Elizabella 'Ella' Adams had the perfect life on paper: caring family, stable job and a serious relationship. But sometimes moments come along in life which make you question whether what's on paper is enough for the heart. Sometimes people can come...
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"Sorry I'm late."
Still flustered, I take the seat across from Lexi at the small cafe down the road from my apartment. She's already taking bites out of her pasta, having gone ahead and ordered for the both of us since I had been late yet again.
I had once again fallen victim to Theo's outrageous ability to make me lose track of time. Once I was no longer sprawled across Theo's kitchen bench, pinned under his hold, I had seen the time and realised what time it was; rushing out the door and not giving us a chance to actually talk over what just happened. I don't think I actually let him get a word out other than goodbye before I had scurried off. I can hardly get the feeling of Theo still lingering on my skin, of his touch infiltrating my every fibre, off of my mind. But I have to, because I've already allowed myself to be too distracted from my time with Lexi.
"That's okay," she assures me, dismissing my apology with a wave of her hand and letting me off lightly as she uses her other hand to shovel forks full of pasta into her mouth. I don't think I've ever seen her have such an appetite so I question whether I can put this new found enthusiasm down to her pregnancy. This is despite having heard that most women are too busy throwing up, including her this morning, to even consider food at this stage of their pregnancy. I begin to wonder what a heavily pregnant Lexi would look like- whether she'd be one of those women who you can't tell are pregnant besides the protruding belly or the swollen all over type.
I'm too distracted by these thoughts and her attack on the linguini that when Lexi throws a question my way I'm even more thrown off by it than I already would have been.
"So, were you with your mysterious new guy?" she asks.
I almost choke on the water that I had just begun sipping on, having not thought that she'd have any suspicions. For goodness sake, is it such a crazy idea that I would have to go run some errands?
"Huh?" I question, feigning confusion. I begin to worry that Theo may have made some more marks on me, besides the emotional tsunami he has brought upon my hormones.
"I'm not that oblivious Elle. You show up late last night, which you never do, with a hickey on your neck of all things. And even now, you disappear for mysterious errands you hadn't mentioned before only to arrive late again looking all flustered. So, who's the guy?" she questions, her detective hat well and truly on as she shares her evidence. I have to admit, Lexi is more perceptive than I had imagined. I never really thought she paid much attention to what I do, having always kind of been stuck in her own bubble.
"It's nothing." I tell her, scrunching up my eyebrows as if to convey the absurdity of her assumption.
"Well, there's obviously something going on and you're not the type to do anything casual so I've clearly missed something." she claims, making me involuntarily lift my head with curiosity from where it had been staring down at my own meal.
