I shook my head as more emotion rose to the surface.
“Sutton,” he said softly. “Come here.” He tugged on my hand and pulled me to his chest, where I held on like the world depended on it. I rested my face in the crook of his neck and breathed him in. He smelled amazing, soap and a clean, sharp scent. His hand pulled on the ends of my hair and then ran slowly up and down my back.
“Thanks for helping with my mom today,” I said.
“Of course. Tell me when her appointments are. I can be your transport guy.”
“No, that’s too much. Thank you, but that’s… no.”
“I changed my mind,” he said.
“About what?” I asked. I probably should’ve sat up, but it felt good to be in his arms, to feel his voice vibrate along my cheek when he spoke. To have his hand make patterns on my back.
“I agree with the therapist. Your self-reliance is a weakness.”
“I know,” I said. “I’m not working on it.”
He let out a low, rumbling laugh, then pulled me tighter against him.
It took me too long to hear his name being called or to register that the voice in the distance was directed at us. It wasn’t until it was closer and saying my name as well that I sat up. It seemed to click for Elijah at about the same time because we both looked in the direction of the hospital.
Tara was fast-walking our way, waving. “Eli! Sutton!”
I straightened up even more, smoothing my hair and planting my feet firmly on the ground in front of me.
“I thought that was you two,” she said when she reached us.
“Hi,” Elijah said. “You on break?”
“I am.” Her eyes went back and forth between us. “This doesn’t look good for me. I’m sure the therapist is really picking up on theno connectionthing.” Her voice was laced with sarcasm.
“No, this is nothing,” I said. “Just stuff with my mom.”
“Oh, speaking of. Your mom is looking for you. I found her in the hall. She said you might be out here.”
I jumped to my feet. “You found her in the hall? Is the time up?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I think she’s done though.”
“I’ll go get her.” I started walking. “I’ll text you later, Tara!”
“Okay!” she called after me. I didn’t look back.
It wasn’t until I was inside, almost to the elevator, that Elijah’s teasing voice was next to me saying, “Are you afraid of Tara?”
“No. What? No.”
“What are you afraid of then?”
You, I wanted to say.This. These feelings I’m having that I don’t want. It’s too much right now. Too much when I’m already overwhelmed. Too much when I’m leaving as soon as my mom is better.
The elevator doors slid open. Two people walked out, one in a white lab coat. We stepped inside the now empty elevator. I backed into the far corner, holding on to the handrails. As the door slid shut again, he walked to my corner, facing me, his hands settling onto the rails outside of mine. I looked up at his teasing eyes.
I wanted to wipe that smug, knowing look off his face. The one that made it seem like he knew exactly what I was thinking, exactly what I would or, more likely, wouldn’t do. I wanted to show him that he didn’t know. And maybe it was those thoughts that spurred my actions or something completely different. But I slowly moved forward until our lips were millimeters apart and said, “I’m not afraid of anything.” Then my lips met his.
He sucked in a surprised breath of air, but it took less than a second for his surprise to be replaced with action. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed my back against the corner of the elevator. His tongue easily gained entrance to my mouth,eliciting a moan from me. I used my hands to pull him more tightly against me, where I could feel that I wasn’t alone in my desire.
It took my brain too long to catch up to my emotions—to what we were doing, in a public elevator, in a hospital, where my mom was waiting—but it finally did. I wedged my hands between us and pushed, just as the elevator settled into place on the fourth floor. I gulped for air as he stepped back and away from me. Then he turned to face the doors, just as they slid open.
