Elodie: LOLHollis: Also…this might sound crass, but I’d REALLY like to slap your ass.Elodie: Well, aren’t you the creative one when you’re horny…Hollis: My version of nursery rhymes. ;-) Remind me why you’re down the hall and not in my bed again?Elodie: Because now that we’re actually here and she’s in the next room, I’ve chickened out.Hollis: How is it possible that I miss you already? I just saw you…what… twenty minutes ago? I’m already twitching.Elodie: And you’re taking the day off tomorrow again! I can’t believe that. Have I mentioned how much I love sweet, romantic Hollis?She’d used the word love.Hollis: Not sure my intentions right now are purely romantic. By the way, did you just say you LOVED me?There was a long pause before she retracted her statement.Elodie: Don’t worry, I didn’t mean LOVE love. Don’t want to freak you out. LOL I just meant I really like this sweet side of you.I decided to tease her.Hollis: Is there another meaning for love? Because I’m pretty sure you said you loved me.Elodie: I just meant I love the man you are lately.Hollis: That sounds an awful lot like you love me.The three little circles danced for a while. I assumed she didn’t know what to say, or that I’d made her uncomfortable by calling her out.Hollis: I’m teasing you, Elodie.Elodie: I thought maybe I freaked you out.Hollis: That’s because a text doesn’t allow you to see someone’s face. If you could see me, you’d see how big my smile is at the moment. The only thing freaking me out is the fact that you’re right down the hall, and I can’t touch you. And if you don’t come down to my room right now, I’m coming to you, which is not ideal since you’re right next to Hailey’s room. Which is it going to be?Elodie: Are you serious?Hollis: Fuck Yes. Watch me.About a minute later, my door creaked open. Elodie stood at the entrance in a long T-shirt.
“Took you long enough. Come here, beautiful.”
She shut the door carefully before walking over to me. “I just don’t want her to wake up and see me in here.”
I pulled her into me as I sat at the edge of the bed. “We’ll be really quiet. We need to start practicing that anyway. Her waking up is a chance I’m willing to take. She already thinks we’re—in her words—boning, thanks to Megan. So, I’m getting blamed for it without reaping the benefits, at the moment.”
“Yeah, that’s unfortunate.”
Squeezing her ass, I said, “What’s unfortunate? My not reaping the benefits or Megan’s choice of words?”
“Both? Anyway, you reaped the benefits just this morning.”
I nuzzled her neck. “It’s not enough.”
Her breaths were shaky as she bent her head back. “Hollis, what have you done to me? I’ve never felt like this in my life. I’m so screwed if you ever break my heart.”
That will never happen.
Somehow I knew that. If things with us didn’t work out, it wasn’t going to be me that ended it. My hesitation was always about my fear of her leaving me, never the other way around.
The words burst from me. I didn’t expect them to come out. But they did.
“You said you love the man I am when I’m with you. I love the man I am when I’m with you, too. But more than that, I love you, Elodie. I love you so fucking much. And I’m sorry if that freaks you out a little, but it’s the truth, and I thought you should know.” I swallowed, somewhat shocked by my own candor.
In the distance, Huey squawked. Baaa! “Anna’s home!”
It was as if the universe had given me the reminder of Anna to test me. But it didn’t change a thing.
Elodie looked just as shocked as I was at my admission. “How can you be sure so soon?”
“Soon? Just because I only now got my shit together and put aside my fears doesn’t mean I’m only now figuring out that I love you. I’m pretty sure I’ve loved you for the majority of the time I’ve known you. And that’s what scared the crap out of me.”
Her eyes watered as she let my words sink in.
She grabbed my face. “Oh my God, Hollis. That really was what I meant in the text. And then I backtracked, because I was afraid you weren’t there yet.”
“I’m here, Elodie. I’m very much here. And I somehow knew you felt that way about me, too, even when I was teasing you.” I looked in her eyes. “I love you.”
Her chest rose and fell. “I love you, too.”
Elodie straddled me. We started kissing, and the next thing I knew, I was inside her. Both of us were still sitting in the exact same position, fully clothed, just with our underwear pushed to the side now, as she rode me slowly, passionately—and ever so quietly.