Page 23 of Always Yours

“And you never got caught?” Lauren asks, her eyes wide in amazement.

I shake my head. “Nope, not that time. Were pretty close the next time though, which is why we called it quits before we got ourselves thrown out.”

Tommy smiles as he shakes his head. “What’d you do the second time?”

My brows raise as though to say, this one was good, even as I stall a little by reaching for another slice of pizza.

“Will…” Lauren whines. “What did you do?”

I chuckle. “Next time, we dumped his car in the middle of the football field,” I say.

Nobody says anything, the shock seemingly rendering them all speechless. Eventually Tommy speaks. “How the hell did you manage that?”

“That was some ninja stealth moves, I’m telling you,” I say, remembering how close we came to getting caught. And even though we were all dressed in black, dark ski masks pulled over our faces, we knew that if anyone had seen us, we’d be toast.

“It was winter,” I continue, by way of explanation. “So it got dark early. I don’t know where he thought his car had gone, but I did hear the football coach went totally apeshit when the team met for practice and this TA’s car is sitting in the middle of the field.”

Everyone collapses with laughter now as we finish off our lunch, Tommy and I continuing our stories of shit we did that almost got us kicked out of school.

By the time we’re heading back to the vineyard, my earlier jealousy has disappeared and been replaced with a genuinelike for the guy that I can now see is more like a brother to Ellen and Lauren.

Later that night, I’m lying in bed when I hear the sound of the front door to the cottage I’m staying in open and then close. I smile as the sound of footsteps gets closer and by the time Ellen appears in my doorway, there’s a huge grin on my face.

“Thought you weren’t supposed to be over here,” I ask, hands behind my head as I lean back against the headboard.

Ellen bites her bottom lip as she stares over at me. “I’m not,” she says.

A soft laugh escapes me. “So, what, you’re gonna sneak back in before you get caught, are you?”

She smiles now, twisting a strand of hair around her finger as she stares across at me. “Maybe,” she says, walking toward me. “Maybe you could teach me some of those ninja moves you were talking about.”

I chuckle as I pull back the covers and Ellen climbs into bed, straddling my hips. My hands move to her thighs instinctively, because even after only one night, it already feels like too long since I’ve had her.

“I might be able to do that,” I say, slipping my hands higher.

She stops them, all playfulness gone as she looks down at me. “Thank you,” she whispers.

“For what?” I ask, confused.

“For coming here like this, for today,” she says. “For…for being understanding about Tommy and not being weird about him.”

“Well,” I start, as a tiny stab of guilt lurches through me. “To be fair, this morning, I wasn’t exactly thrilled about him, but actually, he’s not that bad.”

Ellen nods, her hands lifting off mine now as she cups my face in her fingers. “He’s like a brother to me,” she whispers, leaning in to kiss my lips. “Nothing more.”

I nod, pulling her closer as I deepen the kiss. “Good,”I breathe out.

9

Ellen

As much as it was great to be home with my family, it’s nice to be back at school enjoying my independence once again. Taking Will home has given me a totally different perspective on our relationship, and while it’s only been a few months, I know now that I’m falling in love with him. And judging by his response to Tommy, I’m going to go out on limb and say he’s feeling the same way.

I’ve been dancing around saying it to him for a week now, it lingering on the tip of my tongue, but never finding the courage to just spit it out. But tonight is going to be different.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my sister and her moping around the vineyard without Jack. It was a missed opportunity, and something I think she’s going to think about the rest of her life. She may only be fifteen years old, but that doesn’t mean what she feels for Jack is any less real. I’m using her experience as a reminder to myself to not let things remain unsaid.

My heart also breaks for her and a part of me is tempted to contact him and confess her deepest, darkest secret to him. She’d kill me though, like murder me in my sleep. I guess all I can do is encourage her to reach out to him. Even Will suggested it, and maybe she’d be more likely to take his advice.

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