Always Yours

by Claire Raye

  “Okay,” she says after a few second pause, letting my words sink in and settling herself down.

  “Is he cute?” I ask and Lauren giggles a little down the phone.

  “Yeah, he is. But he’s skinny and wears glasses. Ugh…” she exhales hard. “I’m not having this conversation with you. It’s too embarrassing.”

  “You have no idea,” I mutter, and the conversation dies there.

  “What did you say?”

  “Nothing. Listen are Mom and Dad around? I need to talk to them, but if they’re crabby I’ll call back later.”

  “Just Dad is here. You wanna talk to him?” she asks and before I can answer she’s calling out his name and I hear her feet plodding against the floor.

  I hear her give out a muffled “It’s Ellen,” before my Dad’s cheerful voice comes on the line.

  It’s not unusual for me to call on a Sunday night, because it tends to be when I have the most downtime. I’m sure he thinks this is my normal, I miss home, I miss you, the weather sucks and so does the food convo, but I’m about to hit him with something I don’t even know how to go about explaining.

  “Hey, El,” my dad says, switching over to speakerphone and I hear my mom shout a hello from a distance, adding that she just walked in. “How’s it going?”

  “It’s okay,” I say stalling, and Will rolls a hand in my direction as if to tell me to get on to it. He’s been telling me to just come out with it because shooting the shit with them will only make it worse.

  I suck in a deep breath and start, “So, Dad, something happened.” And that’s when the line goes silent. Whatever my mom was doing in the background has been halted and they’re both in panic mode at my words.

  “Are you okay?” my mom asks, and I can hear the concern in her voice, so maybe this is good.

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m totally fine… But my car isn’t,” I say, and I realize as the words leave my mouth I’ve made it sound like I’ve been in a car accident.

  Will slaps a hand to his face and shakes his head, swatting at him, I stand and start to pace the small living room.

  “What do you mean the car isn’t okay?” my dad asks, this time all cheerfulness is gone.

  “It got sprayed by a skunk,” I blurt out knowing that isn’t exactly the truth.

  “Oh jesus, Ellen,” my mom admonishes. “Take the damn thing through a carwash.”

  I can picture her running her hand through her hair and shaking her head. I’m sure Lauren is standing by eavesdropping on the entire conversation and making mental notes of all the stupid shit I say so she can remind my parents later.

  “It sprayed the inside,” I admit, my whole face wrinkling up at my words.

  “How in the hell did it get inside your car?” my dad asks, his voice booming and when I look right at Will, he widens his eyes at me.

  “It was under my car…” I start but the tears start to fall and my voice becomes shaky. “And I…I opened my car door and scared it. Instead of running away, it jumped in my car.”

  “Goddamnit, Ellen. I never pegged you for the village idiot, but you let a damn skunk into your car?”

  “I didn’t let it in my car!” I cry, my words strangled by my sobs. “It just got in there.”

  “Is it still in there?” my dad questions and I shake my head even though he can’t see me, because right now I’m having a hard time getting the words out.

  “No,” I splutter out. “This boy helped me get it out of there.”

  “Oh christ. This was about a boy, wasn’t it? We’re you drunk?” I can hear the annoyance in my father’s voice, but I also hear my mother whispering to him in an attempt to quell his overzealous responses.

  Obviously I was drunk because a sober person wouldn’t have happened upon a skunk, let it in their car and then closed the door.

  “What?” I say, the fake appalled tone in my voice isn’t fooling anyone and when Will starts laughing, I have to look away from him.

  “Whatever. I can see this is going nowhere, but this conversation isn’t over. We’ll talk about it when you’re home in February. I’ll call the insurance company and get someone out there to take a look at it,” my dad goes on, letting out an annoyed huff at the end.

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  Chapter Four

  Will

  By the time I get back to my apartment, it’s cold and dark. When I walk inside, the residual smell of skunk hits me, somehow making me smile.

  “Why the fuck does our apartment stink?” Greg calls out as he walks out of the kitchen.

  I grin. “Hi to you, too,” I reply sarcastically. “And it’s from the skunk.”

  “What?” he says, a shocked look on his face. “There was a fucking skunk in our apartment?”

  I laugh. “No, in the car, but it sprayed us good and I guess when we came inside, it also made the apartment stink.”

  His shock turns to curiosity now. “Who and what is this we business?” he asks, waving a hand in my direction.

  I head into the kitchen and grab a beer, stalling as I try and figure out how much I want to tell Greg.

  “Will,” he says, the tone in his voice suggesting he’s not letting me get away with saying nothing.

  “What?” I ask, turning to face him.

  He stares at me, a confused look on his face that suddenly breaks into a huge smile. “Oh my fucking god, you got laid,” he says, pointing at me.

  “What?” I repeat, even as I feel my cheeks start to heat.

  “You totally did,” he says, a wide grin plastered on his face. “Wait,” he stops, his smile disappearing. “How the hell does getting sprayed by a skunk equate to you getting laid? This wasn’t some weird ass fetish thing, was it?”

  “Oh my fucking god,” I say, repeating his words back as I roll my eyes at him. “You’re an idiot, you know that, right?”

  Greg shrugs, following me out to the living room. “Whatever. Tell me about the getting laid part.”

  I flop onto the couch as my mind wanders back to the last eight or so hours. When I’d woken up this morning at my buddy’s house, hungover as all hell and sporting an even bigger headache courtesy of the blade from the ceiling fan that flew off and clocked me in the head, I’d never in my wildest dreams expected to meet a girl, get sprayed by a skunk, get laid and then find myself falling for said girl.

  But as the day had worn on, that’s exactly what had happened. Ellen was just so easy to be around, funny and a total smart ass, she just ticked all the boxes. Of course being hot and not at all opposed to putting out on the first date or whatever, was a huge bonus. But it wasn’t just about that. I actually really liked her.

  “Will,” Greg says, interrupting my trip down memory lane. “What the fuck happened here today?”

  I turn. “Got sprayed by a skunk,” I say, shrugging. “Met a girl too.”

  “And got laid.”

  I smile this time, but say nothing.

  The next day, I find myself loitering around the business school even though it’s on the other side of campus to the labs I’ve just spent all afternoon in. I feel like a bit of a dick, but whatever, I want to see her.

  Last night we’d texted back and forth a bit, mostly about her car and my clothes, Ellen promising she’d take care of getting the car towed and returning my stuff. I hadn’t really cared about either, was more interested in when I could see her again, but for some reason, hadn’t brought that up.

  “You stalking me?” a familiar voice suddenly says.

  I turn and find Ellen behind me, a grin on her face as she looks up at me. She looks fucking adorable, bundled up in a jacket, a beanie on her head and scarf wrapped around her neck.

  I grin. “Maybe,” I say, rocking on my heels, hands shoved in my pockets.

  She smiles at me for a few seconds before turning and waving goodbye to some friends hovering behind her. I watch as they all eye me off before turning to Ellen and shouting their goodbyes.

  “So,” she says, turning to face m
e again.

  “So,” I repeat. Her grin widens and I find myself smiling back at her. “You wanna go grab something to eat?” I suggest.

  Ellen cocks an eyebrow. “Like a date or something?”

  I chuckle. “Yeah, like a date.”

  She stares up at me, her eyes shining in the cold air. “Okay,” she eventually says, biting her bottom lip.

  My eyes drop to her mouth and I find myself stepping closer, my hand sliding around her waist as I lower my head and put my mouth against hers. Ellen pushes up on her toes, her lips pressing against mine as they open and I feel the warmth of her breath, her tongue as it slips into my mouth.

  “Fuck,” I groan, pulling her even closer.

  I feel her smile against my mouth as her arms wrap around me. I don’t know how long we stand here kissing for, but when we pull back, both of us are breathing hard, our breath coming out in white puffs.

  “You’re an evil temptress, you know that,” I whisper, my forehead against hers.

  Ellen giggles. “You started it.”

  I grin, grabbing her hand. “Come on, let’s eat,” I say. “Before I’m distracted by thoughts of getting you naked.”

  We head back to my car on the other side of campus, both of us freezing by the time we get there. Inside, I blast the heater to full and we sit for a couple of minutes warming out hands.

  “What’s the verdict on your car?” I ask, glancing over at Ellen.

  She rolls her eyes, shaking her head as she says, “The insurance company is coming to look at it this week. I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be a write-off with that stink inside.”

  I laugh. “Yeah my roommate noticed the smell inside the apartment straightaway.”

  “Shit, really?” she asks, eyes wide.

  I grin, nodding as I start the car and head toward a diner near my apartment. “Yep, it’s not too bad though, don’t worry.”

  “I feel like I’m going to be inhaling skunk for days,” she replies. “It’s fucking gross.”

  Laughing again, I reply. “It wasn’t our finest hour.”

  We pull up to the diner and head inside to grab a booth by the window. As we look over the menu, I can’t help sneaking a couple of glances at Ellen. She’s pulled the beanie off her head, several strands of her hair sticking straight up as though charged with static electricity.

  Her cheeks are still flushed from the cold, although she’s taken her jacket off now, revealing a tight sweater underneath that’s doing nothing to stop those thoughts of her naked.

  “Are you staring at me?”

  I glance up at her face, see her watching me over the top of her menu. “Maybe,” I say, an eyebrow raised.

  She grins at me, but says nothing as she shuts her menu, folds her arms on the table and looks at me.

  “What’s the latest with your sister and her Aussie boyfriend?” I ask, mirroring her pose.

  Ellen rolls her eyes. “Ugh god, she’s such a drama queen about it all,” she says. “You’d think the world was ending the way she’s going on and on about Jack getting all this attention from the girls in her class.”

  I chuckle. “Yeah, I’ve seen my sisters go through that shit too. It’s pretty dramatic.”

  “How many sisters do you have?”

  I smile. “Two, twins, younger than me.”

  Ellen’s eyebrows lift. “Wow, so you know all about this then?”

  I nod. “Yep. Just be grateful you’ve only got the one. It was like hell on the earth the day my sisters decided they both liked the same boy. Fuck me.”

  Our conversation stops for a few minutes while the waitress takes our order before disappearing again.

  “I think Lauren’s problem is that she can’t believe Jack likes her when all he does is tease her,” Ellen continues. “I keep trying to tell her that boys are stupid and that’s how they roll.”

  I burst out laughing. “Boys are stupid, huh?”

  “Well,” she says, smiling back at me, “some are,” she continues. “And then some are just skunk-rescuing superheroes.”

  I beam, even as I shake my head at this girl sitting across from me. “Good thing I fall into the latter category then, isn’t it?” I tease.

  After we’ve finished dinner, we grab our things and head outside, the cold hitting us in an icy blast that has us both running for my car.

  Inside, I switch on the ignition and crank up the heat again, realizing I have no idea what comes next.

  “So, uh…” I start, hand on the wheel. “Do you want to come over?”

  Ellen looks at me, a sideways glance that has me wondering if she too wasn’t sure what happens next.

  “I mean I can drive you back to your dorm if you want, or you could come over and…”

  “I’ll come over,” she says, cutting me off.

  I nod and pull out of the parking lot to head back to my apartment. The drive doesn’t take long and when we reach the building, we head upstairs. Unlocking the front door, I find the apartment is in darkness, Greg apparently out.

  “You want a beer?” I ask.

  “Sure,” Ellen replies and we move into the kitchen.

  I grab a couple from the fridge, handing one to her and we both stand around in awkward silence, as though neither of us quite knows what happens now.

  “How old are you?” Ellen suddenly asks, lifting the beer as though in explanation.

  I smile, taking a sip before answering. “Twenty, but my brother got me a good fake ID.”

  “God, how many siblings do you have?”

  I grin. “Three,” I reply. “Younger twin sisters and an older brother. You?”

  Ellen shrugs. “Just me and Lauren, although it may be just Lauren if this whole thing with my car goes to shit.”

  I burst out laughing. “What, you really think your parents will kill you because a skunk got in your car and sprayed the shit out of it?” I ask. “It’s hardly your fault, is it?”

  She takes another sip of beer before giving the bottle a dirty look. “Well, it kinda is,” she says. “And beer’s fault, and gin and vodka’s. Rum too, fuck even triple sec is to blame,” she says, shaking her head.

  I grin, stepping toward her as I slide a hand on her hip. “What, so getting drunk is what caused the skunk to get in your car?”

  “Yep,” she says, nodding her head. “If I hadn’t been so wasted, I never would have gone back to that guy’s place or…”

  “Whoa, wait, hold up,” I say, stepping back a little. “What guy’s place?”

  Ellen blushes, ducking her head a little. “Shit,” she mutters.

  “Ellen,” I say. “Were you doing the walk of shame when I ran into you?”

  “Um,” she says, lifting her head to look at me, bottom lip between her teeth. “Does it count if we never actually slept together?” she asks, her blush deepening.

  I chuckle, even though I’m not exactly liking the idea of her being with some other guy hours before she was with me. “I don’t know,” I offer. “I guess not.”

  Ellen exhales before taking another long pull of beer. I watch as she runs a hand through her long hair, which hangs lose around her shoulders, before finally meeting my gaze.

  “Look, I’m sorry, I’m really not…I’m… Fuck,” she breathes out. “I just don’t normally do this kind of thing, okay?”

  “What kind of thing?” I ask, taking a sip of beer.

  She shrugs. “Get shitface drunk and go home with random guys,” she offers. “Or get sprayed in a fucking parking lot by a skunk and go home with a guy.”

  I nod, taking another sip of beer. “So, what you’re saying is it was a mistake?”

  “No!” she cries, stepping toward me. “Well, the first guy was,” she adds, a sheepish look on her face. “But nothing happened with him. We made out, he passed out, end of story.”

  I set my beer on the counter. “And me?” I ask, my hands moving to her hips. “What am I?”

  Ellen stares up at me, a mix of anxiety and confusion on her fac
e. “My superhero?” she offers.

  I smile, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips. “This isn’t a mistake for me, Ellen,” I whisper, my mouth against hers. “I like you, a lot and I’m kinda glad you got sprayed by that skunk so I had to come save you.”

  Ellen giggles a little, but it’s almost shy. “I like you too,” she says, her eyes meeting mine.

  I cock an eyebrow at her. “So, you wanna go fool around?”

  She giggles again, her blush deepening as she doesn’t say anything, just presses her mouth hard against mine in an answer.

  Chapter Five

  Ellen

  It’s been a few weeks since the skunk incident and as much as I didn’t want to be all-in with Will like one of those girls who falls in love with a guy the second she meets him, I totally am.

  Despite the fact that mine and Will’s classes are nowhere near each other, he never fails to meet me after my last class. It’s been weeks since I’ve spent the night in my dorm room and I have to say I don’t even miss it.

  As I walk out of my last class with a small skip in my step and a smile plastered on my face, I find that Will isn’t in his usual spot. Actually, he isn’t anywhere outside the building.

  I wish I could say I’m not having a moment of panic as I pace around checking my watch and wondering why he suddenly has failed to show up.

  After what feels like an hour of waiting when in actuality it’s only about ten minutes, I head back to my dorm. Seeing as I’m still without a car and it’s absolutely freezing, I can’t just walk to Will’s apartment and see if he’s there. Even though that’s exactly what I want to do.

  As I wait for the elevator I pull my phone from my purse checking to see if Will texted me and I just missed it. But there’s nothing.

  I’m starting to get worried so I text Will as the elevator takes me up to my floor and by the time I reach my room I still haven’t heard from him.