Never Far Away

by Anie Michaels

  “You’ve got some mouth on you, Porter.”

  “We’ve had that conversation, too.”

  “Oh shut up,” she said with a smile as he led her back to the market.

  Once she had gotten her fill of the market, Porter walked Ella to her car, dreading the fact that he was going to be apart from her. He gave her hand a small squeeze and tried to focus on the fact that since he’d first laced his fingers with hers, neither one of them had broken their connection. Just holding her hand would have to be enough to tide him over for a while.

  “So, now that our first, but not really first, date is out of the way, am I going to be able to see you again?” Ella asked as they approached her car. She sounded shy and he felt a smile pull at his lips. They stopped and faced each other on the sidewalk.

  “Of course. Do you still have the same phone number?”

  “I do.”

  Porter pulled out his cell phone and sent a text to her number he saved in his phone. The same number he’d looked at countless times willing himself to be strong and not contact her. His smile grew thinking about the fact that they were here, together, exchanging phone numbers again.

  “There. Now you’ve got my number, don’t be afraid to use it.”

  “I won’t be,” she said. He was a little surprised when she leaned towards him and lifted up to put her arms around his neck. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and let his face rest in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent again. When he felt her pull away, he tried not to groan out loud; he wanted to hold her forever. “Thank you for the beautiful ring, Porter. I love it.”

  “I’m glad. I had a really good afternoon with you, Ella. I hope I didn’t scare you away with everything I told you. I’ve never really been very good at filtering my mouth. I usually just say whatever I’m thinking.”

  “Honesty is exactly what I need right now so, no, you didn’t scare me away.”

  “Good, well, I’ll let you get back to the rest of your day.” He took a step back from her and before he turned away he gave her wink. He was rewarded with her radiant smile and a laugh. She shook her head and got into her car. He idly wondered if there were still jumper cables in her trunk with a big red bow on them, and how they would have been explained to the woman who wouldn’t remember receiving them. He shook his head at the thought, because it simply didn’t matter.

  Ella

  Ella decided to stop by Poppy after she left Porter and his devastatingly handsome face. He had held her hand most of the afternoon, and it made her feel young and giddy. His hands were large and rough from his work, she imagined. The feeling of his callouses scratching along her hand made her skin prickle more than once. Had his hands been all over her body? He had painted a really hot picture of the two of them being together. What would it be like to let his hands roam wherever they wanted? She shook her head and smiled because she knew what it would be like: amazing.

  She was fairly certain that even if they didn’t have this unusual history, she would still be terribly drawn to him and she would probably make a fool of herself falling for him. She caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror and saw the smile plastered all over her face. She liked the way she looked when she was happy. She hadn’t seen a smile on her face a whole lot lately.

  As she strolled into Poppy, she noticed that Megan was behind the counter and she was talking to Kalli. As she approached she noticed Megan’s eyes glance up at her, and then she did a double take and her mouth fell open. She closed it quickly with a loud snap.

  “Oh, shit,” Megan said.

  “What?” Kalli asked, looking between the two of them.

  “Yeah, what?” Ella was confused.

  “You were with him, weren’t you?” Megan said accusatorily.

  “What?” Ella was confused by her tone and her question. “Who?”

  Megan came around the counter and came towards Ella until she was standing right in front of her.

  “You know who, Ella.”

  Ella looked between her sister and her friend and decided it was dumb to be hiding Porter from them. She was an adult and she had every right to see whomever she wanted.

  “Are you talking about Porter?” Ella asked icily. Megan’s eyes shot up at the use of his name.

  “Damnit. He promised me he wouldn’t tell you who he was.”

  “I knew who he was.” Shock moved across Megan’s face like lightening.

  “What do you mean you knew who he was? You remember him?”

  “Yes, I remember him from the hospital, after I woke up. He was there for just a minute, but I remember him. But nothing from before the accident.”

  “What did he tell you?”

  “Everything. But you can’t be mad at him. He’s just doing what he feels is right. Just like you. I’m tired of everyone tiptoeing around me. I can handle it, Megan. Trust me. Porter will be good for me.” Megan’s eyes lingered on Ella’s for a few seconds as she seemed to mull over what she had said.

  “Listen, as your sister I just want to say this: Porter is very hot. And I am sure he is equally charming and sweet. But just because he shows up here and tells you that you used to be in love with him, it doesn’t mean you are obligated to him.”

  “Obligated? Megan,” Ella let out an exasperated sigh. “Where is this coming from? Why are you so against him? I have said hardly anything about him and you’re already rooting against him? Why?”

  “You’ve been through so much, Ella. We’re all worried about you. I just don’t want something bad to happen to you again.”

  “So I’m not allowed to date?”

  “Ella, the last time you dated Porter, it was like warp-speed dating. You guys went from zero to fucking in like, a matter of hours.” Ella’s eyebrows shot up.

  “That doesn’t sound too terrible,” Kalli said, smiling at Ella.

  “Wait, really?” Ella was intrigued.

  “Yes, really. I mean, it was really like two days, but come on. You had never acted so irrationally before.”

  “But was I happy? He tells me I was happy.”

  “Deliriously so,” Megan exhaled loudly.

  “How much did I tell you about him?”

  “Enough to know that he rocked your world, in and out of the bedroom. And I know that he really fought for you when you weren’t sure you should continue to see him.”

  “Why didn’t I want to see him?”

  “It wasn’t that you didn’t want to see him, you just were afraid that the distance would be an issue.”

  “It seems that my brain is actually the issue now,” Ella said dejectedly.

  “Honey, don’t worry about your memory. It’s out of your hands, and stressing about it won’t help any,” Kalli said as she rubbed circles on Ella’s back affectionately.

  “Porter would never let anything stand in his way, now that he’s made himself known. I’m surprised you’re upright right now.”

  Ella laughed at her outrageous sister.

  “Meaning?”

  “That you should be horizontal and totally satisfied.”

  “I am not going to pretend to disagree with you. I told him that he could kiss me and he told me that he wouldn’t kiss me until we were ready. It all seems a little backwards.”

  “Do you want him to kiss you?” Kalli asked.

  “That seems like a ridiculously rhetorical question. Of course I want him to kiss me. Once you see him, Kalli, you’ll understand.”

  “Just checking. I wasn’t sure if you were still having all the same tingly feelings for him this time around that you did last time,” Megan said, shrugging her shoulders.

  “There are definite tingles.”

  “Well,” Megan said, sounding resigned. “What’s next in the Ella and Porter saga?”

  “We are not a saga,” Ella said as she rolled her eyes at her sister.

  “Oh, yes. You are.”

  “Well, we exchanged phone numbers and we are going to talk. We’ll see how things go
, what happens next.”

  “I foresee lots of time on your back, Ella.”

  “Shut up, Megan,” Ella said smiling. “You’re just jealous.”

  “Oh no, Porter’s got nothing on my Patrick.”

  “I’m feeling terribly left out here, guys.” Kalli said with a frown.

  “Listen,” Megan said as she pointed a finger at Kalli. “I refuse to feel one iota of sorry for you since you work, every day, with that hot actor. You get to take his shirts off and measure him, and generally just be near him. So zip it.” Kalli cocked her head to the side and thought about what Megan said. A grin slid across her face slowly.

  “You know what? You’re right. My job is awesome. I know his inseam.”

  “You are both ridiculous. I’m going home,” Ella said with a smile.

  That evening Ella heard her phone ping and saw a text message from Porter.

  **I hope you had a good rest of your evening. And I hope I’m not being too forward texting you so soon after our second first date.**

  Ella grinned at her phone and sent him a message back.

  **Not too forward at all. I was hoping to hear from you. Glad I don’t have to wait the obligatory three days like girls usually have to. What are you up to?**

  **Nothing really, working on my boat, drinking a beer. You know, man stuff.**

  **Are you literally working “on” a boat, or like, fixing a boat?**

  **Building a boat. You’re damn cute.**

  **Well, how the heck am I supposed to know? But you’re pretty cute yourself.**

  **Glad that bump to your head didn’t mess up your taste in men.**

  **Ha. Ha.**

  **So, when can I see you again?**

  **Do you want the reserved girl answer? Or the real answer?**

  **How about you give me both and I will see which one I like better?**

  **Reserved girl: I am not sure, I’m pretty busy with work these days. Maybe call me next week sometime and I’ll see what works.**

  **Bullshit. Next.**

  Ella took a deep breath in and exhaled loudly. Mustering all the courage she could, she typed out her real answer.

  **Real Answer: As soon as possible because I cannot stop thinking about you or your lips that you refused to use on me.**

  **Shit, Ella. I’m two hours away and you send me that? That’s cruel. And so hot.**

  **You did this to yourself.**

  **I’ll take that. Can I see you next Saturday? Maybe we could go hiking? That could be fun.**

  **I won’t tell you that I just groaned because that’s six whole days from now. I will just say “Sure! Sounds great!”**

  **Sorry, but I really do have to work ;)**

  **Me too. Well, I will tell you in my reserved voice that I will see you next weekend, but my real voice says don’t be a stranger. I’m available for texting all week!**

  **You’re going to get tired of hearing from me.**

  **I’m pretty sure that’s not possible. Talk to you later, Porter.**

  **Sweet dreams, Ella.**

  Chapter Five

  Porter

  Porter knocked on Ella’s door right at nine am Saturday morning, as promised. He waited a minute and when she didn’t come to the door he knocked again. Finally, her heard footsteps coming from inside her apartment and then the door opened. There stood Ella, hair falling crazily around her face with soft lines of sleep still fresh on her cheek, obviously just waking up. His eyes wandered down from her face and when he saw that she was wearing his tee-shirt; he couldn’t help the strong and immediate possessive feelings that came over him.

  He was immediately inundated with images of Ella in his room wearing that shirt after their first night together and then again the night before she left. That shirt went home with her to remind her of him and all this time she’d been wearing it not even knowing it was his or where it came from. He wasn’t sure if he was comforted by the idea of her wearing his shirt unknowingly, or if it bothered him.

  “I’m so sorry, Porter. I overslept. I promise I will be ready to go soon. Come on in.” She looked down at herself and he saw when she realized she was just wearing a tee-shirt, as she pulled down on the hem trying to cover what she could.

  “It’s fine. I can wait in my car if you want.”

  “Don’t be silly. Come in. I will be quick.”

  Porter walked into her apartment and looked around at her space. Even though he knew she had shared this apartment with Kyle, it was seeping with signs that Ella dwelled there. Poster sized prints of vintage Vogue covers adorned her living room walls. There was a mannequin used for clothing design in the corner with long strands of different colored pearls around the would-be neck. The entire apartment was decorated in shades of cream and pale pink. It was a drastic contrast to Porter’s own decorating style, but it radiated ‘Ella’ and made him smile.

  He heard the shower come on in her bathroom, and he tried to find something to occupy his thoughts so that his mind didn’t wander to Ella in the shower with hot water cascading down her body.

  Along the wall there were pictures hanging in varied heights and he took some time to peruse them. Most of them were pictures of Ella with her family, a lot of them taken many years ago. One picture featured Ella, looking to be under ten years old, holding a baby wrapped in a pink blanket. He assumed the baby was Megan. Ella had two blonde braids coming down the sides of her face, and her eyes were the same piercing blue he had come to rely on.

  Another picture looked to be taken at a wedding and Ella was in a stunning black dress, smiling in the way that made his heart thump harder, only behind her, with his arms wrapped around her middle, was Kyle. They both looked spectacularly happy and the sight of her hands covering his, with their fingers linked, tore at his heart. He wasn’t accustomed to feeling jealous. He knew this was an old picture that perhaps she just hadn’t gotten around to removing from her wall, but it still bothered him that Kyle was in her apartment, while he was still trying to break back in to her heart.

  He heard the shower turn off and got out of the hallway because the last thing he needed was to see Ella traipsing around her apartment wrapped in a towel. He had plenty of self-control, but wasn’t a masochist.

  He wandered back into her living room and sat on her plush cream colored couch with small pink pillows.

  “I’m so sorry again, Porter. I will hurry,” she called from the back of the apartment.

  “Ella, really, it’s no big deal. No rush. The trail will still be there no matter what time we leave. I packed us a lunch. I figured we would get hungry and I thought we could have a picnic.” Porter smiled at the memory of the only other picnic they had together. His mind was flashing images of Ella straddling him under a sleeping bag on the beach.

  “That sounds great. Thanks.” Ella came down the hallway and he took in her appearance. She was wearing shorts again, this time some purple athletic shorts, with a black, form-fitting tank top. She had a towel wrapped like a twisty cone on top of her head, keeping her hair up. She sat down next to him on the couch to put on her shoes, her thigh brushing up against his, her closeness never far from his mind.

  “I’ve never been on this trail before. I’m excited. Thank you for inviting me.”

  “You’ve never been to Multnomah Falls? It’s one of the most popular tourist attractions within fifty miles of Portland. How can you call yourself a Portlander and not go there?”

  “Hey, I never said I hadn’t been there. I have been there many times, but I have never hiked the trail. When I was younger, I was always afraid to go to the top because of the old legend about the Native American couple who fell from the top. Then, when I was old enough to realize that I was being silly, I just never made it back. The falls are beautiful though.”

  “Well, it’s not a really difficult hike, but the views are spectacular.”

  “Just let me dry my hair and we can go.”

  She walked back to the bathroom and he heard the buzzing of her blow
-dryer. A few minutes later she appeared, fresh-faced and looked ready to go.

  The June sun was out in full force and even though it was bright enough for sunglasses and sunblock, it was early enough that there was still a chilly bite in the air. They started their hike and were currently weaving through throngs of people, trying to make it past the popular viewing point that didn’t require any real hiking, just a place for people to come and admire the majestic waterfall, and feel the cool mist of the water as it crashed onto the rocks below.

  “That area down there,” Ella said as she pointed towards where the water was pounding into a pool formed at the bottom, “it used to be open to the public. Megan and I would come here with my parents and we would swim down there. A few years ago, that big boulder there fell from the top. They closed off all the areas close to the falls to make sure, if anything like that happened again, no one would get hurt.” A smile formed across her face. “I will always feel privileged that I got to swim in those waters; we got to explore this beautiful place before they had to close it down.”

  “Sounds like a great memory.”

  “It is. Tell me a memory from your childhood,” she gave him one of her shy and simple smiles.

  “Well, I guess my favorite memory would be the one time my dad took me deep-sea fishing when I was twelve. It was a birthday present to me and I had wanted to go out for years, but my mom always thought I was too young. She had irrational fears of me falling overboard and drowning. Finally, my dad convinced her that I was old enough and he signed us up to go out on one of those tours you see signs for along the highway in Lincoln City.”

  “I’ve always seen those signs! I’ve always wanted to go on the whale watching tours!” Her excitement was contagious.