Silence Can Seem So Loud

“Darren?” Eleana asks as she pushes the front door of her best friend’s home open.

Silence.

This means Darren is still asleep.

A smile comes to the young woman’s lips as she steps into the home. Shutting and locking the heavy wooden door behind her, Eleana proceeds to creep through the lower level to the bedroom. When she passes the threshold into the room, Eleana can’t help but stop and stare at the sight in front of her.

Darren is laying on his stomach. Shirtless. The rays of the early morning sun are dancing across his toned, tanned back. His dark curls are extra fluffy due to his tossing and turning during the night. He stirs slightly in his slumber and that breaks Eleana from her unconscious reverie.

Slowly she walks over to the bed, slides out of her flipflops and climbs onto the bed besides her best friend. Just as she’s gotten settled under the covers, Darren’s head turns towards her, one of his eyes slitting open.

“Eleana?” A sleep filled, hoarse voice fills the small space between the friends.

“Yeah, I’m here.” She smiles and reaches up to gently run her fingers through his dark hair. She slides that hand down his back to wrap around his waist. “Go back to sleep, Dare.” She kisses his shoulder before resting her head on it.

Darren kisses her forehead with a smile on his lips as his hand finds her free one and laces their fingers together.

The next sound Eleana hears is the obnoxious alarm that Darren has set on his phone. The pair start to wake up and that is when they realize the position they are in.

Darren has his arms wrapped Eleana’s body, one around her waist and the other around her back with his fingers laced in her hair. His chin is resting gently on top of her head and their legs are wrapped around each others. Eleana has an arm around Darren’s waist while her other arm is tucked under her head (asleep from that position). Gingerly, they pull away from the embrace in order to fully face one another. Darren removes his arm from around Eleana’s waist to move that hand up to gently caress the cheek that is now covered in a bruise.

“What happened?” His voice is a whisper as his eyes take in the other marks that are scattered across the visible skin of Eleana’s face, neck, and chest.

Eleana stays silent and starts to pick at an invisible flaw on the sheets. Darren doesn’t push her to answer the question because the feeling he is getting from the young woman in front of him is that she is ready to talk about it. He was finally about to get honest answers to his many questions. Some he had voiced but most kept to himself.

After a five minute silence, Eleana sits up and pulls her shirt up. showing off her back. Darren stays laying down in order to see the bruises, scratches and hand prints that litter the Eleana’s pale skin. He doesn’t need to see the front because he already knows her stomach and left side are just as marked as her back and right side.

“It started after graduation. I would go to spend a couple weekends a month in Michigan when you didn’t come home that summer. For some reason, Mark thought we had a affair going on so, to keep me from going, he proposed. I turned him down. He would ask me every Thursday before I started the drive. Every Thursday, I turned him down. I guess repeated rejections makes a man violent.”

“So, he’s been doing this for five years?” Darren asks as he sits up, tracing a scabbed over scratch mark from her hip up her stomach. He can’t help but feel like he is the cause of all her pain, but he keeps the thought to himself.

“Yes. And he swore up and down if I told anyone he would put me in the hospital or worse in a body bag.” Eleana pulls her shirt back on as Darren’s fingertip stops at the underwire of her bra.

“Why open up now then?”

Eleana once again falls silent and looks down at her hands. Couple moments later, she takes a deep, shaky breath and turns her watery eyes up to Darren’s. “He never went as far as this before.” She tilts her head up to show Darren the bruises that surround her neck. “He got a little overzealous when he came over and said he wanted to try something.” She points to the hand marks on her neck. “I had no idea this was what he meant.”

Without a word Darren pulls Eleana into his arms and holds her close. “Eleana, I-”

“No one was supposed to figure it out. I know you did because you have the ability to read me like a book. But I am sure all the lies of falling are starting to lose their effect.”

“I think they might work on the people who don’t know you well enough to know any different. But I just didn’t want to push too much and piss you off.” Darren lays back down and holds Eleana closer to him. “ I know I should have said something but I would hate for him to make you shut me out again.” He was still recovering from the six months he had without Eleana. All of that worry, the anxiety, and the loneliness he had felt had been too much for him to handle. Thankfully he was able to keep busy with Glee, Starkid, and his own music.

“I know, Darren. But please, don’t say anything. He would come after you.”

“You don’t think I can handle myself?”

“More along that lines of me being unable to live with myself if Mark beat you to a bloody pulp.” There was a mixture of anger and fear in Eleana’s voice as she closes her eyes against the warmth of forming tears. “I’d hate to see anything happen to you and it be my fault.”

They lay silent for a few moments before Darren’s alarm starts to go off once more. Eleana sits up and rubs her eyes before turning to look down at Darren. He reaches up and runs his fingers through her hair, causing her to smile softly. He can’t help but match her smile. He knows Elean can see the internal fight in his eyes as he pushes the urge, to pull her down and kiss her, away. Her smile brightens and that causes Darren to raise an eyebrow.

“What?”

“As much as my home and boyfriend life sucks right now, being here for the past four hours as made me happy. Finally getting that weight off my chest and feeling protected and safe with you, it’s a relief.” She places a hand on Darren’s chest. “Makes me want to stay here forever.”

Darren smiles and slides his hand up and down once her arm before gently wrapping his fingers around her wrist, rubbing his thumb back and forth. “Well, I am glad that you felt safe enough to tell me what has been going on. I just wish there was something more I could do to make you feel safe six hours away.” His heart skips a beat and starts to pound a little harder in his chest when he thinks about Eleana picking up her life in San Francisco and coming to live in L.A with him. He keeps that thought to himself as well, knowing there will be another time and place to discuss all of that.

“When I go back, I am breaking up with Mark. No questions about it.”

“What if he comes after you?”

“I will ask him to meet me in public and if he tries anything after that, I will go to the police. I can deal with it anymore.” Darren nods and slides his hand up Eleana’s back and plays with the ends of her hair. “Now, don’t you have work to be getting to?”

“I do actually. What are you going to do while I’m gone?”

“Well, school work. Hopefully my professors uploaded lectures and some homework for me to do.”

“Want to come with me?” Darren offers and sits up, causing the covers to fall off his chest once more.

“Is that allowed?”

“Yep.” Darren stands and grabs his phone. “You’ll just have to stay in my trailer for a majority of the day since you aren’t press and it’s the new season and all.”

“Can’t have me tweeting spoilers.”

“Exactly.” Darren leans down and gently kisses Eleana’s cheek. “Plus, I just got an extra hour and a half to get to set. I can shower first or you can.”

Eleana shakes her head. “I need coffee and something to eat besides cookies and popcorn so I figured i could go start breakfast for you.”

“Finally, something besides Starbucks breakfast.” Darren smiles and walks to the bathroom. “You’re the best, Eleana.”

“I try.” Eleana says before he shuts the door behind him.

She doesn’t move from her spot on the bed until she hears the shower start. After grabbing her phone and walking out of the bedroom, she slowly navigates her way to the kitchen. Surprisingly there are only a couple of messages on her phone. A text from Amanda and a voicemail from Mark. She checks the text message first.

[New Message - 4:57 AM] I am so sorry to bother you. But Mark, the guy in the big scary guy in the truck was over at your house this morning. I don’t know what for but he parked across the street for about ten minutes before he eventually left. Please tell me he doesn’t know where you are.

[Sent Message - 8:47 AM] Please don’t be sorry. I asked you to keep an eye on things while I was gone so you are doing just that. Remind me to treat you to lunch one when I get back. Did he do anything to the house? What about my dad? And he has no clue where I am so no worries about that.

As she starts coffee and cooking eggs, Eleana sets her phone on the counter and calls her voicemail on speaker.

“New voice message left at 4:45 AM - Eleana, where the fuck are you? Your car is gone and it looks like half of your closet is cleaned out. Baby, wherever you are, please just come home. I am so sorry for what I did yesterday. If I find out you skipped town to be with that faggot best friend of yours, you will be in so much fucking trouble. I suggest you live it up playing house with the fag while you can.”

“How can someone’s tone change from pissed off, too concerned, back to pissed off in under two minutes?” Darren’s voice sounds from where he stands leaning against the doorframe leading into the kitchen.

Eleana shuts her phone off. “I shouldn’t have come here.” Panic is laced in her voice. “I should go.” She dishes the omelet and shuts the stove off before trying to walk around Darren and out of the kitchen. “Darren he knows I’m here and that isn’t good for either of us.”

“Eleana-” Darren gently wraps his hand around wrist and pulls her to him. “You’re safe here. There is nothing he can do even if he finds out about you being here.” He runs a hand over her hair and keeps her close to him. Her breathing is still erratic and panicked. “Shh, baby. Just breathe with me, okay?” Darren keeps a hand at the back of her head while the other rubs up and down her back. He closes his eyes and nuzzles his nose into her hair.

Eleana wraps her arms around his waist tightly and slowly relaxes against Darren. “I knew I was forgetting something.”

“What did you forget?”

“My medication.”

“That is what I am here for.” He laces his fingers into Eleana’s hair and kisses the top of her ear gently. “We just calmed you down without medicine.” He whispers and smiles.

Eleana giggles as Darren’s breath tickles the skin below her ear. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He continues to hold her against him and she makes no move to get away from him.

Not until Darren’s stomach growled wildly a couple of minutes later..

- - - - -

Walking onto the set arm-in-arm with Darren, Eleana tries to keep her eyes averted from everything.

“You know, all of the shooting goes on inside that giant building. No need to keep your eyes on the ground.” Darren chuckles as he leads Eleana to his trailer.

“I know. I guess it’s just habit when I know I have bruises on my face.”

Darren moves his arm to wrap around Eleana’s shoulders so he can place a kiss to her temple. “You look beautiful.”

Eleana smiles softly and wraps her arm around Darren’s waist.

They stay silent for the rest of the walk to the trailer. Darren pulls back to open the door and help Eleana climb the stairs. “Home away from home.” He says as he follows her up the stairs and shuts the door behind him.

Eleana sets her purse on the table and looks around. “I like it.”

“Thanks. I got to upgrade when they added me a series regular last year.” Darren shrugs Eleana’s backpack off of his shoulders before pulling his jacket off, draping it over the bench besides the couch. “There is full access to WIFI, television, I have a coffee maker, food in the fridge, and the bathroom works as long it’s number one only.”

Eleana giggles softly and leans against the sturdy table to the left of the couch. “Okay.”

“I have to go and get all Blaine’d up so if I have time, I will come by to see how you’re doing.” Darren walks over and wraps his arms around Eleana. He smiles as she immediately wraps her arms around him. “I love that you’re here.”

“Thank you for having me.”

“Never a problem when it comes to you.”

Eleana kisses Darren’s chest before stepping back some. “You are the best.”

“You only say that to me five hundred times a day whenever we’re together.” He chuckles, kisses her forehead. “Now, I’ve gotta go before I get yelled at. Love you.”

“Love you too!” Eleana replies as Darren rushes out of the trailer.

It has been two hours since Darren hurried out of the trailer, leaving Eleana on her own. Not that she minded it, she practically lived for the moments when she was alone, it was just that she really started to miss Darren and how he had the ability to make her forget that she was in pain - physical and emotional - because he never gave her a chance to feel sorry for herself.

Somewhere between chemical bonds and balancing equations for Chemistry, Eleana leans her back against the padding of the bench support and makes a face of pain. Something about the rough material of the covering scrapes at the scabs on her back. And the seat isn’t doing her legs any justice either. The edge seems to press into a bruise no matter how she situates herself. Heaving a hefty sigh, Eleana unfolders her legs from under herself and slides from the bench, careful not to agitate the marks in her back anymore than they already were.
“Eleana?”

“Yes, Darren?”

“I was just seeing if you were on here.” His voice rises as he walks up the steps into the trailer and pulls the door shut behind him. “Are you okay?” He walks over and lets his eyes dart across Eleana’s skin, checking for any further damage.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just had to get off that bench for a while.”

“It’s the most uncomfortable thing ever. The couch is fantastic though.” He suggests, wrapping his arms around her.

Eleana’s arms find her way around Darren once more, smiling as the loneliness starts to fade. “I’ll be sure to spend the rest of my time on there then.”

“Good.” Darren kisses the top of her head before stepping back. “Now, I have a question.”

“Yes?” Eleana starts to busy herself with making a pot of coffee so she doesn’t stare at Darren while he is dressed in his Blaine outfit. It always made her a little weak in the knees seeing Darren dressed up like a preppy-teenager. No idea where the feeling came from, but it’s been there since she saw him in his Warbler outfit.

“How do you feel about coming out with Chris, Lea, Cory, Kevin, Jenna, Harry and myself for dinner? Nothing big. They just want to meet you.”

“You talk about me?” Eleana asks, surprise in her voice as she turns to look at Darren.

He just nods. “Of course I do. My best friend has come to visit me for the week. Plus, I talk about you all the time anyways. Why? Should I not be?”

“No, it’s just, I don’t know any of Mark’s friends so this is new.”

Darren just shakes his head. “Well, since I am not Mark, my friends know everything there is to know about you.” Eleana’s eyes widen in panic when she thinks about the cast of Glee knowing everything about her. “None of the bad things I just learned today. I swear. Just all of the good things and memories.” He reaches a hand out to cup Eleana’s cheek, sliding his thumb over the worry lines on her forehead. “And just so you know, they all love you.”

Eleana blushes and turns her eyes down to the floor. “I’m sure I will love them as well.”

Darren smiles widely and slides his hand down Eleana’s shoulder, past her elbow, to lace his fingers with hers. “Thank you. For being here with me, for trusting me with your deepest, darkest secret, for being the bestest friend a guy could ask for. You deserve the best of everything in the world.” His voice drops more in tone as the sentence goes on until his voice is just above a whisper.

Eleana turns her eyes up to look into the honey-hazel orbs of her best friend’s. Their eyes stay locked on one another’s for a few silent moments before Eleana finally whispers a response. “I deserve you.”