23. Leo
LEO
Eliza
Did you make it back okay?
Me
I did.
Worried about me?
Eliza
Nope. Just curious.
Me
Uh huh…
Thinking about me?
Eliza
Maybe…
Only a tiny bit.
Me
I’ll take it.
Did you wrap up your shift already?
Eliza
Yeah, I’ve been home about an hour.
Me
I’m surprised you’re still awake.
Eliza
Couldn’t sleep.
I stared at the most recent text from Eliza. She couldn’t sleep because she was waiting for me to get home or…was it something else? My eyes flicked to the time in the corner of the screen, and I realized it was just before midnight.
Colin and I had grabbed the boxes Mom packed for us, plus we helped her clean out more of the basement, going through boxes she hadn’t opened in years and seeing what to keep, donate, or toss. I’d left around ten, but by the time I parked the car and brought my things up it’d been close to an hour.
Luckily, I didn’t start my shift tomorrow at Lake Ridge until the afternoon.
My thumbs hovered over the keyboard, ready to respond to Eliza’s most recent text, but I decided to call her instead. The phone rang once before she picked up.
“Can’t get enough of me, can you?” she asked, her tone sultry and teasing.
“You’re the one who picked up right away.”
“Whatever,” she said with a laugh, and I could practically see her reaction. Her lips pulling into a smile as she rolled her brown eyes. Silence filled the line before she asked, “But the drive back was okay for you?”
“Yeah, it was fine. Just listened to some music. The hour flew by.”
The more time I spent with Eliza, the more surprised I was that she preferred casual.
She had a big heart. She cared deeply about those around her.
I saw it with the way she was with Lily, Jules, and Wes.
With her grandma and brother. That wasn’t someone who kept those she cared about at arm’s length.
It was someone who loved and cared fiercely.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said immediately. “I’m good.”
“But you couldn’t sleep?” I asked.
“Just had a few things on my mind.”
“Wanna tell me about them?”
“I don’t know…” She trailed off with a laugh. “That doesn’t feel very casual.”
“Well, we’re still friends, right?”
“Right. Do you, uh, want to come over? Just for a few minutes.”
I hadn’t expected her to ask, but maybe it’d be easier to pick up on what was going on if I could see her. “Yeah, of course. I’ll be right over.” I hung up the phone and slipped on a pair of sneakers.
Once I was out of my apartment, I didn’t have a chance to knock on her door before she pulled it open to let me in. She looked breathtaking in a navy tank top and matching shorts. Her goddamn pajamas were going to be the death of me.
She was going to be the death of me.
Immediately, my arm went to wrap around her waist, pulling her into me as the door slammed shut. Our one kiss at Lake Ridge wasn’t nearly enough, and now that she was in front of me, I was eager for another. Her hands gripped my shirt, and her mouth found mine in a feverish kiss.
“So, you were worried about me?” I murmured, smiling against her mouth.
“I wasn’t.” She pulled back with a sigh, still dazed from our kiss but with something clearly on her mind.
“Hey,” I said gently, cupping her head with my hands and brushing her hair away. “What’s going on? What’s on your mind?”
“Maybe I was worried about you. But only a little bit.” Her voice was so quiet, sounded so unlike her, that I almost didn’t catch her words.
“That’s okay,” I whispered, resting my forehead against hers.
“I care about you,” she said, and my heart lurched.
But as quickly as it jumped, it fell even faster.
“As a friend, of course. I try not to show it too much, but I worry about the people in my life more than I probably should.” She pulled away, tipping her head to look up at me.
Her hands stayed wrapped around my shirt, fiddling with the fabric.
“Not always, but it’s little things that get me.
Driving at night is one of them. I didn’t want anything to happen to you…
and I also didn’t expect to be so worried. It…caught me off guard.”
“Were your parents driving at night?” I asked gently, my hand moving to the back of her neck. When she nodded, I pulled her into my arms. I rested my chin on the top of her head, holding her close. When she softened against my body, I took it as a sign that this was what she needed.
“It’s why it’s easier for me to keep things casual,” she continued, her voice slightly muffled. “And I know we’re casual, but then I got worried, and it kind of freaked me out.”
“You don’t have to worry, Eliza. Nothing’s going to happen to me.”
“You don’t know that.”
I did know, though. Because I would move mountains to get to her, to ensure she didn’t have to go through more pain. After the time we’d spent together, that was going to be true regardless of what we were to each other.
She stilled when I pressed a gentle kiss to the crown of her head.
“I’ll do everything in my power to make sure nothing happens to me, all right?”
She nodded, but after a beat of silence said, “It’s one of the reasons I can’t give you more. It needs to stay casual between us. It just…it needs to.”
Panic rattled her voice, something I hadn’t heard before. But with that panic also came a firmness I hadn’t expected.
While I’d agreed that we’d keep things casual, there was a small part of me that thought maybe she’d change her mind. Maybe she’d give the connection, the chemistry, between us a chance.
I didn’t think that anymore.
I hadn’t spent much time looking for my next step, but it was time to start. Because my time in Golden Falls, just like my time with Eliza, was temporary. I couldn’t live in denial, thinking that things would be different.
We’d continue seeing each other while I was here, and then we’d go our separate ways and move on. We’d done it once before. A lot had changed since then, but we’d done it.
“Lucky for you, Trouble, things are casual between us.” I tried to be teasing in my words, not wanting my facade to crack. Because if Eliza got a hint that she’d been on my mind since the moment I saw her, she’d go running.
“Lucky me.” She looked up, the fire coming back to her eyes along with the tilt of her smile. She pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of my mouth. “It’s late. You should get some sleep.”
“I could say the same to you.”
Silence fell between us, the tension simmering in the air the way it always did when she was around.
“Or,” she said quietly, tugging her plump bottom lip between her teeth, “you could stay for a minute?” She slid her hand down my shirt, hooking her pinky with mine and tugging me toward the couch.
“A minute, huh? I hope it lasts longer than that.”
Her smile turned into a full-on grin, and she tipped her head back with a laugh. “It usually does.”
“Usually?” I scoffed, sitting on the couch and kicking my feet up on the coffee table. I wrapped an arm around Eliza as she settled next to me and grabbed one of the blankets to pull over our legs.
She ran her fingers over the mountain range I had on my forearm. “I still need to take you to one of my favorite spots in Golden Falls. Get you some inspiration for your next tattoo.”
“When are we going to do that?”
“This weekend maybe? It’d be nice to get out there before Memorial Day. It’s already been busier in town, but after that weekend, the summer season will be in full swing.”
It was hard to believe that May was nearly over. Memorial Day weekend was going to be busy at Lake Ridge, but I was excited for the challenge—and to get more people in the doors and trying the food.
“Let’s go Sunday. Do I need to bring anything to see this magical spot?”
“Some snacks or lunch wouldn’t be a bad idea. We’ll drive there and then it’s about a mile hike.”
“I’ll drive us, too.”
“Okay, cool. I’m excited to show you.” Eliza’s eyes sparkled as she looked up and then rested her head on my arm. “You’re pretty comfy, you know.”
“You would’ve found that out sooner if you didn’t run out of bed,” I whispered against her ear, pressing a kiss right below it.
She shivered as my hot breath hit her skin. “I’m not much of a cuddler.”
“Uh-huh,” I said skeptically with her curled against my side.
We stayed like that talking for another thirty minutes, and when I asked her a question and didn’t get a response, I realized she’d fallen asleep. I carefully maneuvered to get off the couch without waking her up and then scooped her into my arms, carrying her to bed.
I gently set her on the mattress, and as I pulled away, she set her hand on the side of my neck, keeping me close.
“Goodnight, Leo,” she murmured sleepily. “I’m glad you came over tonight.”
I was glad, too, and I wanted to tell her that if we were together, it could be this simple. But instead, I said, “Goodnight, Eliza,” and pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning off the lights, ensuring her door was locked, and leaving for my apartment.