I hated tension.
It gave me anxiety, twisting me up until I could resolve it.
That was one reason I left today. I wouldn’t have been able to sit in a house all day with our fight hanging over our heads. Inevitably, I would have approached Elijah to clear the air. And I didn’t think he deserved that small form of mercy.
I heard Elijah’s feet as he crossed the hardwood floor. “Hey, babe.”
I swallowed, trying to force the lump out of my throat.
He placed a kiss on my head before grabbing a water bottle from the fridge.
What?
When I didn’t move, Elijah turned back to me as he twisted the cap off. “What’s wrong?” He brought the plastic to his lips while waiting for me to respond.
I opened my mouth then quickly shut it again, my face scrunched into a scowl, unsure of what to say. Elijah had a gift of being able to move on quickly after an argument. He was always the first one to put it behind us. Then would eventually forget the fight even happened in the first place.
Kind of like what he was doing now.
Me, on the other hand, I had to talk about it and get all emotional.
I was good at holding a grudge.
Like,reallygood.
“What about this morning?” I asked.
“Oh, right. I’m sorry about everything I said. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just couldn’t believe what happened last night and then you going out after. That was a big slap in the face.”
Were we really hashing this out now? Over three bags of groceries—in reusable grocery bags, thank you very much—standing in the middle of the kitchen?
“It goes deeper than that, and you know it. I can’t believe you’d think I’d be searching for attention like that. The entire time I was at the gala, I wanted to leave. I hate those fancy parties and having to act all prim and proper.”
“I know.” He set the water down on the counter and moved in front of me. He put his hands on my shoulders and slid them down arms, sending a shiver up my spine. “But I can’t help thatmy family expects that stuff from me. It’s kind of a package deal. You knew that from the beginning.”
Did not.
He threaded his fingers through mine.
MyElijah wore ripped jeans, backward hats, and old tee shirts, not business suits and tuxedos.
But I didn’t want to start another argument. “Yeah.”
I let him pull me into a hug, surrendering against his body. I closed my eyes, put my head against his shoulder, and took a deep breath, taking in the comfort of his familiar scent and the feeling of his heartbeat against mine.
Maybe all of it was just a big miscommunication.
I made chicken and broccoli alfredo for dinner with a homemade savory alfredo sauce and butter rolls. It was to die for, and I was in a much better mood with a full tummy. We both were.
“Great dinner, babe,” Elijah said as he placed his napkin on the table.
“It was, wasn’t it?” I sipped my red wine and leaned back in my chair. “So, did you get your project from earlier finished?”
He nodded. “For the most part. My dad is going to be thrilled with the numbers once I show him what we’ll gain from absorbing Arrow Finance. Just another step in making our company one of the biggest powerhouses on the East Coast.”
“That’s great.” I took another sip of wine and watched Elijah grow animated as he talked about work and the family business. I should be paying more attention since I also worked there, and the bigger the company became, the more responsibilities I’d have.Development meant more employees. More employees meant more people to pay, which meant more numbers to crunch.
I ‘uh huh-ed’ and ‘oh awesome-ed’ in all the right places as he kept talking. I got up and started to clean, needing something to keep my hands busy while I listened.
