“It’s fine. Y’all go,” I said, opening the car door and climbing out.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Nate drawled trying not to sound amused for Bliss’s sake. She wasn’t amused at all and wanted to wait. I could see it in her expression.
I stepped up on the sidewalk and waited until they drove off. They didn’t need to witness this. Once they were gone, I headed for the door and rang the bell to the loft. There was a chance she was asleep and if she was, I figured I’d Uber to Destin and get a hotel there for the night. Then try again tomorrow.
Until I talked to her, I wasn’t going back to Sea Breeze. I knew I should let this go and forget it. But I couldn’t. Seeing her again tonight solidified that I couldn’t stay away from her. I didn’t want to. Even if it was for her best interest that I keep my distance, I couldn’t fucking do it.
“Why are you here, Eli?” Her voice came over the speaker connected to the doorbell.
“To talk,” I replied, hoping I didn’t have to do it over the damn video camera she had attached to her door.
“We talked. What else is there to say?” Her voice was raspy and I wondered if I had woken her up.
“A lot . . . a lot of shit I should have said before.”
She didn’t respond to that right away. I wasn’t sure if she was cutting me off or if she’d fallen back asleep. When the seconds turned into a minute then two, I was about to ring again and start my talk right here on this damn sidewalk.
But a light came on inside just before I rang the bell a second time and I saw her coming toward the door through the windows. I relaxed some but not completely. She still may not be planning on letting me in. Our talk could very well take place right here with me standing outside and her inside the doorway. It was something though.
I heard the lock click free and then the door opened more slowly than necessary. As if she was debating on shutting it and locking it again. All that blonde hair I was so fascinated with was in a messy knot on top of her head. The makeup from earlier was scrubbed free and her face was natural yet still stunning. The oversized sweatshirt and boxer shorts she was wearing were her chosen sleep attire, so she’d been in bed or about to get into bed when I arrived.
“Come inside,” she said with no enthusiasm. It was clear she didn’t want to talk to me, but she was going to do it against her better judgment.
I stepped inside and waited as she locked the door again then I followed her toward the door that led to the loft. She said nothing as we headed up the stairs. No questions or warnings to be quick. I wished I knew what she was thinking so I’d have some idea about how to handle this. How much truth to tell her. If I should explain it all . . . although I didn’t think I could.
Now I was inside I wasn’t sure what to say first. My goal had been to talk to her until she understood but how did I do that exactly. What did she want me to say? I had spent the past couple of weeks thinking she had considered what we’d done a good time. Nothing more. Until she had acted like I was invisible tonight, I’d believed it had been only me affected by our time together.
She walked over to the overstuffed blue chair that sat across from the sofa and sank down into it then stared at me. “You’re here. Now what else did you need to say?” She was matter of fact. No smiles. None of the flirty behavior she’d displayed in the past. I hadn’t expected it of course. She was angry with me.
I moved over to the sofa and sat down on the edge, letting my elbows rest on my knees as I sat forward. This wasn’t something I wanted to appear relaxed about. I wasn’t fucking relaxed so there was no need to appear as if I was. When I walked out of her door the last time believing this was over had been foolish. I had wanted it to be for her sake, but after tonight, I wouldn’t be able to save her from me. Her pull was too damn strong.
“I’ve thought of little else but you since I was here last,” I admitted, and her bored expression didn’t budge. I shouldn’t have expected it to. Her brother had warned me already. He would know her better than anyone. My telling her I thought about her all the time didn’t change the fact I’d not contacted her. That was how she saw it.