“Your eyes see the good in things and people. The homeless, strangers, your sister, Violet…me.” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “Your hands do good things, like make cookies and cupcakes and volunteer at soup kitchens. Your head is filled with good ideas and smart thoughts. As for your chest…” Edric’s voice cracked ever-so-slightly. “It holds this kind and the most beautiful heart that I’ve ever seen. And yeah, you might stand out, but that’s a good thing…”
The words made her cry harder. It would almost have been easier for her to listen to Aria’s insults than Edric’s kind words. The pain of not being with him cut through her like a knife.
“Because I can spot you easier.” He continued. “And when I see you, I’m happy because I know there are good people out there.”
“Edric…”
He wiped away a stray tear from his own eye.
“Edric, you’re crying...are you okay?”
He nodded his head and cleared his throat. “I’m not anymore.” He spoke in a normal tone. “But you are and I’m trying to get you to stop.”
Ellie shook her head. “Because…I don’t know how to say this…”
“Say what?”
“Can you go back to being mean to me? Like how you were when we first met.”
“What?” He shook his head. “Ellie, wait, no. I couldn’t…”
“Please, it’s easier that way…”
He sat straight up and faced her directly, inching closer. “Explain to me why.” His tone reverted to what Ellie thought of as his ‘boss’ voice.
“I…”
“Eleonore.”
“Please.”
“Explain to me why,” he asked.
“But—”
“Tell me.”
“I really don’t want to.”
“Eleonore. I’m not dropping this until I hear an explanation.”
“But—”
“For Christ’s sake, just tell me.”
“Because I like you.” Ellie blurted out. After the words left her mouth, she pulled her knees closer to her chest. “It’s stupid and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have even said anything. You probably hate me right now.” Edric stared at her but she couldn’t quite read his facial expression.
Edric reseated himself next to Ellie and placed his hand underneath her chin and gently tilted her head to face his. He leaned in slowly and brushed her hair back lightly. She dropped her knees away from her chest and wrapped her hands around his back, like she had seen done in the movies. Finally, he leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.
Edric’s kiss was gentle and chaste. It only lasted for a few seconds until he pulled away and wrapped his arms around her waist. She returned his gaze. After a few seconds, the two kissed again. This kiss was more passionate and eager than the first. Edric pulled her onto his lap—his hands roamed up and down the young woman’s back, feeling her bare skin and the silk of her gown. Ellie returned the ferocity of the kiss by running her fingers through his hair and her hands over his biceps. Their tongues wandered into each other’s mouths. As fierce as the second kiss was, Ellie noticed that he didn’t let his hands wander too far.
After about five minutes, the two broke apart.
“Wow…”
“Wow.” She echoed.
The two chuckled for a moment. Edric placed his forehead against Ellie’s and her finger gently traced the dimple on his cheek.
“I didn’t know you felt that way…”
“Ellie, I’ve liked you for a while now.”
“I’ve liked you too.”
She giggled again but then frowned a few seconds later. The practical voice in the back of her mind reminded her of a painful fact that she had been pushing aside during her kisses with Edric—he brought Aria here, not her.
I’m probably one of many girls to him…
“Hey, hey, what’s wrong, Ellie? You look upset.” Edric changed his position to draping an arm around her shoulder and putting a hand on her knee.
“But Aria…”
“What about her?”
“You’re with…”
He laughed. “Ellie, the only reason why I brought her was that I thought that you were bringing a boyfriend or something.”
“Oh, what do you mean?”
“When you asked if you could bring someone, I assumed that you meant a date. So, I invited Aria because I didn’t want to have a pity-party by myself at the gala. I didn’t think it through.”
“I didn’t know.”
He pulled her closer into a tight embrace and rested his chin on top of her head.
“I just didn’t think you liked me.”
“I do, very much, Ellie. You’re kind, sweet, smart, and the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“Then why didn’t you say anything?”
Edric sighed. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t quite know what to do with you. What box to put you in.”
“What do you mean?”
“On one hand, I care very much for you like I do Violet and Owen. But on the other hand, I’m physically attracted to you like um…some other people I know. But, on the other hand, we had—and have—such a comfortable friendship that I didn’t want to fuck it up. So, I didn’t do anything. I should have said something.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“I don’t either.” He kissed her atop her white hair. “But that doesn’t matter anymore. We figured it out. Finally.”
“So now what?” Ellie asked.
“I’m going to have to think.”
She wrapped her arms around herself and looked down at the ground. “A-about what?”
He hugged her tighter and chuckled. “Oh, Ellie. Not about you. Like I said, I really like you. May I take you out?”
“On a date?”
“Yeah, a date. Dinner? Movie? Whatever you’d like.”
“I’d like that a lot.”
“How’s Monday night sound?”
“I usually volunteer at a soup kitchen after work but I’ll be done by seven.”
“I can go with you. How’s that sound?”
Ellie smiled. “I would be thrilled to have you with me volunteering. Besides, maybe we can get that paparazzi that follows you around to focus on something good that needs the attention for a change.”
Edric frowned.
“Well, shit.” He pulled away from Ellie—still making a point to keep his hands on her arms—and looked at her. After a few seconds of his piercing stare, Ellie fidgeted uncomfortably.
“What’s wrong?”
“We’re going to have to have a change of plans.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t want you to have to deal with the paparazzi or the press. At all. They can be brutal and intrusive. I want better for you.”
“I can take it if it means being with you.”
“But Ellie.” Edric reached out and took both of her hands. “It doesn’t have to be. After my product launches this winter, interest in me will die out for a bit. We can go public with our relationship then.”
She frowned. If he doesn’t want to be with me, I wish he would just say so.
“Ellie, look at me.” Ellie looked up again. “I really want to be with you. But I don’t want to destroy you in the process because you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He reached out and gently touched her cheek. “I mean that. You’ve become one of my closest friends and I care about you a lot. So, I would prefer to date in secret for the next couple of months, until everything blows over. Okay?”
“What would that entail?”
“Just being careful where we went together in public and who we talk to about our relationship. This is as much your decision as mine. What do you think?”
“Can I tell Cassie at least?”
He chuckled. “Of course. Besides, she’d figure it out on her own, even if you didn’t tell her.”
“We can keep it between us and our family for a while. But I do want
to date normally eventually.”
“And we will, Ellie. I can’t keep someone as amazing as you a secret for long.” He kissed her gently on the cheek and affectionately squeezed her knee.
***
Edric couldn’t resist reaching out to touch Ellie another time—to check that she was real. Feeling her cool skin under the touch of his fingers was a reminder to him that he wasn’t dreaming after all. Ellie was real and she liked him. He looked down at her and she looked up at him. This time, it was Ellie who initiated the physical contact by giving Edric a sweet, gentle kiss on the lips. He gripped her tighter and kissed her more forcefully this time, caught up in the feverish passion of their embrace. The two of them were in another world, where the only thing that seemed to matter was each other’s tight embraces and locked lips.
Edric’s phone loudly rang, dragging them back to reality.
“Shit.” Edric pulled away, wanting to fire or chew out whoever was calling. He tried to return his attention to Ellie’s soft lips, but the loud ringing was too distracting.
“It’s okay.”
Edric sighed. He sat upright in the chair and put his phone to his ear. “Hello?”
“Mr. Kensington?”
“Yes.” He massaged his forehead; the same man who told him that Owen was drinking earlier that evening called. Edric speculated that he was either calling about Owen or a work problem; nothing good either way.
“Where did you go?”
“To my office. What’s the point of all this?”
“Guests are starting to wonder where you disappeared to.”
“If anyone asks, tell them something important came up.” He glanced over at Ellie and smiled coyly. She giggled faintly.
“You should be down soon though. Some press members are getting antsy and your date keeps on harassing me to find you.”
“I’ll be down before I give my speech at eleven.”
“That’s an hour window, sir. Can you be more specific?”
“Not at the moment.” Edric glanced over at Ellie again. He figured that she would say something sweet and be nice to the man.
Maybe I should take a page from her book…
“But thank you for calling.” Edric quickly added.
“Yes, sir.”
Edric hung up the phone and sighed. The realities of his job were starting to pile up. To top it all off, he knew that he had to threaten Aria into leaving and not telling a soul about making Ellie cry or her feelings towards him or his obvious feelings towards her. And then he had to make Albert Summer’s life a living hell. Well, he didn’t have to, but he sure wanted to.
What a mess.
Ellie reached over and rested her head on his shoulder and placed her pale, cold, hand on his.
“Do you need to go?”
“Eventually, yes. But not right now. I can stay here with you for a bit longer. Would you like that?”
“I don’t want to be a burden on your work. The press is going to want to interview you and there’s a lot of people who you need to talk with.”
“They can wait. I would like to stay with you. Would you like me to?”
Ellie nodded her head slowly. “But you should set an alarm on your phone for fifteen minutes from now so you can get back to work.”
“Whatever would I do without you, Eleonore?”
Ellie bit her lip. He chuckled again and then pulled the blushing woman right up against his chest and then laid down on the sofa.
She nuzzled her head in the crook of Edric’s arm right where his shoulder met his pectoral muscles and then draped her free arm over his chest. After he set an alarm, he rested his hand over her hand. Her presence felt so peaceful. So much so that Edric felt his eyelids start to droop down.
“This was a mistake.” He declared.
“What…?” Ellie quietly muttered. Edric could feel her body coiling into itself and slip away from his chest.
“No, not you, Ellie. Come back here.” She returned her head to the crook in his chest. This time her head and neck felt much stiffer. “I meant laying down on the couch. It’s making me tired.”
“I thought you were Mr. I-only-need-four-hours-of-sleep.”
“I am, but I feel so relaxed.”
“Me too…”
The two fell quiet for the next fifteen minutes, focusing on the sounds of each other’s breathing. It soothed him. There were so many times he wished that she were laying on his chest, sleeping peacefully, and here she was, finally. All felt right with the world. He fell into a sort of trance where he was neither awake nor asleep. The jarring sound of the alarm woke them both up and they jostled into a sitting position. Ellie rubbed her eyes and yawned.
Edric slowly stood. “You can stay here as long as you’d like or you can go home or stay at the party. Whatever you decide is fine,” he said through a yawn. “I need to go back down there and do some interviews and put Aria in her place.”
“Be kind. Don’t embarrass her or make her look bad on my account.”
“I’ll try.”
“Seriously, I don’t want bad things to happen to anyone because of me.”
“I’ll be good.”
Ellie stood up and adjusted Edric’s bow tie and then ran her fingers through his hair to readjust that too; she’d tussled it a bit when they were kissing. “There.”
“All right, Ellie. If you do go back down there or leave, give me a five-minute head start. Maybe carry a clipboard or something. Glare at me from across the room and if anyone in the press asks why you were upset, just say that you don’t want to talk about it. Or better yet: blame me and say that I chewed you out over the guest list.”
“Was there a mistake?”
“No, Ellie. Just the one I made by brining Aria. The gala is wonderful. Just like you.”
Ellie stood up on her tip-toes and kissed Edric gently on the lips. “Good luck.”
Edric walked over to his office door. Before he left, he took one final look at Ellie, smirked, and then shut the door.
Chapter Fifteen
Edric was silent the entire limousine ride back from the gala. He chuckled occasionally to himself and smiled, spending the journey staring out the window.
Owen fully expected to get in some sort of trouble for his stint a few hours earlier—trying to sneak a beer at the party—but Edric didn’t even mention it or give him a hollow lecture about underage drinking.
When the two finally returned to the foyer of their penthouse, Owen decided to speak up.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Edric looked over at his brother. “Hmm?”
“You’re awfully cheerful tonight. Did you get some new investors?”
“Oh, yes, plenty.”
“Huh. Well, good for you?” He didn’t mean for that last bit to be a question. His older brother hummed to himself as he undid his bowtie and took off his suit jacket.
Bro never hums. Ever. What the fuck? Has he been taken by some sort of body snatcher?
“You’re humming.”
“Hmm?” Edric looked over at his brother. “I suppose I am.”
The two walked over to the kitchen. The elder Kensington rifled through the refrigerator and pulled out some ice cream.
“Want some?”
“…Sure, even though it’s one in the morning and you usually never eat sweets or snack on anything late at night.”
Edric didn’t seem to catch onto his brother’s sarcastic tone. Usually he had some sort of catchy retort for Owen at that point. Instead, he went over to the cabinets and pulled out two dishes and spoons. He continued humming to himself as he dished out the ice cream.
He walked over to his younger brother, handed him a bowl, and then sat opposite him from the table.
Owen finally broke the silence. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Nothing, everything’s perfect. Why do you ask?”
“First of all, as I’ve said, you’re humming. You never do that. Second of all, you’re eating swe
ets at one in the morning. Third of all, you were so quiet and distant and somber the entire time at that gala and then when you leave you’re chuckling to yourself and all smiles.”
“I’m in a good mood.”
“Can I have a raise in my allowance?”
“Don’t push it.”
“It was worth a shot.”
Edric laughed.
The two resumed eating their ice cream in silence. Again, Owen decided to break the silence. “So, did you ever find out why Ellie ran away crying earlier this evening when I was…” He cut himself off from finishing the sentence. Even though Edric was in a good mood, he didn’t want to push his luck by mentioning his attempt to sneak a beer at the party.
“Aria called her ugly so she ran away crying.”
“Are you happy about that? Man, you’re one sick puppy.”
“No, I’m not.”
“So, is that why Aria left the party this evening?”
“I wasn’t about to have her stay after she insulted Ellie.”
“…So, why do you sound so gleeful?”
Edric smiled. “Because, through this strange series of events, I have a date with Ellie this Monday night.”
“So that explains it. Man, I told you so. What exactly happened?”
“I like to keep some details private.” Edric smiled to himself. “She actually likes me. Don’t tell anyone though.”
“Oh, I know. The press will eat her alive.”
“I’m aware of that.” Edric sounded a little more serious, for which Owen felt relieved.
Ah, he’s back to normal.
“Since you’re keeping things under wraps with Ellie, what are you going to do for your date on Monday?”
“If I rent out an entire restaurant, that would be private.”
“But that would also freak her out. She’s not the type of person who enjoys a lot of fuss.”
“I know she doesn’t like attention but I don’t know how else to convey how I feel about her.”
“I’d do something low-key.”
“No, I really have to impress her.”
“Okay…” Owen responded in a warning tone. “Good luck with that.”
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