Page 29 of Loving the Sinner
Wes
Ihaven’t stopped thinking about Elli since Monday.
Okay, she’s been on my mind constantly since I met her, but I’ve had her number for two days and I have to use all of my willpower not to text her constantly. I was so tempted to call her last night when I couldn’t sleep just because I wanted to hear her voice all sleepy and sweet.
And because I’m a pathetic sap who is falling hard for a girl he’s only known for four days, I’m driving to her house to take her and Izzy to the airport. Luke’s too sad to be suspicious about the fact that I offered to drive him, thank god, because I don’t know how I would spin this in a way that doesn’t sound like a romantic gesture.
It’s totallynotromantic. Just a…friendly gesture. And I have a proposal for her afterwards. One I’ve been planning for the last twenty-four hours.
Elli answers the door and her expression softens when she sees it’s Luke, and quickly ushers him inside. Then her attention is drawn to me and she tilts her head in confusion. “Wes? What are you doing here?” She leans against the doorframe, looking fucking adorable in black overalls with a white t-shirt underneath. The overalls accentuate every curve on her body and it’s taking all of my dwindling willpower not to blatantly stare at her.
“I wanted to offer my chauffeur services to the airport. You know, so you don’t have to spend the whole ride back with a mopey Luke.”
She sighs dramatically, “I mean, I guess I did save you from catching the ‘love bug’ so I guess it’s only fair you save me from catching the grumps.”
I want to say“Actually, you didn’t save me from it. I caught it, and the only cure is you.”and wrap my arms around her waist and kiss her plush pink lips.
But I settle on shrugging and a simple, “Fair is fair.”
“Let me just grab Izzy’s luggage and let them know it’s time to leave. It’ll take at least ten minutes for them to let go of each other long enough to make it to the car.”
And she was right.
Izzy and Luke cling to each other the entire ride to the airport while Izzy sniffles and Luke makes reassuring predictions for their future. In eleven months they’ll graduate high school, and Luke will go to Utah for her graduation. They’re going to apply to the same colleges and see where they both get in, and they’ll figure out where they want to go together. Luke gave Izzy a promise ring yesterday, and he reminds her thatthey are going to be together forever, they just have to be apart for a little while longer.
And damn it if I’m not jealous of seventeen year olds.
I don’t think all teenage romances last, but if anyone’s going to last, it’s going to be Luke and Izzy. They’ve already made long distance work for a year, there’s no reason to believe they can’t last another.
I couldn’t even make it work with a girl I lived two blocks away from.
I stay in the car as Luke and Elli help Izzy get her luggage and they say a tearful goodbye. When Elli gets back in the car, her blue eyes are made even brighter by the tears welling in them, and it’s unfair how gorgeous she looks, even when she’s crying. I want to kiss the tears off of her face. Without thinking, I reach over and squeeze her thigh just above her knee in a comforting gesture. I can hear her little gasp, and immediately pull my hand away, an apology on the tip of my tongue, but she reaches over and squeezes my hand instead. I look over at her and she gives me an appreciative, watery smile that makes my heart flip flop.
To break the tension on the way back, I ask Elli what her weekend plans are.
“Um Matt’s taking me out Saturday. No other plans.” She says sheepishly.
“Oh,” I grip the steering wheel so hard my knuckles start to turn white “that’s cool. What are you guys doing?” I don’t really want to know. In fact, I would rather hear about someone’s colonoscopy than listen to Elli talk about a date. Luke’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror, a confounded expression on his face. He’s probably wondering why I’m putting myself through the torture of hearing about it.
I am too.
Although, I did tell myself if Elli wants to date Matt I would back off. Elli and I can be just friends. I can get past this little crush.
Ha ha, right.
Elli’s shoulders slump slightly and her brows furrow, “I don’t know yet, he didn’t say. He just said the dress code is ‘cocktail.’”
“I’m sure it’ll be something great, Matt goes all out for dates.”
Elli hums in response, and I see Luke roll his eyes in the back seat.
When we pull up to Luke’s, Elli turns around and puts a hand on his knee with a sincere smile. “I want you to know that I’m here if you ever need anything. You’re family now. I’m already trying to figure out how to get Iz here for fall break or over Christmas break, so it won’t be an entire year again. Thank you for being so good to my sister, Luke. She’s lucky to have you.”
“Thank you Elli, I appreciate that. I have to amend the last part though, I’m definitely the lucky one.” Elli gives his knee a final squeeze before he gets out of the car.
I may be overstepping by trying to insert myself into Elli’s life. She might not even want to keep spending time with me. Still, that doesn’t stop me from asking, “Do you want help picking something to wear for Saturday? I’ve gone to enough events to know what cocktail attire means.”
She hesitates and just stares at me, and I immediately regret asking. I overstepped, she’s going to think it was weird-
