Hugging Tess once again, I wish her a lot of fun on her little trip and to not do anything I wouldn't do. Of course, her answer is a big eye roll.

"I mean it," I tell her, trying to sound stern.

"Yeah, whatever mom," she retorts, not even attempting to take me seriously. I smile at her antics and wave to her when she disappears into Simon's car and they pull out of the driveway.

"I hope she won't do anything stupid," Bennett sighs, coming to stand next to me on the porch.

"She'll be fine. Stop worrying so much," I try to reassure him.

"Easier said than done."

"Come on, most of the time you don't know what she's up to because she's not here with you so there's no need to start worrying now."

"But now that she's here, I am responsible for her and yes I know that she's an adult," he says and finishes with a pointed look in my direction.

"Okay, worry all you want. I'm gonna go to the lake and read a book. See ya later!"

I'm deeply invested in my book, effectively shutting out everything that's going on around me which is not much, to begin with. The lake and its surroundings are enveloped by tranquil peace and calmness. A few birds are chirping their melodies and the wind is gently flowing through the trees. A couple of clouds are gracing the sky and the sun is close to setting, making it enjoyable for me to lay at the lake for longer than usual. I still have to wear a coverup over my bikini in order to not get sunburnt.

"What are you reading?" A gruff voice asks, making me look up from my book.

"Oh, hey, I didn't hear you coming," I tell Eli, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear after it's fallen in front of my face. He's walking closer to where I'm laying and stops only a few inches in front of me. I crane my neck to look up at his towering form. A small smile graces his lips and he squints a little, the sun blinding him.

"So, are you gonna tell me what you are reading, or not?"

"Uh, yeah sure, sorry," I sheepishly smile and continue, "it's How to Stop Time by Matt Haig. Have you read it?"

"No. I don't read as much as I should," Eli scratches the back of his neck and looks straight ahead onto the lake. "Can I join you?" he asks then, taking me a little of guard. I manage to nod, my tongue not wanting to produce any words. He sits himself down on the soft grass. His arm and leg brushing my body in a fleeing movement. "Where's Tess?"

"Bennett didn't tell you?"

He shakes his head.

"She went with Simon to spend a few days on his brother's boat." Having the feeling that Eli will stay here for a while, I slowly take the bookmark from between the last two pages and place it where I stopped reading. I fully close the book and set it beside me, turning from my stomach onto my back and sitting up.

"You can keep reading. I didn't mean to disturb you," Eli tells me, throwing a wary glance in my direction. His eyes roam my face and, as always, I feel a blush creeping up my face.

"No, it's fine. I could use some company now that Tess is gone."

"Ouch." A chuckle leaves Eli's lips.

"What do you mean 'ouch'?" I question the giant man not able to imagine him ever getting hurt. Not physically at least.

"I didn't know I was just a rebound to you. It hurts." His face is completely stoic and screams seriousness but his tone is one of humor. I laugh escapes me and I nudge his shoulder with my own.

"Awww," I decide to tease him, "do you want me to kiss it better?" As soon as these words left my lips, I register what I just said and how completely wrong that sounded. My mouth falls open and I scramble to save myself.

"Uuh, no no that's not what I meant, I... uh... I-I meant... like, you know when a kid gets hurt and the parent clearly knows the kid is exaggerating but they still want to, uh, make the kid feel better and then say ask the kid if they want them to 'kiss it better' and...I uh, not that I think you are a kid I mean you are clearly not a kid you are the tallest person I've ever seen and you have facial hair and you proba-" before I can finish that sentence, not that it would've ended any time soon, a large, rough hand slowly covers my mouth, effectively ceasing my embarrassing rambling. My eyes dart to Eli, he is smiling a beautiful smile and one of his eyebrows is raised in curious questioning.

"If I take my hand away, will continue to ramble like a crazy person?" He asks slowly, pronouncing every word slowly and carefully as if I'm a deer caught in the headlights, prepared to run at any second. Of course, he thinks I'm crazy. What else could he think after the stunt I just pulled. Just great, Romy. Good job.

I shake my head no and beg for the blush on my face, or more like my whole body, to vanish.

"Good," he answers and takes his hand back to rest next to his hips on the ground. I quickly avert my face and look down on my legs, my hair falling like a curtain around my face. I bite my lip in order to not scream in shame. I am usually not the person to do embarrassing things. "Hey," his soft voice lulls me out of my mind and I begin to lift my head. My hair is still hiding my face from his view and this time I feel him reaching out, his fingers gently brush my hair behind my ear. "What did I say about hiding your eyes?" His question makes me smile and I look at him.

"I'm sorry for being so awkward. I swear I'm usually not like this." I bite my lip, my eyes still lingering on his face. His eyes zero in on my lips for a quick second before returning to my eyes.

"Don't worry about it. It was cute, just a tad annoying." He assures me, making me laugh out at his bluntness.

"You're blunt."

"Honest." He counters.

"I like honest."

"Tell me what the book is about."

"Do you really want to know?" I ask, not quite believing him. He just said he's an honest person, woman. Goddammit.

"Yes."

I tell him what the book is about and how far along I am, by now. I continue by explaining what I like and not like about the book and the author's writing style. The whole time, he listens intently to what I'm saying, his eyes jumping from my lips to my eyes and back. Sometime's he asks some questions about the book and then why I like reading so much.

"I just like that it leaves so much to your imagination. When you watch a movie, you don't have the freedom of fantasy. Everything is already there for you to see and just accept. All the people in the movie theater see the same characters in the exact same environments. But if you would talk to people that have all read the same book, their answers as to how the characters and their surroundings look like will be different. No two answers will be the same."

Eli nods and keeps looking at me. "That makes sense. Maybe I really should read more. If you recommend a book to me, I promise I'll read it."

"But I don't know if you'll like the kind of books I read." I bite my lip again, as you can tell it's a habit that I can't seem to get rid of.

"I trust you." I was well aware that he was referring to my taste in books and my ability to choose one he'll like but I can't shake the feeling that these three words referred to something else all along. Stop overthinking shit, Romy.

"Okay, I'll let you know by tomorrow."

"Good."

"So, what do you like?" I dare to ask.

"Engines."

Getting tired of sitting down, I stand up and dust some grass off my butt. I gather my book and blanket in my arms and Eli questions my actions with a disapproving look.

"Walk with me?" I ask him, nodding my head towards the lake. Without a word a gets up and starts walking. I quickly catch up with him and even though I know he gives one-worded answers because he doesn't want to talk about himself, I am not willing to give up yet.

"What exactly is it that you like about engines?"

"All of it."

I sigh, he is a tough nut.

"Why do you like all of it?"

He ponders over the question for a while, holding back his answer. I give him the time he needs, afraid that he'll never answer if I push too much.

"I don't know," he finally says.

"I don't believe you. You said you were an honest person." My voice almost sound scolding and I hate it.

Now it's his turn to sigh.

"They keep me occupied, engines are my job. One of the most powerful things the human as ever invented and they are usually embedded in nice exteriors, which means I like vehicles in general. Engines are fascinating machines and the way they work is very interesting." He takes a long pause. "They are the one thing I'm able to fix."

"That sounds very nice. And I'm sure you're able to fix a lot of things." I try to reassure him.

"Don't do that." Eli's voice is less gentle now.

"Don't do what?"

"Pretend that you know me."

"I am trying to get to know you and I am sorry if I came across as presumptuous, that wasn't my intention," I tell him honestly, not understanding his sudden change in demeanor. His stance is rigid, his shoulders tense and his steps increase in pace. It gets harder and harder for me to keep up with him so I stop. I wait to see if he notices that I'm not walking next to him anymore. He doesn't.

"Eli," I call out, making him stop in his tracks. "What are you running from?" He turns to face me. He opens his mouth as to say something but he quickly closes it again. The sun is almost gone now and he just stands there, looking at me. After a few minutes of silence, he faintly shakes his head and, with quick strides, disappears into the direction of the house.

What the hell did I do now?!