BlackFlowerPetals

Hillory was the daughter of a famous German Politician. She grew up living the rich life. Elijah was born to a single mother living in the poor parts of South Carolina. They were so different but that didn't stop them from falling in love one day when they met at Hillory's uncle's estate. Hillory knew that she only had the summer before she would have to return to Germany, and soon her uncle was moving to another state in the U.S which meant that Hillory and Elijah wouldn't be able to see each other again, still they were determined to make it work, even when a childhood friend of Hillory's named Daegin tries to get in the way. Love, rivalry and friendships all collide in this intricate tale of a young summers love.

~One Last Summer~

"Elijah, are you okay now?" she asks concerned.

Elijah took a shuddering breath, trying to compose himself as he felt Hillory's gentle concern wash over him. He knew he must look a sight, his eyes red and his cheeks damp with tears, his body still trembling slightly from the force of his emotions. But Hillory's question, asked with such genuine care and worry, made him feel seen in a way he had never been before.

He pulled back slightly, just enough to look into Hillory's eyes, and managed a shaky smile. It was small and uncertain, but it was real, and it held a depth of feeling that he could barely begin to express.

"I'm...I'm okay," he said at last, his voice rough and low but steadier than before. "Better than okay. You...you've given me more than I can ever repay, Hillory. More than you could know." "It wasn't much, it was only a few hundred." Hillory tries to downplay it.

Eli shook his head, a wry smile tugging at his lips as he listened to Hillory downplay the incredible gift she had given to him and his family. To her, 300 dollars might have seemed like a small amount, a mere trifle compared to the vast wealth she had grown up surrounded by. But to Elijah, it was a lifeline, a beacon of hope in the endless sea of poverty and struggling that had defined his existence.

He leaned in closer, his forehead coming to rest gently against Hillory's as he gazed deeply into her eyes. His voice was low and fervent, filled with a passion and intensity that he had never allowed himself to express before.

"It wasn't about the money, Hillory," he murmured, his breath mingling with hers as he spoke. "It was about the way you saw me, the way you saw my sister...the way you saw us as people who deserved to be seen and heard and helped. No one's ever done that for us before. No one's ever looked at us and seen anything more than the dirt on our skin and the rags on our backs."

He paused, swallowing hard as he struggled to find the words to express the depth of his gratitude and the sudden, terrifying realization of his feelings for her.

"You gave me more than money could ever buy, he whispered, his hand sliding from her cheek to the back of her neck, his fingers tangling in the soft silk of her hair".

"Um Elijah." she says a little nervously. "Can you please let go now?"

Elijah blinked, coming back to himself as if waking from a dream. He had been so lost in the moment, so consumed by the overwhelming surge of emotion and gratitude and something more, something deeper and scarier, that he had forgotten himself. Forgotten where he was, who he was with, and the vast chasm that lay between them.

He jerked his hand back as if burned, his face flushing with a sudden rush of heat and embarrassment. He took a step back, putting some distance between them, and ducked his head in shame.

"I...I'm sorry, Miss Hillory," he stammered, his voice rough and halting as he struggled to find the right words. "I didn't mean to...to overstep. I just...I got carried away, and...and I forgot myself for a moment. It won't happen."

It Wasn't Much Money