Chapter 7
Patrick
When the door opened to reveal Ellie standing there, my mouth couldn’t formulate words.
While I was already a tad bit nervous thinking she might back out, I was mostly interested to see what types of terms she would come up with.
From what I can tell, Ellie has a good head on her shoulders, and she can think for herself.
Although when I saw her tonight, it was a struggle to not to let my jaw drop to the floor.
I’ve always thought that Ellie was cute.
There’s an effortlessness that has always drawn me to her.
Like how she always keeps her style casual and laid back at work.
Her outfits are comfortable and practical, and her hair is always tied up in a bun or ponytail.
I can tell that she takes care of herself, but she doesn’t try too hard to impress anyone.
But, this was the first time I saw her outside of her work, and she looked hot. Like, I had to stop in my tracks, gorgeous. When we made eye contact, her eyes seemed to sparkle like I’ve never seen them do before.
After I noticed that, it was game over; I was completely captivated.
She looked beautiful with her hair down. Seeing it lush and messy made me want to run my fingers through it and grab a handful. I was trying so hard to suppress my improper thoughts, but the more I looked at her, the more there was to work with.
Her jeans hugged her curves perfectly. Ellie has hips that a man only dreams of, and I feel lucky to get to see her like this. The biggest turn on was that she was still dressed comfortably, and it still blew me away.
As if having a crush on the girl you’re trying to fake date wasn’t embarrassing enough, she had to clear her throat since I had been staring at her for way too long, so trying to save face, I played it off as nothing and invited her in.
Luckily, I was in the middle of finishing up some food for us, so it was easy to retreat back to the kitchen and have her sit at the island while I added some final touches—and got myself together.
If she was weirded out by the interaction at the door, she wasn’t showing it, and the more we talked, the more comfortable she became.
Listening to Ellie talk might be my new favorite thing.
Her voice is soft and soothing, and I don’t usually get to hear it from all of the loudness in The Brew.
When I hear Ellie speak at her job, she is normally yelling out drink orders and trying to be heard over the machines.
Which is not bad, but this is different.
It was important to me to be prepared tonight, so I had jotted down some notes and was happy to see that she had the same. We talked a lot about boundaries, and I’m relieved to have some rules set in place. However, we still need to come up with a backstory.
She stretches, lifting her arms over her head and extending herself upwards, and I can’t help myself but look at the sliver of creamy skin that peeks out from under her shirt.
“I’m really tired of sitting at this table. Is it okay if we move over to the living room to hash out our love story?” Her voice sounds dreamy, but it’s obvious she is actually getting tired.
When I agree, Ellie makes her way to the corner of the couch, and it is cute how she is drawn to the enormous cushions.
As I follow her towards the living room, my nose fills with the delicious scent of fruit and florals.
It’s unfair that she smells just as sweet as she looks.
If we’re going to do this fake dating thing, it would be helpful to keep my thoughts platonic, but everything makes me like her more.
She is alluring, but this needs to stop.
To keep my distance, I lean back in one of the chairs across from the couch and kick my feet up on the coffee table as Ellie continues to sink into the couch.
Watching her make herself comfortable makes me feel less foolish about the months I spent looking for the perfect living room furniture.
While I didn’t care that much about how it looked, it was important to me to make sure that every part of my home was comfortable.
Once she finds the perfect spot, she starts the conversation again. “We should keep it as close to the truth as possible. I heard somewhere that it is the best method to not get caught in a lie.”
“That makes a lot of sense. So, we met at The Brew?”
“Yeah, we met at The Brew, which isn’t a surprise since you’ve been a regular for years.
” Her gaze meets mine, and I try not to make it obvious that I’ve had my eyes on her since she sat down.
“About three months ago, you realized how beautiful and alluring I am and finally decided to ask for my number. The rest is history.”
Her joke is obvious by the way she drags out the descriptions sarcastically, but she has no idea. It amazes me how oblivious she is to the fact that she is speaking a truth about herself.
The thoughts catch in my mind because I’m an absolute idiot for not realizing how truly beautiful she was until now. But, I can’t admit that to her now or else she is going to think I’m a creep just like Greg and all of the other guys who want something more.
Her sarcasm has been a highlight of the night.
Although I’ve never had any reason to think of Ellie as anything but shy and timid, she still surprised me with her quick wit and humor.
One of the things that concerned me was the believability of ‘fake dating’.
Now that we've spent some time together, I feel foolish for thinking that Ellie and I wouldn’t mesh.
This is going to be easier than I thought.
She stares at me with a confused expression, and I realize that I never actually responded to her previous statement. “Uhh, yeah, that sounds like a very reasonable way to start a relationship.”
My response comes out more sarcastic than I meant, and it worries me that Ellie might take it the wrong way.
“Good, good.” I can tell that she is trying hard not to become too relaxed while watching her shift deeper into the pillows.
She told me that she has an opening shift at The Brew, so she can’t stay too late.
And, I need to push down my excitement about seeing her tomorrow.
If I already can’t get enough of her, I might actually be in trouble.
“So, you already know what I do for work; what exactly do you do for your job?”
“I’m a data analyst at ERI. It’s an outdoor recreation company.” I am fully prepared for her eyes glaze over, but it never happens.
Instead, she responds with attentiveness. “That’s so interesting! I don’t know anyone who does that, and I honestly have no idea what that is...What do you do as a data analyst?”
As the words leave her mouth, something in my brain hums pleasantly.
Whenever I tell people about my job, they just shrug it off or say that it sounds boring, but the way that she asks makes her seem genuinely interested.
I have to remind myself that she has to talk to people for a living, so there is a good chance that she’s faking it. But, it makes me feel good anyways.
Either way, I’m not going to bore her with some long winded answer, so I keep it short. “Specifically, I review data and figure out specific trends. My job helps the company figure out what is working and what isn’t.”
“I didn’t think about how there was a specific job for that, but that’s so cool. No wonder you always look so business-y when I see you in the mornings. You’re getting ready to look at data all day.”
Her enthusiasm makes me chuckle, and there is a tugging in my chest when she mentions noticing minor details about me—because I feel the same way.
It’s like we're at two ends of a string, and she is trying to pull me towards her. But, it needs to stop. As much as I’m getting comfortable with Ellie, this is still a show that we’re putting on.
We continue our conversation through a couple more vague topics just to make sure we’re on the same page before I go to work tomorrow and face Greg, but after the third time Ellie yawns, I know it’s time for this meeting to come to an end.
“I think we make a good team,” she says as she stumbles to the front door. “We’re going to—” She yawns again. “—be the best fake couple ever.”
“Geez, you need to get some sleep. Are you sure you can drive home?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I told you I have the opening shift tomorrow, and I guess my body knows that it’s past my bedtime.” She puts her hand out, and I stare at it. “To make things official, we have to shake on it.”
Her insistence is adorable, and it is impossible to refuse her.
My hand reaches out and wraps around hers. There is a warmth radiating from her touch that I am drawn to like a moth to a flame.
Despite her handshake being jokingly official, I don’t want to pull away.
It’s weird that we’ve been close all night, but this is the first time we’ve touched.
I’m surprised at how good it feels. I held her hand briefly in The Brew yesterday, but this feels different.
She is soft and pliant, and holding her in any capacity feels natural.
Going against my instinct, I pull my hand away from her grasp. “Goodnight, Ellie. Please let me know when you get home safe.”
“Goodnight, Patrick.” She stares down at her empty hand, and it makes me wonder if she felt what I did too.
Deciding it would be too formal to walk her to her car, I watch her from the front porch to make sure she gets in safely. By the time her car leaves, I’m back inside doing the dishes, but it’s more upsetting than usual being inside of my empty house.
As I’m getting ready to go to bed, I hear my phone buzz on my nightstand. My heart beats a little faster when I realize it's Ellie.
Ellie: Told you I could drive home safely!
Patrick: I’m glad you did.
I start off my Monday morning the way I always do: half-awake and making my way through the line at The Brew.
There’s only one person ahead of me, but as I peek over their shoulder trying to sneak a glance at Ellie—something I haven’t done in a long time—Ellie’s already waving me over.
My brain is still not functioning, so I give her a hesitant look.
She looks surprisingly chipper for 7:20 in the morning, but there is a good chance she is fully caffeinated. There's a chance she might even be overly caffeinated by her crazy gestures.
“Patrick, come over here!” She whisper-yells at me, and I apprehensively step out of line.
As I walk up to her, I see her holding up a large iced cup that looks suspiciously like my order.
“I saw you walking in, so I got your drink ready! I told you on Friday that I had you covered.” I blink at her, realizing that our first interaction that started all of this chaos was only three days ago.
“Don’t expect this to be a regular thing though.
I’m technically not allowed to give out free drinks, especially not to my boyfriend. ”
The way she says that last line pings in my brain.
“Uhh, yeah. I won’t expect any, uh, boyfriend perks moving forward.” I blink a couple more times, trying to orient myself to a full conversation in the morning. It's no wonder I always stand in the corner when waiting for my coffee. I can barely piece together a full sentence.
Like Ellie is reading my mind, she responds, “Damn, you really need this.” There’s that same feeling from last night when our fingers touch as she hands me my coffee. “I like you more when you are fully conscious.”
She teases me, and I wish I was more alive to enjoy it. It sucks that I don’t have the brain power to give it back, but I’m sure she has to deal with caffeine-less zombies all day.
“Thank you, El.” Sending her a half smile, I try not to embarrass myself anymore. “Have a good day. I’ll text you later.”