Game

Now that I had something to do during the weekdays my life seemed to be flying by.
It was Eli's birthday on Thursday. Our relationship was a month old. Last week when I'd went to his house, I'd ended up staying the night.
Whenever I imagined staying the night at a boys house, my cheeks burned with inappropriate thoughts, the pressure to participate in something impure but staying the night at Eli's was different.
He hadn't been eager for me to leave, in fact, when I'd offered to go home he looked sad and I got the feeling eventhough he appeared accustomed to being home alone for 80% of the time, he didn't like to.
Grabbing a sleeping bag from a closet, he'd trudged back into the room with an honest smile on his face and laid it out on the floor.
'What are you doing?' I'd asked gripping the baggy shirt and gym shorts he'd leant me to sleep it. I remembered being really shy and awkward, feeling insecure in his clothes but he'd insisted.
'This is your house,' I'd said, 'you sleep here.'
Eli had looked at me as if I were stupid, he rolled his tense, broad shoulders back before clicking his neck, 'you ruin my manlihood.'
I'd laughed and stood up, grabbing his hand that held the sleeping bag. I'd looked at him seriously. 'I trust you.'
It had been a while since I'd said that to anyone. I didn't trust a lot of people. After my dad had left, there wasn't many people to trust - people always ended up disappointing me.
'You do?' He'd asked, as if surprised anyone could trust him.
I'd nodded with a grin, 'it's your bed, it's big enough to share. Just...' I remembered gauging him for a reaction of disappointment when I finished, 'no funny business.' His expression didn't even falter. In fact he'd looked relieved he didn't have to sleep on the floor.
The night with Eli was something else entirely. Even now as I was supposed to be working, I couldn't stop thinking about how his hand had intertwined with mine while we slept, the way his chest rose and fell against my back. When we'd woke up how amazing his hair looked and I was proved wrong - his tousled messy hair really was by accident.
It was when it was morning that Eli admitted it was his nineteenth birthday approaching on Thursday.
Which put me into complete girl mode and have an almost emotional breakdown when I arrived in work today and realized that I not only have to work late on that day but that I had absolutely no idea in the slightest what to get for him. What didn't Eli have?

'Your vagina.' Gabe laughed into the phone as I swore at her to shut up. I was sat bored out of my mind at the cash register, Craig had gone next door for something to eat.
'Be serious,' I groaned. Before I could say anything else, the door opened and in walked a man around thirty.
He scanned the shop for a moment as if deeming it safe to enter before laying his piercing eyes on me. They were almost black. His grey tank top stretched over the fatty muscles in his arms and stomach.
His shaven head was littered with black ink, he took one last look around the shop before glaring at me.
Gripping the phone tighter in my hand, I stood up from my seat as if it would make me feel taller. He looked out of place and his expression screamed danger. I was already afraid.
He sniffed and looked me up and down, his eyes scanning me and I swallowed in disgust. 'Can I help you?'
His mouth twisted into a devil smile before he approached the counter. 'October Donovan?'
My shirt didn't have a name tag and there was nothing around here to tell him who I was. My expression was obviously the one he was looking before because he reached out as if to grab me. As I dodged backwards with a yelp, the shop phone fell from my grasp. He took a look at it before deeming it broken, the side of it had snapped off. I just hoped Gabe had heard enough to know I was in trouble.
His double chin wobbled when he laughed. And he laughed like a maniac before wiping the back of his hand over his mouth. His eyes ran over me once more and I glanced at the door behind him. Exit number 1 was out, I remembered back door was it was way across the shop, he'd catch me before I even got a headstart.
'I gotta give you a message.' He spat.
The terror I'd felt with Trevor was returning. The pool of fear in my stomach. I was braced against the wall behind the counter. It could easily be jumped by a man of his size and I could easily be on the floor again considering his inevitable strength.
I breathed through my nose, afraid to open my mouth in case a noise of fear came out.
Glancing outside I couldn't see Craig anywhere. We were definitely having words if I was alive after this.
My distraction cost me as I felt the front of my shirt being snagged. I was wrenched forward harshly and my hands braced against the counter to stop my body from slamming into it. The man was leaning against the counter, his face close to mine, he used this new angle to admire my face and I wanted to throw up.
My heart was pumping, but it wasn't with instinct, it wasn't with the overbearing survival 101 to knee him in the groin or headbutt him in the nose, no it was pure fear.
'Eli's time is up on his birthday. He will know what it means.' I felt his nose at my hair and he sniffed deeply, his stench overwhelming my senses.
I was released and he was out the door before I'd opened my eyes. I rubbed the spot he'd grasped and let out the breath I'd been holding.
As I bent down to retrieve the broken phone, I heard the door sound. Dread filled my veins and I wondered if he'd come back. So as I stood up, slowly and peeked from on top of the counter, I sighed in relief at the sight of Eli.
He was looking frantically around the shop before my sigh made him turn around. He was across the counter in a heartbeat, his arms outstretched, holding me away so he could look at my face. 'Are you okay? Gabe called. She said she thought you were in trouble.'
I saw him look around for damage or danger and saw that apart from the broken phone and my courage, nothing had been destroyed.
'A man came.' I whispered and looked up into his nervous eyes. He was breathing steadily as his eyes traced my body and the feeling I'd felt when the man did the same was replaced with warmth as he checked me over.
'You're okay? Were you robbed?'
'We were robbed?'
I had been so involved with Eli I hadn't even heard Craig make a reappearance.
Looking at him around Eli, I saw my boyfriend give him a once over before turning back to me. He was about to say something before realization crossed his features.
'Eli,' I warned but it was too late before he swung around.
'Where were you, Thatcher?'
Craig wasn't a big kid, he was our age, nice enough to talk to me. He was pretty funny sometimes and looked like he wanted to work here as much as I did.
'Lunch,' he held up two bags and I smiled thankfully, he'd been kind enough to get me lunch.
I saw Eli's shoulders tense and his back muscles were tight when I put a hand on them. 'Leave it.'
Nothing was said between the two males and Craig shrugged, placed my bag on the counter and excused himself to the back room.
'He's buying you lunch now?'
Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms across my chest walking around to face Eli whose jaw was set, his eyes hard on mine. 'Bigger picture.'
'A man came,' Eli's tone was harsh, jealousy laced within it, 'wow. Now, back to lunch.'
'Are you hearing yourself?' I asked him as if I was talking to a baby learning to speak. 'A man didn't come, browse and leave, Eli, he came in here and grabbed me.'
His features softened, 'he grabbed you?'
I would regret that letter when the over protectiveness came but for now, there was a message I had to relay.
'Your birthday.' I stated and he looked confused. I took a deep breath, 'he said I had to give you a message, Eli.'
His emerald eyes flashed with anger, whoever it was, Eli knew who had been behind this. 'What was it?'
'Your birthday,' I repeated, 'your time is up on your birthday.' I hadn't realized there were tears in my eyes before my voice almost cracked. I assumed the worst obviously. Was his time up as in his life?
How far into this drug business was he into?
Eli put his hands on his head and shook his head. 'Fuck!' He yelled before lashing out at the racks of unmarked CD's on the counter, they crashed to the floor in a sloppy heap.
Craig would've heard that, I thought and prayed he didn't come to investigate. Eli looked as if the littlest thing would tick him off.
That didn't seem to function in my head though as I reached out and touched his bicep. He stopped pacing but his body was just muscle. There was only anger running through him.
'Eli, what do you have to do before your birthday? Are you in trouble?'
He let out a cruel laugh and shrugged me off, he saw the hurt in my eyes and instantly calmed down, his eyes growing softer.
'Don't worry.' He said and put his hands on my cheek running them down across my neck, down my back and he pressed me into his chest.
'What's going on?' I asked but it came out muffled.
I didn't get an answer only the steady rise and fall of his body as he calmed himself down. He said not to worry, I trusted him.