Game

Eli's POV

I pulled up in the parking space opposite Record but I didn't get out straight away. I rested my head back on the headrest. Oliver tried several times to apologize but I couldn't listen. This was too serious for us. We were completely in over our heads. We couldn't dabble in Quinton's money.
As I pulled my keys out of the ignition, I caught her in the window. She was talking to another boy who was behind the cash register. At first it looked like he wasn't even listening but then he threw his head back and laughed as she was leaning over the counter, to her, she was just chatting. To every male who was witnessing this, it looked like flirting. Narrowing my eyes, I was across the road in quick strides before pushing open the door.
She stood up straight with a surprised expression. 'Eli,' she laughed, 'you scared me.'
I was glaring at the boy at the cash register, he was sat on the stool, earphones around his neck. It took me a while before I recognized him. Craig Thatcher.
'Eli,' he greeted innocently, 'you alright, mate?'
'Fine,' I said through gritted teeth. I had seen him around at a few parties, surrounded by girls, he was quite the ladies man. You can talk, my conscience screamed.
It was the hand on my bicep that stirred me, I looked down at the girl who was staring at me. She had her work t-shirt on, skinny jeans and her black converse. Her hair was tucked behind her ears, she looked so pretty.
Her brown shoulder back was around her neck, 'you ready to go?'
I nodded and cast a quick look back at Craig who was looking from her to me and back again. I watched the realization hit him and almost smirked. Tucking a hand around her waist, I guided her out of the shop into the bright but chilly weather.
'You seem tense.' She said as she buckled herself into the seat. I put the car into gear and shrugged.
'I'm fine.'
'You said already.' She muttered. I spared her a look and saw she was concentrating on her phone.
'I was thinking of putting a couple photo of us as my wallpaper. And I scheduled us in for couple photography shots on the weekend so we can decide which one to put on Facebook and I was thinking of putting you as 'boyfriend' or 'babe' instead of Eli on my phone. Which do you prefer?'
I took my entire concentration from the road as she looked at me seriously. She was tapping her phone on her leg and I choked. It was her small smile that turned into a full on grin before we both burst into laughter at her joke.
'Would you just shut up and be a normal girlfriend?' I stopped at a set of lights and glanced at her as she shifted in the seat, 'what's the matter?'
Tobe looked weary before setting her brown eyed puppy look on me, 'I think it's best if I tell you something.'
Oh God. Suddenly my stomach did flips and I almost stalled the engine pulling away. I wasn't able to look at her much as I was focused on driving but she spoke anyway.
'As you know I'm... you know... but I'm also a... you know... in the other department.'
'You've lost me.'
Tobe groaned and laughed awkwardly, 'I've never had a boyfriend before.'
I wasn't sure if I'd been expecting that or if I was surprised. I figured she'd had a boyfriend, I mean, she was pretty enough to have one but it wasn't new that October Donovan really was the virgin Mary of Devonton. Ironic that she was going out with me now.
'Okay.'
I glanced at her as I stopped at another set of lights. She looked nervous but relieved that I wasn't running away.
She nodded once with a smile and there was silence before she spoke again, 'I want to clear some rumours.'
This time, I looked at her fully and I most definitely wasn't expecting that. There wasn't much that wasn't true.
Some of the stuff that went around me most of it had some inkling of truth and I was ashamed of most of it.
She seemed to sense my hesitation, 'you're Eli Cadby. We can't forget we live in one of the smallest towns in London with practically only two streets. Everyone knows everybody unless they're from town. People are gonna talk. I'm going to hear stuff.' She went quiet, 'I hardly know you.'
'Okay,' I repeated trying to seem calm when inside I was scared. I was scared she would hear something she didn't like. I wasn't a fan of letting people in. People believe what they want to - that was up to them.
I pulled into Brentwood and stopped outside her house. She wrung her hands and bit her plump lips. I'd have to remind her not to do that, it made me feel funny, made me want to kiss her.
'Wanna come in?'
'Seriously?' This girl was constantly surprising me. I grinned at her nod and got out the car. I took the time she was taking to grab her bag to open her door for her and she smiled, reaching for her keys.
I watched her very subtly peer at her driveway, there was her car and an empty space. Was she making sure someone wouldn't be home?
Her house was nice. Small but cosy. I preferred it over my expansive home. With Dad's business trips and Vivienne's constant absence, it was too empty.
She threw her bag on the floor in the hallway and kicked her shoes off. I did the same, the bottoms of my jeans scuffing the floor.
I watched Tobe peer up the stairs and look uneasy. I grinned. 'Am I your dirty little secret?'
She looked quickly at me as if she'd forgotten I was here and laughed under her breath. She fluffed out her hair and put it through her fingers before letting it drop, I wanted to do that.
'I think my sister is home from school. She'll have a fit if she sees you.'
'I didn't know you had a sister.'
She gave me a look, 'this is what I mean. We are...' she paused, 'dating,' she said the word as if it was tainted, 'and we hardly know eachother.'
She opened a door that led into a nice living room, there was a two seater sofa and an armchair, perfect for three people, it was decorated like a girls house. I wondered where her dad was.
She sat on the sofa and gestured to the armchair, I smirked and took the seat on the sofa next to her. She looked like it was going to swallow her up. I relaxed into it and put my arm out behind her. She instantly stood up, 'drink? Food?' She didn't let me reply before she disappeared through an opening.
Minutes later she returned with two glasses of what looked like lemonade. Placing them on the coffee table in front of her, she returned back to her seat and she faced me putting a leg up on the sofa so she could look at me properly.
'Do you have a brother or sister?' She began.

****

Tobe's POV

'Do you have a brother or sister?' I asked promptly starting this conversation. The sound of the lemonades fizzing was the only sound in the living room.
Eli shook his head, 'only child. Only one sister?'
'Courtney. She's fifteen.'
'And she goes to Northing?'
I nodded and took a sip of my drink holding it on my leg to soothe my warm body. When his attention was only on me, I felt insecure. Hot and bothered.
'What's your favourite movie?'
He laughed his throaty laugh and it made me smile, his happiness contagious, 'if I say Lord of the Rings, I'm a nerd, aren't I?'
I laughed and shook my head, 'not at all. Kinda typical though.' I watched him lean forwards, the tight muscles in his arms stretching around his shirt as he reached out for the drink and he gulped it before he spoke.
'Oh yeah? What's yours? Titanic? The Notebook? Love Actually? All those girly flicks.'
'I prefer the 80's movies.' I admitted and felt my cheeks warm up. I wasn't supposed to confess to that. I wasn't ashamed in my taste in movies but my love for Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall wasn't going to impress anyone.
He looked at me seriously, 'if I lose my temper you're totalled man.'
I didn't miss a beat, 'totally?'
He leaned down close to my face, my breath hitched as his eyes peered at me, 'totally.'
The Breakfast Club quote made my heart soar and I beamed at him. In an instant, he captured my lips with his. I absentmindedly put my drink on the coffee table and put my hands around his neck.
I was new to this, I didn't know where else to put my hands. I didn't worry for long before my instinct took over my thoughts and Eli's hands went from my leg to my waist before he gently coaxed me down. I was leaning on the pillows now as he used his upper body strength to hover over me.
His breath mingled with mine as he pulled away only a fraction before biting my lower lip. I resisted a moan when I felt his tongue massage my lips. I opened my mouth and his tongue entered, running over my teeth before meeting my tongue. My body was on fire and a pulsing between my legs had me on cloud nine. This was so peculiar but it felt so right.
'Eli,' I breathed as I pulled away completely and utterly overwhelmed by this new feeling. He gripped my waist and pulled me up as he sat in his original position.
He was smirking and his lips looked so kissable. He stroked my cheeks but I pulled away. I was oblivious to his hurt expression as I focused on his knuckles. They were red, chapped.
'You really beat him up?' I asked softly.
I looked up at him half not expecting him to answer. He put his hand in a fist and put it on his lap but I'd seen what I'd needed to.
'Understand something,' he said gently, 'despite what you might have heard about me, I'm not one for girlfriends.'
I rolled my eyes suddenly not interested in what he had to say. Before I could move away, he reached out and took my wrist.
'The reputation I have of sleeping around,' he whispered, 'is true.'
I felt sick, the pressing feeling of hurt wound tightly in a knot in my stomach. I was jealous. Jealous of the girls he'd been with before me and yet I felt stupid because I knew all about Eli's rep of being a player. Why had I expected him to say any different?
He was stroking my wrist and leaned forward to meet my eyes, 'you, Tobe Donovan, are my girlfriend now. Which means nobody else can have you. You're mine.'
His. I was Eli's. I was Eli Cadby's girlfriend. I was untouchable. I was off limits. Unattainable. Off the market I hadn't even explored. Not that I wanted to.
'What you had with those girls,' I muttered pathetically, 'you can't have with me. I mean, I'm not ready.'
He didn't even miss a beat as he took one of my cheeks in his hand and smiled, 'that's alright, I promise.'
He was so chivalrous and after a few moments of comfortable silence, I asked the burning question. 'Where's your mum, Eli?'
Everyone in Devonton knew Mrs Cadby has disappeared. Practically off the face of the Earth. She was here one minute and gone the next and neither Eli nor Mr Cadby spoke a word of it.

****

Eli's POV

There it was. That question I had heard so many times before but never once spoken from this girls lips.
I had an automatic answer, obviously. One I'd told many people many times without even thinking about it anymore. But it was a lie. And, about one thing at least, I didn't want to lie to Tobe about this.
The usual response of 'vacation' was ignored as I answered honestly, 'she ran off with her PA. I don't know where she is.'
Two years ago, she'd gone. Two years not a single letter, phone call or birthday card just a solid amount of £10,000 every year in my bank account.
Tobe didn't say a word, she didn't do the expected pity look and tell me it was alright. She only nodded before she leaned up and placed her wonderfully plump lips on my cheek. She blew softly on the spot and I closed my eyes at the passionate feeling I felt before she returned back in her spot.
'Can I ask where your dad is?' It was no secret that this place was most definitely a girls place and with only three seats in the living room, there was obviously an absence here.
'I don't know where he is.' She confessed, 'he moved away when I was ten.'
Returning her favour, I didn't pry or suffocate her with the usual pity and sympathy remarks. I only told her I understood before stroking her hair like I'd longed to do.
Looks like we were both a little damaged.