Page 40 of Last Call Lindy Hop
My stomach rumbled, but finding food required effort I didn’t know I was capable of—especially since sleeping would make the pangs go away. I could escape both the hunger and the grief for a few hours if I took a nap.
It was also the easiest option. I only had to flop to one side and close my eyes.
I’d barely pulled the blanket over me when there was a knock at the door.
“Go away Kenzie,” I groaned. “I can’t today.”
There was a minute of silence then, “Lance?”
My eyes flew open. Was I dreaming already? I’d heard that voice so many times in my sleep.
Had I finally crossed that thin line between reality and hallucination?
Another knock. “Lance? It’s me, Eli. Please let me in.”
There was no way I could face him. How would I be able to apologize for nearly kissing him?
Could I even trust myself to not do it again?
“I brought pad Thai…” he called out. “And churros.”
My stomach rumbled at the same time that tears sprang to my eyes. I got to my feet and shuffled towards the door, then opened it to find Eli about to knock again.
“Lance,” he breathed.
“I…”
Anything I would have said was knocked from me as he wrapped his arms around me, the plastic take-out bags bumping against my ass as he embraced me almost tightly enough to prevent me from breathing.
“Wha…?” I gasped.
“I’m sorry,” he said against my neck. “I’m so sorry.”
I stood there in shock for several seconds before I finally buried my face against him and circled his waist with my arms.
“I missed you,” he breathed.
Three words, but they were everything to me, and I started crying against his shoulder. “I missed you too,” I sniffled.
There was so much I wanted to say that I didn’t even know where to start, but the rising scent of food made my stomach rumble again.
Eli lifted his head and kissed my temple in an incredibly intimate act. “May I come in?”
“Yes.”
“Was that your stomach just now?”
I let out a wet-sounding laugh. “Yeah.”
He pulled back and looked at me, and I felt both incredibly cared-for, and vulnerable.
“Lance,” he lamented. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to do this to you.”
“Did Kenzie call you?” I asked, suddenly worried about his words.
He shook his head. “No. I called her. I hadn’t seen you in weeks, and you weren’t answering my texts. I…” he paused as a pink blush crept over his cheeks. “I had to see you again, even if the result was you telling me to fuck off.”
I blinked. “Why would I tell you to fuck off?”
