I hold out my hand to Ellie. She has the choice to stay here, but she has to know that she is so much stronger than her parents make her out to be. This is it. This is the moment where she can show her parents that she won’t stand for their disrespect and lack of understanding. All she has to do is take my hand.
My eyes don’t leave Ellie’s, and when she finally brings her gaze up to me, I see that I was right.
“Eleanor. If you leave this house and go with him, we will have to—”
Her palm is warm as it slips into my hold. She stands up from the table and moves with me to the front door.
My heart stammers in my chest as we rush out the door, and I’m mortified of what I just did.
Ellie doesn’t say anything as she gets into my car. Her face is emotionless, and this is the first time in a while where I don’t have any words.
What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to comfort her?
I just yelled at her parents and stormed out of their house, dragging Ellie along with me. The only thing I can think to say is ‘I’m sorry’, but I’m not—not about what I said. I’m only sorry for not standing up for Ellie sooner. All in all, I am a pretty passive person, and there’s nothing I hate more than upsetting people. But, I couldn’t watch them talk to her like that.
Her dad hadn’t said a singular word during the mother’s slanderous tirade, which made it even worse. Even if he didn’tagree with Ellie’s mother, his silence was shameful, and his lack of interfering made him an accomplice to her choices.
If he wasn’t going to stand up for his daughter, somebody had to. I’d gladly do it all again, but right now, I have no idea what Ellie is thinking.
We haven’t left her parent’s driveway, and all she has been doing is staring straight out the window at the front door. I don’t know if she is waiting for someone to come out or contemplating going back inside, but this silence is killing me.
“El—”
“Drive, please.” She cuts me off. Her voice is so small and unlike her, and it breaks my heart.
I do what she says and start driving, trying to put as much distance between Ellie’s parent’s house and us.
Logically, we go in the direction of her apartment, but her crushed tone is just loud enough to make out over the sound of the engine.
“Can we go to your house, please? I don’t want to be alone.”
Chapter 32
Patrick
Thedrivetomyhouse is too quiet.
I didn’t turn on any music when we left Ellie’s parent's house, and it’s a little bit late to do it now.
The main unknown is what’s going through her mind. All I know is that she doesn’t want to be by herself, and I don’t want that either. Despite all of the thoughts running through my head, I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do, but there is this internal need to make it right by her.
Pulling into my parking spot in front of my townhouse, I realize that Ellie hasn’t been here since that first time. It feels pathetic that even back then I was hoping for more with her. Little did I know that I would be stuck in this weird 'fake dating/friends with benefits' situation, but I’ll take whatever she is willing to give me.
I turn off the car, twisting the key in the ignition, and the engine's lack of power instantly adds to the silence. The air around us begins to warm up, but it’s not unbearable. I’ll sit here as long as it takes, as long as she needs.
Since I have already done enough this evening, it’s best to let Ellie be in charge of what happens next. I am perfectly fine waiting all night for her to make a decision. She is quiet,seemingly emotionless, as I patiently wait to be whatever she needs—a shoulder to cry on, a punching bag for her emotions, a ride back to her apartment.
I do my best not to watch her, but I can’t help it. It is killing me that I can’t figure her out right now. This is what I’m supposed to be good at, and it sucks that Ellie has somehow disarmed me.
Her chest moves up and down as she takes long, deep breaths, and I am hypnotized watching her. Without warning, she unbuckles her seatbelt and turns in the seat so her body is facing mine.
She finally shifts her eyes to look up at me and gives the slightest semblance of a smile. Trying not to force anything, I set my hand face up between us, and her fingers slide to intertwine with mine. This is the first time we’ve touched since I, for lack of a better term, dragged her out of her parent’s house, and her skin feels like it's electrically charged.
I’m not sure if it’s my nerves or the uncertainty, but it feels dangerous to touch her.
Her motions are fluid, and I don’t realize what is going on until it is already happening. She is kissing me. A long, hard kiss followed by soft, sweet, supple grazes that cover my jaw and neck. She has propped herself up and is leaning over the center console to get to me. When she moves, the fabric at her chest puckers, allowing me to see down the front of her sundress.
She is so responsive to me, and as much as I want to keep going, I have to check in with her. Holding her face in my hands, I pull her away gently and meet her eyes, brushing my thumbs over her skin.
