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When she moves to sit next to me, she spots the bandage on my thigh, noting the new tattoo. “What’s this one for?” she asks. Her fingers run over the clear plastic as a soft smilespreads across her lips. It still cracks my chest wide open. She’s everything.
“Ryan did it this morning.” I sit up as the nerves start working their way through my body. I suddenly feel like I’m about to tell her I murdered Noah for clogging my toilet again, and I need help hiding the body. “So, listen.”
“Uh oh.”
I laugh. “It’s not bad.” I run my hand through my hair, still purple. For a while, I let my hair go back to its natural color, but the day Ellie announced she missed how it was, we went out and bought purple dye again. It was no question. If she likes it, I like it. I also like how she couldn’t stop touching me when I hopped in the shower to rinse it out.
“Ryland asked me to go on tour with them for a couple weeks to mix front of house.”
Ellis sits up, excitement bubbling around her. “Shut up, Finn!” She leans forward, throwing herself on top of me. I grab her hips, drinking in the soft touch of her lips, the smile she can’t quite wipe away. When she leans back, her brown eyes are sparkling. “I’m not entirely sure what it means, but you have to do it! When would you leave?”
“The day after the art show,” I say, and I can’t hide my wince.
“Oof,” she says, but she doesn’t pull away. “You have to up and leave in like two days?”
My breath leaves in a whoosh. Relief crashes into me when I see that despite the news, Ellie still doesn’t look less excited for me.
I glance down at the sweatshirt. For once, it’s not one of mine. “Reading is reading?” I question, tugging at the fabric. I don’t know what the hell it means.
Ellie smiles. “Lennon bought this from some website she found. The Nightstand Book, I think it was called. You know how she tried to write a book forever ago? Anyway, it doesn’t matter.”
Placing her hands on the side of my face, she presses closer. “It’ll be good.” She kisses my jaw, the scent of jasmine wrapping around me in the way that drives me crazy. I keep my hands at her waist, fighting the urge to move them lower. “You’ll have fun,” she says before moving her mouth to the corner of mine. “I’ll miss you.” Another kiss. “But I can still send you texts and call.” When she draws my bottom lip between her teeth, I groan. “All sorts of fun text messages,” she says, and I can already feel the way she’s pressing further into me.
“Fun text messages?” I question.
Ellis moves her legs to either side of my hips, her other hand rising to cup my face. She’s so fucking breathtaking, I’m certain my entire chest is about to explode. I’m not sure why I was nervous to talk to her about it in the first place.
“Fun text messages,” she says, and I catch the heat in her eyes.
I give in, sliding my hands from her waist to her ass, then squeezing. “Yeah?”
Ellis nods, her mouth suddenly on mine, and I swear the temperature in the room rises with every brush of her skin.
When she presses down, a noise rumbles from the back of my throat. I almost forget what we were talking about when her body rocks over mine, creating friction that has me desperate to show her exactly how much I’ll miss her when I’m gone.
Something nags at the back of my mind, and I slowly pull away. Her eyes meet mine, and I almost know what she’ll say before the words even leave my lips.
“It might turn into something more,” I say. “Like I might get an offer to go on more tours.”
Ellis nods, and while I don’t miss the sadness that flashes in her eyes, she still doesn’t seem opposed to the idea. “Okay,” she says. “Is that what you want?”
I nod, thankful I spent the morning with Ryan sorting through my thoughts. “I think so.” It’s the honest answer.
Ellie’s mouth breaks into a wide smile, one that reminds me of all the light she’s brought with her–thesomethingabout her that has me begging to bask in her presence. “We’ll figure it out,” she says. “But I’m in this, Finn. I’m not scared of a little dream chasing.”
Thatsomethingburns brighter, and as I stare into her eyes, a thought plows through me. It’s the thing that’s lurked in the background for months–the thing I’ve known for a while now. I love her.
I am in love with her.
“Now,” she says, pulling herself off of me. “Help me pick the last drawing to send over to your mom’s. We have an art show tomorrow.”
Twenty-Eight
Ellis
Over the past few months, I’ve decided my opinion on popsicles and their purposes has entirely changed. For one, they are not a food reserved for self-pity. They have since presented themselves as a frozen treat fit for all occasions–including babysitting during an unplanned brunch before your very first art show.
Eloise sits near the television, watching a movie and practically falling asleep while doing so.
