After he caught his breath he spoke. “Was that earth shattering enough for you?”
I managed to say, “Yes” then I started to giggle. It was probably inappropriate, but I couldn’t help it and I couldn’t stop. Pretty soon he was laughing with me.
Ellis wrapped me up in a hug. “Oh Eve, what am I going to do with you.”
“I have a few ideas,” I said suggestively. “But I’ll save those for later. Seriously Ellis, that was the hottest thing ever. And I believe I owe you some cake.”
“Yes, you do … but that’s dessert. What are you doing for dinner?”
“I don’t know. I was trying to figure that out when you ambushed me.”
“Ambushed you huh?”
“Yep, but it’s okay, I liked it.”
“Dinner?”
“Oh yeah, no plans.”
“Let me take you out then we can come back here and have that dessert.”
“That sounds great.”
“I’ll be back in about an hour to get you,” he said walking to the door.
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“But how will I know what to wear?”
“Jeans will work. It’s not fancy.”
“Okay. See you in an hour Ellis.”
“I’ll be counting the minutes Eve,” he said and went to his apartment.
I did a little happy dance. Molly looked at me like I was crazy. I texted mom and told her that Ellis was taking me out to dinner, then I went to my closet. I picked out a pair of skinny jeans, a black sweater and some tall boots. I changed and checked myself out in the mirror. I was happy with the outfit. I touched up my lip gloss and considered myself ready. Now all I had to do was wait. I was sure it was going to be the longest forty-five minutes of my life.
I fed Molly and tried to keep myself occupied by figuring out where Ellis might be taking me. I had about a million ideas and I’m sure they were all wrong. That made me laugh to myself.
I heard a knock on the door and my heart sped up. I opened it to a smiling Ellis.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“Just let me grab my purse.”
We went downstairs to the parking garage. I wondered which car was his. There were several fancy cars and a couple of sports cars, but I was surprised when he led me to an SUV.
“You look surprised,” he said.
“I am actually. I thought you’d have something like that,” I said, pointing to a fast-looking car.
He laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, I’d like a car like that, but an SUV is far more practical.”
He unlocked the doors and opened mine for me.
“Oh, a real gentleman, I didn’t think any were left.”
“We are few and far between. But the truth is that the first time I don’t open a door for you I’m afraid my mom will appear out of nowhere and slap me upside the head.”
I laughed. I was really starting to want to meet his mom. She sounded like a formidable woman.
“Tell me more about your mom,” I said when he started the car.
“She’s the sweetest woman but she can be tough. We weren’t the easiest kids to raise. We kept her on her toes. Dad worked out of town a lot so most of the time it was just us and mom. She tried to keep us busy with sports and activities, but we still managed to find trouble from time to time.”
“Sounds very different from my childhood. I was a pretty good kid and so was my brother. The most trouble mom had with him was getting him away from his video games.”
“Your parents were pretty lucky then,” he said smiling.
They drove for a little bit longer when Ellis pulled into a parking lot.
“We’re here,” he announced with a huge grin on his face.
I had no idea where here was. Ellis got out and came around to my side and opened my door.
“Thank you,” I told him and looked around. “Where are we? All I see is a door that says Wimpy’s. This doesn’t look like a restaurant.”
“It’s one of those places that you can only find if you already know about it. A friend of mine from college owns it. They make the best burgers around. Are you brave enough to enter?” Ellis said laughing at me.
“Bring it on,” I said and opened the door. The first thing that hit me was the smell. It smelled divine.
“It tastes even better than it smells,” Ellis said to me as we waited to be seated.
I swear, sometimes it’s like he could read my mind.
“Mr. Darlow,” the hostess said as she approached us. “How nice to see you again. Do you need menus tonight?”
“Yes please, my friend hasn’t been here before,” he told her.
“Oh, then you’re in for a treat,” she said smiling at me.
She showed us to a table. “Your server will be right with you. Enjoy!”
“I take it you come here often,” I said to Ellis.
“As often as I can get here. It’s the best place to eat.”
I picked up the menu to have a look when I heard a booming voice coming toward us. “Well if it isn’t the All-Star quarterback Ellis ‘The Arm’ Darlow.”
Ellis grinned and stood to greet the voice with one of those man hugs they all seem to do. “Good to see you man, it’s been ages. Eve, this is Wimpy, my college buddy that owns this place. Wimpy, this is Eve,” he said sitting back down.
Wimpy sat down beside me.
“Nice to meet you. This is quite the place you have,” I said and gestured to the walls. They were absolutely covered with stuff.
Wimpy laughed at my expression. “Everything you see on these walls is a memory. Some from my childhood, others from college. There’s a picture or two of The Arm over here somewhere,” he said pointing at Ellis and laughing. “I’d better get back to work. It was nice meeting you Eve. Ellis, we need to catch up. Enjoy your meal.”
I looked at Ellis. “Wimpy?”
Ellis laughed. “His real name is Jacob, well Jake. He got the nickname Wimpy in college. You know the character from Popeye that eats the burgers all the time, well that was Jake. He ate more burgers than anyone I knew. It just kind of stuck and so of course he named his burger joint after his nickname.”
“He doesn’t look like he eats a ton of burgers,” I said.
“He probably doesn’t eat as many as he used to and I’m sure he still works out every day.”
I had more questions, but I was hungry, so I picked up the menu to have a look. There were probably fifty different burger choices. I’d never seen so many on one menu.
“Wow, I can’t believe there are so many burgers on here. How will I ever make a choice?”
“Well, my suggestion is to just pick one that sounds good and we’ll come back again, and you can try another one.”
“Okay, sounds like a plan.” I looked at the menu again and instead of reading them all I closed my eyes and let my finger roam over the menu and randomly picked one. I opened my eyes to see Ellis smirking at me.
“So, what did you end up with?” he asked.
I looked at the menu to see where my finger had landed. It was called The Avocadanator. It was a beef burger with avocado, bacon, cheddar cheese, sautéed onions and chipotle mayo.
“The Avocadanator?”
“That’s a good one. I think you’ll love it.”
“Okay, what are you going to get?”
“I think today I’m going to go with The Maniac.”
I gave him a funny look.
“It’s a burger with ham, bacon, sausage and cheese.”
“Wow,” I said with a smile. “That’s crazy. How did he come up with all of these?”
“Some of these we created in college, the rest I have no idea,” Ellis said.
A woman with a notepad came to our table. “Sorry for the wait, my name is Tammy and I’ll be your server. Can I get you started with a drink?”
“Actually,” Ellis said, “we’re ready to order. I’ll have a lemonade and The Maniac.”
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“And I’ll have a water with lemon and the Avocadanator,” I told her and laughed to myself.
“And for your sides?” Tammy asked.
“Oh, I hadn’t got that far,” I said. “What are the choices?”
“Hand cut fries, curly fries, cheese fries, coleslaw and a garden salad,” she told me.
“Um … I think I’ll take the garden salad with ranch please.”
“Alright. And for you sir?”
“Definitely the hand cut fries with brown gravy,” Ellis said.
“I’ll get your order in and be right back with your drinks,” she said and left.
“Did you meet Jake in college?” I asked.
“Yeah. He was a freshman like me and we were both on the football team.”
“Hence the name The Arm?” I couldn’t help but laugh. “You have to tell me about that.”
“It was my second year of college. The starting quarterback was injured, and coach put me in. On my first possession I threw the ball to a receiver. What I didn’t know at the time was that it was the longest throw by a quarterback in school history.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.”
“Let me tell you the best part. I ended up throwing to the other team and they scored a touchdown,” Ellis started laughing. “I’ve never lived it down.”
I started laughing with him. He told me more about his football days. He had a lot of good stories. I was amazed that he was able to do that and get his law degree at the same time.
Our food came, and my mouth dropped open. There was no way I was going to be able to eat all of the food that was sitting in front of me. But I did plan on taking a picture of it to share on Instagram. Ellis smirked at me when I took out my phone.
I cut my burger in half and took my first bite. It was amazing. “Oh my God, what do they do to the beef? I can’t even describe what’s different, but I know that it is.”
“It’s grass-fed beef from local farmers, but I have no idea what kind of spices they use.”
“I thought there was no way I could eat that whole burger but after tasting it I think I might be able to.”
We made small talk while we ate. Jake came and checked on us about half way through the meal. I told him how good it was, and he told me to come back any time. I was definitely going to bring mom and dad here.
Ellis paid for dinner and we went back to the apartment building. I had promised him cake, so I invited him in. I got us each a slice and a glass of wine. We sat at the table and enjoyed our dessert. We both had to work so we called it a night earlier than last night.
I saw him to the door. I admitted to myself that I really wanted him to kiss me. He said good night and left. I was disappointed. After the kiss earlier, I wanted that again.
About two seconds after I closed the door there was a knock. Ellis was on the other side.
“I forgot something,” he told me.
“Really?” I said looking around. I didn’t see anything.
“Yes,” he said, and crushed his lips against mine. My hands immediately went around him, and his hands pulled me closer to him. I felt his tongue on my lips and I opened my mouth and our tongues collided. I’m sure I saw stars. This was super hot and incredibly sexy, just like Ellis.
After what seemed like hours but was probably just seconds Ellis ended the kiss.
“Wow,” I whispered.
“Yeah,” he whispered back. “Until next time.”
I heard his apartment door close. I did a little happy dance for the second time that night. The kiss earlier had been heated and unexpected. This one was over the top. I started to wonder what more would be like. I was positive it was going to be spectacular.
I stopped when I realized what I was thinking. This was the first time in three years that I was thinking about wanting a real relationship and that made me extremely happy. It meant that I was fully back to the person I was before the accident.
I checked the time. It wasn’t too late to call mom. I picked up my phone and called her. I told her everything about my date, even the hot kiss. She was very happy for me. And she was excited to try Wimpy’s. I went to bed feeling very hopeful for my future.
Chapter 26
I saw Ellis five times over the next two weeks. It would have been more, but he really did work a lot. I enjoyed every minute we spent together. We cooked each other dinner, went out to a movie and he took me to Wimpy’s again.
I’d also heard back from my insurance company. My car was a write-off and I was getting a check to replace it. Dad and I started car shopping. I wasn’t planning on getting a brand new one, but dad wanted me to have the safest car I could. Considering my track record, I couldn’t really argue.
It was Sunday and it was Ellis’s turn to cook me dinner. I spent most of the day at my parent’s place just hanging out. As usual mom had a ton of questions about Ellis, but I didn’t mind answering them. I was sure I could talk about him all day. I got butterflies when I was going to see him and a smile on my face when I thought about him. I was really happy with my life now and I hoped it would continue like this for a long time.
I left mom and dads in my new car that I’d just picked up yesterday. I was thrilled to be driving again. Don’t get me wrong, I loved seeing mom every day, but I was starting to feel like a burden. Now I had the freedom to go where I wanted again.
As I walked down the hallway to my apartment I could smell something delicious coming from Ellis’s place. I decided to say hello before I went into mine to change for dinner. I knocked on the door. I heard footsteps and I was prepared to surprise Ellis with a kiss, but it was me who got the surprise.
The door opened and there stood a beautiful woman. I mean she was practically perfect. Long brown hair, beautiful skin, amazing body and impeccably dressed.
“Can I help you?” she said.
“I was looking for Ellis,” I managed to say.
She smirked at me and said, “He’s otherwise occupied.”
I wasn’t sure what that meant but I knew I didn’t like her tone. I didn’t know what to do but I wasn’t going to stand there and have this gorgeous woman mock me.
“I see,” I said and walked back down the hallway.
I don’t know why I didn’t go into my apartment or why I didn’t call out for Ellis. I went back down to the parking garage and got into my car. I didn’t have a destination, so I just drove, fighting tears the entire way.
I found myself back at my parent’s house. I walked in to the curious looks in their faces. But mom could tell that something was wrong.
“Eve honey, what happened?”
The concern in her voice was my breaking point. The tears started to fall. Mom enveloped me in a hug and held me until I calmed down enough to talk. She made me tea and we went and sat in the kitchen. I told her about the woman that answered Ellis’s door. She was quiet for a moment and then she spoke.
“Eve, what I’m hearing from you is that you think Ellis is cheating on you?”
“I guess, I don’t know.”
“I understand that you’re hurting right now, but you don’t know anything about this woman and what she was doing there.”
“I know mom, but you should have seen her. She was like an actress or something.”
“So, she was pretty. So are you honey,” mom said. “I know your relationship is in the early stages, but has he given you any indication that he is cheating? He seems crazy about you.”
“But the woman mom, she answered his door.”
“She could have been a friend, co-worker, a cousin or one of his sisters. You didn’t stick around long enough to find out. Give him the benefit of the doubt honey. But if he is cheating on you then I think your brother might have to pay him a visit,” she said with a raised eyebrow.
Despite the situation I had to laugh at mom. I knew that’s what she wanted, and it worked.
“Go back home honey. It’s after 6:00, he’ll be waiting for you. I’m sure this is just a misunderstandi
ng. Let me know what happens. I’m always here for you.”
“Thanks mom,” I said, giving her a big hug. She was my rock.
I waved bye to my dad and got back in my car. My phone started ringing and I realized I’d left it in my car. I looked at the screen, it was Ellis. I didn’t answer it because I didn’t touch my phone while I was driving.
I got back to my building and parked. I took a deep breath and headed to the elevator. When I turned the corner to my apartment I saw Ellis pacing up and down the hallway in front of our apartments. As soon as he saw me a look of relief came over his face and he practically ran toward me. He grabbed me and hugged me hard. He released me and looked right into my eyes before he started talking.
“Oh Eve, you’re here, thank God. It’s not what you think. The woman who answered my door was my sister. She was teaching me how to bake bread when you knocked. She was making me do all the work, that’s what she meant by otherwise occupied and probably had a satisfied look on her face. She was laughing at me. I’m so sorry you got the wrong impression,” he said in a rush.
I looked back at him. He didn’t look like he was lying and actually he looked downright worried.
“Eve, my sister is still here if you want to meet her officially. I made her stay until I found you. Will you come in?”
I could hear the uncertainty in his voice. I decided to take mom’s advice and give him a chance. I nodded. He hugged me again and led me into his apartment.
The woman that had answered the door was sitting at his kitchen table. When she saw me, she got up and came and gave me a hug.
“I’m so sorry Eve. I had no idea it was you at the door and I can see how my actions would be upsetting. I apologize for any hurt or stress I’ve caused. Ellis has said so many good things about you and this is the first impression you get of me. Don’t tell mom or she’ll tan my hide,” she said smiling.
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