coolly leaning against the brick wall of the abandoned building that was secretly developed into their hideaway, elijah had his arms folded across this chest with a smirk effortlessly pulling at the corners of his full lips as vivid scenes of his sexcapades the night before were painted in his mind. the boy wasnât one to kiss-and-tell because everyone in town had known what heâd been up to through the grapevine, so he never had to deny or confirm anything to be true. whether they were lies or truths, at least he was being talked about. the beckett name was one that had always been familiar on the townâs tongue from football and academics to, more recently, mindless gossip and that will never change. being a part of the circle was unusual for his ego. only twelve other people knew about this part of his life, not 1200.
eli wasnât paying attention to what his fellow circle member was saying at all. something about âcontrollingâ and âsecretsâ and âkeeping it lowkeyâ â definitely in his wheelhouse. he knew how to keep his lips sealed almost seamlessly every day â but the true difficulty was the mere mention of the word âsecretsâ and how he constantly fought the instinct the glance over at rosalie, the one person he kept the most secrets from. they were inseparable their entire high school and half of their college career, but seeing her everyday because of the circle was different. and heâd never admit it to anyone beside himself, but it hurt a little too. a tight clench where his heartbeat should be.
âlook,â he said, finally speaking up and pushing himself off the wall. âi think i can speak for all of us that no one is planning to spill thisââ he paused and rolled his eyes, putting his fingers up for air quotes, ââsecretâ, if thatâs what yâall  want. which i think is dumb, because why hide something spectacular? i mean, if i can start a bonfire on the beach without having to buy charcoal and lighter fluid, then iâm all for that shit. i think yâall are scared.â
rosalie had spent what felt like the last hour hiding in the corner of their small hideaway, her honey colored hair all but clung to the dirty brick. had anyone asked her how she was, she would have said she was fine, great even. in truth, she felt sick to her stomach just by being in the same room as elijah. it wasn't that his presence made her ill, it was the lack of his presence with her, the lack of his touch, the absence of the connection they once had. her heart ached whenever he was near. instead of focusing on him, she tried to channel all of her energy into the book before her, studying arcane arts.Â
her attention was caught by the sound of his voice, causing her head to snap up with sudden alertness. a bitter scoff slipped from her lips, and her hazel eyes filled to the brim with an uneasy mixture of pain and anger. "you haven't exactly proven yourself to be trustworthy in the past, elijah," she hissed. "besides, who's to say that you wouldn't out us while trying to impress one of your little whores, hm?" with a shake of her head, she slammed the book closed and raised from her seat. "of course we need to keep this a secret. people would either put us in a nut house or... i don't know. it just can't get out, okay?"