Chasing Ella (Love Ever After 1)

“I’m glad that you respect me enough to understand that I want to take things slower than the girls you normally date.”

“I don’t date girls. Only you, beautiful.”

“Date, hook up, whatever you want to call it. You know what I mean, Shawn.”

“This is my first real relationship if that at all helps,” I add.

“Mine, too,” she confesses, folding her arms over her chest, as she sinks into the leather seat. “How crazy is that?”

“Not crazy at all. I never had a girlfriend. At least not one that lasted more than a few days.”

“Yeah, but you dated other girls. I never had the chance to do things normal people our age do.”

“That’s why I am helping you make up for lost times. We can start with this date and go from there.”

“And the Spring Formal,” she says. “I guess I have to figure out a more elaborate plan to sneak away for the weekend.”

“Does it even matter anymore? You can go live with Mrs. F. She already offered for you to live with her. She has tons of money, a car for you to use to get to school instead of riding the bus, and you can get the fuck away from Clarissa and her bitchy daughters.”

“I don’t want to impose, and I cannot ask her for money to get to school, even though she offered it to me. It feels weird to take a handout, regardless of her lineage.”

“I don’t see the problem, babe. Your solution is right next door. Either take her money or deal with constant punishments and enslavement. The choice is simple.”

“Easy for you to say when you would never take money from anyone. You are just as stubborn as me.”

She’s right about that. I would never accept a cent from anyone. Even when I couldn’t afford my fraternity dues, and a few of my brothers had offered to loan me the money from their trust funds, I found other ways to make it up. They were semi-legal methods, of course, but it was better than begging for scraps to pay the bills.

“So, what are you going to do then?”

“I don’t know. Wait it out, I guess. I made it this long. I have less than two months.”

“Time you could spend living your life instead of being oppressed by that witch. You should consider Mrs. F’s offer. It was more than generous, and she’s not some random person off the street who wants to help you out. She is family.”

“I know that, Shawn. Thank you for reminding me. I’m sorry if my personal life cuts into yours, but this is all so new to me that I haven’t had the time to digest everything. I want to live with Mrs. F, believe me, I do, but I have to process it all.”

I place my hand on her thigh, and she covers mine with hers, squeezing it. “Enough serious talk for the night. How about we focus on our date and what I have planned for us?”

She tilts her head to the side and smiles. “That sounds perfect.”

I wanted to cram as much as we could into one date. Ella should have the chance to experience everything possible, and I want to be the man to give it to her. But I also knew I had to lead with the easy ones first. I started with a candlelit Italian dinner in the city. Who knew I could be so romantic? Ella has changed me for the better. But that wasn’t my big plan for our date.

When I pull up outside the rink, Ella turns to me and shakes her head, confused.

“Are you we lost? This does not seem like a place you would hang out on a Friday night.”

“It’s not, but I thought you would like it.”

“True or false?” She asks, using my own game against me. “You brought me here because of what Tori told you? She’s the only person other than Mrs. F who knows about this part of my childhood.”

I shrug, giving her a boyish smile. “True. You got me, babe. I asked Tori what she thought would be a good date since I haven’t done this before. She said to make it special and think outside the box.”

“You never disappoint, Shawn.” She touches the side of my face with her hand and traces a line down my jaw with her finger. “Just being here with you is already special enough. But this is incredible.”

“I was afraid you would think it was stupid.”

“Nope, not even close. Roller skating is perfect. You might be good on your feet when it comes to football, but can you balance yourself on wheels?”

“I’m good at all sports,” I counter. “Why would this be any different?”