“So, what is your type? That woman that pulled you to her table at the happy hour?” I feel a bit stunned. She pulls her eyes up to meet mine, and there is a look that I’ve never seen from her before. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but if I didn’t know any better, I would think she was jealous.
My silence is met with another comment. “She’s really pretty by the way.”
Despite the run-in with her dad, this is the most caught off guard I’ve been tonight. I don’t normally feel the need to explain myself, but Ellie deserves the truth.
“Uhh, so you did see that… Wes will be upset to know that he wasn’t getting your full attention.” I tease hoping it will ease the uncomfortable tension, but her attention is still fully on me. “That was Rebecca. She works at ERI, but in a different department. She is definitely attractive, but she’s not my type. And, I don’t date coworkers.”
“Then who do you date?” Her response is so quick that I need a second to process.
“You know my type is more messy, introverted, damsel-in-distress baristas.”
Ellie’s cheeks turn pink, and I feel satisfied with my retort. She leans forward over the table to whisper-yell at me. “I was not a damsel in distress! I could’ve gotten myself out of it!”
“But you didn’t,” I taunt. “Instead, you neededmeto save you from Greg’s creepiness, and I stepped up to the plate. It’s hard being your Prince Charming, but someone needed to do it.”
“I think this situation has inflated your ego, and you need to get knocked down a peg.” The look on her face is downright mischievous, and it is adorable. “I’m going to work on that.”
Leaving the restaurant, I feel much more confident that Ellie and I can fake our way through the company weekend.
Every time I am with Ellie, I find more things that I like about her. Her humor. Her personality. Her smile. Her body. Her lips.
Fuck!
I need to stop thinking like this. My brain has to stop wandering to inappropriate places if this is going to work. She is a nice person who is helping me out. Well, we’re helping each other out now. It doesn’t even matter since she’s not interested in me like that, and even if she was, it would be irresponsible to cross that boundary. We drew a firm line, and I refuse to cross it.
Chapter 14
Ellie
Thisisthelife.
Five hours ago, I cocooned myself in my duvet and have not moved from the corner of the couch. Since I have no plans to leave this spot for the entire weekend, it is the most content I’ve felt in weeks. I am burnt out, exhausted, and uninterested in any human contact or interaction. Nick was unfortunate enough to figure that out earlier when he sat down next to me and tried to talk. I am not the outwardly aggressive type, but I might’ve made some distasteful comments about murdering him if he said another word.
The Officeis on in the background as I scroll through my phone, and all it does is make me think about Patrick. It’s the episode in season one where Michael Scott holds the Dundies Award ceremony in the local Chili’s. There was a hot minute where it was my comfort show, so I’ve probably seen every episode at least five times. I’m not really paying attention, but as the episode plays in the background, I have to fight the urge to text him “I feel God in this Chili’s tonight”.
The thought of him smiling because of me has my heart doing somersaults. I’ve actually started to think of Patrick as a friend, but that just shows how naive I am. It’s too easy to getcomfortable with this arrangement, and I need to stop. Patrick only suggested it so he doesn’t seem like a liar to his boss, and once he figures out how to end it amicably, I don’t want to be the one who feels abandoned.
It’s always been hard for me to make friends, and my track record has not been the best. It always goes one of the following ways: I make a friend, and they turn out to be someone different than I thoughtorthey find someone they like betterorthey move away and I never hear from them again. The excuses go on and on. It took a long time to feel comfortable enough to trust Nick, and I still have suspicions that he is going to leave like everyone else does.
Sinking back into the couch, I pull the blankets up further, upset that I got myself into this bad mood. It’s so stupid how I always do this.
Pull it together, Ellie.
Luckily, hindsight was 20/20 when I ordered Chinese food, so at least there is some on its way. Those who say food doesn’t make you feel better obviously have never tried the combination of crab rangoons and wonton soup. When I have a bad week, I know that Hunan Star can make me feel better, and if all else fails, it almost always makes me so full that I fall asleep immediately after consumption.
Nick shouldn’t be home for a few hours anyway, so I can take this time to focus on myself. Even if focusing on myself just involves falling into a food coma and taking a mind-numbing nap.
I scroll aimlessly through my phone and let my mind veg out. Hopefully some sleep will get me out of this funk.
“Please, please, please, please, please!”
I groan, pulling the blanket over my head, but that doesn’t stop his attempt at persuasion. I’m still sitting on the same corner of the couch almost a full twenty four hours later. I didn’t mean to fall asleep here, but my eyes were too heavy and my bedroom was too far away.
“You should come to the bar tonight. Pleaseeeeeee, Ellie! We haven’t hung out in forever, and you were already the world’s most convincing couch potato once this weekend. If it happens two nights in a row, I’ll have to display you as a roadside attraction.”
After ignoring him last night, saying he’s gotten a little clingy is an understatement, but I can’t blame him. He has plenty of other friends, but it’s not the same. We are each other’s person, and I haven’t been there for him as much as I normally am. Since I started my summer class and picked up a couple extra shifts, we have barely spent any time together, and if we're being honest, I miss him too. I didn’t realize until now, but my fake relationship isn’t helping either.
Peeking out from the blanket, I give him a look like he didn’t need to call me out like that. “While that's very convincing, I have a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream with my name on it, and I will not let you keep me from my true love.”
