The Billionaire's One

23. Day Twenty Eight of Learning

"It's official," Elliot peers closely at my completely healed hand with a feigned look of utter concentration on his face – the kind of look I'd see on my mother as she tries to thread a needle – "You can go right back to chopping cinderblocks with the side of your hand."

Dropping the side of my head against the sofa that we're both seated on, I laugh at his ridiculousness. Something that I've not only gotten used to over the past, almost month, but come to look forward to.

I look at Elliot's squinting expression as he turns my hand over and over and realize just how much I like him. He's one of the best people that I know and the more I spend time with him, the more I'm attracted to him. He's been working quite a lot lately and he says that he's putting in the hours needed to be present for all the wedding festivities.

Sitting here, in the Kingsley's cozy den, the movie we were about to start watching paused – because Ray got a call from the office and has been pacing in the hallway, speaking harshly into the phone, providing a rather brusque soundtrack to our otherwise tender moment – and speaking to Elliot is quite welcome after his week of absence. Elliot brushes his fingers over the regrown skin that still slightly shown hints of a wound as Ray enters the den.

"What are you doing, you freak?" she asks, tossing her phone on to the coffee table.

I move away from Elliot and Ray plops down on the couch between us, looking quizzically at her brother.

Elliot leans forward, casually picking the remote from the coffee table and says, "Inspecting the patient's wound."

Ray looks at me. "You're wounded?"

"Your brother is being dramatic," I say and hold up my hand, "I just impaled myself on your lemon tree and Elliot got the thorn out and patched me up."

Ray shakes her head at me. "Classic Al. Your fascination with lemon trees will be your downfall. As long as you're not dying." She looks at the TV screen. "Why didn't you watch without me?"

Elliot rolls his eyes exasperatedly at his sister and shakes his head.

"Because you explicitly told us 'If you watch a second of this without me, I'll burn both of you at the stake'."

Ray sticks her tongue out at me. "That sounds like me." To her brother, she says, "Play it, freak."

Releasing a breath, Elliot plays the movie.

It's only thirty seconds in, when Ray interrupts with a thought. "God, is this some sappy love-fest? Can we watch a horror movie instead?"

"No," I tell her, "No horror movies. And this is not a sappy love-fest."

Ray points viciously at the TV. "Look at the montages. Listen to the soundtrack. It has sappy Hallmark love-fest written all over it."

"They're called establishing shots."