"You're here," I utter in disbelief.

"Yeah," he scratches the back of his neck and casts a glance upward, looking at the dark clouds pouring rain on us. "I hope that's okay for you." The rain has soaked his shirt and it's clinging to every dip of his skin and muscles. He's making it really hard to stay mad at him or to concentrate. My throat feels too tight and my skin is shivering not only from the cold anymore.

I don't know how to answer his question, so I keep quiet. I feel my phone vibrate a few times in my pocket but I ignore it.

"You should really come inside. You're gonna catch a cold if you stay out in the rain for much longer," his voice is gruff like usual and he seems unhappy with my decision to walk home in the rain. I know I should listen to him but I stay rooted to the spot. Eli walks the remaining steps over to me and gently grabs my hand, pulling me into the building. Even though my skin is freezing from the rain and wind, the part that Eli touches feels burning hot. Once we're inside, he squeezes my hand a single time before slowly letting go, turning to face me again.

"What made you think walking home in a thunderstorm was a good idea?" he questions, sounding slightly angry.

"I don't know," I mumble and feel tears of frustration creep into my eyes. I want to run to him and hug him, bury my nose in his shirt and chest, smell his scent and never let him go again but my brain shouts at me to keep my distance; to be wary and not trust him right away and I swear it physically hurts to obey my rationality. I somehow manage to control my urges and not run to him but I can't stop the next words from tumbling out of my mouth in one rushed breath.

"I missed you so much."

A mix of pain and relief crosses his face before he opens his arms, reaches for me, and pulls me against his chest. His big hands hold me to him at the small of my back and between my shoulder blades and he buries his nose into my hair.

"I'm so sorry for taking so long and making you wait, darling. You have no idea how much I missed you," he whispers into my hair and pulls me tighter against his body. My tense muscles relax for a second and I deeply breathe in his scent before realization hits me and I break free from his embrace, taking a few steps back. He doesn't get to hug me, yet. We haven't talked and there is still the possibility of a new girlfriend. But if that was really the case, why would he hug me like this and tell me he missed me? No, Romy, don't be naive, you cannot always trust what people say!

He doesn't comment on my reservations and nods his head toward the stairs, indicating for me to follow him. I let him lead me up to the apartment as if he's the one living here and not me but I cannot seem to care about that right now. The door to our apartment is ajar and Eli pushes it open, holding it for me to walk through. The moment I step foot into the living room, Tess comes barreling into me, hugging me to her frame and whispering in my ear, "Did you see my text? I texted you that he was here, please don't be mad at me."

I hug her back and say, "I didn't see your text but I'm not mad at you. Just a little shocked is all."

"Yeah, I can see that," she says as she pulls back and roams my body with her eyes. "You should shower and change into dry clothes."

"Thank you, Tess. I wouldn't have thought of that," I retort sarcastically and she rolls her eyes.

"We're gonna go out to eat later, do the two of you want to join us, or do you need to talk first?" Bennett asks into the room.

I am not quite ready to talk to Eli yet, to face the truth and a distraction sounds like a welcome excuse. I am quick to say, "Sounds good, I'm in. I'm starving actually, so perfect timing. I'll get ready and then we can head out."

From the corner of my eye, I can see Eli look at me with a frown but he nods at Ben anyway. I take that as my clue to get ready and waltz into the bathroom, leaving a trail of rain behind me.

The atmosphere at the table is uncomfortable, to say the least. I forced Tess to sit next to me but she insisted to sit opposite Bennett so now I am stuck looking at an angry Eli who is trying to hide his scowl. I guess he would have preferred to talk first. Well, tough luck, buddy. Tess chose a cozy Italian restaurant. The tables are so small, that Eli's knees constantly press against my legs and I have to try really hard not to visibly shiver every time that happens. Of course, he does catch me a few times and he has the audacity to smirk. I cast him a scowl of my own but he just quietly laughs. Bastard.

Every single one of my nerve endings is tense and on high alert but the man in front of me seems cool as a cucumber. Except for his apparent anger, of course. This is not fair. For the rest of the dinner, I make an effort not to look at Eli and to join Tess and Bennett's conversation; for the most part, it works.

Dinner went by excruciatingly slow and when I finally step outside and the cool breeze caresses my skin, I take a deep breath and release some of the pent-up tension. My best friend and her brother are walking ahead to where we parked the car and I walk quickly to catch up with them, well aware that Eli is directly behind me. I take about three steps before he catches me around my waist and pulls my back into his front.

"You wish," he whispers into my ear with a growl and my legs immediately press together on their own accord. "Why are you running from me?" he nearly growls. His hand tightens its hold on my waist and his other hand finds my throat, tilting my head to the side. He runs his nose up and down the column of my neck and I bite my lip to stop the moan about to break free.

"I- I'm not running from you," I lie with a breathy voice.

"Yes, you are. We need to talk."

"We will, don't worry. Just," I take in a sharp breath, "not now," I pull my neck out of his grasp but don't step away from him.

"When?" is all he asks.

"Soon," is all I give him.

"Soon," he repeats with a scoff. "Tomorrow," he then says.

"Yes, tomorrow," I agree and he lets me go and steps away from me, taking his body heat with him.

"Can't wait," he grumbles and walks past me but his words weren't sarcastic, he actually meant that he can't wait.

Since Eli and Bennett are staying at a hotel, I have all night to fret over the fact that Eli and I are gonna have to talk tomorrow. My heart is stupidly hopeful but my head is still swarmed with skepticism.

Before we went to bed, Tess told me I could run and she would cover for me in case I really didn't want to talk to Eli but we both know that is not an actual option. She was glad I didn't take her up on her offer because she is too curious to know what he has to say. Of course, I had to promise her to give her a detailed report on every word that comes out of his mouth. It takes me a while but I do fall asleep at one point, apprehension and anxiety following me into dreamland.

A soft knock on my door wakes me from my sleep. I toss and turn under the covers, hoping that I just dreamed that somebody was knocking but it came again. A groan escapes me and I slowly crack open my eyes. I grab my phone from the nightstand and the numbers five, three and zero burn themselves into my retinas. The knock sounds again.

"Yes, what is it?" I croak annoyed and a very tired-looking Tess pops her head into my room, light from the hallway spilling onto the floor in a soft glow.

"Eli is here." That is all she mumbles.

"What?" I ask, propping up my torso on my elbows. "Why? At this time?"

"What do I know, babes. He's your man. Are you okay with him coming in or not?" I can tell by the tone in her voice that she desperately wants to go back to sleep. To relieve her from her distress, I tell her it's fine.

She nods and leaves the door open a tiny bit before shuffling away. Not a second later, Eli steps through the door.

"Hey darling," he whispers. "Sorry to wake you this early but I would like to take you somewhere; so we can talk." His voice is still a bit rough in the early morning and I bite my lip to keep from smiling at getting to hear it again.

"Why can't we talk here?" I ask timidly. "Where are you taking me? And most importantly, why does it have to be in the middle of the night?"

"It's not the middle of the night, Romy. Please, come with me. I know it's early but If we want to be back today we need to go now. It's a bit of a drive," he explains and walks over to my bed. He sits down on the edge of the mattress and it dips, making me slide a little closer to him. My head is back on my pillow and I look up at him through tired but curious eyes. He smiles slightly and his hand reaches out, caressing my cheek before his thumb traces the shape of my lips. "How did you sleep?" he asks after retracting his hand and my sanity with it.

I clear my throat and will my heart to stop pumping so wildly. "Okay, I guess. Do I have to bring anything on that trip of yours?"

"Our trip," he corrects. "And no, just you."

Thirty minutes later, I am buckled into the passenger seat of his truck and he calmly starts driving out of the city. His car smells so much like him and knowing it is a possibility that this will be the last time I get to smell this scent, I savor it. As always, my curiosity gets the better of me and my nervousness is quite happy that it won't be quiet in the car for long with all the questions I have.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm not telling you," he smirks but doesn't look at me.

"Why not? That's not fair," I pout and he lays his hand on my thigh as if to comfort me. His body heat seeps into my skin through the fabric of my jeans and as he starts moving his thumb back and forth I almost let him keep doing it but my brain catches up with my heart and I jerk my leg to the side, effectively removing his hand.

"Don't do that," I whisper and he nods with a clenched jaw.

"Let's talk," he grumbles and I nod in agreement. "Do you want to start? I can tell there's something on your mind that you have been wanting to say since the moment you saw me."

Fuck, he knows me so well.

"Who was the woman that answered your phone?" I blurt out without thinking about it. It's quiet for a moment.

"What?" he asks and seems genuinely confused. "What are you talking about? And when did you call me?"

"About a week ago or so. A woman answered your phone saying you weren't home and must've forgotten your phone. Who is she? It wasn't Janet. So, is it your new girlfriend?" I worry my lip and wring my hands together, scared of the answer he's about to give me.

"New girlf-? Romy, I don't have a 'new girlfriend'. The woman that answered my phone, and I am gonna kill her for that, was my sister. She was visiting me last week."

Ooohh, that's right. He does have a sister, two even. God, I am so stupid.

"Right, my bad." I laugh self-deprecatingly and wipe my clammy hands on my jeans. The relief I feel right now is indescribable. "In that case," I start and reach over to grab his hand that's resting on his own thigh now, "you can keep that here." I place his hand back on my thigh and he squeezes it, hard.

"Why did you call me?" he questions.

"Um, I'm not really sure. I was drunk. I missed you. I just wanted to hear your voice, to know how you're doing," I admit quietly. He just nods. "How are you doing?" I then ask.

"It was a rough month but I am doing fine, hopefully about to do great," he says quietly and gives my thigh another squeeze.

"My turn?" he asks.

"Yes," I breathe out the one word of approval.

"The baby isn't mine."