Page 10 of Stay With Me
“I guess I don’t understand. He knows if anything happened between you guys, it wouldn’t be casual. He said he doesn’t want to treat you like he treats every other girl. So, where is the problem?” She asks.
“Thats just it, Em. He won’t treat me like every other girl, but he also isn’t willing to be with just me. He’d rather have nothing at all,” I reply.
“He said that? He said he’s not willing to even try?” She reaches over and lays a reassuring hand on mine.
“Not exactly. It was more in the way he said nothing at all. I asked him if he was interested in more with me, and he said nothing.” I shrug.
“Kels, I would hope you know Everett well enough by now to know he takes his time to process things. I wouldn’t have expected him to give you an honest answer without thinking things through. Thats just not his style,” she’s trying to reassure me, but I just don’t see it.
“I may have fucked up in kind of… giving him an ultimatum,” bracing for the judgement I know she’s going togive me. I see her eyes bug out slightly before she schools her features and gives me a look that almost resembles pity.
“Oh, Kels, you know that’s not the way to go with Ev. I’m absolutely not making excuses for him, but he’s horrible at snap decisions. Literally, he’s the king of working through every single side in any situation!” She says, and I know she’s right.
“I know that, really I do. But I’m not willing to be in the grey area this time, Ember. I feel like I did so much accepting and covering up for Jake. I won’t be that girl again. I will not take any less than I deserve ever again.” The finality in my tone must be clear because her eyes light up when she hears the confidence in my voice.
“Well, I have to say, I’m very proud of you. I’ve always hated seeing you treated like a doormat. You deserve to be treated like the absolute queen you are, nothing less. Even from my dumbass brother.” A small smile graces her face, and I relax a little. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s gonna be weird if you guys become a thing. But only because I can’t imagine anybody putting up with Everett’s bullshit long enough to build a relationship.” We both dissolve into a fit of giggles. I find myself thinking that even if Ev doesn’t make up his mind in my favor, I’m glad I have her support, no matter what.
“Don’t plan the wedding just yet. He hasn’t spoken to me in days. He avoids me at all costs at home. Honestly, I’m not even sure I remember what he looks like at this point,” I joke.
“He’ll see the light, babe. I know it. He can be a total moron sometimes, but he knows what’s right in front of him. I’d be stupid if I didn’t admit I see the way he looks at you,” she says, and I’m shocked by the revelation. She nods slowly. “Oh yeah, I’ve seen him giving you those longing eyes of his for years.” My heart warms at the sentiment. But it doesn’t matter if he isn’t willing to act on it.
“I guess we’ll see. I really just need to have some good karma come my way. I’m just sending out peace, love and orgasms into the universe and hoping they come back to me.” Ember chokes out a laugh at my crass comments, but I doubt she’s surprised. I’ve said far worse. “Come on, let’s go feed my niece and nephew before they rebel.” I give her a hand up from the bench and we make our way to the car to grab some lunch.
ten
I’m sittingin my station at the shop, mindlessly drawing designs I really don’t care about for the sixth day in a row. Since Kelsea laid down her ultimatum, I’ve been stomping around here like an asshole. I know Willow and Eli don’t deserve my irrational attitude, but I can’t help it. I’m pissed off. I’m pissed that she would force me to make this kind of decision, knowing I don’t do well with things like this. Pissed that even though I want to tell her there’s nobody else on this planet that makes me feel the way she does, a part of me still feels unworthy. But mostly, I’m pissed off that I don’t give a shit about any of that. None of it matters when I think about the way her lips felt against mine, the way her body molded perfectly to mine when I held her in my arms, the warmth that unfolds inside my chest every time she looks at me.
A knock on my doorway chases visions of her from my mind. Eli stands there, brows furrowed, like he’s wondering which side of my personality he’s gonna get today. “Hey, you busy today?” He asks.
“Nah, no clients. I needed a break,” I reply, trying my best to look sorry for my shitty behavior over the past few days. He nods slowly. “You got anybody today?” I ask.
“No, I cleared my day so I could meet with the realtor about the expansion next door. I was coming to see if you wanted to go with me,” he says cautiously, as if I’m a landmine just waiting to detonate.
“Yeah, that sounds good. Let’s go take a look.” Tossing my sketch pad down and popping my knuckles, I follow Eli out the front door and through the entrance into the empty storefront right next to ours. We meet a short, grey-haired woman that I recognize from real estate ads posted around town. In a town like Grovewood, it makes sense that there’s only one realtor, and she knows everything about everyone.
“Hi, Mary. This is my business partner, Everett,” Elijah says, motioning my direction. She gives me a firm handshake and a warm smile, reminding me of the quintessential granny.
“So lovely to see you, dear,” she says, patting my hand gently. “As you boys can see, there’s not much to this space. Plenty of room to customize things however you should need to. I’ve spoken with Marty at MaxwellConstruction here in town and he says the wall between your shop and this space should be easy to take down. I’ll leave you his contact information in case you need to reach out to him.”
Eli and I nod along to everything she tells us, observing the space quietly. I take a moment to appreciate the fact that what we’ve built here has expanded to this level. I’m proud of us. Just two grunts who nobody thought would make it far in this life, and now we’re semi-respectable business owners. I mentally pat myself on the back for the accomplishments we’ve achieved.
Eli’s phone rings loudly, echoing through the empty space. Mary and I both swing our gazes to him as he pulls it from his pocket to silence the ringing.
“Sorry, guys. I have to take this. It’s my wife.” Giving him a small nod, I continue following Mary through the space. I hear him mumble something that sounds a lot like ‘calm down’ and I know that phrase never goes over well with my sister.
“WHAT!?” He shouts, his body going still and a look of sheer panic contorting his features. I hear a voice trying to get his attention through the speaker of the phone, but he’s checked out.
“Eli, what’s up, man? You okay? Is something wrong?” I ask, trying to shake him from his daze.
“Uh... yeah,” he says, eyes glazed over and looking a little misty. I furrow my brows as I pull his phone from his hand. He releases it easily.
“Hello? Ember? Your husband has gone catatonic. Are you okay?” The voice that comes through the line doesn’t belong to my sister, but I recognize the sweet velvet of Kelsea’s voice instantly.
“Hey Ev, your sister is in labor. I’m driving her to the hospital now.” A pained moan releases in the background, and I wince at my sister’s discomfort.
“Ok, we’ll meet you there,” I say, hanging up the phone and willing my adrenaline rush to calm. I clap my hand on Eli's shoulder firmly, and he seems to snap out of his daze.
“Shit, fuck, shit. We gotta go. I’m not ready for this, man! Shit,” he rambles on, looking around aimlessly for something he can’t seem to find. I chuckle at his complete loss of wits.
