Elias & Aelin
It was one of those days in which nothing seemed to go right for 17-year-old Eli. He was having a hard time finding passengers on his cab route, and just when he was about to give up, he saw a young girl standing on the curb of Heathrow Airport. Within moments, the 16-year-old girl had him driving all over London, not quite sure where she wanted to go first, and not wanting to get to her university just yet. After some coaxing from the girl, Eli took her to Hyde Park, his favourite spot in London (as requested) and was rather intrigued by the spontaneous, excitable girl.
Standing on the edge of the fountains, Aelin handed Eli a coin and held on in her hand herself. Together, they both made a wish that it wouldn't be the last time they saw each other. It would only be later on that they realised they'd made the same wish.
After grabbing some dinner from a hot dog truck, and sitting on a bench to eat and chat, Eli took Aelin to the University of Oxford, and there they made an agreement to have lunch together the next day. |
(A few glimpses) |
A Futile Fight
Aelin and Eli became fast friends. Within weeks, with Aelin's help, Eli applied to the University of Oxford and was accepted. They spent almost every day together, either driving around London on Eli's motorcycle or finding time to dine and lunch together. It wasn't long at all before their friendship took another turn. A first kiss... a caress, and still the two refused to admit any deeper feelings for one another.
On Day 37, followed by some time with Eli's younger sister Aubrey, and some time spent in the park with just Aelin, the two returned to Eli's dormitory for some more quality time. Their plan had been to simply enjoy a movie together, but it quickly became more than that. It was there, cuddled up in Eli's bed that they two confessed stronger feelings for one another.
On Day 37, followed by some time with Eli's younger sister Aubrey, and some time spent in the park with just Aelin, the two returned to Eli's dormitory for some more quality time. Their plan had been to simply enjoy a movie together, but it quickly became more than that. It was there, cuddled up in Eli's bed that they two confessed stronger feelings for one another.
"There isn't a single night since we met that I go to bed and don't think about you," Aelin finally confessed, trying to be braver than he seemed to be able to be. "Every single day since the very beginning all I can think is about how to find another excuse so I can kiss you, touch you or be near you without taking the risk of making you run away, Eli," she added, her hands now on his chest, her eyes still staring at his. [...] "Every single day I think I'm going crazy...we have known each other for nearly two months and all I can think about is that I want you to be my first and my last and that my heart and my body might explode if I don't have you[...] I have been trying to be your friend Eli, but it doesn't work that well because I want so much more, no excuses, or masks or fake pretenses, I want you, all of you, with me and for me since that damned single day and I'm terrified, thinking that you don't feel the same. |
Eli listened to her, his heart absorbing every word that left her lips. It was unbelievable what he was hearing. He almost wished he had a voice recorder so that he could replay every word she said and make sure he wasn't dreaming. But he wasn't. He could see the truth reflected in her eyes and feel her body move against his. He bit his lip, listening to her, feeling her, wanting her [...] "I fight because I don't know how to be what I want to be for you. I don't know how to be romantic, I'm not very spontaneous, and I'm completely out of my league with you. You're... beautiful. You give me butterflies whenever you're near. I can't take my eyes off you when you're in the same room as I am. But... I do want you. I just didn't think that someone like you could be interested in me." "You are the biggest idiot I ever met, Elias Jeremy Barthel" she told him right in his face, almost angry at him. She was always honest and not even in a situation like this she would never hold back or use half words on him. "You are everything I want," she told him, very slowly, trying to make him understand it. "I don't want you to be a hopeless romantic. I want my Eli, being exactly that, Eli. The silly guy that over analyses everything, the guy I need to push and pinch to have something done without over-thinking half of of it. I want this guy here, I don't want anyone else because you're already everything I want" |
That night, the new couple moved from confessing their true feelings to taking the next big step in their relationship. As a brand new couple, they're still learning more about each other, daily.
Though it had been years since Eli spent the holidays with his family, he took Aelin with him to New York when he was reunited with his mother, step-father, siblings and nieces and nephew. In New York, Aelin surprised him with a little Beagle pup. As Eli entered the hotel room for his surprised, he was more shocked at the destroyed surroundings. The room looked as though some sort of storm had swept through, and so the puppy was given the name Cyclone (mostly called Cy).
After Christmas with the Barthels and van Loons, Eli and Aelin then traveled to Scotland, Aelin's homeland, to meet her family. Eli was impressed with Castle Carmichael, and though they weren't able to spend nights together as they had in New York, Eli enjoyed every moment in Scotland--especially in Aelin's treehouse in the surrounding woods.
After Christmas with the Barthels and van Loons, Eli and Aelin then traveled to Scotland, Aelin's homeland, to meet her family. Eli was impressed with Castle Carmichael, and though they weren't able to spend nights together as they had in New York, Eli enjoyed every moment in Scotland--especially in Aelin's treehouse in the surrounding woods.
As school resumed, Eli began doing a research paper on abandoned houses. This lead to the discovery of an abandoned house right on the outskirts of Kensington. Eli took Aelin to see the house and immediately, she fell in love with it despite the rundown appearance, cobwebs and infinite layers of dust. Soon, she began voicing her visions of them living in this house together someday.
Shortly after, Aelin began tennis tournaments, which took her out of England for weeks at a time. Meanwhile, Eli began tracking down the original owners of the house and discovered that there were no living heirs. He was able to get the deed and tax permit and he purchased the house in both his name and Aelin's name. During Aelin's second time away, Eli was kicked out of his dormitory due to Cy's barking while both he was away from the room, and various reports of breaking curfew. |
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The day before Aelin's 17th birthday, Eli moved into a flat just minutes away from the University of Oxford. Then, on the day of her birthday, Eli took her to the flat as part one of his surprise, and presented her with the deed to the abandoned house.
For Eli and Aelin's 1st anniversary, Aelin came up with an idea of buying a car together. For a year, they'd been finding their way around town either on Eli's motorcycle or in cabs--either with Eli driving or him calling Benji to take them places. But at last, they were able to have their own transportation with their brand new Ford Focus, in which he taught Aelin to drive.
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(From Aelin's blog) |