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Days at the club dragged on for Ellena. She was working every day, most of the time for a double shift. Ideally, she would have liked to quit her other job teaching ballroom dance classes but seeing it was the only job she had that was earning a pay cheque, she had to stay with it. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy it any more. She just had no energy for it after working at the club for so many hours.
The loneliness bothered her the most. Kevin was gone. Lacey was gone. Cherry had left for summer holidays and Mrs. Craig was visiting her family in another state. Ellena was truly alone for the first time since Lacey had come into her life.
Phone calls from Kevin were few and far between. Considering his and Ellena’s schedules, it was a wonder they ever talked to each other at all. Kevin had been ecstatic when Ellena told him she was able to meet him on tour. He had sent her the plane ticket and travel information the very same day.
The tour had started off well with sold out shows in nearly every stop. Kevin found that the days moved quickly. Sometimes so quickly that they blurred together. He would think it was Tuesday, only to find out that it was already Friday. He was glad though. Every day that passed was one day closer to Ellena.
Brian and he barely talked to one another any more. If they ever did, it was only in an interview where they wanted the fans to believe that there was nothing wrong with their friendship. It bothered Kevin that Brian had let it go this far. Brian honestly thought that Ellena was out to manipulate Kevin. He knew that Brian was losing out on a friendship with a very remarkable woman.
When Kevin was able to talk with Ellena on the phone, it nearly broke his heart every time. Loneliness resonated in her voice. She put on a brave front for him and told him that everything was going fine but he knew better. He knew that every time she hung up the phone, she would cry herself to sleep in her empty apartment. She hadn’t used the keys to his house that he had left for her. He was hoping that maybe she would feel less alone if she stayed there, but she had refused. Saying that she needed to be home in the slight chance that Eric would bring Lacey back.
Ellena had not heard from Eric since the night he took Lacey and walked out of her apartment, and out of her life. She had not tried to contact him either. Eric had grown accustomed to covering his tracks and hiding from people he owed money to. This time was no different. He had taken his daughter and disappeared without a trace.
Sometimes, in the shopping mall, Ellena would see Lacey. Then she would call her name and run towards her only to discover that it was some one else’s child. Each time this happened, it was like she had lost Lacey all over again. After too many cases of mistaken identity, Ellena quit leaving the apartment except to go to work. Some nights she would fall asleep on the couch rather than take the walk down the hallway and pass by Lacey’s empty bedroom. Sometimes she would wake up in the morning to find that she had wandered into Lacey’s room in the middle of the night, thinking that she had heard Lacey cry her name in the darkness. Sometimes yet, she would lie awake in her bed, listening to her heartbeats echo in the silent room. Ellena no longer had a life, she merely existed.
The day before she was to fly to see Kevin, she worked three six-hour shifts in a row before getting on the plane. Mitch met her at the airport. The sight of her alarmed him. The tour had been going for six weeks and after Ellena’s brief stay with Kevin on tour, she would be back home alone for another four. In Mitch’s opinion, it didn’t look like Ellena would make it through the rest of the day with out her body giving out on her. He stood in the concourse next to the baggage claim carousels. Her eyes immediately brightened when she recognized him. Ellena gave him a weak smile and rushed over to give him a hug. She looked so thin and frail that Mitch was afraid that he would snap her bones if he hugged her back. They quickly picked up her baggage and loaded into the truck he had brought. The ride back to the hotel was quiet. Ellena was asleep by the time they arrived. Seeing as Kevin wouldn’t be back from the radio station for another three hours, Mitch didn’t have the heart to wake her up. He simply gathered her up and carried her into the hotel room.
Kevin couldn’t get out of the radio station fast enough. They had an interview, then sang a few songs a cappella and signed some autographs. He was the first one in the van to go back to the hotel.
Once there, he rushed in and ran smack into Mitch. Mitch flashed him a knowing grin, handed him a room key and told him that Ellena probably needed the sleep she was getting right then.
Kevin unlocked the door and crept in as quietly as possible. He caught his breath as his eyes fell upon Ellena sleeping on the bed. She looked so small and fragile, almost childlike. All Kevin wanted to do was to wrap his arms around her and protect her from the world. He took his shoes off and lay beside her on the bed. He pulled her into his arms and breathed in the scent of lavender in her hair. He wouldn’t always be able to protect her from everything ugly but he could for tonight, and that would be enough for now.

~*~

Ellena woke to the sound of loud footfalls in the hallway. The room was dark save for a tiny sliver of light that was coming in through the vertical blinds from the streetlight outside. Ellena realized that she was not alone. Kevin’s strong arm was curled around her waist, trapping her against his body and the soft mattress. Ellena smiled in the night. She couldn’t have moved if she had wanted to. But that was okay. She didn’t want to. She planted a light kiss on Kevin’s chest, snuggled further into his embrace and immediately fell back into a contented slumber.