Chapter 13
Ellie
Colton walks me all the way back to the coach house, I tell him we can unlink arms when I’m sure Peter isn’t following us, but he says he really doesn’t mind—and it turns out, neither do I.
The foyer is empty when we arrive, as is the kitchen, which allows me step in through the doors and breathe a heavy sigh of relief.
“Thank you,” I say a little sheepishly as I turn to find Colton standing just inside the doors. “And I’m... sorry for dragging you into that. He’s an absolute moron, you’d think an exemplary private education would grant him a thorough understanding of the word no, but...” I shake my head.
“You have nothing to apologize for.” Colton says as he takes a tentative step forward. “Do you,” He pauses, “Do you need someone to take care of that guy?”
“ Take care of him ?” I ask slowly.
“Yeah, have a talk with him, you know. Nothing Godfather-like, although if his uncle weren’t my employer, I can’t promise that dear Peter wouldn’t end up with a few scrapes and bruises after our talk .”
“I prefer the name fucknuts .” I giggle. I watch as Colton freezes, eyes locked on my face as even his chest appears to still. “I, for one, would love to see him get taken down a peg or two, but it’s definitely not worth losing your job over.”
This is definitely not considered shitting where I eat , right?
“You should tell someone about his behavior,” He says seriously, “I can’t imagine your mom or coach would be all-too happy to find out that he’s still pursuing you after you’ve made yourself clear.”
I hum my agreement as we make our way for the stairs.
“My mother loves Peter—sorry, fucknuts .” I say as we reach the second floor, “She’s friends with his mother and has never quite forgiven me for breaking things off with him. And coach is... deliberately obtuse. I think he knows that I’m uncomfortable, but his hands are tied due to the outrageous amount of money Peter’s family donate to the team every year.” I come to a stop outside of my bedroom door. “So, it’s more of a grin-and-bare it type situation until he finally gets the message. It’s never anything I can’t handle, though.” I didn’t plan on telling him any of that, I feel like it just spilled from my mouth involuntarily. Why am I so comfortable speaking to a man I met just a couple of weeks ago?
“I believe you,” he says with a nod, and he doesn’t have to say it for me to know he’s thinking about the day we met, when I almost bit his head clean off his shoulders. “So, uh, you are going to the Friday night drinks thing at the pub, then?” He asks again.
“Ugh,” I run a hand over my hair, pulling out the elastic that has it secured in a high ponytail. I finger comb the now-loose strands as I explain, “My mother hates it when I go to things like that, but she’s dining with Lord Chamberlain tonight, so I won’t be missed.” I ruffle my hair a little more, pausing as I notice the slightly glazed expression on Colton’s face.
I can’t help but think how nice it would be to have someone else, someone other than Sanya to chat and exchange more than just pleasantries with.
Surely having another companion could only bring positives into my life. Colton’s made himself rather scarce all week, working in the shadows of the arenas and rarely catching my eye when I find myself staring at him. He does seem to be a gentleman, and with only two to my name, I appear to be lacking a little in the friend department.
“If I say yes, will you agree to stop stalking me?” I raise an eyebrow and give him a knowing smirk.
“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He says innocently, an answering grin forming on his own lips.
“Tell Rory that I’ll have his balls if he shares my schedule with anyone else.” I say before turning to open my door. “And yes, I’ll be at the pub tonight.” I say over my shoulder as I enter my room, closing the door in his face with a narrow-eyed smile.
? ? ? ? ?
Sanya squeals as I recount everything that happened earlier in the afternoon. We’re practically cocooned in the plush bed sheets, the TV playing one of the Bridget Jones movies as I finish with the last of the details.
“Then, I just told him I’d be going to the pub before closing the door in his face. I’ve been thinking about it, and maybe I don’t need to be so distant. I could do with another friend.”
“Friend?” She shrieks, “El, are you really that dense? He’s clearly into you—”
“I don’t think I can do that right now—don’t think I should do that right now. I think friendship is all I can offer—you know exactly what I’m up against. Besides, what happened to not shitting where we eat?” I cut her off, earning a disapproving eyeroll. “You and Rory seem to be doing an awful lot of shi—”
“Technically,” She interrupts me, “We’re only temporarily ‘ eating’ here, so it’s a lot different from messing around with someone on, say, the same team as us . Who runs in exactly the same circles as us .” She wiggles her brows at me, “But I get it. If my mother was Satan-incarnate I think I might steer clear of dating too.”
I stare at her incredulously for a moment before we both erupt into fits of laughter.
“How’s the routine coming, by the way?” Sanya asks as we catch our breath.
“It’s better, nowhere near perfect but... It’s a timing issue, on my part and—you know what?” I sit up in bed, “Let’s not talk about this right now, we should be getting ready!” I grab the remote and switch it to a popular music channel as Sanya stands from the bed.
“I’ll fetch my makeup,” She presses her hands together excitedly before pointing a finger at my half-eaten bowl of porridge. “Make sure you finish that, you can’t take your meds on an empty stomach.”
“Yes, thank you Dr. Shah, I am aware.” She gives me a wink before she dances her way to the door.
When she returns, both my porridge and meds have been ingested, and the TV is playing one of our favorite songs. We take turns showering, Sanya insisting that my bathroom has much better water pressure than hers before we set about choosing what to wear. If I told my sixteen-year-old self that I would be putting any effort into my appearance for a paltry night down at the Cross Keys pub, she would keel over and die from embarrassment.
We spend the next hour or so messing around with makeup, straightening then curling our hair.
I settle on a pair of jean shorts and a slightly cropped white t-shirt, nothing too fancy but just an outfit I feel confident in. Sanya is in a mid-length, flowy dress. Mrs. Shah always brings her back the cutest clothes when she returns from her annual trips to Pakistan. I’m usually on the receiving end of a few pieces of intricately beaded jewelry which I hoard away like a fire-breathing dragon.
Just as we’re readying ourselves to leave, there’s a knock at the door. Sanya bites down on a smile before skipping to the door. Rory’s dulcet tones fill the room, but I turn my attention in their direction when I hear Sanya introducing herself to somebody.
“A pleasure to finally meet you, Colton,” she says his name loudly.
Subtle, so subtle.
I grab my phone and my purse before making my way over to the door.
“Ready to go?” Rory grins, dangling his keys in front of my face.
I snatch them as Sanya and I exit my room, closing the door behind us. “What would you do without your designated driver, Rory?” I muse as we make our way down the stairs.
I chance a look back to where Colton follows closely behind Rory. He’s wearing a checkered shirt, tucked in to another pair of sinfully well-fitting jeans. He seems to favor the same pair of leather boots with most outfits, and tonight he’s foregone the cowboy hat entirely. I hadn’t realized how long his chestnut-colored hair is, nowhere near shoulder-length—but long enough that when it’s brushed back, several strands fall into his face, framing his chiseled features perfectly .
“Are neither of you girls going to ask me about my new boots?” Rory whines as I open the front door.
“I think they look great.” Colton soothes him with a hand on the shoulder, which makes Sanya and I laugh like witches. The boots Colton gave Rory are made of a dark red snakeskin and pointed at the toes.
“Do they really fit you?” I ask with a cocked brow.
His lips form a thin line before he sighs, “I’m wearing four pairs of socks, this lad’s got some massive trotters.” He jumps behind Colton and reaches his hands up to playfully squeeze his shoulders. “And you ladies know what they say about big feet—”
“Big socks!” Sanya supplies quickly with an apologetic smile in Colton’s direction.
We’re out of the coach house and loading into Rory’s 1992 mini cooper before any more thoughts of Colton’s face, body or shoe size can pop into my mind.
This is not a healthy foundation for a friendship.
Sanya climbs over the folded down passenger seat, settling into the back and patting the empty spot next to her as she grins wildly at Rory.
“Front seat’s all yours, brother.” He pats Colton on the chest before looking him up and down, “Even if we manage to fold you into the back, I think we’d have to tear the old girl apart to get you out.” He laughs before scooting right in next to Sanya.
Colton and I enter the car at the same time. I can feel him watching me as I adjust the seat and fasten my seatbelt. Rory and Sanya are giggling in the backseat like a pair of schoolchildren.
“Keep your clothes on back there, I will turn this car around and not speak to either of you for the rest of the summer.” I say sternly into the rear-view mirror as I adjust it.
“I’m making no promises.” Rory laughs before grabbing Sanya’s face and planting a kiss on her lips.
I turn my head to face Colton before I back the tiny car out of the parking space, “I’m relying on you to keep it PG in here while I get us to the pub.”
He laughs, low and soft, as we make our way down the driveway.