Page 37 of One More Shot
And yet.
‘You coming in?’ Cash asks, one hand on the door handle. I’m dropping him back home after a long workday and inviting me up for a drink or some dinner – or even just to annoy Bailey for a bit – comes to him as easily as breathing. I take him up on it most times, but not today.
‘Can’t,’ I say, making a conscious effort to keep my voice steady. ‘Got plans tonight.’
Cash throws me an intrigued look. ‘Are you seeing someone?’
‘I have other friends, you know,’ I say, pretending to be offended. ‘You and Bailey aren’t my entire social circle.’
It’s not a lie. I do have other friends. But I’m not going to see any of them tonight.
Cash laughs. ‘All right, man. Have fun. I’ll catch you later.’ He hops out of the van and I watch as he disappears into the home he shares with my sister. A little twinge of guilt gnaws at me as I drive away. I haven’t lied; just withheld important information. Important information like… I’m currently on my way to see Eliott.
The thought brings a smile to my face, even though it absolutely shouldn’t. This isn’t a date. Eliott’s made that very,veryclear. But I’m excited to see her again, if only to prove that Icanbe just friends.
I don’t know who I’m trying to prove it to, though. Her or me?
It doesn’t take me long to make the drive over to Eliott’s grandmother’s house, and it hits me that we’ve been orbiting each other for probably quite a while. Always just out of reach, without even knowing. I wonder if things would’ve been different if we’d met in some other kind of way. If our first meeting hadn’t been tainted by our awkward bedroom encounter.
Maybe we would’ve been friends first.
Real friends.
Not whatever we’ve got going on right now.
An elderly woman opens the door for me. I can see shadows of Eliott in her. They have the same eyes and theway she surveys me, brows furrowed, eyes narrowed in vague suspicion, is so distinctly Eliott-ish, I can’t help but smile.
‘Name?’ the woman asks, her voice sharp and wary.
‘Dane,’ I tell her. ‘Your granddaughter – Eliott? She asked me to come and check out your patio.’ I pause and then, for some reason, decide to add, ‘We’re friends.’
Eliott’s grandmother doesn’t look any less suspicious, but she does give me a quick nod before she disappears back into the house. I hear the muffled sound of her shouting Eliott’s name and then, a few seconds later, Eliott appears.
Her hair is pulled up in a bun away from her face and her arms are wet and covered in rapidly popping soapy suds. ‘Sorry,’ she pants.
I try very hard not to think about the last time I heard Eliott out of breath. About just how her breathy little pants sounded. About how I’d very much like to hear it again.
‘Was doing the dishes and lost track of time.’ She wipes her soapy hands on her thighs and gives me a wide grin, like she’s genuinely happy to see me. ‘Thanks for coming, by the way.’
‘Don’t mention it,’ I say as I step into the house. It’s warm and inviting and I immediately get the feeling that this is very much a home.
Rows and rows of family photos line the walls in the hallway. I can’t help but stop and stare at the photos as Eliottleads me down the hall. Eliott jumps out in almost all of them. There’s a row of school photos, documenting her growth from primary school all the way up to her university graduation.
There’s one in particular that catches my eye. She can’t be older than twelve in it, and she’s chubby-cheeked, wearing braces and awkwardly grimacing at the camera.
Eliott spots me looking at it and rolls her eyes. ‘Don’t laugh.’
‘I wasn’t laughing,’ I say innocently. Truthfully, too.
She hums, clearly not believing me. ‘Just remember, not all of us were born ridiculously good-looking.’
‘Straight out of the womb,’ I grin. ‘That’s what they tell me.’
She laughs and I’m once again reminded that her laugh is a sound I never want to forget. ‘That explains the ego, I guess.’
Another photo catches my attention. She’s a kid in it, with her hair pulled into two thick bunches, and she’s sitting on the lap of an older man. They’re both beaming widely and Eliott’s got a camera in her hands.
‘Your first camera?’ I ask, nodding at the photo.
