by Vivian Wood
“Hi,” he replied hoarsely.
Without a word, she pulled him inside her room. She then sighed after locking the doors. She had a lot to ask him. But she didn’t know where to start.
“Did you eat?” she ask.
It was stupid.
“Yeah, a bit,” he replied.
“So…”
“I’m keeping your promise, Meredith. Nobody has to know about what you heard the last time,” he spoke in between heavy breaths.
And that was enough for her to understand that he was still hesitant to trust her words. She'd promised him, hadn't she?
“I promised, didn’t I? So get your act together because everybody thinks that your answers regarding the issue are weak,” she retorted, feeling a bit insulted.
“What did you say?” he asked, alarmed.
“Nothing. There was nothing I could comment. Because seriously, I don’t have any idea what to say,” she responded while gritting her teeth.
Elijah sighed in relief. And it made her more annoyed. Was that the only thing he wanted to talk with her? What about her? What about them?
“Thank you,” he mumbled sincerely. “I’m just worried. I’m sorry for doubting you.”
“It’s okay,” she responded, trying to keep her tone neutral.
She was trying her best not to burst out crying. She never should have expected anything from him.
Sex.
It was just sex.
What was she thinking? She was the one who'd surrendered to him. She didn’t have the right to feel bitter about it. He'd just granted her wish.
“I trust you,” he said before planting a kiss on her forehead. “Thank you,” he added before turning on his heels, leaving her frozen in place.
With that very simple gesture, Meredith felt a whole lot better. Maybe she was just overthinking things. She thought she should be more considerate of his situation.
For now, she should be content with whatever they have.
25
For the last leg of the campaign they were joined by Ellie Scott, Elijah's little sister. He was happy for the company though. It had been ages since they'd had any quality time together.
They were at a huge county fair. He was pleased by the huge crowd that had come out to see him, all of them cheering and waving around miniature flags with his name on them. The sun was scorching hot, but he didn't feel bothered by it.
He was just so happy with the support the people were showing him. Just like at all the other events, he delivered his speech flawlessly.
When his speech ended, people screamed, cheered and whistled and it was more than enough to quench the thirst he was feeling. He'd been to a lot of events, but that was the first time he'd seen a crowd who looked extremely happy to see him.
His eyes landed on Ellie who was watching him proudly, her hair bouncing as she jumped on her feet. She, too, was holding a little flag with his name on it, showing her support for his candidacy.
He couldn’t be happier.
He was with a family member, and…
Looking around, his eyes searched for Meredith who was wildly scribbling on her notepad. She was wearing a sun visor, and her hair was pulled into pigtails. There were beads of sweat on her face. But it didn't diminish the fact that she shone as bright as the sun that day.
Yes, he felt complete.
Because Meredith was there, too.
The fair was literally an amusement park. And he thought it would be a great chance to let everybody have a little bit of fun. Ellie especially looked like she was itching to get on all the free rides.
Eli instructed Sosie to tell the rest of the team to enjoy their time at the fair. He followed Ellie around as she stopped at every single booth like it was her first time at a county fair.
Shaking his head, he watched as Ellie repeatedly won the top prize at a booth set up to resemble a shooting range. The booth owner looked puzzled at first, then scowled when Ellie kept winning.
“Ellie, that’s enough,” he whispered to her, although he had to admit it was a little funny.
He was proud that his sister’s skills hadn't gone rusty.
After leaving the military, Elijah brought Ellie on shooting ranges once or twice a month. He thought she needed to know how to use a gun just in case. His siblings were sharpshooters, thanks to him.
He was their mentor, after all.
Pouting, Ellie gave the toy gun back to its owner and gathered the pile of stuffed toys she had won. She gave up almost everything, handing the toys to children passing by, but kept the largest teddy bear for herself.
“Are you sure you’re keeping that?” he asked, wincing. It was too big to carry around comfortably.
“Yep,” she murmured, eyeing him.
“What?”
“You carry it,” she stated, immediately turning on her heels, skipping to the next booth that caught her eye.
People looked at him as he walked around with the giant teddy bear, but their stares didn't bother him. Ellie forcing him to carry it bothered him. But he could never say no to his baby sister.
“Let’s get on the Ferris wheel!” Ellie suggested, looking up at the ride.
“Seriously?”
“I’m getting cotton candy. You want some?’ she asked instead.
“Nah, I’m fine. Go on,” he answered while rolling his eyes as he waited for her to get the tickets and treats.
Ellie had just turned twenty six, and she was one of the main reasons why he'd gone into politics. He wanted to give his sister a better life.
It didn't take long before she was back in front of him. And she literally had to drag him to the Ferris wheel.
“Come on, Eli!” she pleaded, looking at him with puppy dog eyes.
He grimaced.
“You’re not a kid anymore.”
“I’m a kid at heart,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him playfully.
“Whatever,” he grumbled as they got on the ride.
He settled the teddy bear next him carefully.
As the Ferris wheel moved, they talked about her plans after graduating high school.
“What about you? What's up with you?” she asked, pinching off small pieces of cotton candy and delicately eating them.
He frowned, not sure he understood the question.
“I'm running for president,” he said, stating the obvious.
Ellie rolled her eyes.
“That not what I meant. I mean what’s up with you and the cute blonde,” she asked.
Elijah almost cringed when Ellie looked at him with sparkling eyes, obviously interested in what he had to say. She wasn't usually the curious type. And this was the first time she'd ever asked him about his love life.
He made a face. He didn't want to talk about it, and especially not with his little sister.
“What do you mean? There's nothing between me and Meredith,” he said, hoping she'd believe him and just drop it.
It was becoming increasingly harder to lie.
Really, you fucked her and took her virginity. Nothing between you two? Seriously? asked a voice in his mind sarcastically.
Eli knew that deep down, he wanted more than just sex with Meredith. In fact, it was getting tougher to maintain this facade each day that passed. He wished he could be with her more often.
“Meredith... Even her name is cute,” Ellie commented while looking out over the fair. “You know I just want for you to be happy, right?” she said.
Elijah blinked at the seriousness and sincerity in her sister’s voice. For a moment there, he thought she was really acting like an adult. But it all vanished when he flashed her a mischievous grin.
Who was he kidding? Elli would always be a kid – a playful one.
“I’ll talk to her when we get down,” she said, then focused her attention on her dwindling cotton candy.
Elijah didn't bother trying to talk her out of it. His little sister was the most stubborn person he'd ever met. What Ellie wanted, Ellie
would get.
When the Ferris wheel stopped, Ellie hopped off it excitedly, skipping toward the booth where she'd last spotted Meredith. He shook his head when his sister hooked arms with Meredith, surprising the latter.
He wanted to get a better look at the two, but he started sneezing.
Damn this stuffed animal, he cursed, walking away to find their rental car.
Elijah was sweaty and tired when he got to the car, throwing Ellie’s teddy bear into the rear. He never should have taken it with them.
He frowned when his phone started ringing even before he could rest his eyes.
It was Sosie.
“Where are you?” she questioned.
“I’m in the car.”
“Ellie has been going around with Meredith. You better take care of this before rumors start circulating. Either get your ass back out here or call your sister,” she said hissing.
Up until now, Sosie had been civil with him. After the incident of her drunkenly throwing herself at him, she'd started to grow more irritable. He thought she was probably feeling embarrassed after getting rejected.
He couldn’t blame her.
He was partly at fault.
“Sosie, they’re just having fun. What’s wrong with that?”
“It’s wrong because it’s Meredith,” she answered angrily, ending the phone call.
Feeling lethargic more than ever, Elijah dialed Ellie’s phone number and told her to get back to the car or else he’d cut the head off of her teddy bear. It was a childishly absurd thing to say.
But with his sister, it was more than enough to make her come running in fear.
Shaking his head, he chuckled when she quickly ended the call. He caught the smiling expression of his driver before closing his eyes. His head was pounding, and it was killing him. Plus, the itchy feeling in his nose was driving him crazy.
Trying to calm himself, he took a few deep breaths until the itch in his nose went away. But his peace of mind did not even last five minutes when Ellie got in the car, slamming the door shut from her side.
She looked at him, glaring. She was mad.
“You mean, arrogant, bad human be–“
“Oh shut up, it’s in the back,” he grumbled, leaning back against the seat.
“Oh, oh,” Ellie murmured, quickly checking her teddy bear.
“Don’t get it near me. Its fur is making my nose itchy,” he warned.
Ellie watched him for a while. She then raised her hands in the air, accepting defeat.
“Fine.”
The first ten minutes of the trip back to the hotel was quiet, and he was more than pleased to have at least a few moments of peace. He assumed that Ellie was tired from going around the crowded fair since she wasn't usually quiet. But when he looked at her, she was gazing out the window, staring at nothing in particular.
Ellie sighed heavily.
She was deep in thought.
“You should date her,” she blurted out suddenly.
Elijah blinked in surprise. Had he heard her right?
“What?”
“I said, you should date Meredith. I know you like her. You couldn't take your eyes off her half the time we were at the fair. And I know she likes you, too. She's a nice person, and I like her.”
He shook his head and scoffed.
“Stop talking nonsense, Ellie. Nothing can ever happen between us,” he grumbled.
“Why?”
“You know perfectly well why.”
“Why? Because you're running for president? There's no rules about this kind of thing, you know,” she said.
“Not officially, no, but think about how it would look to the public. If I started dating a reporter who was working for my campaign, I'd be crucified... and so would she. It wouldn't be fair to her, Ellie.”
His sister fell silent for a few moments.
“But you do like her, don't you?” It was more of a statement than a question.
He couldn't admit it to his sister, but he couldn't quite bring himself to say no either. Maybe he really did like her.
Or maybe Henry was right.
Maybe he was already in love with Meredith.
“I wouldn't want to be in your shoes,” Ellie said and patted him on the shoulder. “Your life seems tough.”
Furrowing his brow, he looked at her with questioning eyes. There was something in her expression that was making him want her to say more.
Ellie shrugged.
“You know, it’s hard to look away from someone like Meredith. She’s hot,” Ellie stated dreamily before directing her attention back to the dark streets.
Doing the same, Elijah couldn't help but think his sibling was right. He was leading a tough life.
And Meredith was hot.
Fucking hot.
26
After planting a deep and passionate kiss on Elijah's lips, Meredith got out of bed – his bed. She looked at the messy sheets, unable to suppress her smile. They'd just had wild sex.
She loved having sex – with him. She felt practically addicted to fucking him.
“I wish you could stay longer,” he whispered, nibbling on her shoulder as she picked up her clothes. She grimaced when she found her thong hanging on the lampshade.
She held her breath.
She felt the same.
She wanted to be with him the whole night and wake with him the next morning. She thought it would feel so damn good to be in his arms.
“Me too,” she answered, blushing. She was embarrassed at the confession, but she thought it wouldn't be so bad to be more vocal about her feelings. They’d seen each other naked, what more was there to hide?
When Elijah nibbled her earlobe, she moaned as the sensations started overwhelming her. It was almost three in the morning and she needed to get out of there while everybody else was still asleep.
She knew she couldn't be seen.
“Elijah,” she whimpered in protest as she started melting in his arms again. “Please, I have to go. I’m afraid people will see me if I leave a little late.”
“I’m sorry,” she murmured apologetically.
“No, Meredith. I’m sorry. All of this sneaking around is because of me,” he said before walking toward the bathroom door. “I’ll just take a shower. I don’t want to see you leave. Be careful when you go out.”
She nodded in response and continued getting dressed.
Checking her reflection in the mirror, she made sure she didn’t look too disheveled. Because no matter what happened, she wouldn't let her appearance give her away.
She couldn't afford to be found out.
When she finally thought she looked respectable, she headed out. She was careful to look at her surroundings first before darting out of Elijah's room. She moved rapidly at first, but slowed her pace when she thought she was far enough away. Walking too fast would surely look suspicious.
“Meredith?” said a familiar voice, making her close her eyes and hold her breath. What was she doing up at this hour?
Turning on her heels, she saw Ava. She didn't bother asking her why she was still up. Her gym clothes were explanation enough.
“Ava!” she said, feigning surprise.
“What are you doing up? It’s late,” Ava asked, eyeing her from head to toe.
Her heart raced, but she controlled her breathing. She didn’t need to feel nervous. She knew she looked normal.
“I went for a walk,” she lied with a smile.
“At this hour?” Ava’s eyes narrowed.
“Yeah,” she answered with a nod, leading the way toward their bedrooms. They were in the same wing of the hotel.
“Is something bothering you?” Ava looked worried.
Meredith shrugged, feeling guilty for lying to her friend. But she didn’t have a choice. She had to do it to protect Elijah’s image.
“Just family stuff,” she lied again.
“Oh, I wish I could be of more help.”
“It’s okay,” she murmured, sto
pping in front of her door. “You should rest, too. It’s getting late.”
“Nah, I don’t think I can sleep. I’ll just read some good stuff. You rest,” Ava said, waving goodbye.
“Okay, good night,” Meredith answered.
“Good morning,” Ava replied with a smile.
The moment she got inside her room, she released a loud and heavy sigh. She was so freaking nervous. But at the back of her mind, she regretted lying. She was never a good liar. She wished she could stop telling lies.
After getting a quick shower, she got in her pajamas and then lay on her bed while staring at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to claim her. But an hour passed, and she was still wide awake. Her mind was filled with questions and what ifs.
She groaned in frustration when her phone started ringing, making her frown. But her expression quickly changed when she saw Lily’s name on the screen.
“What’s up?” she greeted Lily.
“Oh my god! I’ve started to think you’ve forgotten about me! How come you never called me?” Lily squeaked, then pouted.
“I'm sorry. I've been so busy lately,” she replied with a heavy sigh. “How's Bali?” she asked, feeling a momentary pang of regret for the summer she could have had if she'd gone traveling with Lily instead.
“It's so boring here. I'm heading to Ibiza in three days. I hear the party scene is better there anyway,” Lily said, rolling her eyes.
“Oh, I see,” Meredith responded, not the least bit excited about it.
What happened to you? You should be more ecstatic that there’s another place where you can party ‘till you drop!
“What’s up with you?” Lily asked, narrowing her eyes.
Meredith tried to play dumb. “What?”
“You’re not acting like your usual self, Mer. Come on, you can tell me anything.”
“There’s nothing to tell, really.”
Lily pursed her lips. It was obvious from her expression that Meredith had failed to convince her of this.
“This is about Elijah Scott, right? Go on, spill the beans.”
Meredith froze. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell Lily about everything. It was just that she wasn't sure where to start.
She took a deep breath.