She tries to keep her eyes open, but they look heavy. I avert my gaze to the road in front of me. All the houses lined up, the trees cascading around us.
I bite the bottom of my lip, debating if I should take her back to my place so she can sleep in peace and feel recharged.
I turn my focus back to Ellie, once again falling asleep. The clock on my dashboard says it’s five in the evening, and I need to get back to the brewery sooner rather than later before it gets too busy. People were already starting to trickle in when I was carrying Ellie.
I’m sure that will be spoken about throughout the night. Ellie and Rowan, together again.
“El,” I say as softly as I can.
“Hm,” she mumbles.
“Do you want me to take you back to my place? You can sleep there for the night, get your energy back to deal with your family tomorrow?”
She breathes out through her nose in an approving yes and tries to nod her head. I can’t help it when my hand reaches over to brush a strand of her hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. The simple gesture is so familiar and nostalgic.
Deep down, I want to thank Charlie for pushing away the most incredible woman straight into my arms again. He doesn’t know what he just lost like I do.
And I’m going to make sure I don’t lose her all over again.
seven
ELLIE
I wakeup in a dark room and adjust to my surroundings.
A lot has happened in such a short amount of time, and I’m not sure where I am until I feel something warm against me. I look to see Milo tucked into me. The bed I’m on is huge, probably a king-size bed, yet this dog needs to be all up in my business.
Good thing I love him.
I rub the side of his stomach while he continues to sleep, and I lean up on an arm, rubbing my free hand over my face. I spot my phone on the nightstand next to me, plugged into a charger. I don’t remember doing that. I pick it up, bracing myself for the bright light from the screen, only to find that the brightness has been dimmed all the way down.
Interesting.
Two in the morning? I don’t know what time I fell asleep or how long I’ve been sleeping. I lift myself up more and look around the room.
Rowan’s room.
The wheels in my head start to turn. I met everyone at the brewery, spent time with Milo, and fell asleep on the couch. The next thing I remember was being in front of my parent's house in his car.
I was running on empty—wanting to cry from exhaustion—and I’m sure I told him to take me back to his house.
I look around and spot Rowan lying on an inflatable mattress. His bare back facing toward me, the muscles in his shoulder blades move with each breath he takes. I let my eyes trace the long tattoo that goes down his spine. A sword with a snake wrapped around it all in black. Both of his hands are tucked under the pillow, the blanket only up to his waist.
The crickets outside are chirping, but everything else is silent—except for the little snores Milo lets out every other minute. When my eyes adjust to the darkness that surrounds me, I spot Rowan’s dresser on the far wall across from the bed.
A few music posters hang in frames around his room. One poster displaying Vampire Weekend, the same poster he bought when we went to see them in concert. It hangs above his desk, where two large desktop screens sit. A complete setup.
I look down and see the clothes I’ve been wearing all day. No wonder I’m uncomfortable. This damn bra is digging into my ribcage. I need to change.
My eyes go back to Rowan, and I notice how close the air mattress is. Only inches away from the bed, placing himself in front of the door. He doesn’t move or make a sound; he looks peaceful.
I crawl over the bed, not wanting to disturb Rowan. I don’t know what I’m going to wear. I think my suitcase is still in my car. Shit. I’m going to have to borrow his clothes.
I don’t know where he keeps anything. Ugh. Cool. This is very cool.
Getting to the edge of the bed, I spot something on top of his dresser. Narrowing my gaze through the darkness while I carefully try not to make a sound, I see a pile of neatly stacked clothes with a piece of paper that looks like it was ripped out of a notebook.
El, I picked out some clothes for you to change into if you get uncomfortable. You went to sleep right away, and I didn’t want to bug you.
