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Chapter 31: Close Calls and Knee-droppin' Makeovers
“What the hell?” I screech upon catching my best friends spying on me. I can’t believe this guy.
“It’s not what it looks like man,” He replies, holding his hands up in surrender as he slowly backs towards the stairs. “I was just””
“Spying on me!” I finish for him in a rage. “I can’t f**king believe you.” I take a large step forward to stand directly in front of Trace just as he reaches the top of the stair and cannot move any farther away.
“What’s going on?” A quiet voice asks behind me. I look over my shoulder at Elli who’s standing in the doorway with wide innocent eyes. Her gaze shifts from me then to Trace and finally back to me. Embarrassment is evident on her face once she realizes that Trace must have seen us kissing. I see her eyes close and feel her slide behind me and press her face into my back as she grips the tail of my t-shirt. Trace is so lucky she came out here. If she hadn’t I surely would have pushed him down the stairs. Okay so maybe I wouldn’t have really done that, but I at least would have continued to yell at him.
“What’s with all the yelling up here?” Elisha asks from the base of the stairs looking very much like she just woke up. At least she was mature enough to let us be and not go snooping around where she’s not wanted.
“Trace was spying on me and Elli,” I grit between clenched teeth.
Elisha gasps rather dramatically leaving me a bit suspicious. She turns her attention to Trace who has backed down the middle landing by now. “I told you not to go check on them.” She scolds.
“Oh my gosh!” Trace exclaims, tossing his hands in the air in utter frustration. “She was peepin’ with me!”
“Don’t drag her into this.” I grumble even though I’m pretty sure he’s telling the truth. I would expect the ‘peeping’ more so from Elisha than Trace. It’s more fun to torture Trace than Elisha.
“It’s true!”
“Whatever man,” I answer back, barely able to suppress my smile. It’s too easy man. Suddenly remembering the young woman attached to my back I reach one arm behind me and pull her to my side where she then buries her face into my side. I chuckle, rubbing my hand over her arm soothingly. When is Elli not embarrassed? “You ready to go home?” I ask her quietly and she nods her head.
“I can take her,” Elisha offers sweetly…too sweetly. “I’m going to head out anyway.”
There’s something very fishy going on here. Elisha is never this generous, especially to people she barely knows. She’s going to try to squeeze information out of her as to what our new status is. We haven’t even discussed that yet”another reason Elisha should not take Elli.
“You don’t have to do that.” I answer back, hoping she’ll drop it but knowing in the back of my mind that she is incapable of it.
“I really don’t mind.” She smiles cheekily.
I look down at Elli, who is still pressed onto my side and let out a loud sigh. I’m really too tired to go though all this right now. I point a solitary finger at her, telling her to wait before pulling Elli back into my room and closing the door. I stop to lock to the door behind me this time.
“Are you okay?” I ask warily, just waiting for her to freak out about what just occurred between us no more than five minutes ago. She trips over the ankles of the pants she’s wearing on her way over to the bed but somehow manages not to fall. When she doesn’t answer I start to get nervous.
She’s regretting it which is starting to make me regret it. I hope I didn’t just ruin a potentially great friendship. I mean I have doubts about starting a relationship with Elli, but I’m willing to put those to the back burner and just try. It’s going to be difficult”we’re going to have to hide it from just about everyone, especially her mother. I haven’t even begun to think about what I would or am going to tell my mom. I’m not sure how she would react to me dating a minor but I’m guessing she wouldn’t be all that thrilled. Once she meets Elli, though, I’m sure she would be fine with it….well I’m almost sure. Anyway, we would never be able to go out anywhere together in public, especially after I release my album. If some paparazzi got a photo of us holding hands or even sitting closely it would be all over the tabloids and then people would find out her age and it would just be hell for both of us. Maybe this is a bad idea.
“I’m…fine.” She mutters, finally answering my question and revealing to me that she in fact is not really ‘fine.’ She’s starting to panic, I can see it in her flushed face. I can understand though. I mean she just experienced her first kiss and sort of make-out session all at one time. I’m sure she’s overwhelmed. “I’m fine.” She repeats again a little more believable, but not much.
“Would you like to go on a date with me?” I blurt out, shocking myself with the question. Where did that come from? Wasn’t I just telling you that starting something with Elli was a bad idea?
“What?” She looks shocked”more so than me.
“A date.” I repeat as coolly as possible. I shove my hands in my pockets nervously. “I know we kind of did things backwards here but…I don’t know…will go out to dinner with me?”
“What?” She says again and I nearly laugh. Why is this so shocking to her?
“I know that I felt something in that”those kisses and I would like to see where we can take our relationship from here.” I continue, hoping that she’ll snap out of the apparent daze she’s in and agree to see me again.
“Okay,”
“Really?” I hear myself ask, sounding much like a dork. I feel like I’m back in junior high again. I roll my eyes at myself. “Is tomorrow night good for you?”
She pauses for a few moments in thought. It’s not a school night is it? No, tomorrow is Saturday so that should be fine. You see it’s when I have to ask myself things like that that make me wonder if I’m doing the right thing.
“I think that will be fine.” Finally more that a one word response; thank you.
“So I’ll see you around”uh”seven?”
~*~*~*~*~
(Elisha’s POV)”Saturday Afternoon
You should have seen the look on Trace’s face when he saw Justin. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. It was really, really hard not to laugh. So Trace basically got reamed for spying and I was the one who was trying to stop him. How perfect did that turn out for me?
Justin was all like “what the hell?” and Trace was like “I can explain man,” and then Justin was like “I can’t believe you were f**king spying on me.” It was awesome. And poor Elli came out to see what all the commotion was about was mortified to see us standing there. It was obvious we were spying and once she realized that we saw the two of them going at it her face turned a shade of red I have never seen before. She just shyly slid behind Justin, clutching the back of his shirt in her hands and leaning her head against his back. It was adorable. I don’t think the two of them could possibly be any cuter.
So, anyway, Justin was still scolding Trace when I volunteered to drive Elli home since I was leaving anyway. And Justin just sort of stood there like….I don’t even know, but I could tell that he had anticipated on driving her home. So he goes, “oh you don’t have to do that.” So I said, “it’s no problem, I’m leaving anyway.” And then he was quiet for a while why he tired to come up with some logical explanation as to why he should be the one to take her home. I know I was being evil, but Trace wanted them to take a little breather from each other and this was the best way. I’m still in love with the guy”what can say?
We got Elli changed back into her dry clothing and I drove her home. We didn’t really talk that much. Even though I apologized and she forgave me and all things were still a bit awkward. Not to mention the fact I knew she made out with Justin and she knew that I knew that she knew. Wait…did I say that right? I don’t know, but it doesn’t really matter does it?
“Lish, move your ass.” Trace groans, pushing me farther up the driveway to Elli’s house. He’s still pissed that I didn’t get in trouble last night.
“Shut-up.” I spit back but move faster anyway. Upon reaching the front door I ring the doorbell twice”an obsessive habit of mine. The door opens only moments later to reveal a woman who slightly resembles our little Elli only older and….prettier”no offense to Elli. Her mom has to have the most gorgeous hair and eyes I have ever seen. Flowing golden curls and bright green eyes. I guess she really doesn’t look all that much like Elli after all. “Hi, we’re here to pick-up Elli.”
“Oh, she’s upstairs”Justin!” She smiles widely. Justin? He didn’t come with us. I turn around, looking past Trace to try to spot Justin. “I didn’t see you there. Come on in.”
Are you all as confused right now as I am? Justin is not here. I am positive about that. I shake my head and follow Mrs. Montgomery inside. I send Trace and confused look but he’s not even looking in my direction. Please tell me he did not just check out Elli’s mom. I mean even I will admit that she’s hot and has a killer body but she’s like….in her forties”gross. I could just be imagining things though; I hope so.
“So, Justin, who is this friend you brought with you?”
“Trace, what the h””
“Lish!” He interrupts me in a heated whisper. I through my arms up in frustration. He moves closer to my side, grabbing hold of both my shoulders from the side. “Just play along.”
If I’m supposed to play some stupid game here than he should have warned me before we got here. So I’m assuming I have to call Trace Justin because….umm….I really don’t know, but I’ll play his game.
“Who’s Trace?” Mrs. Montgomery asks suspiciously.
“Trace?” I echo and she nods. “That just”uh”my nickname for Justin. It’s a really long story that we really don’t have time to get into.” I laugh lamely hoping I covered well enough for now. “Did you say Elli’s upstairs?”
Elli’s Mom nods her head seeming to accept my lame excuse for the time being. We both smile cheekily at her before bouncing upstairs to search for Elli.
That was a close one.
(Trace’s POV)
Jesus Christ! Elisha just almost blew our cover. I didn’t think I would need to explain the situation to her since Elli’s mom is usually never home when I come over. Plus her car wasn’t in the driveway.
“What the hell was that all about?” She asks quietly once we’re stopped outside of Elli’s bedroom door. We’re picking her up so Elisha can take her shopping for her big date with Justin tonight. She claims she going to give her a make over that will have Justin at his knees. I just hope she didn’t mean that in some sexual way.
“I’ll explain later.” I brush her off with a wave of my hand and reach for the door knob. She grabs my hand, halting my movements and preventing me from opening the door. “What is wrong with you?”
“Listen.” She orders, pointing at Elli’s room with her free hand.
With a furrowed brow I press my ear to the door”you would think I would have learned my lesson about eavesdropping last time wouldn’t you? “Is that…?”
“Nsync?” Elisha finishes, scrunching up her nose. I press closer to the door, daring to open the door just a sliver. I make out the last chorus to “Here We Go Now.” I don’t know if I’m more amazed at the fact she’s actually listening and singing along to this or that she sounds incredible. “Did you know she could sing like that?”
I dumbly shake my head no as she breaks into the opening lyrics to “God Must Have Spent A Little More Time on You.” She sounds ten times more amazing singing a song like this”much more vocally challenging. Damn, she’s got one hell of a set of pipes and by the way she’s harmonizing I think Nsync would have sold twice as many albums if they had recorded with her.
“In all of creation/All things great and small/You are the one that surpasses them all/More precious than any diamond or pearl/They broke the mould/When you came in this world/And I'm trying hard to figure out/Just how I ever did without/The warmth of your smile/The heart of a child/That's deep inside/Leaves me purified/Your love is like a river/Peaceful and deep (and deep)/Your soul is like a secret/That I never could keep (never could keep)/When I look into your eyes/I know that it's true/God must have spent/A little more time on you.”
“Does Justin know she can sing?” Elisha whispers.
“I don’t think so.” I answer distractedly. “You know how he is about ‘discovering’ people. I’m sure we would have heard something by now.”
Justin has always wanted to discover someone incredible. He’s a dork, what can I say? If he knew that Elli had a voice like this I’m sure it would be all I ever heard about. It would probably be best to keep this from him.
“On you, on you, on you, you (yes he did)/On you, on you, on you, you (oh)/On you, on you, on you, you (yeah)/Oh you, on you, on you, you (yeah)/Never thought that love could feel like this/And you changed my world with just one kiss/(ooh) How can it be that right here with me/There's an angel/It's a miracle.”
Not feeling like spying anymore, I push the door the rest of the way open and step inside with Elisha following closely behind me. We wait for her to finish out the song before making our presence known.
“Your love is like a river/Peaceful and deep (peaceful and deep)/Your soul is like a secret/That I never could keep/When I look into your eyes/I know that it's true/God must have spent/A little more time on you/On you, on you, on you, you/God must have spent/A little more time on you/On you (on you, you)/Yeah/A little more time/On you (ooohhh).”
“Hey,” Elisha giggles like an idiot. Sometimes I wonder what I ever saw in that girl. Elli jumps, startled, and rushes to her CD player to quickly turn off the music. I don’t really need to tell you that she’s blushing do I? “You ready to get going?”
“Oh”sure.” She smiles awkwardly. She must still be embarrassed about last night. She really has no reason to be though. I mean everyone kisses, right? It’s no big deal. Now if I had walked in on them f**king or something that would have been different. Ugh, I don’t even want to think about that; mental picture I did not want to have. “Where exactly are we going?”
“We still have to pick up Liz,” I answer before Elisha cuts me off.
“Rodeo Drive baby!” She smiles excitedly. Did I mention how much Lish loves to shop? I think she’s addicted, personally. Noticing the look Elli is giving her, I’m beginning to think this afternoon is going to be quite interesting.
TBC....
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