One Wish

“Would you like a drink of anything?” I ask as I get to work buttering the bread and heating the pan. I glance around, noting that Eli’s reading something on his phone. When he realizes I’m still waiting he looks up, shaking his head.

“No, thanks.”

“Everything okay?” I ask, motioning my head to his phone.

He places the phone frontside down and inhales a deep breath as he takes his seat at the counter. “Everything’s fine. You’ve had a few people asking after you today, that’s all.”

I bite my lip, feeling kind of guilty. “I’m sorry you had to deal with all that. Am I in big trouble?” I joke.

Eli laughs, crossing his arms in front of him. “Michelle just needs to be spoken to as firmly as she does herself. Once you tell it to her like it is, she’s happy. She’s cancelling all your scheduled shoots and interviews for a couple of days until you get back on your feet. She mentioned something about a music video…?”

“Oh, yes,” I reply. I had completely forgotten about that. I also have no idea who Michelle is, but considering she’s cancelling appointments for me, she must be important.

“Apparently, Cash Montgomery is thrilled to hear that you will be starring in it and is going to try and schedule something for next month.”

I nod. “Yeah, apparently he wants me in this new video to star as his girlfriend.”

Eli frowns at that. “I never thought you would be one to star in videos of unheard-of musicians.”

I shrug one shoulder as I begin buttering the bread. “Well, I’m changing a lot of things about myself.”

“I can see that,” he responds, and although I think his reply is cocky, there’s no ounce of cockiness in his smile.

Getting back to the task at hand, I place the cheese on the bread, and all the while I can sense Eli’s intriguing eyes watching me. My head giddies at the thought.

It’s a start.

“It smells great already.”

“I haven’t even started cooking it yet,” I snort.

“Did you just snort?”

I whip around, spatula in hand. I wave it towards him, a cocky smile on my face. “I believe I just did.” I turn back around, placing the sandwich in the pan. I note how tired and achy I still feel, but the adrenaline of having this moment with Eli is certainly helping me keep going.

“Hold on, are you making two?”

“Yes.”

“But who’s the other one for?” I have my back to him, but his tone is one of surprise.

“Me, silly.”

“I feel like I’m entering The Twilight Zone.”

I flip the sandwich over, my back still facing him, but I turn my head. “Why do you say that?”

I already know what his answer will be, but I deliberately asked to keep up the conversation flowing with him. A part of me wonders if we’ve ever engaged like this before. From what Alyson told me it sounds as though Eli and I were never around each other enough to converse.

“You normally think that even inhaling cheese will make you put on weight.”

Hmm… I’m really not liking this old me. I sound plastic, unreal, bitchy and slutty… to name just a few. Does this old Kendra really sleep with three different men in one day? I can sort of understand a wife getting lonely due to her husband’s absence, but sleeping with that many men isn’t loneliness. It’s an STD waiting to happen.

“Well, maybe I woke up a couple of days ago and thought I don’t like myself.” Without giving too much away, I owe it to him to be brutally honest. “Maybe since then I am trying to discover the real me.”

Also true. Who is the real me? It certainly isn’t the hollow, skinny bitch everyone seems to be making me out to be. I simply refuse it.

I place his sandwich on a plate and hand it to him. I’m about to place mine in the pan when Eli stands close to me, his citrusy scent hitting my nostrils and making me close my eyes on an inhale.