Ella looks so much like my mystery girl. After spending hours with Ella, I would know if she was the girl. But I have zero proof. Maybe I should ask her and get it out of the way. But that would only draw more attention to the fact that I have lost my fucking mind.
Tori comes back to our table with Ella at her side, who looks as though she wants to either puke or flee and still has yet to decide.
Ella is not the kind of girl who would run in our circles. Nope, Ella is more like Tori, which makes sense why they would be friends. But I also like that about Ella. I can talk to her and be myself. Just like I can with Tori. My teammates and brothers are always judging me, measuring me by their impossible standards. It’s nice to be around people who let me be Shawn instead of Finch.
“Bash, I want you to meet my friend,” Tori says, tapping him on the shoulder.
He glances over his shoulder at Ella and smiles, before turning all the way around to extend his hand. “Bash,” he says, always polite and well mannered.
Ella introduces herself to Bash. The corners of her mouth turn up, and her entire face illuminates when she looks across the table and sees me. “Shawn,” she says, her voice almost a whisper.
So shy and adorable, Ella raises her hand and quickly lowers it to her side, still maintaining eye contact with me.
Bash turns to face me and then Ella again, confused. “How do you guys know each other?”
“Ella and I have classes together,” Tori interjects.
“She’s my tutor,” I add.
“Nice to meet you, Ella.” Bash gives her another one of his boyish smiles that make girls melt. “Make some room.” Bash pushes his hands out at his sides.
“Oh, that’s not necessary,” Ella says, her tone almost a whisper.
I slide my chair out from the table and get up to retrieve another chair from the table behind us. Shoving it next to mine, I force the people to my left to move down. “Here, sit next to me.”
“No, that’s okay, Shawn.” Ella does a weird nervous dance thing as if tapping her foot to keep herself from trembling. “I should get going. I only came up here to grab a soda for the
ride home.”
I lower my head toward the chair. “C’mon, stay for ten minutes. I’ll even share my food with you.”
Ella tilts her head to the side and grins. “Well, I guess I can stay for a little bit, but it depends on what you plan to feed me.”
She’s so fucking sexy without even trying that I’m getting hard again just thinking about Ella in every inappropriate way possible.
After Ella sits down, I break my sandwich in half to share. I eat mine on a napkin and give her the foil sheet.
“So, you two know each other.” Tori narrows her eyes at me. This is weird.”
“It’s not that weird.” I sink my teeth into the chicken cutlet and wait for Tori to explain.
“I was telling Ella all about your masked girl from the party. I had no idea you guys knew each other.”
“You did what?” My cheeks flush with embarrassment. I don’t say another word, only shake my head and continue chowing down on my food.
It’s bad enough that my friends know about my search, but having my hot tutor learn more about my recent extracurricular activities is another thing.
“We don’t,” Ella says. “Well, we didn’t know each other until this afternoon when I was assigned to tutor Shawn.”
“Aww…” Tori raises her hand over her heart. “You call him Shawn. How cute?”
“Simmer down, babe.” Bash plants a kiss on Tori’s cheek and pulls her into his chest. “Stop trying to fix everyone up on a date and just let them eat.”
“I am not, smart ass.” Tori wiggles free from Bash’s grasp and then zones in on Ella and me. “You two are so cute together, though. Seriously.”
“I’m just his tutor,” Ella says, her voice so low it’s hard to hear her over the people talking around us.
“You guys are sharing food. I would say you are more than just his tutor. And you call him Shawn.” Tori holds her hands up to her face again and squeals. “I love you two together. This is so exciting.”