Page 88 of New Growth
I didn’t know what to do or how to feel, so I grabbed my purse, still processing everything,and I just… said it.
“Goodnight, everyone. Get home safe. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay, Es?”
I barely registered their shocked looks as I turned and walked with El out the door. His hand still holding onto mine, like he’d claimed me as his.
As soon as we were outside, I couldn’t keep the words in anymore.
“I can’t believe you made me do that.”
El didn’t even glance at me. “I can’t believe you actually did it.”
“I didn’t have a choice.”
El smirked and turned to me, eyes glinting. “Of course you did. You chose me. I’m not forgetting that.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Get the car.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
?
The ride to El’s place was quiet. I was still too pissed off to say much, and he must’ve known it because, for once, he didn’t push. The tension sat between us heavy, but he just kept driving, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on his thigh.
Finally, he broke the silence.
“I talked to the board about sponsoring the shelter. They’re interested.”
This was obviously a trap. He was baiting me, trying to soften me up with good news so I’d forget how pissed I was.
I shrugged it off. “Okay. That’s great. Thanks again.”
His face pulled down at my response, clearly unsatisfied. So, he tried to bait me again.
“I think we should go to my place. I don’t want any awkward run-ins with Esther.”
I huffed, crossing my arms. He wasn’t wrong. Still, that didn’t mean I wanted to go home with him. Especially since I knew he was trying to get back on my good side. But at this point, I was too exhausted to argue. So I nodded, staring out the window, and let him take me there.
The moment we walked into his place, I had to admit—it was nice. Clean, but not in a way that felt staged or cold. The kind of clean that came from habit, like he wasn’t the type to let things get out of control. The walls were lined with bookshelves and canvases, a poster ofMegan Thee Stallion.Interesting. Art supplies were scattered in an almost organized chaos, with paintbrushes in jars and sketchbooks stacked on the coffee table, along with charcoal smudges.
It smelled like cedarwood and something distinctly him.
I would’ve taken more time to appreciate it if I wasn’t still annoyed.
“Ellie?” He began, but I cut him off. Instead, I dropped my purse at the door and turned to him.
“Where’s the bathroom?”
El looked taken aback by my bluntness and sighed as if he wanted to say something else, but he didn’t. “It’s in the room. Come on.”
I followed him down the hallway, still keeping my distance.
When we got to his room, he went straight to his closet, pulled out a small box, and handed it to me.
“I got you a care package. Just in case you slept over one day.”
I raised a brow. “Just in case, huh?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I promise, I did not intend for tonight to end like this.”
