The Coffee Spill |Demi Lovato|

Chapter 17

Written 2015

Revised March 2021

*Demi's POV*

Ellie and I have been driving for what feels like hours. Most of our drive has been backroads, the sides of the road lined with tall trees. "Baby, how much longer?" I ask, turning my attention from the trees to her. 

"Were almost there, hang in there." She replies, giving my left thigh a squeeze. Her hand has rested on my thigh for most of the ride. I hear the intro of Neon Lights on the radio. I turn the volume up, getting ready to sing. I roll down my window. "Oh no," Ellie says. Ellie has yet to witness me sing along to one of my songs in the car. It is quite a scene. I sing along with myself, serenading Ellie. I dance the choreography as best as I can in a moving vehicle. Ellie takes a quick look before refocusing on the road. I nudge Ellie. "Sing with me!" I insist. She shakes her head no. "Please!" I pout. Ellie sighs before giving in, singing along. At first her voice is soft, barely audible over mine and the radio. She gets more comfortable as the song progresses, matching my loudness with hers. Ellie puts her blinker on, turning onto a dirt road. She pulls up to a faded sign, too degraded to read, putting the car in park before turning it off. I look around and see nothing but trees. I give her a confused look. 

"Just come on!" She says getting out of her car, opening her trunk. I follow her, grabbing my luggage. I forgot how heavy it was. She slips her duffle bag over her shoulder before grabbing a large cooler on wheels. She intertwines our fingers in one hand, wheeling the cooler in the other. I follow her through a narrow, overgrown trail between the trees. 

She stops halfway down the trail. "Close your eyes." She asks. 

"What, why?" I ask.

"Do you trust me?" I nod. "Then close your eyes." I do as she says, closing my eyes. We continue, walking slow so I don't trip.

"Is this where you take me to kill me?" I joke keeping my eyes closed. 

"You caught me." She says sarcastically. 

She presses her lips to my earlobe, giving it a sweet peck. "Okay, open." She says softly.  

We are standing on an empty beach. The waves are splashing against the rocks, the smell of saltwater lingering in the air. 

"Wow," I say, taking in the view. This was not what I expected. Not what I expected at all. 

"Come on, the cabin's this way." Ellie says, taking my hand in hers. 

We continue along the narrow path, making our way to a cobblestone walkway. We follow the cobblestone, bringing us to a single story cabin. There are overgrown vines covering one side of the cabin. Tree's surround the cabin. No wonder we couldn't see it from the car. Ellie unlocks the front door, putting our bags down in the entry way. The cabin is cozy and warm, full of vibrant blues and yellows, complimenting the beach themed décor. white washed wood paneling cover the walls from the floor to the vaulted ceiling. String lights drape over the exposed wooden beams in the ceiling. 

"Ellie turns the generator on, lights flickering on. "This was my parents cabin. We would come here every summer when I was a little kid." She explains.

"It's beautiful." 

"We can take a look around after, I want to go for a swim before the sun goes down." Ellie says, unzipping her duffle bag. "The bathroom is right here, I'll change in the bedroom." She says pointing to a closed door on her way to the bedroom. I do as she instructed. When I'm done, Ellie is in the family room, looking out the window. She has a pink bikini with gold hearts on and two towels in her hands. She hears the floor creak as I exit the bathroom, turning around. 

"Ready?" She asks, smiling, handing me a towel. I wrap my free hand around her waist, pulling her body into mine. Her bare stomach brushes against mine, sending a jolt of energy through my body. I place my lips on hers passionately. "Now I am," I say with a smile.

We walk back down the cobblestone path, fingers interlocked with each other. When we get to the edge of the water I dip my toes in to check the temperature. 

"Don't be a baby, just go right in." She says walking into the water until her lower body is submerged. "Your body gets use to it quicker." She informs, lowering herself deeper into the water. I take a deep breath before running towards her, knocking her completely under. She comes back up, wiping her eyes. "You asshole!" She screams pushing down on my shoulders in retaliation until I'm underwater. I come back up, laughing. I lift my legs up, floating with the current. 

"When was the last time you were here?" I ask.

"It's been a while."

"Are there other cabins out here?" 

"About a dozen." 

We float around in silence for a while. The only noise is the water against the rocks. For the first time since the incident with Wilmer I feel calm. Relaxed. Ellie has been supportive and comforting through it all, but right now I feel weightless. The sun is starting to set behind the trees, dropping the temperature. The tree's begin to shake in the wind, the saltwater on my face drying. I stand up, searching for Ellie. She is not far away, pumping her arms through the water moving effortlessly. 

"Hey, El. Do you mind If I go inside?" I ask. 

She turns around, walking towards me. "Yeah, it's starting to get cold." She says rubbing her hands up and down my arms. 

I follow Ellie out of the water. She hands me my towel before wrapping hers around her body. The walk back to the cabin is short and quiet. We're both content with each other's company, not needing to rely on a useless conversation to avoid silence. When we return to the cabin, the first thing Ellie does is show me around. She nervously informs me where the things she deemed important are. 

Ellie tousles her hair with her fingers, rubbing her hair between her fingers. "I'm going to take a shower before the saltwater ruins my hair." She says flipping her hair to the side. 

I unwrap my towel around my body, flashing Ellie a smirk. "Can I join you?"