The Last Thing She Wants (Chestnut Hills #1)

32

theo

My hand trembled as it held hers. With my other hand on the steering wheel, I tried focusing all my energy on driving us home safely. Never had I as much upset someone on purpose, let alone punch someone.

I thought I’d seen Shane in my peripheral while I watched Ellie walk to the bathroom. The sight lit a fire in my stomach. After Ellie’s recent confessions of how he treated her, anger had been simmering in my veins since. My visceral reaction was to confront him. Truthfully, I wanted to tackle him, beat him bloody, and spit on him before walking away.

The shows with the Assets brought Ellie so much joy, though. Her happiness now was more important than my feelings towards what happened in the past. I decided my energy was best preserved for proving to her she deserved happiness.

More than happiness, she deserved pure love.

Daisy came up behind me as I spotted Ellie making her way back to me. We watched as she bumped into a man and discomfort visibly rippled through her. My body tensed in response as I watched Ellie walk around the unknown man. Daisy must’ve felt my discomfort because she heavily sighed.

Then, she explained he was the punk ass loser who left her out to dry that day she wore her black lace temptress outfit in the form of a lace bustier and G-string.

At first, I wanted to laugh. Go right over there, shake his hand, and thank him even. After all, had it not been for Graham, I may have never had the chance to cross the line from friendship to more with Ellie.

That was until the dumbass grabbed Ellie by the arm. That was enough. Without waiting for my brain to process the information, my feet took the lead, and I quickly started moving. Not before, however, hearing Daisy explain the guy had a girlfriend and dismissed Ellie by pretending she was a door-to-door salesperson.

Approaching Ellie, I was prepared to pull her away. Take the high road and exit quietly. Then, this sorry excuse for a man called her a bitch. Fury traveled through my body, right to my fingertips. I balled my fists, and within seconds, the crack in my hand was the only indication I’d hit him.

“Are—are you okay?” a sweet voice on my right asked, pulling me to the present.

I turned to face her for a moment before refocusing on the road. Bringing her hand to my lips, I kissed the back of her knuckles. “Yes,” I chuckled, “I should be asking you that.”

“It wasn’t me you punched.”

We found ourselves in darkness with a lingering glow as we pulled into a spot in the back of the apartment lot. A lamp post several cars over dimly lit the surrounding area. Turning in my seat, I fully faced her .

“Maybe not, but the way he spoke to you…What he said—you have to know that’s not true.” Noticing tears beginning to threaten to descend, I took her face in my hands. “Ellie, look at me. You—you are perfect. You bring so much joy to the lives of everyone around you. You bring so much joy to my life, so much that I can only hope to one day bring you a fraction of the happiness you bring to me. You’re strong, physically and mentally. You’ve grown so much the last few months. And I don’t know if I have to say it, but you’re also hot as hell.”

She gave a small smile at that. I focused my gaze on her lips and drew her in for a deep kiss. Granting me access to her mouth, her tongue caressed mine, and we moaned into the darkness. Fever took over as I pulled her effortlessly over the center console. Her knees slid to either side of me, placing her center just above my growing groin.

Unable to control my hands, they roamed over every part of her body. Palming her breast, her back arched as she started grinding into me. Stopping her, and holding her in place, I squeezed her hips, reveling in the feel of her curves in my hands.

“I mean it Ellie,” I kissed across her collarbone, “you are so fucking perfect.”

Looking at her flushed cheeks and swollen lips that now curved into a smile, both sincere and sensuous, my chest grew heavy and warm. I nestled my head into her chest; closing my eyes, I breathed deeply. In response, she threaded her fingers through my hair, lovingly stroking me.

We sat there, intertwined, settling in the comfort of each other.

It took no convincing, aside from a few strategically placed kisses, for Ellie to spend another night in my bed. Wrapped in each other’s arms, the chirping melody from my phone woke us both a slight filtered through the curtains .

“Hello?” I answered groggily, recognizing the apartment’s leasing office’s phone number.

“Professor Emerson? This is Lucy, down in the leasing office. We need your signature on your lease renewal. I have a note that you were supposed to come down yesterday but missed your appointment,” the voice on the other end of the call paused.

“Shit.” I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. “I’m sorry. I got caught up spending the day with my girlfriend. I can be down in an hour. Does that work?”

“Oh, I didn’t know you had a girlfriend,” Lucy said almost defensively. “Yes, that works. See you then.” The empty sound of a finished call hung on the other end before I could say goodbye.

Groaning loudly, I opened my arms to Ellie as she curled into me.

“Who was that?” she asked into my chest.

“Lucy,” I felt her stiffen in my arms, “from the leasing office. My renewal is due, and I was supposed to sign it yesterday, but…we got caught up in the kitchen.”

She let out a rush of breath and laughed. “At least now she knows you have a girlfriend.”

“I also told Harold that I’m hesitant to continue working with her,” I confessed. She raised her eyebrow at me, and I continued. “I don’t want you to question anything, and frankly, I want her to leave me alone. I’ve bolded the line in the sand many times. I thought bringing Harold in on it was the best thing to do.”

I kissed her forehead and pulled out my phone, opening the maps app.

“There are reservations available at Spork in an hour and a half. Want to meet me down at the office and I can take us to brunch?”

“Oh, morning sex and brunch? Sign me up. ”

I put my phone down and questioned her statement. “We didn’t have morning sex?”

“Yet,” she rolled over and perched on top of my lap, ripping off her shirt. “We didn’t have morning sex yet. ”

I laughed and brought myself up to meet her, wondering how I got so lucky.

A light tap filled the air as I rapped my knuckles against the glass door to the leasing office.

“Coming!” Lucy called from the package room. As I stood in the doorway, I shook the thought away that this was vaguely familiar. I could never look at the package room the same way again after finding Shane and Celine in there.

The sound of shuffling cardboard signaled her emergence. She took a step back as she took in my presence and methodically placed a hand against her chest. I pretended not to notice her comically heaving as she clearly tried to bring attention to her breasts.

“Hello Professor Emerson, you startled me,” she sighed in a sickly sweet tone.

“I knocked. You answered,” I smiled politely, hoping to bring awareness to the fact that I’d figured out her ruse.

“Right.” She walked over to her desk and began shuffling a stack of papers. “I have your lease renewal here somewhere…please, have a seat.”

“I’ll stand, thank you.” I leaned my hip against a table that held a vase filled with fresh flowers. Shifting weight between my feet, I turned my back to her, focusing on the common room on the other side of the wall of windows .

“So sorry. Excuse me,” she gently motioned me aside and dropped to her knees. Looking up at me, she widened her eyes and gave a little pout. “I can’t seem to find the papers. Just checking if they’re in here.”

I watched as she opened the cabinets at the bottom of the decorative table. “I didn’t realize those were functional. I thought they were just for appearances.”

“I suppose they are,” she sighed, revealing empty cabinets.

The Speedwalking Gang walked by, gathering in the common area to grab their cups of complimentary coffee. I looked at my watch and cleared my throat. “Miss Evans, I’ll come back in a few hours after you’ve had the chance to find the papers.”

“Found them!” she exclaimed, having conveniently found them right on top of the scattered mess sitting on her desk. With a forced giggle, she bent forward slightly and brought her hands back to her chest.

“Great.” Pulling a pen from my pocket, I kept my response short. Before leaving my apartment earlier, I grabbed my pen in anticipation of signing the document. I wanted to make sure I had as little conversation with Lucy as possible.

Lucy turned the papers to face me as I approached the desk. Deepening her bend, she pushed her breasts together to where they were seconds from tumbling out.

“Sign wherever you see these tabs,” she slid her finger slowly across the arrowed sticky notes, pointing at blank lines throughout the document.

“Thank—”

“Lucy, dear,” an aged voice called from behind me. “Have a little dignity and stand up straight. Leave a little to the imagination.” I chuckled as the voice at the door continued, “besides, don’t you know he’s taken? The entire apartment complex heard them all weekend. ”

Abruptly straightening at that, I turned to find Mrs. Hudson in the doorway. Decked out in neon green joggers and a matching wind breaker, she looked perfectly plucked out of an 80s activewear ad. The Speedwalking Gang convened in the lobby behind her, making no attempt to hide their staring and eavesdropping.

“Oh yes, dear,” Mrs. Hudson directed at me. “You two kept me and Pat up all night. Not that I don’t want you two to enjoy yourselves. Just maybe be a little more considerate of your neighbors.” She gave me a wink and paused a moment before turning to leave. “Theo, treat her well. She’s been through a lot.”

I dipped my head in response. “I intend to, Mrs. Hudson.”

“Good boy.” She gave me an approving nod and returned to the gang of neon clad women.

Lucy cleared her throat as I turned back to the lease renewal. She stood straight now as I thumbed through the pages. Looking for where the last sticky note was signaling, I was flipping through the pages when the front page was pushed down.

Shifting my gaze, I noticed Lucy perched herself on the desk and angled her legs towards me.

“Can you please move?” I asked tightly.

“Oh, silly me,” she said, lifting her butt to the side and pulling out the stack of papers from under her. Taking it upon herself to find the last tab, she turned to the page requiring the final signature and laid the papers on her lap. “Here it is.”

“Can I have this, please?” I reached out to grab the contract. Forcing her hand on top of mine, she pushed my palm down onto her thigh.

I looked up at her just as she brought her face close. Quickly, I pulled my hand away and stood .

“Lucy, you are acting incredibly inappropriate. Let me sign now, or I will come back when there is someone else here to help me.”

“Theo darling,” Mrs. Hudson’s voice cut into our conversation.

Realizing I had raised my voice, I paused and took a deep breath before turning around. “Yes?” I asked, surprisingly calm.

“I thought you’d like to know Ellie was here. She just left in a tizzy.”

“What?” I asked, beginning to panic.

“Yes, she just went that way.” With a perfectly manicured nail, he pointed towards the front door.

Without pause, I set myself in motion, chasing after the woman I loved.

“Lucy, darling, you might consider seeking help for your clear lack of respect for yourself. And others. It’s quite a problem.”Mrs. Hudson chastised Lucy as the sounds of the lobby faded away.

The sound of rushing blood filled my ears as I ran across the apartment lawn. I could hear nothing and think of nothing other than Ellie and what she must be thinking. My vision blurred, and emotion filled me to the brim as I raced my way to her.

Knocking urgently, I looked at my watch to note the time. Two painstaking minutes paused as I paced. Enough time passed, I decided, and I knocked again.

“Ellie baby,” I said between knocks, “Ellie, open up, please. It’s not what it looked like.”

Using the door jamb to lean against, I propped myself up and stood like a statue. The seconds ticked by like hours as I watched the time change minute after minute. Just as I turned to return to my apartment and think through what to do next, I heard the door behind me click open.

Ellie stood in sweatpants and an oversized shirt, a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. I slowly drank in the sight and my heart tugged, knowing that the picture in front of me was what I wanted. I wanted days with her in sweats. I wanted to brush my teeth next to her. I wanted to see her messy hair every morning.

“What’s all the ruckus?” Her nonchalant manner gave me pause. I stammered in response and watched her retreat to her bedroom as she left her front door ajar.

Gratefully accepting the invitation in, I closed the door behind me. Listening to her turn on and off the faucet in her bathroom, I waited patiently for her to return. The sound of her footsteps padding closer made my heart stumble. My heart dropped when she entered the living room and, without stopping, walked straight to the kitchen sink. Plates and silverware clanked as she began washing dishes.

“Is everything alright?” I asked from my spot in the entry way hesitantly.

During my rush to her apartment, I played a hundred scenarios through my head. Would she be crying and screaming? Would she had packed up and left entirely? Would she have called in a sumo wrestler to throw me around like a rag doll?

Every scenario had crossed my mind. Except this one. The scenario where everything was…okay?

“Yeah, of course,” she shrugged, placing a bowl on the top dishwasher rack.

I pursed my lips and looked around while tapping my leg, trying to think of what to say next. “Okay…great. Ready to go to Spork?”

The running water and clanging of glass filled the silence of her pause. Finally, she looked over her shoulder at me. “Um…no, I think I’m going to stay behind.”

So, everything was not okay . Reflexively, I rubbed my face and tried to scrub away my frustration and anger at the situation.

“Ellie,” I pleased, “I promise, nothing happened. Lucy– ”

“I know,” she cut me off.

“You know? Then why don’t you want to spend the morning together anymore?”

“I know nothing happened.” She shook her head and paused. “I know you are too respectful to ever do something like that. Seeing you two, though, seeing you two in that position, made things click for me.”

“Click?”

My head was racing as I tried to comprehend what she was trying to say. I watched her wring her hands and the tips of her fingers turn red. She took a step back when I reached out to her. Hold her. Comfort her.

I dropped my outstretched hand and fixated on her raw fingers, wanting to kiss away the hurt she was inflicting on herself.

“Yeah. Click. Every moment with you has been amazing, but it’s temporary. I’ve been in a daze, you know? I forgot that this is bound to end.” She put up a hand to stop me before I could interrupt her ridiculous train of thought. “It is temporary. You are meant for more than me. You are meant for the Lucy’s and Celine’s of the world. I’m just…Ellie.”

Did I hear her right? If I had, then what she said had to be the absolute dumbest pile of horseshit I’d ever heard.

“That’s why…” I paused, taking in a breath, trying to choose my next word carefully.

I loved her. I was head over heels in love with her. I’d loved her from the moment she nearly knocked me unconscious. This wasn’t the moment to tell her this, though. She needed to know I loved her whole-heartedly. I wasn’t about to make her think I was only using it as a Hail Mary to end this argument.

Starting over, I approached her slowly .

“You are Ellie.” I ran my fingers up her arm lightly and cupped her cheek. “You are everything good in the world. You are light and laughter and a warm cup of hot chocolate on a snowy day. You are my Ellie. You are meant for me as much as I am meant for you.”

Leaning in slowly, I took care not to startle her and brushed my lips against hers. Just as I felt triumph creep into my bones, she pulled away suddenly.

“I understand you feel that way, Theo. But I’m just saving us heartache in the end. Best to put an end to things now before they get too serious.”

“Please, don’t do this,” I pleaded, fully prepared to drop to my knees and grovel.

“I think you should go.” She stepped away and wrapped herself in a hug.

Cemented in place, I watched her retreat to her room and close the door behind her. I knew that was my cue to leave, but it seemed my feet had forgotten how to work. Minutes passed by as I processed the scene that just unfolded. Blinking slowly, I turned on my heel and walked out, being sure to lock the door behind me.