Page 30 of Chasing Infinity

It’s a lie, we both know it.

“I thought we were doing okay.”

I run my fingers over my brow, trying to massage away the nasty headache threatening to hit me with full force. “We’ll talk later, okay? I promise. But I really need to go right now.”

To my surprise, he sidesteps out of the way. As he moves, I give him a lingering glare, and then I brush past him back into the diner. I can hear his footsteps behind me. Eli is leaning against the counter, talking to Grace when I go up to him. He greets me with a wide cheeky grin that quickly falls when he sees Noah follow me from the back. He narrows his eyes at the man behind me and his jaw ticks.

“Ready to go, Addie?”

“As I’ll ever be, what do you have planned for tonight?” I ask him, feeling hopeful that he might have come up with something new or exciting.

“Oh, the usual,” he says, a smile taking hold of his features. “Thought we could get some take-out and finish the movie we started last week. We got a little distracted halfway through,” he says to Grace with an exaggerated wink.

My friend gives him a tight-lipped smile, getting his innuendo, and I suddenly have a great desire to sink into the ground underneath me. From behind me, I hear a scoff from Noah. It shouldn’t bother me, but it does. I can’t help but glance over my shoulder at him. He’s watching the interaction with a stormy expression on his face, his eyes dark and lips set into a deep frown. My stomach flips, and I turn back to Eli.

“Let’s go,” I tell him.

His face lights up, and he leans forward, pressing his lips to my cheek. Eli takes my hand and leads me toward the door. I feel Noah’s pointed stare on my back as I walk out. We both get into Eli’s car, and he speeds away from the diner. Eli keeps glancing over at me as we drive like he’s trying to make up his mind about something.

“Is everything okay?” I ask him, finally.

He clears his throat and then chuckles nervously. “McCoy looked like he was ready to punch me back there. Not to mention you coming out of the storeroom with him hot on your heels. Want to tell me what that was all about?”

I grip the handle of my purse tightly, registering his jealous tone. “Nothing. Noah’s just been helping out at the diner, and I think he was hoping I could show him a few more things before I left.”

“You sure that was all?” he presses. “Cause to me, it looks like he wants you back.”

“He doesn’t,” I tell him, though I’m fully aware that might be a flat-out lie. “It was nothing, Eli. Can we just drop it? I’m here with you now, aren’t I? Let’s just have a nice evening together.”

“Fine,” he mutters though I can tell he’s not happy. To my relief, he doesn’t bring it up again.

Eli decides on Thai food take-out, and then we end up back at his place, just like we do every Friday date night. I do my best to dampen my disappointment at the unoriginality and focus on spending quality time with Eli. I settle on the couch with the brown paper take-out bag, setting my jacket and purse off to the side while he grabs plates and utensils.

The smell of Thai food immediately surrounds his small living room, and I feel warm—too warm. I’m tempted to pull off the long-sleeved flannel shirt I’m wearing, as I have a short sleeve underneath it. Still, I remember that my scar makes Eli uncomfortable, so I decide against it, settling on using my hand to fan my neck in an attempt to cool down.

Eli returns to the living room, notices what I’m doing, and frowns at me. “Do you want me to turn down the heat in here?”

“Would you?” I ask him. “I could take off this flannel, but I—”

“I’ll turn it down,” he cuts me off, disappearing down the hallway where I hear him punch a few buttons on his thermostat. When he returns, he rubs his hands together, a boyish grin on his face. “I’m starved. Let’s eat!”

We dig into the food and start to watch our movie. We are laughing within minutes, and I look at Eli, amused when he chokes on a noodle. These moments are what I love best about our “Date nights.”

Eli has been one of my best friends since I came to this town. Charlie was my first, but by default, Eli followed shortly behind. Charlie and Eli generally come as a package deal. The three of us have built a lot of great memories over the years. I love to spend time with Eli, but as I peek over at him throughout the rest of the movie, I conclude that there’s no spark. At least not the way there should be.

I don’t break out in full-body shivers whenever he comes close to me or brushes my hand with his. Not like when Noah put his hands on me earlier in the stockroom. It’s not fair to Eli, I know he loves me more than anyone, but I’m starting to realize I don’t feel the same towards him.

As the movie finishes, I decide that this will likely be our last date night. Technically speaking, we’re not in a relationship. I know he is hopeful that it will lead to more someday, but I don’t see that happening. Even if it means I end up being single for the rest of my life, it is what it is. Eli just isn’t the one for me, and he needs to know.

The movie’s credits begin to roll, and Eli turns his body towards mine. I look at him and offer him a timid smile—already knowing where this is headed. Eli cups my jaw with his hand and tilts my chin up before claiming my lips. His kiss is forward, his warm lips pressing against mine as he takes what he wants.

It’s a fast process from there. Eli maneuvers his body over mine until I’m stretched out on the couch, and he’s hovering above me. His fingers leave my face and make quick work of the jeans I’m wearing, unbuttoning them and pushing them down and off my legs. Once my jeans are off Eli yanks his shirt over his head, removes his pants, and crawls above me. His hand goes to the hem of my shirt and bunches it up to the cups of my bra. As soon as my stomach is exposed, he leans down and kisses me. He does this for a few minutes, his tongue tickling the sensitive skin of my belly before his hand dips between my legs, working me quickly.

Before I know what’s happening, Eli is positioned at my center and pushing into me. I bend my legs to change the angle slightly to accommodate him, and his hand grips my hip as he begins to move in me. I toss my head back at the full sensation when he bottoms out, and Eli groans into my neck.

“God, you’re incredible,” Eli says, his eyes watching me as he takes me. I arch my back, still trying to find that perfect angle for him to hit. I finally find the right position and start working towards what I need. Eli leans over me, his arms supporting the arch in my spine as he snaps his hips back and forth.

“Keep going,” I urge him, feeling my body start to climb towards my peak. Eli continues to thrust into me, his movements becoming erratic, and it dawns on me that he’s not going to last as long as I need him to.

---