face.

That cold...ever pained face.

She could have cried right then and there.

Ezra looked away. He looked up and over to the side, he refused to look at her. Not after she abandoned him.

"You left this." He stated coldly.

She took the phone and mumbled a "Thank you.." Before Ezra simply turned and began to walk away. She really had hurt him.

He did his job and now he was going to leave. But Elle hesitated. A second chance..? Could she really do something? Worst he could say was no. Elle's heart pounded and without thinking, she bolted.

"Ezra!" She called to him from the hall. "Ezra please! Don't go! I'm sorry! I-I was wrong!" She ran to catch up with him, Ezra's heart stopped and so did he. He bit down unto his lip as he looked down, he couldn't look at her.

"Please.. just turn around. I need to see you.. I-I have to.." she gasped out as if this was the make or break.

"I-..I almost believed what you said." He finally began to speak in reply. "You told me you would be there for me..and then you left me alone." Ezra spoke quietly, even his voice was filled with hurt.

"Was I really so bad?.." He then slowly turned around to look at her with the saddest, yet most hurt expression one could see.

Elle teared up immediately, shaking her head at him. No, he wasn't bad. He was good. So good that she was scared of ruining him..

"If you wanted to get away from me that quickly, I wish you would have told me..Disappearing like that is fucked up, Elle! It made me feel like shit!"

He suddenly raised his voice at her, making Elle flinch. He immediately regretted doing so. He couldn't help it though.

He couldn't help but be hurt. He wasn't screaming at her or anything. His voice just raised ever so slightly, just enough to make his point go across and to prove just how upset he was. Whatever was coming out of his mouth was all genuine, his emotions were being poured out to her. The emotions that had been built up that entire day and definitely that entire night.

Elle felt the stab of guilt, like a knife twisting in her chest. She hated that she had been the one to hurt him, she hated it more than anything.

Elle wiped her eyes and shook her head. "Ezra..." she whispered. "You were never the problem. You are everything. You make me happy, you're kind and gentle.." She spoke in a small voice, like a scared child almost, "I shouldn't have left...I'm-..I'm really sorry for that. I thought I was doing the right thing for both of us. But I can see now that I was wrong. God, I was so wrong..." She huffed and looked up at him, taking a step closer, he didn't move. He looked down at her with a burning gaze as he swallowed hard.

"Yeah, you were." He made sure to say to her. It was very wrong for her to leave, the entire time, he thought he had scared her off or something. He had never felt so awful and guilty about somebody like that.

"I don't want to get away from you. I want to be with you. I just got scared, so I ran. Like I always do.. but- but I don't want to run anymore. Not from you." She swallowed hard, her eyes locked on his.

She could tell that he was trembling. Just slightly, but he was. Ezra wasn't cold or anything, it was anxiety. He had anxiety about everything that night. He just couldn't stop shaking.

"I understand if what I did is unforgivable. But I want you... I don't want to be without you. Being away from you hurts, like it physically hurts Ezra.." a lone tear fell down her red cheeks.

Ezra listened, biting down once again on the inside of his lip as every single word hit deeply within him with a strong force. He sighed and closed his eyes, he didn't want to watch her cry. He couldn't do it.

With a long sigh, Elle looked to the ground. "If you want to leave, I won't follow again. I'll let you go and accept that I made this mistake, and I'll pay the consequences for it..." She held her torso with her arms. "Or you could stay... I-I want you to stay...Please?"

Those words he wanted to hear. She wanted him to stay. Ezra opened his eyes and looked down at her. She looked like a lost little child. She reminded him of himself. The memories of when he was young and alone, his family gone before his own eyes.

And then he thought of her.

Her stupid goofy smile, that giggle, the way she teased him and made him blush.

Those sweet memories were enough to melt that cold heart of his.

She made him happy for the first time in what had felt like lifetimes.

He knew what he wanted to do.

Ezra shook his head and took a few steps forward and crouched down, his arms wrapping around her as he held her tightly to himself. Elle gasped and wrapped her own arms around his neck as if her life had depended on it, immediately hiding her face into the crook of his neck.

She never wanted to let go again.

"Please don't cry anymore..Please.." He pleaded with her, his fingers gently running through her hair for a moment as he let out a soft sigh, all he could hear from her was her small whimpers and soft cries.

"I-I'll stay, Elle..I'll stay..okay? Just-..please.." Ezra spoke so softly..as if she were to break if he spoke too loud. He couldn't leave her. Not like this. And not right now.

"You-..You'll stay..?" Elle spoke in a small, taken aback whimper as her head tilted only slightly for her eyes to meet with his own that looked down into hers.

"Yes..I will.." Ezra whispered softly in return, his gaze so soft and gentle.

Elle bit down upon her bottom lip as her arms held the man even tighter. Ezra sighed into her and just closed his eyes, leaning his head against her own as his hand gently rubbed over her back.

"You promise..?" Elle needed some kind of reassurance that everything would be okay, that all would be fine and that he would stay.

"I promise.." He wouldn't leave her now. Despite their differences and their contrasting lives, he promised he'd stay.

To seal the deal, he leaned down to press a gentle kiss upon her forehead.

Her first kiss from him.

A gentle crimson flushed over Elle's pale and dampened cheeks as she looked up at him with widened eyes, a surprised expression decorating her soft features.

Ezra finally showed her that small, sweet smile that she adored so much, it made her feel something. She suddenly lost all train of thought, she couldn't speak.

Without thinking, Elle had suddenly leaned up and pressed her own lips against his own.

Time froze once more, no other thoughts surged her mind except for the thought of Ezra.

Ezra was caught off guard right in place, although such a thing made him feel so..much.

Everything withered away.

All his worries, his anxiety, all those dark, cold thoughts, and memories.

All he could think of was her.

Somehow such a cold world suddenly seemed so warm now...