The Beautiful Monster

224  Losing someone

"I wouldn't be surprised. He's an awful person," Alyssa replied with a frown. "Maybe you should really try to go talk to her."

"I feel like if she wanted to talk to me, she would have already. Maybe she isn't ready to tell me," Elias said as he shook his head.

 He did care about Melina. He didn't like seeing her like this, and it made him even angrier at Alaric for the effect that he had on Melina. He did something terrible to her to make her like this.

"Maybe not. You should still try to talk to her and at least let her know that you're there for her," Alyssa pointed out as she lifted her eyebrows at him.

Elias figured that Alyssa was right. He had to at least try. If Melina blew him off, then she blew him off.

He would continue to give her space until she felt like talking. Hopefully, that would be soon. It was odd not talking to her.

He was used to at least strategizing with her, and she didn't even want to do that.

"I will. We've come so far. I just don't want to lose that," he told her.

Alyssa smiled at him and nodded.

"I know. You won't lose that. Just go see if she needs anything," she replied.

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Elias drew in a steadying breath and nodded. He was honestly a bit nervous about approaching Melina because he didn't want her to turn him away.

He wanted her to open up to him because he wanted to be there for her. That was what siblings did, right?

He didn't have much experience being a brother, but he did want to be there for Melina. He knew that was part of it.

He would figure out the rest along the way. For now, he wanted to make sure that she was okay because something was definitely off with her.

"I'll be back," he told her. He leaned forward and kissed her deeply before getting out of bed.

He walked out of the bedroom, expecting to see Melina cuddled up with Tyler on the couch. However, she wasn't there.

"Where's Melina?" Elias asked Tyler, who was laying down with a book in his hands.

"She went outside to get some air. She's probably walking around the rest stop," Tyler said, looking a bit wary. "Could you check on her?"

Elias nodded, glad that Tyler didn't tell him to just leave her alone out there. No one needed to be outside on their own. It was too dangerous.

He guessed that Melina ordered Tyler to stay put and not bother her, which made him wary for what she was going to say to him.

He headed out of the RV, glancing around the rest stop for Melina. He didn't see her at first, which made his heart rate spike.

He couldn't help but think the worst. What if Alaric took her? He broke out into a jog, looking around the bathrooms until he found he spotted someone sitting on a bench near the truck area of the rest stop.

Elias paused and frowned, watching Melina sit by herself in the dark. He approached her quietly but not too quietly, not wanting to startle her.

He walked up to her side, placing his hand on her shoulder to draw her eyes to his.

"Hey," he said.

Melina peered up at him, her body's tension fading.

"Hey," she replied before looking back forward.

"Can I sit?" Elias asked her, not wanting to intrude if she wanted to be left alone.

Melina merely nodded, not looking at him.

Elias sat down next to her, putting a foot of space between them. At least she let him sit down.

He tried to relax back against the bench, trying to figure out what to say first. He felt like he had to tread lightly.

"How are you doing?" he asked her, his voice coming out gently.

Melina lowered her eyes as she shook her head.

"Not too well," she replied.

"Do you want to talk about anything? You know that I'm here for you," Elias told her as he moved a little bit closer to her.

He wanted her to feel comfortable talking to him about anything. He wouldn't judge her or berate her. He just wanted to be there for her.

Melina glanced at him briefly, her frown softening.

"It was just jarring being around Alaric again," she replied. "I hadn't seen him for a minute."

Elias nodded as he listened to her. He knew that it had something to do with Alaric. However, there was more to the story and a deeper meaning to her words.

"What happened when you last saw him?" he asked.

Melina sighed as she glanced around, her knee bouncing as she thought. She finally looked at him and spoke.

"He killed Adelaide and then tried to kill me," she replied, her voice wavering slightly. She quickly looked away from him, blinking her eyes rapidly to keep her tears at bay.

Elias frowned as he moved closer to her, wanting to comfort her as best as he could. He couldn't imagine how much pain she felt when she lost Adelaide.

He didn't know much about Adelaideand had never met her, but he knew that she meant a lot to Melina.

For the longest time, Adelaide was Melina's version of parents. She raised her and took care of her until she was old enough to take care of herself.

Now, she was gone, and it left a gap in her soul. Nothing would ever fill that gap. Elias would feel the same way if his parents passed.

"I'm so sorry," Elias told her sincerely. He knew that nothing he could say would make her feel better about Adelaide passing, but he wanted her to know that he was there if she wanted to talk.

Melina offered him a small smile.

"Thanks. I wish you could've met her. She was great," she said wistfully.