Page 30 of Advice from a Sunflower

"That meant nothing," I insist, attempting to push through the exhaustion of my orgasm to sit up and find my clothes. I'm not allowing him to be the one who decides this time.

Eli makes no moves to help as he continues staring down at me. He quirks an eyebrow up as I struggle to clasp my bra with shaky, traitorous fingers.

"Sure it did."

"It didn’t.[1]This doesn't change anything, Eli. Just leave me alone until I can get things sorted with Marnie and go back home. We can forget anything ever happened."

Even as the words leave my mouth, I know they're a complete and total lie. I won't be forgetting what just happened for a very long time but that doesn't mean I can allow it to happen again.

"Oh, you won't be forgetting anything," he says, practically reading my mind. He gestures his finger between us. "And this isn't over."

"Yes. It is. I have a life outside of here and you have an arsenal of personal issues you need to address."

He lets out a patronizing chuckle. "Okay, Mouse. Keep telling yourself that."

I don't bother defending myself. Once my bra and panties are on and the rest of my clothes have been located, he turns around and begins heading for the door.

Chapter 16

Lyla

"How are you feeling today?" Marnie greets the next morning when I pass her to the coffee maker. I fill a cup and start for the fridge for cream, avoiding her eyes the entire way.

“Why are you talking so loud?" I groan, wincing at the hammer pounding into the side of my head. It’s been a long time since I’ve drank that much, and I don’t plan a repeat performance ever again.

Marnie just snickers, downing her coffee.

"Eli is coming over to fix the showerhead today. I'm taking the girls to daycare and then I picked up a shift at the diner for some extra cash. I hope you don't mind being alone."

Our conversation about her and the girls moving with me has been put on hold for the sake of peace, but she knows that her taking the job at the diner is under my skin. It's like the more I push for her to get out of here, the further she digs her heels into the past. At some point, we're going to have to sit down and have a real discussion about it so I can either leave on my own or start preparing for them to come with me.

"That's fine," I say distractedly, trying not to allow my tone to give away my annoyance. Both at her stubbornness and the idea of seeing Eli again hours after I've sworn him off.

Maybe I'll do some writing in town.

Maybe I'll stick around and give him a piece of my mind for what we did last night.

Or maybe I'm fooling myself and I'll be stuck here waiting for him all day to see which mood I'll find him in once we're alone again.

Marnie, who is ignorant to my racing thoughts, nods her head and walks out of the kitchen to gather the girls, probably feeling triumphant about the fact that I didn't make a scene about her working today.

***

Eli doesn't end up coming over until lunch time, about an hour before Marnie's shift ends. I spent the morning typing and erasing words on my laptop and making up different scenarios in my head where I tell him off and leave The Hollow again. This time for good. I was hoping he'd allow more time for me to make my dramatic statement before Marnie got home.

By the time he knocks on the door and I open it to see the same indifferent, stone cold face he's worn around me since I arrived, my brain forgets every word of the carefully planned speech we had rehearsed. He pushes past and walks right up the stairs with his toolbox, not even sparing me a glance.

Fine.

I follow close behind and head into Marnie's room where my things are neatly packed away and still in bags. I refuse to begin making this place home again.

I resort to reopening my laptop and scanning through emails I've already read and replied to in order to keep myself from doing something rash or impractical. My mind apparently has no control over what comes out of my mouth and zero influence over what my body does around him. I want to explode with all the colorful feelings and emotions I'm having. I'm not happy with how things were left between us and there's a burning need to storm up to him and demand answers and insist it never happens again.

Instead, I cower in Marnie's room and wait. For what? I don't know. The new Lyla is terribly disappointed in herself for lying down and taking this kind of treatment the way the old version would.

Maybe I'm not as different as I thought I was.

"I'm finished," Eli's gravel voice interrupts my pathetic internal torture. He stands outside the bedroom door, barely peeking his head into the room.

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