Chapter 11 #2
Panic threatened to seize me as I made my way to Ellery’s room.
Too worried to even attempt knocking, I opened the door, and my entire body sagged with relief.
Ellery was sitting at their desk, hunched over their sewing machine.
Atop their head were adorable purple headphones, and they were humming along to their music as they sewed.
Not wanting to spook them and mess up their dress, I waited patiently till they reached a stopping point and made my way further into the room. When I got closer, Ellery noticed me and threw their headphones to the ground as they screamed.
“Oh shit. It’s just you.” Their face paled as they picked up their phone to check the time. “Fuck. I am so sorry, David. I got so absorbed in my project, and I completely forgot to set an alarm to get ready.”
Reaching forward, I grabbed their wrist and gently pulled them into me. “Shh, princess, it’s okay. I was worried something had happened. I’m relieved the only thing that happened was you getting distracted.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I remembered how I got inside.
Turning them around to face me, I pulled them tight against my chest. Ellery squirmed against me.
Grabbing their chin, I forced their gaze to mine.
“I’m going to let it slide today since you’ve been sick and seem extremely frazzled, but princess .
. . if I find out your door is left unlocked again, I’ll make sure you spend a whole afternoon writing lines.
I will not let my princess leave themself vulnerable and unprotected. Do you understand, darling?”
Ellery’s throat bobbed as they swallowed. “Yes, Daddy. I’m sorry, I forgot . . . I was so excited to sew again after being sick, but it slipped my mind.”
“I know, princess. But it’s unsafe.” I kissed their forehead and then smiled mischievously. “And if it happens again, I’m sure writing lines for a few hours straight will be a fantastic reminder.”
Ellery shivered in my hold. “How did you make that sound so hot?”
“Oh, I promise, darling, if I have to punish you for not locking your door by writing lines, you won’t find it very hot.”
“That doesn’t sound very hot at all.” Ellery’s lip jutted out in a pout, making me chuckle. “That’s the point, princess. Now come on, we have a date!
About an hour later, Ellery and I were walking into their favorite Italian restaurant. It may have only been a few days, but I was already well aware of my princess’s addiction to pasta, and I was more than happy to enable it.
Ellery had kicked me out of their room so they could get dressed and surprise me, and when they’d come back out, it had been all I could do to keep my hands off them.
They’d chosen a soft, oversized purple sweater that went to about mid-thigh, with tight black leggings underneath.
Their eyes had a light purple sparkle on the lids, making them pop, their cheeks were a beautiful rosy pink, and their plump lips were topped with a wet, shimmery lip gloss.
It made me want to suck their lip into my mouth and lick it clean.
When we entered, the host led us to a secluded booth in the back, and for that I was grateful. Crowded, loud restaurants were my nightmare, but it was a weekday, so thankfully it was quiet. Ellery took a seat at the booth, and I slid in next to them.
When I went on dates, I usually sat across from my partner so I could see their face without constantly twisting and turning. But with Ellery, I desperately wanted to be beside them no matter what. Simply having them next to me settled my soul.
“Hi! My name is Katie, and I’ll be your server for the evening. What can I get you to drink?”
Ellery leaned into my side as I faced our server with a smile. “I’ll have a water.”
Katie nodded and turned toward Ellery. “How about you, miss? What would you like to drink?”
My head whipped toward Ellery. Their face was flushed, but the euphoric smile that was now present was blinding.
Their voice cracked slightly when they tried to speak, but they recovered.
“I’ll have a Sprite, please.” I turned slightly so our server couldn’t see my face and cocked an eyebrow at Ellery. “And a water, please.”
“You got it!”
Pleased with them, I squeezed their thigh as Katie walked away to get our drinks. When I turned to look at them, their smile was softer, and they seemed to be lost in thought. I was struggling to figure out how they were feeling. They looked happy but also confused.
“Do you want to talk about it, princess?” Grabbing their hand, I threaded our fingers together and gently squeezed. Ellery squeezed back and let out a shaky breath. “Is it okay that I liked that?”
Still keeping our fingers intertwined, I brought my free hand up to their face and tucked their hair behind their ear and smiled. “Of course it’s okay, darling. Did you like being called Miss?”
Ellery hummed thoughtfully and shook their head. “Not necessarily. Miss isn’t something I’d want to be called regularly, but the fact that she assumed I was female and not male . . . I liked that.”
“You mentioned during our discussion that you were considering other gendered terms you’d like to use. If you’d like, someday when you’re feeling more feminine, I can use different pronouns so you can see how it makes you feel. Would you like that?”
Ellery’s shoulders slumped in relief, and the tension from their smile was gone. “I’d really like that. I’m still trying to figure out what works for me. I thought I’d only use they/them, but now I’m not so sure.”
Humming thoughtfully, I traced small circles on the back of their hand with my thumb. “Gender is a spectrum, and it can be a bit different for everyone. Focus on what makes you happy and feel like the best version of yourself. The rest will follow.” Their eyes were full of gratitude and affection.
“Do you want to let me know when you’d like to use different pronouns, or would you prefer me to check in every morning and ask your preference for the day?”
Ellery looked at me like I’d hung the moon, and it made my chest puff up with pride. “For now, I’ll let you know when I’m ready. But eventually, if I discover I like using different pronouns, then I would really love for you to check in with me.”
I understood Ellery’s struggle on a deep level and was proud of the bravery they showed. “Thank you for telling me, princess. I’m proud of you.”
“Here are your drinks . . . What can I get you both to eat?” Being so caught up in talking to Ellery, I forgot to check the menu. Just as I was going to tell the server to give us a few minutes, Ellery spoke. “I’d like the spaghetti and meatballs, please.”
While spaghetti wasn’t what I’d normally order, there was no harm in switching it up. “I’ll have the same.” Katie took our menus and flashed us another one of her friendly smiles. “It’ll be out shortly.”
Once we were alone again, Ellery leaned into my side and took a few sips of their soda.
The atmosphere was nice and calming as we chatted.
Ellery talked about what kinds of dresses they were currently making, and every word out of their mouth was full of passion and joy.
I loved listening to Ellery talk about their love for sewing.
Their eyes lit up with excitement, their hands moving wildly as they spoke. Everything about them captivated me.
Just before our food arrived, I returned the favor and talked more about the current projects I was working on. Ellery listened with rapt attention and even asked questions about my work. Their genuine interest in my art made my heart soar.
“Here’s your spaghetti, miss.” Katie returned with our meals. The steaming plates were topped with a generous layer of noodles and sauce, and three huge meatballs. She placed Ellery’s plate in front of them and then turned to me, doing the same. “Can I get you anything else?”
I turned to check with Ellery with a questioning look, and they shook their head. “No, thank you. This looks amazing.” Ellery hummed in agreement, and Katie smiled. “Perfect. Let me know if you need anything else. Enjoy!”
We shared a comfortable silence as we dug into our food. We sat close together, which made it impossible to eat without bumping into one another, but I didn’t mind. Every touch, every slight brush of their skin, made my need for them grow ever stronger.
Ellery had finished their Sprite almost as soon as we started eating. They gave a little pout, asking for more, but I told them they needed to drink their water first. Ellery must have been thirsty because, despite their reluctance to drink their water, they’d almost finished that glass as well.
Just as I was finishing my food, I started to notice Ellery wiggling in their seat out of the corner of my eye.
My gaze settled on their empty glasses, and I couldn’t help but smirk.
Whether Ellery was doing it on our purpose or not, I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t really care. Either way, we were going to play.
As I finished up my food, I discreetly kept an eye on Ellery as their squirming and wiggling became more intense. Just as I was about to give in and ask what was wrong, Ellery grabbed my hand and squeezed, demanding my full attention.
“Yes, darling?" When my gaze met theirs, I nearly moaned at what I saw. Ellery’s eyes were slightly panicked but full of want and need. They pulled my arm gently, and I took the hint and leaned in close.
A shudder ran through me when Ellery’s warm breath ghosted the shell of my ear. “I’m sorry, Daddy, I thought I could wait. I didn’t mean to, but I gotta go really bad.”
Ellery’s hand squeezed mine harder, making me groan. Their other hand was fisted in my shirt, their knuckles damn near white. “Do you want Daddy to take you to the potty, princess?”
Ellery barely held back a moan as they continued to wiggle beside me. “Please, Daddy. It hurts. I really thought I could wait.”
Not wanting to waste another moment, I stood, keeping hold of their hand and helping them out of the booth. “It’s going to be okay, darling. Let’s go.”