Memories That Still Haunt Us

Chapter Ten:

Ellis pushes the cart as we move up and down the aisles. Beck throws in as much junk as he can, only for Ellis to secretly place it back on the shelf without Beck noticing. I pay attention to the list, grabbing what we need. I need to buy myself some things too, but I'll wait until I can go back alone.

Beck's voice fills the silence that lingers between Ellis and me. He says everything that comes to mind. Which I'm thankful for. Why does my brain not work when I'm around Ellis? Why do all my thoughts get so jumbled that I can't find a single thing to say? It's so unlike me.

"Dad!" Beck says with excitement. "Can I pick a box of candy?" He asks and points with his finger towards the candy aisle.

Ellis nods, and Beck takes off, leaving us alone. I swallow hard and check off another thing on the list. "We have cameras outside the house." He then says to me, and I freeze, my body growing stiff. "They send an alert to my phone when they detect someone or when the doors open."

"Oh?" I try to act unfazed.

He gives me a look, letting me know he saw Lake last night. God. I should've known. How else would he have known I was in the kitchen? I swallow hard. "Are you going to tell Mrs. Bythesea?" I ask nervously.

He shakes his head. "No."

I exhale with relief. "Thank you."

"Who was he?"

"My ex-boyfriend." My cheeks flush knowing that he saw Lake come and go. That he probably knows what we were doing. First, I'm a drunken mess. Now, I'm letting guys over for sex. How has he not fired me at this point? I'm frustrated with my lack of professionalism. I must seem like such a fuckup to him. He's so well put together. So posh and successful. I've never been around someone as intriguing as him. Someone with such a proper head on their shoulder who seems to have it all figured out.

"Is that why he looked so gutted when he left?" In my amazement, he gives me a sly smile. Barely considered a smile. More of a slight lift of his lips.

I give him a mischievous smile. "We're you sitting there watching the cameras?"

He doesn't falter by my teasing. "Just making sure he wasn't some dickhead that was going to slash your tires. He paced for a while in the front fuming."

I place my hand over my face, embarrassed by Lake's behavior. "I'm sorry. He wasn't very pleased when I told him we should stop seeing each other."

Ellis looks at me. It makes my insides melt. I'm mesmerized by his gaze. "I can imagine." Is all he says, and my mind begins to spiral. What does he mean by that? It sounds intimate. It sounds like a flirtatious, bold comment. Or am I overthinking it?

Before I can respond, Ellis looks away and moves the cart over to Beck. We don't talk the rest of the time, leaving me to my thoughts. Every now and then, we sneak glances at one another. At one point, our hands bump together, but neither of us are quick to pull them away. The touch sends a bolt of electricity up my spine. Leaving a tingly sensation in my fingertips.

This is bad. My body is doing things I don't want it to. It's reacting to Ellis in a way I'm unfamiliar with. My attraction to him is taking on a mind of its own. This isn't good. I need to bury it.

Yet, I can't deny the thrill it creates in me. How forbidden. How wrong it is only makes the desire for him deepen. He's something I can't have, and it's driving me crazy. It's exhilarating to think of touching him, of feeling his hands and mouth on me. Maybe some teasing and flirting wouldn't be so bad. I'd never let it go anywhere, of course. Just to feed the craving slightly. Just some innocent flirting won't do any harm.