“I’ve been thinking about it, and I think that if you were by my side all day that I could get through this. Not only could I use the extra hands,” she said, bringing those gorgeous hands up to her face, “but when you’re there, I feel more confident, more alive.”
He looked confused and Elly carefully weighed her next words.
“You’re a shot of adrenaline to my heart.” His eyes lit up with the praise. “Before you knocked on my door, my heart was just dormant.” She eyed his flushed face. “And now, you’ve set it on fire. You made me feel like I could live again.” Okay, now she was getting carried away. “So, will you be there? Will you help me that day? I….I need you there. I need that boost that only you can give me.”
Isaac placed his hand on her heart. “If you want me to be there, I will be there. It’s important to you. And Elly…I love you.”
She suddenly wanted to tell him everything, not the watered-down version of the wedding, but the truth behind it. That there were times where she still felt like her heart would explode from the pain, that she saw Lucia’s face every time she shut her eyes, that she was praying feverishly into the night that Aaron’s hold on her would be lifted. She took a breath. Why not? What could happen if she truly bared her soul to him? Besides, his brown eyes were so inviting…
“I feel like I’m in a dream that I will never wake up from,” she started. “When I left Georgia…”
Isaac put his finger over Elly’s lips. “Let’s not talk about that,” he whispered, and Elly felt a sharp punch of rejection. “I want to talk about us.” He pushed her back onto the pillows, softly nuzzling her nose. “Do you remember the other night, at the Paradox Club?”
You mean, where you ripped your shirt off and told me that you loved me in front of a crowd of hundreds? Elly’s cringed at the awkward memory. “Yes, I remember.” Unfortunately.
“Remember when I told you I loved you?” His lips brushed across hers, from side to side. “I had thought that you would…ah…feel more comfortable with me after that.”
Elly smiled and ran her hand down his back. “What do you mean? I do feel comfortable with you.”
He pulled away from her. “You know what I mean. I’m just wondering where this relationship is going.” Elly avoided his questioning eyes. “When are we going to make it…real?”
Oh no, not this again. Why is he such a sixteen-year-old boy? I so don’t want to talk about this tonight, she grumbled inwardly, and kissed him furiously with hopes of distracting him from this particular line of thought.
Elly’s head was now cradled against the soft pillow. Isaac’s breath on her neck was making her drowsy and she felt her eyes closing. It had been a very long day. She could feel the dirt caked under her fingernails and the sore ache in her thighs. Her whole body hurt. Instead of responding to Isaac with passion, it seemed to be screaming for bed. She was drifting…
“I have to go home. I’m just so tired,” she whispered.
Isaac’s head jerked back. “You’re falling asleep?”
Elly nodded, content with the feel of his hand on her face. If he would just stop molesting her, she could nap here, pressed against his body, wrapped up in his adoring arms.
He looked annoyed. “Why are you so afraid to move forward with me?”
She pushed him off. “I’m not. I’m just exhausted, please understand. It has nothing to do with you.”
Elly knew she was lying. Why was she afraid of moving forward with him, in every sense? It wasn’t just the physical. She just never gave much thought to their future together, either. She loved being with him, and that was all she was able to see; the present, with him. She could feel he was beginning to sense that. She pulled him into her arms and kissed his nose.
“I’m sorry I can’t keep my eyes open. Trust me, if there was anything that could keep me awake, it would be you.”
Isaac forced a smile to his face. “I guess so. It’s okay. The band will be here in an hour anyway for a late night practice.”
Elly was slightly ticked off. So, you planned on making passionate love to me on the floor and then having your band practice mere minutes later?
“I’ll head out. Thank you for the floor picnic. It’s exactly what I needed.”
Isaac kissed her hair. “Wait. I have a gift for you. I don’t want you to open it in front of me, I want you to wait until you are home. I think it something you’ll enjoy.”
“Oooh…is it a spa gift certificate?” Elly cooed.
“Nope, it’s a picture of myself.” There was a tense pause. “I’m just kidding.”
Elly chuckled awkwardly. Of course he was. Isaac skipped to the back bedroom and came out carrying a small lavender box, tied beautifully with a brown ribbon. Elly was taken aback. It was so…delicate and expensive looking. She had been expecting a box of organic tea leaves. The top of the box said “Méchant” in raised calligraphy.
Elly was breathless. “Isaac…this looks expensive.”