Page 109 of Reconciling With the Rival

Her eyes sadden, but she brushes it off and tries to look okay, though I know she’s not.

“Nothing happened. I came over to have sex, not to talk about my feelings. Are we doing this or what?”

“Ella, you don’t seem okay.”

She shakes my grip out of hers like I caught her on fire. “I’m fine, Leo!” Her hand brushes through her hair as she takes a deep breath. “I’m fine.”

I step toward her, relieved she doesn't move back from me as my hand cups her cheek. “No, you’re not. Here,” I say as I grab her hand and lead her to my couch. “Sit down. I’ll get you some water.”

“I didn't come here to be waited on hand and foot. I came here to fuck.”

I grab a bottle from my fridge and head back to where she sits, her mind running at a thousand miles per hour. I can tell because she can’t look me in the eye, and she’s not her usual snappy self. She looks defeated, and it’s pissing me off that I don’t know why.

I want to fix it for her, but I know she’d bite my hand off if I offered. Ella never needs anyone’s help. She never needs anyone to fight her battles for her.

But God, I want to show her it’s okay if she does occasionally.

“We’re not having sex, Ella. Not when you’re like this.”

“Leo, this was our deal, remember?”

I nod.

“Then why won’t you man up and fuck me? I showed up here practically begging, and you still won’t touch me.”

I take one of her hands in mine, nervous she’s going to slap me with the other one, but she doesn't. “If you don’t want to talk about what happened tonight, then we don’t have to.”

Her shoulders sag, as if there’s a heavy weight attached to them. “I don’t want to.”

“Then let me run you a bath or something.”

That makes her all flustered. “No, Leo. We don’t do shit like this.” She starts to get off my couch. “If we’re not going to have sex, then I’ll leave.”

I grab her arm as she tries to get past me. “Please stay, Ella.”

“Why?” she whispers, as if she didn't mean to say that.

I don't really have an answer as to why I want to do all of this for her, but it seems like the right thing to do. Something happened tonight that shook her. She has never looked so unsure of herself then she does now. I’m not even sure she meant to come over here.

She came here to fuck away whatever problem she had tonight. She wanted to use me as a distraction from whatever was going on, and normally, I’d be all for that.

But her showing up here tonight feels different, and for the first time ever, I want to prove to her I’m more than just one night. But if I tell her that, she might sprint out of here, so I say the next best thing.

“I don’t want you driving in the state you’re in. You could get hurt, and we don’t need another person in the hospital because of a car accident.”

She knows I’m referencing Grant, and as she goes through all her options in her head, she nods.

“Okay.”

I snake my hand around her waist as I stand, handing her the water I grabbed her. “Drink this, sit down, and I’ll get a bath ready. Does that sound okay?”

She can only nod, her eyes focused on where my hand rests against her skin. “I’m sorry if I ruined your night.”

I grab her chin with my hand. “You didn't ruin anything. It’s okay to admit you needed me tonight.”

She rolls her eyes at me.There she is. “You wish, Zimmerman.”

“Should I put the temperature to scalding hot? That’s what you're used to down in the depths of hell, right?”

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