15 Ethan
S omething had changed, and Ellie was none the wiser. I pretended that I had just gotten home when she got out of the shower. Despite having already eaten, I joined Ellie for lunch. Each time she closed her eyes and savoured her food, I couldn’t help but be reminded of how flushed she looked as she lost herself. When I went to shower, all I could think of was Ellie in the bathtub, touching herself, making herself come. When I went into my room and sat on my bed, all I could think of was having Ellie in it, of touching Ellie, feeling Ellie, making Ellie make that face again. When I remembered what it felt like to have her hands on my bare chest, all I could think about was how those lovely hands would feel like closed around my aching cock.
What the hell was I thinking? This was Ellie. Steady, pleasant, good girl Ellie. My good friend and housemate Ellie. This couldn’t end well at all.
To think that I used to worry about eventually bringing someone like Renae home and hurting Ellie’s feelings. I never expected things to completely flip on its head. With Renae leaving town, any chance I had with her was dashed before it even got started. And Ellie was dating other people, which meant she was more likely to bring someone home before I did.
She told me about all her dates each time she finished one. The first one was a douche, and he affected her the most. But Ellie bounced back nicely. The rest of her later dates went a lot better after that, which was good because I hated seeing her get hurt. I suspected she was screening the guys a lot better too.
She usually met them after work, which meant she went out in her usual work clothes and usual work makeup, which she always looked fantastic in anyway. She always looked so put together in her understated, preppy way, and I never thought any more of it, which was why when she walked out of her room that evening wearing what she was wearing, I did a double take.
The usually prim and proper, always modestly dressed Ellie was wearing a black dress with a plunging neckline. She had done something to her makeup, and her normally sensible-looking eyes suddenly looked dangerous, like a man could get lost in them. Her lips were darker. Fuller. Suddenly, I wondered what those lips would feel like on my fingers.
“What do you think? Do I look okay?” She asked me.
Any man who rated her less than a ten out of ten needed their eyes gouged out. That was the only acceptable fix for bad eyesight.
Her cleavage was something I thought I’d never see again after the first night we met. The daring neckline of her dress showed off the perfect swells of her breasts, leaving plenty to the imagination, and when I realised that I didn’t need imagination to know what her nipples looked like under all that fabric, my throat dried. Then when she turned around to show me the bare back of her dress, I could see so much creamy skin. Soft, creamy skin. The only thing that was remotely prim about that dress was that skirt that ended just past her knees, and even the way it hugged her fantastic ass was enough to set any hotblooded man’s imagination on fire.
She wore her dark hair in loose waves over her shoulders, and she had done something to it. I didn’t know what it was, but all of a sudden, I had a great urge to take a fist to all that hair and use it to pull Ellie to me and do things to her.
Ellie caught me staring and grimaced. “Is it terrible?”
“You look great.” My voice came out hoarse. Then I remembered it was the start of winter and asked, “Won’t you freeze to death in that?”
Ellie smiled and put on the jacket she was holding. “That’s what I have this for, and the dress is warmer than it looks. Besides, my date told me not to bundle up too much tonight. He’s taking me to a gallery opening and warned me they’re a bit overzealous with their heating.”
I bet her date told her not to. I wouldn’t if I were him. I remembered how pretty she looked in a cocktail dress from years ago, the only time I ever saw her wear something similar. And I never did again, until now.
It was good to see Ellie put herself out there. I suspected her friendship with Nat had held her back more than she knew. And Ellie herself was going strong in her friendship with our little group. She was doing well, and I was happy for her.
“You know he’s going try and to sleep with you once he sees you dressed like that,” I warned her. Seeing her dressed like that, all my protective instincts had come out. Ellie deserved a guy who treated her right.
Instead of shrinking at my words, Ellie’s mouth turned up into a smile. “This is the second time I’m seeing the same guy, so I hope he will. If not tonight, then soon.”
Then she realised what she said and blushed.
My mind blanked out. Ellie? Having sex with another guy? I barely caught the rest of her words. What happened next was a blur to me. I knew Ellie left in her own car, after telling me where she was meeting her date, just as a safety precaution. A part of me wanted to follow her, to make sure she was safe, but I didn’t think she’d appreciate it. She apologised in advance if she came back at a late hour, then added, “If things go well.”
My blood curdled at the thought of things going well for her.
I think I wished her good luck. I couldn’t quite remember. I had been watching TV when Ellie came out dressed like that. Now, I could barely focus on what was happening on screen. The entire time, I couldn’t help but think of Ellie going home with some faceless guy. Ellie being unzipped by said faceless guy. Ellie’s pert ass being grabbed by said faceless guy. The image of her flushed face, her heavy-lidded eyes, the sounds of her soft moans kept playing through my mind, this time with her nameless, faceless date on top of her making her writhe under him. It made me want to fling the TV remote at the screen.
The whole thing bothered the hell out of me, and I didn’t understand why.
~
I was grumpy when I woke up the next day. I grew grumpier still when Ellie walked out of her bedroom, humming to herself. She came home around ten last night. It wasn’t late, but maybe the guy was a quickie sort of person. The thought made me furious. If I were him, I would damn well take my time. Ellie was worth more than a quickie.
I told myself not to ask about her date. I told myself it was none of my business. But the moment she sat down opposite me, I couldn’t help but blurt out, “Did he give you what you wanted last night?”
Ellie looked confused for a moment before she realised what I was asking.
“Oh.” She blushed and shook her head. “He’s being a gentleman about it, which is nice.”
So no, they hadn’t slept together. Yet. The pounding blood in my ears settled, but not by much.
“Is he a nice guy?” I demanded.
Ellie nodded. “He is, so far.”
Right now, I thought he was an idiot for not doing anything, but I was also relieved. I didn’t want to see Ellie hurt or taken advantage of.
‘What’s his name? What does he work as?”
Ellie gave me a coy look. “Ethan, are you going all big brother on me? Are you worried about me?”
“Of course I am. That’s what friends do.” That was it. I was being a concerned friend. A very concerned friend.
Ellie looked touched. “His name’s Rafe. He a data engineer.”
“Are you seeing him again?”
Ellie nodded. “I think so. We get along well, but it’s too early to be exclusive. We’re still going to see other people for now, but I’m curious to see where it goes.”
That meant that after another few dates, if Ellie didn’t find someone else, this Rafe bloke was definitely getting lucky. Would she bring him home? I’d meet him then, wouldn’t I? I already didn’t like him, and I had no good reason not to.
“Do you have plans after work? Are you seeing him again? Let’s go see a movie. We can get dinner out.” I changed the subject. I didn’t want to think of Rafe any longer than I needed to.
“No, we’re not meeting until next week. What are we watching?”
I grabbed my phone and opened the cinema app. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. It had been an impulse decision. Ah. Perfect.
“ Shark Attack 4: Sharks in Space is out.”
Ellie made a face. “The last time I watched Jaws, I avoided the beach for years. We live near a beach. I’d like to not freak out every time I get in the water.”
“Winter is coming,” I waved her concerns away. “No one’s getting in the water unless they’re one of those crazy ice bathing types.” Then I stopped and stared at her. “Are you?”
Ellie laughed. “Not at all. Fine, fine. Let’s go watch sharks in space after work.”
~
T he movie was terrible but entertaining. Popcorn was overpriced, but the seats could recline. Ellie was very taken by them and spent a few moments pressing buttons to bring the footrest up and down and up and down until she got it just right.
Afterwards, we got dinner at the nearby sushi restaurant where we took so long to decide what we wanted that the waitress lost interest in checking on us. I had to walk up to the counter to order. That worked out for me because it allowed me to pay. Ellie always fought me for the bill, but she couldn’t win if I beat her to it.
Hanging out with Ellie was easy. It was something we both had done dozens of times, more now that we lived together. This was yet another hangout, nothing more. It was not a date. And yet, things felt different. We didn’t usually eat out away from our immediate area which already had plenty of great food venues in the first place. We didn’t usually grab a movie together in the cinema, even though we watched plenty together on the TV.
I reasoned to myself that it was because Ellie was the only one of my friends who was conveniently around. I told myself that this was just like all the other times, that it meant nothing. I reminded myself that Ellie was seeing other guys and going on proper dates. She didn’t dress up for this one. A comfy hoodie and jeans weren’t date-wear.
We went home together. I walked her to her room, both of us still laughing as we made fun of the movie’s premise. I didn’t kiss her goodnight.
It wasn’t a date. And yet, it wasn’t not one.
It was only when I was lying in my own bed later with an inconvenient boner demanding attention that it hit me like a bolt of lightning. I was physically attracted to Ellie. I had been ever since I saw her touch herself. Probably a lot longer before that, given how much I kept looking at her ass. I just didn’t realise what it was until now.
Well, now that was a surprise.