Who Knows?

"Where's the ring?"

Eli is upstairs in the bathroom taking a much-needed shower. To keep things from getting too awkward, I jumped out of his lap as soon as I felt his grip loosen and told him that he reeks and he should clean up. His only reaction was a nod of his head and a low rumble that sounded vaguely like 'okay'. Right now, I'm in the kitchen, cooking a vegan lasagna for me and Eli. The tomato sauce is slowly reducing on the stove and a heavenly aroma fills the kitchen. Fresh basil is one of my favorite smells in the world, hence why I use tons of it when I cook Italian food. Cooking is like therapy for me. Every time my parents would go off on me or just ignore me and give all the attention to my sister or their work, I would retreat to the kitchen and cook until I felt a little happier inside. Since none of my family members ever cooked, I usually had the kitchen all to myself. Their judgment against me didn't keep them from eating my food, though. Not once, did I receive a compliment for my cooking from my parents, only from my sister. I learned to deal with it and I now found people that appreciate my cooking, like Tess.

"Smells great," I hear Eli say from the kitchen entrance. I didn't hear him coming downstairs, I was too deep in thoughts about the past. "What are you making?" he inquires and takes a few steps closer to me and the stove. His hair is once again wet, this time from the shower not from workout sweat. He is clad in a new clean pair of sweatpants and a v-neck t-shirt. His feet are bare and his arms are crossed over his chest. I kind of wish he didn't have any clean shirts left. Looking at his sculpted chest is delightful, to say the least. Stop sexualizing the poor man, Romy!

"I'm making lasagna. I hope you are hungry."

"You have no idea." He mumbles and comes up the stand behind me. Eli looks over my shoulder to get a better look at what I'm doing. I can smell his freshly showered body and it smells great. Refreshing but warm at the same time. Before I can say anything else, Eli's hand tangles itself in my hair. He gently lifts a couple of the shoulder-length strands before letting them fall again. Gently, he sweeps all my hair over my left shoulder, exposing one side of my neck.

"I like your hair color," he whispers, his fingers slowly dancing over the back of my neck, following the outline of my hair. My skin is now covered in goosebumps and instinctively, I tilt my head to give him more access to my skin. A moan threatens to escape my lips but I can stop it. I wish he would never stop touching me like that but then a thought crosses my mind. Just hours ago, he was with that woman. I have been here only for a week and it's already the second woman he's brought home. I don't want to end up on his long list of conquests. Quickly, I straighten my head and clear my throat.

"Thanks, I like my hair color too. And, um, it's great you are hungry because I'm making a lot of lasagne. It's your lucky day, I guess." I am aware that I sound like a complete idiot but I don't care. I just want those tingles to leave my body so I can think straight again. Eli doesn't take a step back, though, as I have expected him to after I completely ruined the mood. He just keeps standing directly behind me, not touching me but our bodies would connect if I just moved one centimeter back. What is it with him always coming to stand behind me?!

"Eli?"

"Hmm?" He hums.

"Could you...?"

"What?" He is not catching my hint.

"Oh, I don't know. Give me some of my personal space back, maybe?" Sarcasm is dripping from my voice and I slowly realize that I sound extremely rude. Well, too late to take it back now. He lets out an annoyed sigh but complies and takes a step back.

"Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He says, his voice clear and unwavering.

"I wasn't. It's not that it's just..." My voice trails off.