Page 24 of Last Minute

Ellie is right where I left her, perched on the bed, watching…

“You’ve never seen Star Wars?”

Ellie looks at me with a confused expression as I set the bag with our lunches on the end of the bed. “Who says I’ve never seen Star Wars?”

“Aren’t you on vacation to do things you’ve never done before? Gain new experiences?”

Understanding blooms in her eyes and she lights up the room with her megawatt smile.

“Well, yes. But I couldn’t find anything I liked out of the movies I haven’t seen.”

I pass her the bag of food, and she scoots over on the bed, leaving space for me. I climb on, making sure to leave a gap between her legs and mine.

“I didn’t think Star Wars was a princess thing.”

“Star Wars is an everyone thing. My brother Bash and I love it.” A sideways smile crawls over Ellie’s mouth. Her eyes dart to me then back to the movie. “I call him Anakin sometimes.”

“Because he’s the chosen one?”

“Because he hates sand,” Ellie says, like it’s the only reason to give someone that nickname.

I wait.

“Okay, yes, and because he’s the chosen one.”

Ellie’s grin is infectious, and I can’t help smiling back at her.

Leaning back against the headboard, we watch the first half of Episode I: The Phantom Menace while eating lunch. We watch the second half while debating whether or not Jar Jar Binks could be a Sith.

Seven hours later, Ellie’s queuing up Episode IV while I DoorDash a late dinner.

Ellie never ceases to surprise me. First, bowling; now, Star Wars. The spoiled rich girl I assumed she would be is a far cry from the multifaceted gem that she is.

Ellie tucks her legs under the blanket, scooting a few inches closer, but I’m seated on top, keeping that barrier between us. Her head drifts to my shoulder while we watch a young Luke Skywalker learn about the Force, and before long, her body goes limp next to mine, pressing into my upper arm.

I pause the movie and gently shake her awake. I don’t need to point out that she should probably get ready for bed because she turns and slips off the bed without a word and goes immediately to her suitcase. After she disappears into the bathroom to get ready for the night, I steal a few pillows off the bed and, finding a thin blanket in the room’s closet, make myself a bed on the floor next to where Ellie will be sleeping.

A few minutes later, Ellie shuffles out of the bathroom, clean-faced and sleepy-eyed. She climbs onto the bed from the bottom edge, avoiding my spot on the floor, and tucks herself back under the covers, pulling them up to her chin. I settle onto my makeshift bed as Ellie turns off the light above me.

In the dark, she peers over the edge of the bed, dropping her arm down to pat the top of my head.

“Just making sure I know where you are. In case I need you.” Even though sleep muddles the clarity of her words, I can feel her smile in the way her fingers brush through my hair and tickle the top of my head.

In a few moments, my eyes adjust to the dark, and I can make out the soft lines of her face. Her hand moves away from my head, but she doesn’t pull it up onto the bed. I nudge her fingers with my own, and she cracks an eye open.

“What about the monsters under the bed?” I tease as I run the pads of my fingers over hers. The darkness is making me bold in a way I would never dare to be in the daylight. Like in the dark, the lines between us disappear, and it’s just Ellie and Erik, not Her Royal Highness and her EPA. “Isn’t this how they get you?”

“What good is an EPA if he can’t protect me from a few monsters?” The quiet teasing in Ellie’s voice brings a smile to my face. Her fingers dance with mine, her soft touch sending a thread of emotion deep into my heart and taking root.

I know I should pull my hand away. Tuck it behind my head. Something—anything—besides brushing my fingers along Ellie’s.

But I don’t.

Ellie curls her fingers, trapping mine in a soft grip that I could easily pull away from. In a matter of moments, I hear her breathing deepen as she drifts off to sleep, her hand in mine.

I close my eyes, imagining for a moment that this could go somewhere. And I fall asleep with Ellie’s hand in mine.

CHAPTER 17

---