Chance Encounters

When we got home that day, the atmosphere between Ellie and me was off. She could tell I was hiding something. I didn’t know how, and I didn’t understand why, but it was as if she could read my mind. And at this point, that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

I cared about Ellie. She was my world. But honestly, I didn’t know how I would tell Ellie about dancing with Abbie without her overreacting. Either way, I was going to lose. But I couldn’t tell her yet. It wasn’t the right time, and I didn’t have the nerve to break her heart or make her angry. Because I realized that the instant I tell her, she’d turn red and probably yell.

Even worse, I was terrified that she would leave me.

And I couldn’t live without her.

Literally.

~~*~~
We were in my room, working on homework and casually talking about our classes. I don’t think Ellie had noticed too much, but the air around us was becoming tighter and much more constricted. I was under a great amount of pressure, and I didn’t know what to do or how to act. So everything that I said was awkward and probably rehearsed in my head thousands of times.

I found myself trying to get closer to Ellie, like skimming my fingers across her forehead to get the hair out of her face, or rubbing her shoulders. Ellie didn’t think anything of it. However, I quickly realized it was because I felt so terrible for turning my back on her. I somehow believed that if I spent more time with her, all the problems I had caused would go away.

“Hey, I still have a couple more math problems to finish,” Ellie complained, fighting against my kisses on her neck. I continued, despite her wishes, and chuckled as goose bumps sprouted across her tender skin. “Luke, I’m serious.”

“The books can wait. Come on, El. Just this once,” I said, pushing the papers and textbooks off of my bed. I pressed on Ellie’s shoulders, compelling her to lie down. I propped myself up on my elbows, gazing down at Ellie’s flawless features. She really was beautiful. Every time I looked at her, a pang of regret for what I had done shot through me.

I kissed her then, instantly being flooded of all the emotions Ellie gave me. Her lips were delicate and warm against mine. However, she didn’t budge. She stayed absolutely still, probably petrified of my distorted behavior.

I rested my fingers at the hem of Ellie’s shirt, sliding my hand over her smooth stomach. She shivered then, and unexpectedly resisted.

“Luke, stop,” she demanded, pushing me off of her. I got up then, feeling worse than before. I sat on the bed again, not able to look Ellie in the eyes. I already knew she was glaring at me, staring daggers through my soul. I deserved it though.

I was a mess.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, still looking at the ground. Ellie sighed and scooted closer to me, entwining her fingers with mine. She rested her other hand in my hair and smoothed the stray locks out of my eyes before forcing me to glance at her.

“What’s gotten into you?” She asked. “You’re never like this.”

I looked around the room, trying to find a reason to explain. I couldn’t easily shrug it off. She would realize my anxiety. And as much as I loved how intuitive Ellie was, at that moment, I hated it.

“I’ve just been caught up in homework and tests. I missed you, and I didn’t mean to come off as harsh or aggressive. I’m sorry,” I lied, giving off the best puppy dog look I could.

Ellie chuckled quietly and playfully slapped my shoulder. “Does that mean you’ll forgive me?” I asked hopefully. She smirked and rolled her eyes.

“Yes, I guess so. Just don’t let it happen again, okay?” she said nonthreateningly, standing up from the creaky bed.

“Pinky swear,” I promised, extending my finger to reach hers. Ellie grinned childishly and squeezed back, then let go and started towards the door. “Where are you going?”

“I have to take a shower. My hair is a mess and my body is covered in sweat from working out earlier,” she frowned. My eyebrows rose as I stood up and sauntered over to Ellie.

“You know, Mary is out of the house, and she’ll be gone for a couple of hours,” I said suggestively, waiting for a response. Ellie rolled her eyes and smirked deviously.

“No Luke, you cannot take a shower with me,” she laughed, walking out of my room. I sighed and closed my door.

What was I going to do?

~~*~~

“Hey Luke?” Ellie called forty minutes later. I walked to where she was at and smiled. Her brown hair was wet and pulled back in a slick ponytail. A soft, white robe hugged Ellie tightly, somehow showing off her curves. She smiled when she saw me, her eyes glowing. And really, she looked gorgeous.

Ellie pulled me into her room and sat on the bed. I looked around, attempting to understand what was going on.

“So, you needed me?” I asked after a couple moments of silence. Ellie took in a deep breath and lay back on the bed. I rested my phone on her desk and crawled in the spot next to her.

“My parents are coming to visit in a couple of weeks, after that is the art show my teacher is having. And I don’t know what to do, because I’m positive they’ll freak out when they realize a teenage boy is living with me,” she said quickly, making it almost impossible for me to understand what she was saying.

“So what are you insinuating?” I asked impatiently, turning my body to face her.

“I don’t know. I just … I’m worried. I don’t want them to freak out. I mean, it’s not like they have any idea about us, but if they forced you to move out because of such a little reason, I …” Ellie started to say before I interrupted her.

“Ellie, everything is going to be okay. If your parents raised such an amazing young woman, I’m sure they’ll be pretty welcoming,” I comforted her, smiling sweetly. And surprisingly, that was all it took for Ellie to be calm again.

“Thank you,” she said, brushing her fingers over mine, sending chills down my back. I wanted to touch her, to feel her, to be with her then. But she moved away all too quickly, standing up to get dressed. “Close your eyes.”

I scoffed in amusement as she said that. “I’ve already seen you naked, Ellie. You have nothing to hide,” I said. Ellie turned and glared at me.

“Close your eyes,” she demanded, sauntering towards her closet. I finally did as she told me, taking peeks every now and then at her silky, satisfying skin.

When Ellie was dressed, she exited the room and threw her robe in the laundry basket. She came back in a couple of moments later. However, before she could sit down, my phone began to vibrate obnoxiously. Ellie walked to her desk, peering at who it was.

“Abbie?” She said curiously.

Oh gosh. What was I supposed to say? ‘Oh yeah Ellie. We just grinded together and now she texts me all the time trying to hook up. But it’s not a big deal.’ With all the energy I had, I quickly mustered up my best lie. I hated not being honest to Ellie. She was fragile though. I didn’t want to hurt her.

“We’re uh… working on a project in science together,” I said, not as suavely as I had hoped. Ellie nodded and tossed the phone to me with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m going to get an apple. Should I bring you one too?” She asked.

“Yeah. Thanks,” I said, waiting until she left to open the message. And when I did, my heart broke. Not for me, but for Ellie. Because I finally realized that what I had put her through, was going to break her no matter what.

Hey babe. (; Want to come over later? My parents are gone.