Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Six months later…
Raf
“Babe, I’m home,” I call from the hallway. I rub the back of my neck and sigh in relief when I can finally pull my boots off. It’s been a long day—two car accidents and an office fire—and I’m so damn glad to finally be home.
“Eli?” I call out when I still don’t get any answer.
The lights are on, so by normal-people logic he should be home, but then again I’ve come back to our empty apartment with blazing lights.
Or the TV on. Or a slice of toast sadly sitting in the toaster with a plate of butter next to it. Or—we all get the picture.
I roll my eyes with affection. That’s just Eli. He tends to get distracted when he’s studying, and he has a big surgery coming up next week, so he’s been worse than usual. He probably went to the store to get snacks.
In the meantime, I get undressed and head to the shower. I groan out loud when the first jet of water hits my tired muscles. I close my eyes and just lean my forehead against the wall, letting the water massage my tired back.
I’ve been living with Eli for six months now.
I’ve known him for six months, too. Sounds crazy, I know, but after that first night I spent with him, I just…
stayed. I don’t think we ever even properly discussed it.
I was just here all the time, and my stuff started migrating over.
We were having sandwiches for dinner one evening, and Eli looked at me and casually said, “You know you live here now, right?”
I’d wiped my fingers clean with a napkin before I nodded. “Yeah, I’m starting to figure it out.”
He’d beamed at me. “Good.”
That was it.
It’s been six months now, and it gets better every day.
I only snap out of my daydreams when I hear the bathroom door open. I glance over my shoulder as Eli steps into the steamy shower in all his stark-naked glory, and the exhaustion disappears when I look at him.
“Hey, you,” he says, wrapping his arms around me from behind, plastering his lean body against my back. He sighs happily and leans his forehead against my shoulder.
“Did you run out of snacks?” I ask.
“They should be ashamed to call it a super cheesy mega pack. It only lasted for about two hours.”
“You’re basically made of tortilla chips at this point.”
“Possibly.”
I laugh, and his lips trace a path from the nape of my neck to my earlobe.
“How’s the studying going?” I ask.
“I’ve decided to take a break.” He leans forward, his lips tickling my earlobe. “A sex break.”
He keeps his word.
Five minutes later we’re both grunting and groaning as he drives into me from behind. I relax into his thrusts, and we come at the same time.
Later, he slides his soapy palms all over my skin and washes the day and the exhaustion off me.
We crawl into bed, both still naked, and I wrap my arms around Eli and throw my thigh over his.
“I love you,” I say, a step away from falling asleep with how thoroughly relaxed I am.
He pats my thigh. “Smart man.”
I smile into his hair.
I had a plan. A classy plan that included a fancy dinner in the restaurant where we met the first time, and it also included that damn elevator.
But this feels very right all of a sudden.
More right than anything else.
“Hey,” I whisper.
“Hmm?” he hums sleepily.
“How would you feel about me asking you to marry me?”
He goes very quiet for a bit.
He turns his head and eyes me, still sleepy.
“Are you asking me if you should ask me to marry you, or are you asking me to marry you?”
“The second one.”
“Huh.” He slowly turns around, wiggling closer so he’s plastered against me from head to toe. “Well,” he says, still with that sleepy gravel in his voice. “In that case, I think I’m gonna have to say… yes.”
I grin at him.
That is such an Eli answer.
That is such an Eli yes.
And Eli is mine.
For the rest of my life.