AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I roll my eyes. "Lucky Grandma? It's literally some beads tied together."
"Yes, and my grandma's boy made it for me, so it's lucky. Now get going."
"Actually I'm gonna drive you to the airport first, then head over to Jolie's."
"Oh well, let me get my bag then."
We're in the car a few minutes later. She all but jumps out of the car when she sees her friends waiting for her inside the airport.
"Have fun," she shouts over her shoulder.
"You too. Don't lose all your money."
She waves my comment away and disappears through the sliding doors. Then I'm on my way to Jolie's. Knowing her parents made her go to a family session this week and that they've been hounding her to change her mind about moving with them, I hope tonight provides the much needed reprieve she needs from all that.
I arrive at her house and swallow when I see another car beside Jolie's in the driveway. Walking to the front door, I shake my arms out, willing the nerves to go away as I ring the doorbell. I hear heels approach the door and then it opens and I get my first look at Jolie.
My mouth gapes for a moment, trying to form words. All that comes out is, "Wow."
Her burgundy dress comes to the middle of her thighs, showing off those gorgeous, and incredibly smooth looking, legs. Her black ankle boots match the necklace and bracelet she wears, and small purse she carries. My eyes travel back up her body, stopping for a moment on the way her dress dips between her breasts. The sleeves cover just her shoulders, but a black jacket hangs from her fingers. Her hair is down, strands framing her face except for the two pieces she's tied back.
Probably at my continued silence, and I'm sure stunned look, she smiles. I thought she couldn't get any more radiant in this moment. What a fool I was to ever believe that. Because that smile, it makes what was already a work of art into a masterpiece. And I get to have her all to myself for the night.
"You look very nice too," she says.
"Nice is far too simple a word for how you look, but thank you."
She casts a glance behind her and begins to hurry out of the house, closing the door behind her. But a hand grips it, pulling it back open and a man and woman come into view. Their severe expressions make me question if smiling at them is the right move. My anxiousness makes my lips quirk up anyway.
"Hi. I'm Elijah," I say, extending my hand to her father first.
Although he shakes it firmly, he also takes his hand back as quickly as possible. Jolie's mother basically grabs the tips of my fingers more than shakes my hand.
"I'm Lori Stanford, and this is Harold Stanford." She gives a very fake smile.
"What time will you be bringing my daughter back?" Harold asks.
I look at Jolie for the answer, but she's glaring at her parents.
"I am an adult, in case you needed reminding. And don't worry I won't turn back into a child at the stroke of midnight."
The amount of tension stirring on this porch is palpable. Jolie continues staring at them with narrowed eyes. They look back at her like they expect her to fall back into obedience at any moment. I just stand there, not knowing what the hell to say or do. Then Jolie's pulling on my arm.
"Come on, Elijah." She urges.
I give a wave to her parents as I walk down the pathway back to my car. After opening Jolie's door, I go around to my side, looking over the top of the car towards her parents to find them still watching us.
"I see things haven't gotten any better on that front," I say as I pull off.
She scoffs. "Worse. We had another family session today, because you know, a nineteen-year-old woman staying out for the night apparently requires not one, but two sessions in a single week. The therapist agreed I was too fragile, as he put it, to live on my own. But he did inform me that I am mature enough to decide what the topic of our next session should be about. I don't know where my parents found this guy, but I feel like I need to start checking if he even has a license."
I chuckle. "Can you imagine the horror? Your parents realizing they've been going to some fraud?"
"My mother would probably faint. 'What will people say if they find out we were fooled Harold?'" she says in a high pitched voice before shaking her head. "Anyway, back to how handsome you look tonight."
"I have absolutely nothing on you. I think my heart stopped when you opened that door."
"Oh, that I don't want. How can I capture your heart if it stops beating?"
