Chapter 41
Eri sat beside Lucy in the dining room as they caught up.
The house was filled with delicious smells, the sounds of the television playing, and people rooting for their team to win from the living room.
They’d all come together for Thanksgiving at Lucy and Lorenzo’s house.
Her father and Avian’s had driven in for the occasion.
The food had been scrumptious, and they’d divided into two groups for dessert. Some of them stayed in the dining room to eat and talk, and others ventured into the living room to watch the football game.
Elias set a plate with a slice of pie and a slice of cake in front of her and kissed her temple before leaving the dining room and heading to the living room to watch the game.
“You have that boy of mine smitten,” Lucy said, drawing Eri’s attention.
She laughed. “He isn’t the only one,” she admitted.
Lucy smiled at her. “I’m glad the two of you met.
Before you, he hadn’t introduced us to anyone for a few years.
I honestly think the last time was right after he’d gotten out of high school.
I wasn’t sure if he’d ever start dating, but I’m glad he is now.
You two fit together like you were always meant to be. ”
Eri nodded in agreement. She felt so at ease with him, like she wasn’t complete until they were in each other’s lives, and she didn’t doubt he felt the same way because he showed her daily.
“On another note, would you like to go Christmas shopping with me?” Lucy asked.
“Sure, that sounds good. Do you want to go over the weekend or next weekend?” Eri asked. She had no desire to go to the sales tomorrow and deal with the crowds when most of the sales would continue until Monday.
Lucy nodded in agreement as they heard cheering from the living room. Eri knew the team they were rooting for scored. They’d learned during dinner that only a few of them were rooting for one of the teams, and the rest of them didn’t care who won. Eri didn’t even know who was playing.
She ate her dessert while she continued to speak with Lucy, and when she finished, she took her plate into the kitchen as Lucy also excused herself.
She rinsed her plate off and put it in the dishwasher with the others to be run later.
Eri then went into the living room, and Elias pulled her down onto his lap.
She got comfortable as he wrapped his arms around her and settled in to watch the rest of the game.
After the football game, they pulled out the dominoes and spades, and Eri knew the rest of the afternoon was about to turn competitive. She knew how competitive her boyfriend and dad were, and she’d seen Michael and Marco’s competitive streak.
“Let’s partner up so we can put them all in their place,” Avian said as most of the men started smack talking as they prepared for the first round of the impromptu tournament they were starting.
“I’m all for making them cry,” Eri teased.
They played several rounds with good-natured smack talk among the group. Eri and Avian played and beat their dads, and were now sitting at the table with their men.
“When you lose, are you going to cry, Amate?” Elias asked.
“Nope, because I won’t be the one losing. Don’t worry, though. I’ll let you use my shoulder.”
Her boyfriend chuckled as Marco snorted.
“We should make this more interesting,” Avian said.
“What did you have in mind, Micio?” Marco asked.
“If Eri and I win, the two of you have to do whatever we say—”
“Let me stop you right there,” Elias cut in. “How would that differ from any other day?”
“If you’d let me finish,” Avian replied, glaring playfully, and Eri laughed. “You two have to do whatever we say, for twenty-four hours on a day we choose.”
“I still don’t see how that’s different from any other day, but sure. I’m down,” Elias replied.
“Okay,” Marco agreed. “But when we win, same thing.”
Eri and Avian shared a look. “Fine, but you won’t win,” Eri countered.
They played with banter between them, and Eri and Avian won. She wasn’t sure if they had let them win or not, but she wasn’t complaining.
They stayed for a bit longer, and she saw her dad off before she and Elias said their goodbyes and headed to his house with leftovers.
When they arrived at his house, he went to the kitchen to put them away while she removed her shoes and lounged on the couch.
Elias returned and lifted her legs, sat on the couch, and draped them over his lap.
He ran his hand up and down her leg as she searched for something for them to watch.
It was a little after five, and she wanted to spend the rest of the day relaxing.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Elias chuckled as Eri whined the next morning, holding onto him tighter. He’d been trying to get up for the past several minutes, and she’d refused to let him. It was cute, but he did need to get up.
“Don’t go,” she said.
“I have to, Amate,” he replied.
“Who would want a tattoo the day after Thanksgiving? Why is the shop even open?” she whined, burying her face in his chest.
“I only have two. I’ll be back before you know it, and we can do whatever you want.”
She was quiet for a moment before conceding. Elias kissed the top of her head as she released him and slipped out of bed. She immediately grabbed his pillow and hugged it to her chest as he went into the en suite.
He turned the shower on, and as it heated, he washed his face and brushed his teeth. Taking off his boxers, he tossed them into the hamper and stepped into the shower.
Once finished with his shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and exited the bathroom. He moisturized and dressed, choosing a cologne at random. He kissed Eri, and she hummed softly, but Elias knew she was already on her way back to sleep. They’d stayed up into the early hours of the morning.
He arrived at the shop with half an hour to spare. His first client was at eleven, and he began setting up for it. It was a small tattoo, and he’d allotted an hour for it even though he knew it wouldn’t take that long. Javier was also there, working on a client.
Elias’ first client arrived, and he completed the tattoo within forty-five minutes. Once they were gone, he cleaned his station and set up for his next client, who was due at twelve-thirty. It was similar in size to the first one, but had more complexity to it.
When his client arrived, they asked if he could do the entire tattoo in red ink. It wasn’t what they’d discussed before, and Elias told them that the red would fade faster than black, but he would do it if that was what they wanted. They assured him it was, and he got down to work.
Over an hour later, he finished the tattoo and cleaned his station again, then sent a text to Eri letting her know that he’d bring lunch home with him. He placed an order at the restaurant they had their first non-date at, told Javier he’d see him later, and exited the shop.
He pulled into the restaurant parking lot ten minutes later and waited an additional ten for their food to be ready, then headed back to his house.
Elias placed his keys on the entry table and rounded the corner into the living room.
Eri was seated on the couch in a pair of his sweatpants as she worked on his laptop.
“And you threw a fit about me working,” he teased as he took a seat beside her.
“I was just checking some emails,” she responded before closing the laptop and placing it aside as Elias unpacked the food.
“Your appointments were quicker than I thought they would be. I know you said you only had two, but you weren’t even gone for four hours.”
“I scheduled them back to back, and they weren’t large pieces, so they didn’t take long,” he responded.
“Makes sense. So, what do you want for Christmas? Lucy and I are going shopping for the holiday soon.”
Elias thought about it, but couldn’t think of anything he wanted. “Surprise me, Amate. I’m sure I’ll like whatever you choose. What do you want?”
“Same. Surprise me.”
They ate their lunch, and then he suggested a horror movie marathon, to which his girlfriend accused him of wanting to see her scared, but agreed, because she still enjoyed them, even while scared.
He took their trash into the kitchen before going into his bedroom and changing into a pair of sweatpants.
When he returned to the living room, Eri was in the horror section of a streaming app. She passed him the remote when he took a seat beside her.
“I’ll let you choose the torture I’m about to be subjected to,” she said.
Elias chuckled. “If you don’t want to, baby, we can always watch something else.”
“No, it’s fine. As much as you watch whatever I want with me. I don’t mind. Besides, it means I get to cling to you like a spider monkey when I get scared,” she teased.
“I knew you weren’t really scared,” he teased back.
He rearranged them and pulled her to sit between his legs, and he leaned against the arm of the couch. Elias chose a movie, put the remote aside and wrapped his arms around Eri. He could spend the rest of his day in that position, with his arms around her, and he’d be content.