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“I want to start helping. That seems fun!” Piper waved her hand repeatedly under the automatic sensor, the water turning on and off.
“You’ll wear out the battery!” I flipped the handle to the off position so she would stop.
Eli’s broad frame almost had to squeeze through the kitchen door as he came back with a black T-shirt on, stretched across his muscles. “Oh, Essa showing off my handiwork?”
Piper contained a snicker. “Y-yep! Good job!”
Settling into our places at the dining room table, Eli dished out some pasta for us all while I pulled garlic bread out of the oven. Once we sat down, Piper took a bite and said with her mouth full, “So… Eli. Got any brothers who look like you?”
He smiled through his bite and nodded. “Yeah. Two of them.”
Piper acted shocked and angry. “Essa! Why didn’t you tell me about them?”
Eli’s chocolate-brown eyes met mine with a look of guilt. “Oh, um. I knew that, but I haven’t met them.”
Piper’s eyebrows shot up, but Eli placed his hand on top of mine with my fork. Lowering his voice for me, he said, “You will. How about you two come by the shop this week? Tate can take a look at that piece of junk out there. Maybe meet Adon and my niece and nephew. Rhodes sometimes stops by.”
Eli wanted me to meet his family! Warmth filled my insides more than the spaghetti sauce. I didn’t feel like a kid anymore. I was a woman with a boyfriend, about to meet his family.
Glancing over at Piper, her eyes widened at me with a slight nod of her head. “O-okay. That sounds great.” His large palm squeezed my hand as he resumed his meal.
We’d been in our little bubble alone, fallen into almost a routine. Now, we were expanding to include families and friends. Everything seemed more real. I remembered the first few letters he sent me when I was a kid, and now, he was like the man of the house and we were fitting into each other’s lives like a true couple.
That Friday, Piper and I got ready to head to the garage together after spending the day organizing my bedroom. She moved to the side door, impatiently shifting on her large platform white sneakers, grabbing her crocheted purse. “You ready?”
“Yeah, let me just check that the front is locked.”
The house had been free of any more break-ins since Eli had practically moved in, and I had almost forgotten about the incident completely. Not that it would be easy to notice if someone ravaged my house. I didn’t have a lot of time to organize all the junk. Between classes and studying, as well as trying to find a part-time job, I was busy. Eli was not that neat, either. His half put together house projects laying in piles around various surfaces: toilet tank parts in the laundry room, screws to the guest room light fixture on a stair step, a fallen curtain rod leaning behind the front door.
Piper was such an amazing friend, always ready to help; she actually enjoyed going through all the trinkets and items my father and Leticia left in the house. We had organized all the bedrooms one by one, donating (or Piper taking) Leticia’s leftover clothes. Each room was starting to feel more like my own. She’d hang out until Eli would get home from work, sometimes staying for dinner with us. I was relieved my best friend and my boyfriend were getting along so well.
While I drove us to Griffin Motors, my palms gripped the steering wheel, slick with sweat. I’d pushed the thoughts aside over the last few days by staying busy, but now that I was on my way there, my nerves were at an all-time high. What if Eli’s brothers thought I was way too young for him? What if they didn’t like me or thought I was immature? Horror came over me as I wondered if any of them knew about our video or had watched it. Would Eli tell them about it?
When we arrived, I pulled into an empty bay at the garage as a ginger-haired man in a red jumpsuit waved his hand, directing me to enter. As I got out, the man asked if I had an appointment, and I didn’t know what to say. Before I could stammer a reply, my man’s deep voice spoke from the doorway behind me.
“Tate, this is Essa.”
“Oh! You’re Essa! Well, hello, Essa.” Tate started to shake my hand, but thought better of it, wiping grease on his jumpsuit. “I’m Tate. I’m Adon’s best friend, which means I have to look out for this kid, too.” So, Eli must have told them all about me. I was important enough for him to have talked about me when I wasn’t there. Feeling suddenly put on edge that perhaps I wouldn’t live up to their expectations, I glanced down at my jeans and chunky turtleneck sweater, hoping I looked older than I was.
Eli wandered over and took my hand, tapping a kiss on my forehead. As he leaned over me, his rich, masculine cologne filled my nose and my thighs clenched together. He was wearing a white button-down shirt and gray slacks, looking like an office professional. I couldn’t wait until he was done for the day so we could be together. “Hey, Pipes,” he said.
“E, I saw your handiwork with the guest room light. Impressive.” I knew she was goading him, but Eli straightened up like he was proud.
Tate was just about to get in my car to pop the hood, but stopped. “Wait. You letElifix something in your house? That’s brave of you.”
Eli scoffed. “Hey, now. I watched YouTube. I figured it out.”
“Yep, and he did a good job.” I squeezed his hand. He hadn’t, but I would never let him know.
Two children came running up to the garage bay drive. Given their olive skin and dark hair, I assumed they were Eli’s niece and nephew. My palms sweat in Eli’s hand, nervous that they wouldn’t like me. From his tales about the office, I knew Eli got to spend time with them once they were finished with school in the afternoons, but I never prepared myself for meeting them in the flesh.
“Uncle Eli! I did it! I got a hundred percent on my math test!” A small boy with a green backpack came running up to him and wrapped his skinny arms around Eli’s waist. Eli put his arm around him and mussed his hair. He looked like a much younger version of Eli.
“Good for you, buddy! Odin, this is my girlfriend, Essa. Can you say hi?” My heart skipped a beat when Eli said “girlfriend.”
“Hi, Essa. She’s pretty.”
“Thanks, Odin. Nice to meet you,” I said. Before I could ask him another question, a pre-teen girl interrupted, appearing bored and irritated.
