***
As much as Ellie liked the violet, silk, dress that Edric got for her, she felt relieved to change into an oversized nightshirt when she got home. It felt great to wash the makeup off her face and to comb the hairspray out of her hair.
She wasn’t quite ready for bed yet, her mind was too busy replaying the events of the evening. For the rest of the party and for their cab ride home, Ellie wanted to tell Cassie about what happened between her and Edric, but she was so afraid that they would be overheard by someone so she kept quiet. But now that Ellie was in her own home, she had to tell her.
She darted out into the living room. Her older sibling was dressed in her pajamas as well—short shorts and a tank top—and playing a game on her smartphone. She didn’t pay much attention to Ellie, or Spots, who was yipping at her feet.
“Edric and I kissed.” Ellie blurted out. After the words left her mouth, she turned bright-red and picked Spots off the floor, cradling him to her chest as a form of protection. “Please don’t tell anyone. He wants to keep it a secret.”
Cassie put her phone down on the couch and finally drew her attention to her sister. “Why would you do that?”
“Because I like him, and he likes me.”
She sighed while shaking her head. “You need to be careful of him. You don’t want to be a notch on his bedpost. I don’t think this is a good idea. The fact that he wants to keep your relationship a secret is a warning sign.”
“But, I think he actually cares about me.”
“He may say he likes you and as well he should. You’re a sweet, beautiful, and likable girl. But…” Cassie bit her lip. “I think he’s just trying to get into your pants. I mean, you’ve seen him on television—he has a different lover every month and he’s never once had a real girlfriend. What would you be? Number forty? That we know about. You’re probably more like number one-hundred. Plus, he’s trying to keep your relationship a secret. You have to admit, that’s odd.”
“But…”
Ellie bit her lip and hugged herself. Cassie’s probably right. I mean, why else would he be with me? What could I offer him?
“You’re right.” Ellie frowned. Tears were starting to form in her eyes.
I just wish I was special.
“Please, just be careful. Some people just don’t have it in them to care about others, and I don’t want you to be in the receiving end of that.”
“So, what should I do?”
Cassie shrugged. “Let him down easy and get another job. I’m sorry, El. This is all my fault. I never should have left the two of you together alone tonight and I shouldn’t have pressured you to take this job. I just don’t want you to get your heart broken.”
She looked up at the sky and bit her lip—her go-to mechanism to stop herself from sobbing out loud. “I just thought he liked me.”
The elder Kent sister stood up and hugged her sister tight. “I’m sorry, Ellie. It’s his fault, not yours. You’re the kindest, most special woman that I know and he should never use you like that. Do you want me to talk to him for you?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s okay. I’ll do it.”
“If you need me to do anything, please let me know. I’m so sorry that I let you down like that.”
“I feel like an idiot right now.”
***
Ellie dreaded going into work on Monday morning. She spent the entire car ride over to the office mentally thinking of a way to gently let Edric down. She arrived at the office at nine o’clock instead of eight thirty, like she usually did.
When Ellie opened the door to the office, Edric shot out of his desk.
“Eleonore, could you please shut the door?”
She slowly closed the door with her sweaty palm. Her heart was pounding and she felt like she was going to be sick. As soon as the door was shut, Edric wrapped her in his arms into a warm embrace. He gently tilted her head up, leaned over, and kissed her on the lips.
Ellie broke away from the kiss and look out the window.
He draped his arm around her and pointed at her desk. There were five different bouquets of roses lined up on it.
Here he is buying me flowers. He paid for my dog’s surgery. Maybe it would just be better if I went along and do what he wants…
“Um…um…thank you, Edric.”
Edric kissed Ellie atop her white head. “Anything for my Ellie.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“Getting me flowers.”
“Because I wanted to. Do you like them?”
“Um. Y-Yes, thank you.”
“I was thinking about our date tonight.”
“Me too.” Ellie mumbled darkly.
I don’t know how to let him down easy…
“I’ll pick you up right outside the soup kitchen you volunteer at seven o’clock sharp.” He ran his fingers through her hair and smiled down at her.
“O…Okay.”
“Great! I’m looking forward to it. I have everything planned out.”
Edric tilted Ellie’s chin up again and kissed her again. The kiss was hot and energetic, she felt a hunger behind it. One that intimidated her. After a few minutes, she tilted her head away and stepped back.
“Is everything all right?”
“We’re…we’re at work.” The young woman stammered.
Edric immediately let go of her and took a half a step back. “If you’re not comfortable with this, then I’ll back off.”
“Okay.”
“Would you like to fly the helicopter this morning?”
“Um…um…I-I’m not feeling well this morning. I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right, Ellie. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No, I’ll be fine. I think if I get to work I’ll feel better.”
“All right, if that’s what you want…”
Ellie quickly retreated to her desk and sat down. The wall of flowers acted as a barrier between them. She slunk in her chair and got to work, hardly saying a word to him and praying silently that he wouldn’t speak to her.
***
Edric carefully examined Ellie, even though she was hard to see behind the several bouquets of roses.
Did I do something wrong? Edric frowned, mentally reviewing his conversation with Ellie that morning and trying to figure out where he went wrong. She seemed so shy and distant—just as she was when she first started at the office months ago.
The whole thing was odd. She didn’t say a word to him and she didn’t want to go on a helicopter ride. Usually he and Ellie would chat at various points during the day and sometimes they would talk for hours when he got her going. But she wouldn’t speak with him. Whenever he tried to initiate the conversation, she backed out of it.
What if she doesn’t like me anymore? That was the salient thought that Edric had throughout the day. Ellie’s icy silence felt oppressive to him.
At five o’clock, Ellie bolted up from her desk and headed towards the door. “Goodbye, Edric. I’ll see you in a few hours.” Ellie stammered as she rushed out. She didn’t even stay inside the office long enough for him to respond.
***
Ellie thought that she was going to be sick. Her date was in ten minutes and she couldn’t think of any way to get out of it. She couldn’t use Spot as an excuse, since Cassie was going to be home that night.
The young woman wrung the hem of her white skirt as she stood outside the soup kitchen building. Not a minute passed and Edric’s town car was already stopped in front of the soup kitchen.
Ellie slowly walked over to the car. She felt a hot lump in her throat. What do I do? What if he wants to go further than I do? Edric got out of his town car and smiled down at his date. He held the door open and gestured for her to enter. Ellie gulped and slid into the back of the car. Edric followed suit.
Right after the two entered the car, Edric draped his arm around her shoulders and smiled at her. The young woman felt torn. Part of her wanted
to lean into him and close her eyes, like she dreamed of for months. But, the other part of her wanted to slip out from underneath his large bicep. She didn’t want to be used and tossed aside. She didn’t want to be hurt like that.
I wish I talked to Cassie about my feelings towards Edric before we kissed.
Ellie neither shook Edric’s arm off nor did she curl up closer towards him. Instead, she froze and sat rigidly.
“What’s wrong? You’ve been distant all day.”
“Nothing.”
He withdrew his arm from her shoulder.
The two sat in silence the entire limousine ride over to the restaurant. When they arrived, Edric held all the doors open for her, playing the part of a perfect gentleman.
Ellie scanned the restaurant. It was entirely empty, save for a few waiters and a string quartet dressed in tuxedos playing violins, violas, and cellos. Edric and the waiter escorted her to a small table for two near the window with a view overlooking the waterfront. He pulled out a chair for her to sit in, which she reluctantly did.
“T-thank you.” She stammered, her face bright-red.
Oh God. He spent all this money on flowers and getting this restaurant just for the two of us tonight. And now he’s doing things like pulling out chairs? Why is he doing this? What does he want from me? What do I do?
Ellie looked down at her skirt and the napkin on her lap—her new fidgeting tool. Her beating heart and anxious mind drowned out the sound of the orchestra.
“The tuna is fresh here; it’s imported from local fisherman daily.”
Ellie looked up at Edric. He looked sad.
Oh no, I’m a disappointment, and he shelled out all this money on me. What do I do?
“Pardon?”
“I thought you liked tuna. That’s why I picked out this restaurant.”
Even though she loved fish, the thought of eating nauseated her. Her nerves were fried.
“Thank you for thinking of me.” She mumbled.
Silence fell upon the two once more. They quietly ate their tuna filets, surrounded by musicians and waiters. Ellie would occasionally look over at them, blush, mutter a thank you, and then return to her food, which she was surprisingly able to keep down. Having so many eyes on her made her feel terribly self-conscious. Not only did she have to worry about Edric, but she had to worry about this small army of strangers hired to please her on this date.
“I have something for you.”
“You don’t have to…”
Edric handed Ellie a small, black, velvet box.
“Open it.”
Cringing inwardly, she slowly opened the box and a giant pearl set sat inside. The pearls themselves were quite large and the necklace was so long that she could wrap it twice around her neck to reach an appropriate length. The earrings were massive—so large that Ellie wondered if they would weigh down her ears.
“Edric…”
“Do you like them? I got this jewelry for you a while ago, before we were an item. I wanted to do something nice for you. Sorry, some of them are scuffed. I dropped them on the floor the other night.”
“They’re beautiful but I can’t accept this.” Ellie closed the jewelry box and handed them back. He bit his lip and looked away.
“If you don’t like them, I can get you bigger pearls or a different stone—”
“It’s not that. I…” Ellie looked over at the waiters and musicians and then wrung the napkin on her lap.
“Could we have a moment?”
She watched the waiters and the musicians back off to the side, instruments in hand.
They probably hate me at this point…or they think I’m spoiled or dull…
“What is it, Eleonore?”
“It’s so lavish and elaborate. I mean, between this and…and the restaurant and the musicians and the flowers and emptying the restaurant and the fish and…and…the town car ride over here. I mean, I just can’t accept it.” Ellie’s body began to tremble—the tell-tale sign that she was very overwhelmed. “And there’s just no way I can pay you back. I mean, there are ways I can pay you back. Ways that you expect that I’m not ready to give. I-I know that you’ve dated a lot of beautiful women and have lots of experience in um…that department and…and…you probably have certain expectations of how you want this night to go but I’m not prepared to do that, so please keep the jewelry.” She exhaled sharply.
Edric leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and slowly exhaled.
“Eleonore.”
“I-I should have said something this morning before you made all these plans. I should go now. I’m sorry.” She half stood up out of her seat.
“Eleonore. Sit down.”
Ellie quickly plopped back into her seat. She bit her lip and her right leg twitched uncontrollably.
“Remember how skittish you were of me after Spots’s surgery? Because you felt like you owed me?”
“Yes.”
“Remember what I said to you then?”
“Honestly, I can’t think too clearly right now.”
“I told you that you don’t have a corner on the market of good deeds.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not doing this for you because I expect you’ll have sex with me.” Edric continued. Hearing the bluntness of his words made her feel like she couldn’t even look him in the eye—not while he was talking about such an intimate topic. “Quite frankly, knowing your personality, I don’t think that we’ll be doing that for some time yet. I knew that going into this date tonight, Eleonore. And I accept it.”
“But…”
“But what?”
“I just don’t understand.”
“What don’t you understand, Ellie?”
“You…you’ve dated all these beautiful models. You’re a CEO. You’re more experienced than me at everything. And well…why are you with me and what do you want? I don’t see what I could possibly give you that you don’t already have?”
Edric stood up from his seat and slowly walked over to her. He knelt down on the ground and held both of her hands.
The musicians and the waiters waiting in the corner probably think he’s proposing. Ellie smiled lightly at the funny thought, and then snapped back to the current situation and remembered the gravity of it all.
“Eleonore.”
She glanced at him.
“Ellie, I can promise you this. You’re not just some notch on my belt. You can get that out of your head right now. Okay?”
“But…”
“No buts. I know I have a reputation of sorts and that I’m asking you to overlook a lot of my past here, but I want to be with you and just you.”
“But why?”
“Well, Ellie. I don’t know where to begin. For starters, you’re my first and closest friend. Secondly, you’re very sweet and caring. Thirdly, we have great conversations—today aside.” Ellie giggled at the comment. “And most importantly, you’re the best person I know. You’re beautiful, smart, and very, very kind. And how could I not want to be with a girl like you?” He reached up to Ellie’s face and gently stroked her cheek. “People like you are rare to find, especially for someone like me. So, yeah, that’s why I want to be with you.”
Ellie’s blush subsided and her hands finally stopped shaking. “I feel much better. I was worried that I was going to be some sort of conquest for you. I didn’t want to be that because I um…I like you and I didn’t want to have to go through that after. Um. I just didn’t want to be…”
“Hurt?”
She nodded her head.
Edric stroked her hair. “We’ll take things slow, Ellie. And I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that you’re not hurt by me, or anyone else.”
The young woman turned bright crimson when Edric’s hand moved from her hair to the side of her face to her soft, pink lips and then returned to her cheek.
“But what do you want from me?”
“I don’t think I understand, Eleonore.”
“I mean, you went through all this effort for tonight. What do you want from me in return?”
Edric laughed. “Honestly?”
She nodded her head.
“I just want you to like me.”
She reached up to the side of her face and stroked his hand gently. “Edric, you don’t have to do these things for that.”
“Well, what should I do?”
“Nothing. I already have so much; I don’t need anymore. Receiving lavish things makes me feel uncomfortable. I would rather see resources go to the poor than to me.”
“Then I’ll donate more to the poor.”
“You don’t even have to do that to get me to like you. I mean, it would be nice if you did that anyways, but you don’t have to go through all these steps to get me to like you. I like you for your personality.”
Edric laughed out loud. “Well, that’s a stretch.”
“It’s true though.”
Edric scoffed.
Ellie saw Edric’s expression harden a bit. She opened her mouth and then shut it. After a second, she decided to continue to speak. “You’re strong-willed, hard-working, smart, and very kind and caring, even though you don’t always know how to show it. You’re an incredible person. Someone who has and will continue to change the world. I admire you a lot.”
Edric cleared his throat before standing up and walking over to the other side of the room and turning his back on Ellie. He chuckled lowly.
“You’re a most unusual woman.”
“Um.”
“I mean that in a good way.”
Ellie slowly walked over to Edric. She reached her hand out and lightly touched his back. His suit jacket felt cool and smooth under her touch.
“I guess my point is that I don’t need or want lots of attention. Although I think that it’s very sweet that you for trying to impress me.”
The CEO laughed lightly. “I feel a little embarrassed.”
“Why?”
“Well, I tried to do something for you but it backfired tremendously and just made you feel awkward and uncomfortable.”
Ellie giggled. She moved her hand from his back to his hand. Edric tightly grasped Ellie’s hand in turn.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Remember when I twisted my ankle a few months ago because I wore those super high heels?”
A Sibling's Dilemma Page 19