Room With No Windows

The whole afternoon passed by with us in the piano room, and before we knew it, it was going to be getting dark soon. The time had literally flown; I hadn't even been aware how long we'd stayed until Elsa commented that she was hungry and I realized we hadn't eaten.
"You wanna head out?" I ask, nuzzling my nose to her neck.
She giggles. "That tickles."
A smile plays on my lips. So she was ticklish, huh? I'd have to remember that.
I kiss her shoulder and stand, knowing if we didn't leave now we would only stay longer. I reach my hand out and she smiles as she takes it. She follows me back into the main room, where I freeze. The guys were crowding around and chatting excitedly with someone.
"Guys, one at a time!" I hear someone laugh.
That laugh. Her laugh.
My grip tightens on Elsa's hand. Fuck, she couldn't be here right now. She couldn't see her right now.
I couldn't see her right now.
Emerging from the small circle, she stood tall in her usual fashionable heels. She wore light blue skinny jeans and a knitted beige sweater, her light blonde hair straightened and framing her oval shaped face. Her blue eyes cut like daggers through me as they dart my direction. She smiles. "Hey, John."
I stand there motionless, feeling the blood drain from my face.
"J-Joey," I stammer. "What's up?"
She shrugs, her lips parting as she reveals her perfect teeth. "Just stoppin' by. I forgot how many friends I had here until they all bombarded me." She looks over to Elsa, her eyes kind but curious. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Joey."
My shoulders tense as she holds out her hand. But of course, Elsa politely shakes it. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Elsa."
"That's such a beautiful name." She grins, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Are you a friend of John's?"
"Uh-"
"Well, we better get going," I mutter, grabbing Elsa by the crook of her arm and tugging lightly. I wanted to get the hell out of here.
I let out a breath of relief as she nods, waving to Joey. "I guess I'll see you around."
"For sure," she says. "Nice meeting you."
We exchange goodbyes with the rest of the group, and I see Eric shoot me a look. I send him one right back, one that made it clear I was in no mood for his 'I told you so' shit.
Elsa and I climb into my truck and sit quietly as the engine warms up. I sigh and put my hand on the steering wheel, noticing that they were slightly shaky.
"Was that her?" she asks softly.
I swallow thickly. I knew this moment was coming, didn't I? I should have expected it.
"Yes."
"The one you lied to about loving her?"
I clench my jaw. "Yes."
She nods, focusing her eyes on her knees. I hated when she was so quiet, because I knew that meant she was only thinking the worst or doubting herself.
"Ellie," I whisper, cupping her cheek. "That's all in the past, please understand that. Just because she's here doesn't mean it's going to change anything. It. Doesn't. Change. Anything. Okay?"
"Okay," she mumbles, not very convincingly.
I bump noses with her playfully. "Don't believe me? Am I gonna have to write you a song, too?"
This causes the corners of her mouth to lift. She shoves my shoulder. "Don't be ridiculous. Now shut up and drive."
I connect my lips to hers, feeling her gasp. It caused my stomach to flop. I absorb the sound, knowing I could make her do much more than that, but it wasn't the time or place.
Instead, I pull away and lean back in my seat, not tearing my eyes away. "I love you."
She flashes me a smile. "I love you, too."
Our hands find their way to each others, fingers intertwining and staying that way as I drove.
We arrive a few minutes later. I pull into the driveway, chuckling as she whines. "What are you complaining about?"
"I thought we were going to get food," she says, pouting.
I smirk and shake my head. "We'll make something."
She sighs as I hop out of the truck, making my way over to her side to open the door. She steps down and grabs my hand. "You mean you're making something."
"Oh, of course," I say, rolling my eyes as we approach the front door. She comes to a sudden halt and I raise an eyebrow. "What? Sweetheart, if you think I'm going to feed you-"
"John," she whispers, raising a finger. There a completely terrified expression on her face.
I twist my head around and my eyes widen.
The sliding door had been pushed in, leaving it jammed out of its place, and the glass had been cracked.
My first instinct is to race into the garage, but I didn't want Elsa out of my sight.
"Stay close to me," I mutter, and she hugs my arm, staying glued to my left side. I slowly approach the door, observing the damage. I had to slip in through the opening left by whoever had broken in. And I had a good idea who.
Turning on the lights, I scan the room and feel my eyebrows furrow. Absolutely no damage had been done to the inside.
Elsa chokes back a sob, throwing a hand over her mouth and clinging tightly to my arm. I turn to her. "Hey, it's okay. Nothing happened-"
"He was looking for me," she cries. "He's not going to stop until he finds me."
Her breathing quickens as she struggles to speak. I grab a hold of her shoulders, trying to calm her down. I look at her with wide eyes. "Elsa, breathe-"
"I'm-so-scared-I-can't-" she gasps. Oh God, was she having a panic attack?
I take her face in my hands. Her eyes were frantic, but I force her to look at me. "Elsa. I'm right here. You're safe. Just breathe."
She tries to take a deep breath. I only hear her ragged breathing becoming heavier and I caress her cheek as I smooth down her her hair, acting like I wasn't completely freaking out myself.
I brush my lips to her forehead sweetly and softly, murmuring softly to her. "It's okay. Breathe."
Her breathing finally slows, only interrupted by small hiccups. "J-John," stutters. I pull her into my chest protectively, trying to hide my anger.
Isaac did this to her.
"You're going to be fine," I tell her in a low voice. "Let's get you something to eat and then we can go to bed."
"I'm not hungry anymore," she croaks.
I frown. She had to eat something; we hadn't eaten anything all day, and it was only going to take a toll on her body. It wouldn't help any more with the state she was in.
She lets me make her a sandwich, and I leave her in the kitchen to eat it while I see if I could possibly fix the door.
He had broken in with the intention of finding her. If he could do this to a door, what would he have done if I hadn't taken Elsa with me to the studio?
A shudder runs through me. I didn't even want to think about it.
I try to jam the door back in it's place, but it's useless. Frustrated, I slam my fist against the glass with my good hand. That fucking bastard. He thought he could just come and take Elsa's peace of mind away? Not a fucking chance.
"Dammit," I snarl, snapping as I bang both my fists against the glass, causing it to crack further. I grip the door frame, hearing it snap out of place as it came crashing to the ground.
"John?"
I try to regain my composure, looking over my shoulder at Elsa. She was staring at my hands, which I realized were bleeding slightly with a few cuts from the cracked glass.
"Sorry," I say dumbly, feeling ashamed and worried that she'd seen me act violently. I didn't want her to become scared of me, too.
But she merely walks up to me and throws her arms around my neck, and I feel her need for safety by the way she clings to me. I hold her tightly. I never wanted any harm to come to her, not ever. I didn't want to imagine the things he could do to her, much less the things he had done that I didn't already know about.
I was all that she had and I knew it.

Elsa insisted on helping me with my cuts and cleaning up the blood. She was a bit of an expert with a first aid kit and I was impressed.
After she's healed the light wounds, I urged her to sleep. If only for tonight, we'd sleep here, then we could find some other place to stay just in case Isaac was planning on coming back.
I find myself drifting in and out of sleep, forcing myself awake whenever I started to dream of her. I would see Joey's face, and it only riled me awake. I couldn't allow myself to start dreaming of her again. I was done hallucinating.
Deciding to stay awake, my arms tighten around Elsa's waist as she sleeps beside me. She was my anchor that kept my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds. She reminded me of what really mattered, and that was keeping her safe.
I feel my eyes grow heavy, but I stir when Elsa begins to whimper, twisting away from me. Her hands were twitching, as if trying to push something away.
Or someone.
"No," she mumbles, moving away from me. She was having a nightmare.
I sit up, trying to shake her. "Elsa, wake up. You're dreaming."
"Please," she chokes out. "Don't. Stop!"
She swings her arms out and starts to scream, sobbing. I pin her down, shouting now. "Elsa! Wake up!"
Her eyes snap open, out of focus and still trying to tell if she was dreaming.
I loosen my grip on her wrists. "It's me," I say softly. "It's John."
"John," she whispers, sighing in relief. I lay back down to pull her into my side. I kiss her forehead. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," she breathes, but I could still feel her trembling and hear the fear in her voice. I look down to catch her bottom lip quivering. I pull her head into my neck, letting her cry and comforting her as best as I could.
Just when I thought we were going to be okay.