Two Thousand Miles Away

Chapter 20

Ella

I woke up to my phone buzzing next to me. Groaning as I sat up in my bed - I had a slight hangover. Rebecca wasn't in the room. I think she left to be with Caleb. Last night she was very mad that I made her come home.

I grabbed my phone. "Hello," I said. My voice was slightly groggy.

"Ella," a very happy voice said. I glanced at the caller ID. Gabby. I'd forgotten that today was our phone call counseling session with Dad and Grayson. "You okay, Ella?"

I nodded but then realized that she couldn't see me. "Yeah. Yeah," I said. "I was just out late last night."

"Okay," she said. "Well, Grayson why don't you say hi to your sister."

My whole body relaxed as I heard my little brother's voice. I'd been texting Dad and Mike but hadn't really talked to Gray. "Hi Ella. I really miss you."

"Hey Buddy. I hope everything is good back home."

Gabby cleared her throat. "Ella why don't you tell us about school. How happy you are."
I nodded again. "Yeah. School is great. I'm making friends and learning so much."

Gabby's voice came back on. "Ella I took you off of speaker. That's all I wanted to talk about. Just needed to show Grayson that your happy. The rest of the session will be with just him."

"Okay bye."

"Bye Ella!" Grayson yelled.

I turned off my phone and went to shower. Has anyone ever noticed how in the shower you can think clearly? Because in the middle of washing my hair last night came back to me. Jacob and I making out on the couch. The feeling was so intense. It was the first time I'd truly felt something for something for someone.

But I knew that it was nothing. This is what these guys do. They make you feel something before destroying you from the inside.

I grabbed my stuff and started off to calculus. 

Jacob

I waited inside the lecture hall for Ella. I knew she wasn't going to sit with me so I was going to wait outside so I could steal a spot next to her. She walked in and sat down in her normal seat. I followed. I had two cups of steaming hot coffee in my hands. I had Ella's just the way she liked it. I remembered that she liked one packet of sugar and just a little cream. In one message she went on a full rant about it.

I sat down next to her and she quickly glanced up, almost seeming startled. "Oh it's you," she said quietly. Ella seemed embarrassed. Was I embarrassing to her?
I swallowed my pride and reminded myself that she didn't know me as Jacob the email boy but as Jacob the football player. "Yep. It's me. Coffee?" I held up her coffee and she grabbed it quickly. I held in a laugh as she took the first sip. Ella was more grateful than I realized for that small amount of caffeine.

"Thank you," she said quietly, still seeming to want to disappear into the chair. The way she held onto the cup, like she was trying to absorb the heat from the cup, was adorable.

"So I was thinking about last night," I began. Right as I said this the professor walked onto the stage thing.

Ella used this chance to whisper, "We should probably just forget last night. We both had a few beers. It was an impulse."

I felt my face drop as she said this. I knew that it wasn't a mistake. I was never one to believe in fate but this was fate. Ella and I just happened to stumble upon each other on that website. She just happened to go to the University of Colorado. We happened to have the same dorm and calculus class. This wasn't happenstance. This was fate.

Ella must have seen my face because she touched my arm gently, "I swear Jacob, this has nothing to do with you. I just got out of an awful relationship. It's just not the right time for me."

I swallowed hard but nodded. I understood. It wasn't fair for me to ask for Ella to jump into a relationship when she just wasn't ready. But I couldn't give up on Ella. "Fine," I said, pretending that my confidence was unshaken. "But go to lunch with me."

Ella opened her mouth, prepared to try weisel her way out of this. I spoke before she could. "No pressure, I swear. It'll just be two friends having lunch after class."

Ella thought to herself for a second. "Fine," she laughed. "Thursday work?"

I smiled. "Perfect."