Unwritten Desires

Eleanor 

A steady beeping pulled me out of unconsciousness and my eyes fluttered open to a bright, sterile white ceiling and the faint scent of antiseptic filling my nose. For a second, I was confused. Then, the weight of everything hit me. The explosion. The toxic gas. The fact that Liam…no, Alex…had to carry me out.

My head felt heavy, my throat dry, and when I tried to move, a sharp ache shot through my ankle. Right. Sprained.

How could I forget? 

"You're awake!" My mom's relieved voice snapped my attention to her. She was sitting beside my bed, looking exhausted yet still put-together, as always. My dad stood next to her, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

I guess he had to leave work early so he could come see me. 

How cute. 

I blinked, my voice raspy. "What…what happened?"

The doctor…who I hadn't even noticed, stepped forward, adjusting his glasses with a smile. "Miss Theadora, we're happy to see that you're awake." 

"Oh." I blinked a bit confused. 

"You were involved in a minor accident and you inhaled phosgene gas from the explosion. It's a highly toxic chemical that can cause respiratory distress, but you were lucky. Your exposure was brief, so while it knocked you unconscious, it didn't cause severe damage. You'll experience some throat irritation and dizziness for a few days. As for your ankle, it's a mild sprain. No fractures, but you'll need to avoid putting weight on it for a while."

I let out a slow breath. Thank God. "So…" I paused, my eyes flickering around. "I'm fine?"

"You'll recover fully," he assured. "But you'll need to rest. Hydration, oxygen therapy for today, and some anti-inflammatory meds. We'll also give you crutches to move around without straining your ankle."

My parents nodded, looking relieved. The doctor gave them a few more instructions before excusing himself, saying my siblings could come in now.

Seconds later, the door burst open, and Brianna rushed in like a hurricane.

"Thea!" she practically screamed, throwing her arms around me. "You scared me to death!"

I winced at the impact, patting her back. "I'm fine, Bri…"

"Fine?!" She pulled back, eyes wet. "You almost died! What were you even doing in that lab?"

Oh wow. Judging by the way she always frowned and avoided me most of the time, I didn't really think she liked me this much. Well, good to know then. 

Elvis followed in, arms crossed, his brows furrowed. "Yeah, Thea. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I…" I hesitated, remembering my excuse. "I just went back to get my bracelet. How was I supposed to know that something was going to explode in the chemistry lab?" I frowned, replaying the moment in my head. "I don't even know what caused it."

Elvis sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Sofia called your phone, but you were already out cold. She said she just wanted to check up on you and tell you what caused the explosion." Elvis explained burying his hands in his pocket. 

My interest was piqued. "What happened? Did any other person get hurt?" I queried. 

I know the pains I felt in my chest from the little time I spent in there. I couldn't even imagine how tough it'd be if someone else was stuck in there or blacked out with that crazy gas all over the place. 

"No…" Elvis shook his head. "No one else got hurt. Turns out, some idiot left a failed experiment open…it reacted with the chemicals in the air and set off a chain reaction. The school is under investigation now and apparently all practicals will be cancelled until they can get the lab fixed up."

Mum tsked in disapproval. "Completely careless. They should be held accountable."

"Relax mum. They're already doing something about it." A small smile formed on my lips. "I'm only mad because this had to happen on the one day of the week where I had no classes." He huffed. 

"I guess this is a sign for you to be going to school even when you don't have classes." Dad gave him a pat on his shoulder while Elvis frowned at him. 

Brianna sniffed, drawing my attention to her as she wiped her tears. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Oh so you care about me?" I pouted with a smug look and she scowled at me. 

"Of course I care about you." She got up from my body. "Who's going to give me snarky remarks on my outfit and you think I'll want to wear your things if you actually die? What if your ghost comes after me?" 

"Brianna…" Mum said in a warning tone pulling her back as I laughed. "You shouldn't say things like that." 

Elvis shot her a look before shifting his gaze to me. "Be careful next time, Thea. You're reckless as hell."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, dad."

Dad lifted a brow and a giggle slipped out of me. 

After more scolding and doting, we finally left the hospital, and I was grateful to be home. 

Apparently I was unconscious for a while so by the time we got back it was already late and by the time dinner rolled around, I was fucking exhausted. 

My family didn't want me moving around too much, so they brought my food to my room. I ate while scrolling through my phone, still trying to process everything that had happened.

Then, as expected, Sofia called.

"You better be okay," she started, voice sharp but laced with worry.

"I'm alive," I reassured, smiling a little.

She exhaled. "Good. Now, tell me…how the hell did Liam of all people end up being the one to carry you out of the chemistry lab? I mean after you fell unconscious everyone turned to him to find out what happened but he just said he was passing by and witnessed the explosion and then he left."

"Well..what else do you want him to tell you?" I let out a small laugh. 

"What?" I could literally see her blinking her eyes as she laid on her bed from just listening to her. "He wasn't lying?" 

"He wasn't lying, Sof." 

Liam kept his own part of the deal so I had to keep my part and that meant leaving out the other details. Besides, Sofia was eventually going to find out about his real identity but that would be when they had already fallen in love with each other. 

"He was there when it happened." I explained when I didn't hear her speak. "He saw me struggling to get up and…" I trailed off, my mind flashing back to the way he had looked at me and how he actually thought of leaving me there. 

My mood shifted. 

"…he helped me." I said briefly. 

"So…do you agree that Liam might not be as bad as you say he is?" I heard the smugness in her tone. 

Oh he was beyond bad. He was a terrible being but she didn't need to know that. 

"Okay…maybe you're right." I lied smoothly, rolling my eyes like she could see me. 

"Not maybe. I am right." 

"Okay, he's not bad. Happy now?" I asked, playing with the edge of my pillow. 

"Yesss. But I'm still sad about your accident though, people should really be careful. They're called dangerous chemicals for a reason." Worry slipped into her tone. 

"It's okay, girl. I'm good." I reassured her again. 

"I know…are you going to come to school tomorrow?" 

"I wanted to, but my parents want me to rest. I keep telling them I can walk perfectly fine with the crutches but they're not listening." I sighed. 

I was 23 for crying out loud. I was getting sick of being treated like a child. I wasn't even being treated like an 18 year old. 

"It's nice that they're doing that. It shows they actually care about you." I'm sure Sofia didn't want me to hear it but her efforts fell flat because I could still hear the sadness in her voice. 

I knew about the problems she had with her mum but I knew talking about it would only make her feel more uncomfortable so I just decided to let it go and make her feel happy. 

"I guess…so did you hear about what happened at the library today?" I immediately switched topics. Sofia and I chatted for a little longer talking about school rumors and gossip and by the time we hung up, it was way past my bedtime. 

But I wasn't going to school tomorrow so it wasn't a problem, but then I recalled how sleeping during the day was hard for me so I decided to bail on the movie I was planning to watch and go to bed. 

Apparently that didn't work out too well for me because…

I couldn't sleep. 

And a part of me knew it was coming but the other part kept hoping it didn't. 

Too bad…my hopes were shattered. 

I let out a small groan as I shifted under the covers and tried to ignore my stupid urges. But the more I tried to push it away, the worse it got. My body felt hot, restless. It was stupid. Irrational. But it wasn't going away.

Just like every other night. 

Biting my lip, I squeezed my thighs together, trying to will the feeling away. But the moment my fingers brushed against the hem of my shorts, a shiver ran through me.

Screw it.

I slid my hand lower, barely grazing the heat between my legs. A sharp breath left my lips. My body was sensitive…too sensitive…probably from all the adrenaline and stress from the day.

Or maybe that's just how it's always been. 

I couldn't help but wonder if Thea also had to deal with this every night. But then if she did, she'd have a vibrator or something and I couldn't find one anywhere. 

Speaking of vibrators, I really have to get one, because I can't keep doing this every time. 

Another soft sigh escaped my lips as I pressed my fingers against my core, teasing myself through my underwear and rubbing small circles around my clit. 

My breath hitched.

God. Why does this feel so much better than it normally did back then?

I didn't let myself think. I just felt. My fingers dipped beneath the fabric, stroking against my folds, gathering the wetness there. A quiet whimper slipped past my lips as I circled my clit, the sensation shooting straight through me.

I bit down on my pillow, muffling the soft moans as I picked up the pace, my other hand gripping the sheets. My hips bucked slightly, chasing the pleasure and my thighs trembling as heat pooled in my stomach.

"Yess…" I whispered, biting in my lower lip. "Oh fuck." 

I clenched my jaw, focusing only on the pressure building inside me. A few more strokes, a little more speed, and then…

"Fuck…" I felt my eyes roll back as they closed slightly. 

My body tensed as I reached the peak, waves of pleasure crashing over me. My toes curled, my breath hitching as the tension finally unraveled. My head fell back against the pillows, my entire body buzzing.

I let out a slow, shaky breath, trying to steady my heartbeat.

What the hell was going on with me?

That I didn't know. But the moment my body relaxed, exhaustion took over. My eyelids grew heavy, and before I could dwell on it any longer, sleep finally pulled me under.