Obsessively Yours (Joe & Ella 1)

He picked me up in his arms and carried me into his bathroom. Set me down on my feet and walked over to his bath to start the water running. He went to his cabinet and rooted through before choosing some kind of oil and bubble bath to add in.

“This should help ease things up a bit. You will still feel sore but it’ll help.” I didn’t care, we’d crossed a bridge tonight and our relationship had taken on new meaning. It was stronger, unbreakable.

Once the bath was full and steaming he picked me up and stepped into the bath then lowered us both in. It felt so good to lie in the hot bubbles my back to his front, in his arms. He always took such good care of me.

“I meant what I said you know.” I turned to face him a puzzled look on my face, “I love you Ella, so fucking much I can’t control it sometimes. That’s why I get so jealous, so over protective. I don’t want to smother you. You’ll have to let me know if it all gets too much for you.”

“You’re never too much Joe.” I trailed a finger down his cheek and along his stubbled jaw.

“I love you too. I ache for you when I’m not with you. I feel like you’re a part of me now.”

“I am a part of you. I’m the other half of you. You’re the other half of me. That’s how it is.”

“You say the sweetest things.” I kissed him and he smiled as he kissed me back.

“I think my balls just shrivelled up and dropped off I’m turning into a woman with all this soppy shit just lately.”

“I like your soppy shit!” I chided him. “I like you having balls too though.”

He threw his head back and laughed.

We stayed in the water holding each other, adding hot water and letting out the cold. I yawned and was just about to suggest sleep when Joe said, “I want you to move in with me.”

“I’m with you most nights anyway why do I need to move in?”

“Because I want you here every day. I want to go to sleep with you and wake up next to you. I want to make you breakfast every day and feed you after a long day at work. I want to know where you are all the time, and know that wherever you are you’re coming home to me.”

“It feels a bit quick Joe, I don’t know.”

“Well I do. It’s silly you going from your place to mine. It’s a no brainer Elle.”

“I’m not saying no, just….give me a chance to get used to the idea. Is that okay?”

“I suppose it’s better than a no.”

“Like I could ever say no to you champ.”

I was sitting in the almost empty office when I decided to bring up the whole ‘moving in together’ idea to Chris. The only other person with us was Colin and he was engrossed in his work oblivious to the two of us.

“I suppose there’s pros and cons for both.” Chris said. “You need to make a list.”

“Maybe, I’m always with him anyway so it’ll save money, time, petrol, stress….”

“If you have an argument you can’t avoid him. You’ll lose your own space.”

“There is that but if we are going to make this work in the long term then we need to deal with things and I need to stop running away.”

“What about your independence? It’s a bit soon after the whole Adam thing isn’t it.”

“I know and I was concerned about that too, but he is totally different to Adam. Plus he has a housekeeper so I won’t get lumbered with all the washing and household chores.”

“Nice one! You do know that if you give in this easily it’ll set a precedence for the future. Maybe it’s better to keep him guessing. Not bow down to him on everything so easily.”

“I’m not bowing down, I’m not making anything easy. You make me sound like a push over Chris.”

“I know you’re not a push over Hun, but keeping him waiting a bit might help you in the long run. Show him he doesn’t control you.”

“He doesn’t control me. I told him I’d only think about it for now.”