Chapter Seven #2
days, but…how attached are you to sleeping?”
By the shocked look on his face, I know I worded that wrong.
“I mean…I meant…that we could stay up and talk,” I
quickly clarify. “You know, you can come into my room, and we can watch TV or
just stay up and talk some more.” I practically hold my breath, waiting for his
response.
He releases my hands, only to reach up and cup my face.
Before I know it, he’s kissing me. It’s soft and sweet, and I melt against him.
There’s nothing rushed about it, and there’s no urgency. He’s kissing me simply
to enjoy the kiss.
Which is great because I’m enjoying the heck out of it, too.
When he pulls away, we’re both a little breathless and
dazed. He slowly smiles. “I’d love to stay up and talk with you all night, Ella
Rose.”
So, we go into my room and talk until the sun comes up. In
the morning, he leaves to shower and get ready for his session while I pack and
prepare to head to the airport.
We ride down in the elevator to the lobby together, and an
Anaheim Magic driver is waiting for me. He handles my luggage as Christian and
I enjoy our last minutes together.
“Three weeks,” he tells me, his forehead pressed to mine.
“Sooner if I can. I want to be back for your big birthday bash.”
With this whirlwind of a relationship, I haven’t even
thought about my party. I mean, I’m looking forward to it and celebrating with
my friends, but I’d especially love it if Christian could be there with me.
However…
“Only if your trainers tell you it’s okay. You need to make
sure you’re ready. I don’t want you to rush back on my account, only to end up
reinjuring yourself.”
“I’ll be smart about it. I promise.”
And I know he will. He’s so passionate about his career that
I know he won’t do anything foolish. But I also say a little prayer that his
therapy works so fast it’s miraculous.
“Call me when you land back in LA,” he tells me before
kissing me soundly.
I cling to him, framing his freshly shaven face with my two
hands, memorizing the way his lips feel. I take a deep breath of his
intoxicating natural scent. When we break apart, I feel like crying, but I
don’t.
Not yet.
He opens the car door for me, and I reluctantly get in. When
I look up at him, I force myself to smile. “I’ll call you when I land.” My
voice trembles, and I quickly clear my throat, so I don’t sound quite so needy.
“Go and have a good session. Make sure to tell the trainer that your hamstring
is feeling tight today. And be sure to use the foam roller. You said it really
made a difference. Maybe stay at the team facility longer since you don’t have
to rush back for my sake. And—”
“Ella Rose?” he says softly, effectively stopping my
rambling. “Don’t you worry about a thing. I’ve got it all under control. And
now that you’re heading home, I’m extra motivated to get better.” He crouches
until we’re at eye level. “I’ll be there with you before you know it.”
All I can do is nod.
Last night, we promised that we wouldn’t do one of those
long, drawn-out goodbyes. I swear I’m trying to keep that from happening, but I
know that Christian’s going to shut the car door any second, and the driver
will take me away from him. I just need to savor the sight of him for a little
longer.
The alarm chimes on my phone—a reminder that it’s time to
leave for the airport. I hate that it ruins the moment.
Christian leans in and kisses me. This time, it’s quite
thorough and full of all the pent-up emotion and frustration we’re both
feeling. One powerful hand holds my face, and I want to grab his shirt and drag
him into the car with me. Unfortunately, before I can even try, he’s breaking
the kiss and backing away from me. When I blink him into focus, he’s standing
and holding the door.
“Have a safe flight. We’ll talk when you get home.” Without
another word, he shuts the door, and the car is moving. Taking me away.
It’s only temporary, I tell myself.
It’s only temporary, and I immediately start to cry because
I already miss him.
Two and a half weeks later, Christian’s back, and I
am beyond giddy about it. He put in the time with his physical therapists and
flew home today, just in time for my party.
I’m in my bedroom relaxing when Jen pops into my doorway.
“Hey. Do you have a minute?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Okay, so I was talking with the girls about all the final
party-planning stuff, and something sort of fell off all our radars.”
My mind races to what that could mean. “What did we forget?
The decorations look great, and we’ve got the food covered, so…”
She looks mildly uncomfortable. “Oh, all the physical stuff
for the party is great. It’s all under control.”
“So…what, then?” I prompt.
“Please don’t be upset, but…when we first planned this party
and sent out all the invites, we invited Jim.” She pauses. “As in your
ex-boyfriend, Jim.”
Laughing, I ask, “Is that it?”
She nods.
“Jen, I don’t think we have anything to worry about. I
highly doubt he’ll show up. We haven’t spoken since the breakup, and I can’t
imagine him wanting to be there.”
The look on her face tells me I’m mistaken.
“You know how we’re all like this big friend group?” she
asks. “Well, he’s also good friends with Freya, so…”
“Oh.” And then it hits me what she’s really saying. “Oh! So,
he’s definitely going to be there.”
“That is correct.”
“Well, I guess that makes sense,” I murmur, even though I
know it has the potential to be super awkward.
“Your face is getting scrunchy,” she tells me before sitting
on the bed beside me. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I’m thinking that it’s going to be really awkward
introducing Jim to Christian. Especially after he bought me a jersey with
Christian’s number on it.”
“Oh, my gosh. I forgot about that.” She laughs a little too
hard and then realizes I’m not laughing with her. Clearing her throat, she
forces herself to be serious. “I mean, okay. Yes. That is going to be
uncomfortable.”
“And you really think he’ll show up?”
“Freya mentioned it, so…”
“Shoot.” Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about it
now. The party’s tonight. I’ll just have to deal with it.
“Are you going to be okay?” she asks.
I glare mildly at her. “Do I have a choice?”
“Sorry. But there’ll be a lot of people at the party, so
hopefully it won’t seem like he’s right in your face, or that you’re in his,
you know?”
“Maybe.” I pause. “Should I call him? I should probably call
him just to cut down on the potential weirdness later.”
“That’s totally up to you. If it would make you feel better,
then I think you should.” She gives me a quick hug before getting up. “Sorry to
have been the bearer of bad news like that.”
“It’s fine. I appreciate the heads-up.”
With a small wave, Jen leaves the room. I sit there for a
solid few minutes, second-guessing whether I should reach out to Jim.
But I know.
Calling him is the right thing to do.
Reaching for my phone, I don’t give myself time to think. I
pull up his number and call. When he answers, I can hear the surprise in his
voice.
“Hey, Ella. How are you?”
“Hey, Jim. I’m good. And you?”
“Great. I’m looking forward to the party tonight. I wasn’t
sure you would want me there after…you know…we broke up, but Freya said it was
cool.”
Reminder to talk to Freya about this. She must’ve felt
pressured.
“So, listen…I wanted to talk to you before the party
because, of course, I’d like you to be there,” I begin carefully. “But I also
wanted to let you know that I’m seeing someone now.”
I let that hang there for a moment, and he doesn’t reply
right away.
“Um…”
“It’s okay,” he says, but he sounds a little deflated. “I
appreciate you giving me the heads-up. I know you said when we broke up that we
weren’t really a good fit, and you’re such a beautiful girl, I knew you’d be
dating again in no time.”
I’m not sure if I find that flattering, so I opt not to
comment on it.
“As I said, I’d like you to be there tonight, but I didn’t
want you to find out when you got there.”
“That was very nice of you, Ella—to be concerned for me. But
then again, you’re always kind.” He sighs. “You’re really a one-in-a-million
kind of girl. I only wish I were the guy lucky enough to be taking you to your
birthday party tonight.”
“Right…so speaking of the guy taking me to the party. Funny
story. Remember when—?”
“It’s okay,” he quickly interrupts. “I’m fine. It’s fine.
Really. I’ll see you tonight, okay?”
“Um…”
“Thanks again. Bye.”
I’ve never had anyone hang up on me so fast in my life.
Jim’s a good guy. A good friend. And really, I wanted us to stay
friends. But when he started talking about wishing he were taking me to the
party, it felt a little uncomfortable. I was trying to tell him about
Christian, but I guess he’ll find out tonight.
I handled the situation like an adult, and hopefully, we can
all celebrate at the party without anything being too awkward.
At least that’s my hope.
Christian is picking Jen and me up at six so we can go over
to Freya’s to finish decorating. I’m so excited that he’s back from Tempe and
will complete the rest of his physical therapy in Anaheim. It’s so much easier
for us to see each other when he’s only forty-five minutes away instead of a
six-hour drive or a ninety-minute flight.
I have my outfit ready—my favorite faded jeans, a new,
hot-pink sequined top, and hot-pink sandals. Earlier, I went for a mani-pedi,
so even my nails are pink and sparkly. Freya and I are going to wear matching
tiaras, and we’re leaning heavily into an ’80s theme for the party. So, really,
I’ll fit right in. I tried to convince her to wear a sequined top, too, but she
said she wasn’t feeling sparkly. Which is a shame because we would have looked
amazing.
At least we have the tiaras.
Jen and I each take our turn in the bathroom, doing our best
to stay out of each other’s way. When Christian rings our doorbell promptly at
six, I am just putting on my lipstick.
“I’ll get it!” I awkwardly call out before quickly blotting
my lips. I’m still barefoot, but I don’t care. I run to the door and nearly
yank it open in my haste to see him. “Hey! You’re here!”