Chapter 7: Cravings

I trudged slowly through the living room, pondering the ways I should tell Dakota. Should I let him down easy or blurt it out? No, I couldn’t just blurt something like that out. It would hurt him too much. Should I even tell him? I had to tell him. If he found out that I knew and didn’t inform him, he would get angry and our relationship would shatter.

I took a deep breath, and just decided to wing it. I can do this, I had to. “Dakota?” I bellowed, listening for his voice.

No reply. Was he even home? I don’t think I saw his car out there, but I was too busy talking to Eli. I repeated his name again. Still no answer. I went outside to see if his car was there. I saw no sign of his shiny BMW, so he was probably at his job—the local coffeehouse. Cayden’s parents are loaded and pay for everything. Mom isn’t too bad off either, but unlike Cayden’s parents, she expects us to make a living on our own without being dependent on anybody else.

I sighed and went up to my room. Cranking my iPod up, I stared blankly at the wall, waiting for the inspiration to actually do something productive and useful with my life. It never did come, but my phone vibrated, indicating that I had a text. It was from an unknown number.

It’s Alexis. Not a stalker, got ur # from Eli! Sleepover, my house, tomorrow @ 5:30. 526 Borela Avenue. :)

I smiled and texted back. I’ll be there. Where exactly is that?

Just have Eli show you. g2g, but see you!

Bye!

I saved her number in my phone for future use. I turned my laptop on and logged into my Facebook account. I scrolled through my news feed mindlessly. There was nothing particularly interesting or juicy, just the usual crap that people over post. Feeling bored, I typed in Liam’s name like the creeper ex I am. I liked to check up on him sometimes.

Liam Puckett and Allie Baker are in a relationship.

I couldn’t help but feel betrayed by Allie. After all, she was one of my closest friends. I can’t believe she would still date him after I told her what he did to me. He was a wonderful boyfriend. He took me everywhere; movies, romantic dinners, and we even went to California together for spring break. I met his parents, which was a new concept to him. Everyone said I changed him from a player to a datable man. I fell head over heels for him; he said he loved me, and I couldn’t be happier.

Then he took the only thing sacred to me—my virginity. But I gave it up; he meant that much to me. The next day, I saw him with another girl. Blinded by the powerful feelings I had for him, I forgave him. He did it again, and again, again, and each time, I always took him back. Soon enough, he was just flirting with other girls in front of me. I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I broke it off.

Allie would just end up getting hurt; I was sure of it. At least she knew what she was getting into.

I was too lost in my own thoughts to realize someone was calling my name and waving their hand in front of my face.

“Glad you’re alive. Now why are you crying?” Dakota asked, handing me a tissue.

I gratefully took the tissue and dabbed the wet spots on my face. I can’t believe I shed tears over him. You’d think that after a year of us being broken up I’d be able to handle it. “Nothing,” I mumbled.

“Ash, tell me.”

I tried my best to put on a smile. “See, nothing.”

He scoffed. “Is it Elijah? I swear if he hurt you—”

“It’s not Elijah.” Eli couldn’t hurt me, I wouldn’t let him. I wouldn’t let any guy hurt me. I already had that experience. Once was enough.

“It’s Liam, isn’t it?” I didn’t say anything. I didn’t have to. “He doesn’t deserve you, Ashlyn.”

I’ve heard that line way too many times for my own good. “I know.”

“So anyway, I’m going out with Cayden, Kaitlyn, and some other friends tonight. Can you handle being by yourself tonight?”

“Of course I can. I’m seventeen, not seven,” I snapped.

He chuckled, holding his hands up defensively. “Okay, okay.”

“Can I go to a friend’s tomorrow for a sleepover?”

“Who?”

“Alexis—she’s a friend of Eli’s.”

“No boys?”

“No boys.”

“Alright, but if you need anything, just give me call, okay?”

I nodded. “Can we talk about something before you go?” I asked gingerly.

He looked confused, but fell onto my bed, giving me his undivided attention. “What’s up?”

“It’s about Kaitlyn…” I started slowly.

Dakota narrowed his eyes. “What about her?”

I told him. I watched his expressions turn into a happy, carefree one into a frown, then finally into an accusing one. “I don’t believe you,” he said shakily.

Denial. “It’s true, Day.”

He shook his head. “Kaitlyn would never do that.”

“She was ready to have sex with Eli in a public restroom!”

“She—wait. Eli?”

“Apparently she was dating both of you at the same time. He already dumped her.”

“You’re lying. Is this some kind of joke? I know you don’t like her, but you don’t’ have to make up lies about it.”

“Dakota, I’m not lying!”

I can’t believe he chose his lying and pathetic excuse for a girlfriend over the person he grew up with, the person that he protected, the person who stuck by his side through thick and thin; me, his sister. And I would be the liar if I said it didn’t sting a bit. But I knew he was just hurt, that’s all.

He studied me for a minute and sighed. “I know you’re not. Sorry, Ash. I just…I knew this was going to happen.”

“So are you staying in tonight?”

He shook his head. “I’ll just break up with her then. Thanks, little sis.”

“Okay, but just don’t do anything stupid.”

“No promises.”

I laughed. “Right, Cayden’s going to be with you.”

***

It was already 5:20 p.m. and Eli still hadn’t show up yet. I sat impatiently on the curb with my overnight bag lying next to me. I pulled my phone out and called him. “Hey, Cutie,” he answered.

“Where are you?” I asked through clenched teeth.”

“Relax, I’m pulling in now. Why are you in such a rush? Lex isn’t going to get mad. This isn’t jury duty.”

I clicked ‘end call’ and sure enough, his black jeep pulled up. I hastily got in and commanded him to drive, earning me a response of, “Domination, huh? I like it.”

I playfully pushed him and leaned my head back. That’ll show him. Not really. Eli was Eli, and you couldn’t change that.

It took about fifteen minutes to get to Alexis’s house. It was a three story high brick building with a big yard and a wraparound porch. It was like a mansion and I instantly felt out of place.

“Bye, Cutie! Don’t have too much fun without me.”

I rolled my eyes and made my way up the driveway. Just as I was about to ring the doorbell, the door swung open. “Come on in!” Alexis chirped, pulling me inside.

Her straight brown hair was tied up into a messy ponytail. She was only wearing a pair of shorts and a fitted t-shirt. Even in her pajama-y look she still looked gorgeous. Taylor’s blonde curls bounced freely, the hair band doing nothing to keep it in place, as she pulled me in for a hug. She totally pulled off the hippie vibe—something I could never do.

“You came!” Taylor squealed, clapping her hands together excitedly.

I patted her back awkwardly. “Um…yeah. Good to see you, too.”

She grinned and tugged me towards what I assumed was the living room. Isabella was lounging gracefully on a big, comfy couch, flipping through the channels with a bored expression on her face. “There’s nothing to watch!” she complained, finally settling on an episode of Jersey Shore.

“We don’t need to watch anything,” Alexis said, ripping the remote from her hand and turning it off. “Especially that crap.”

“Let’s gossip!” Taylor cried happily, nestling herself next to Isabella.

Alexis patted the spot next to her and smiled warmly. “Now that we’re all here, we can talk about boys!”

Talk about boys? Didn’t they all have boyfriends? Oh, right. I was an idiot. They were probably going to talk about their relationship problems—if they had any. They all looked perfectly happy with their partners.

“So who wants to go first?” Alexis buzzed, her eyes flashing towards me. “Ash?”

“Oh, I really don’t have any boys in my life right now…”

Alexis rolled her eyes. “Oh puh-lease. We know that you and Eli have some sort of thing going on. It’s totally obvious.”

“We don’t have a thing! We’re just friends.”

“That’s what they all say. Now tell us the truth, do you like him?”

Did I? I mean, there was definite attraction there, but maybe it was too soon to tell. I could just play it safe until I knew my own feelings. “No.”

Unfortunately, Alexis didn’t believe a word I said. She insisted that we were secretly dating, and that it was so romantic. I think she’s set on us dating. Taylor immediately took a liking to the theory after Alexis planted it in her pretty, little head. She started combining out names. They all sounded weird and unnatural, nothing glamorous like Brangelina.

Isabella sat there observing quietly, not putting anything into the conversation. I wasn’t sure if she usually did that or if she just hated me. Was it weird that I was disappointed when I found out that she was on Team Rachel? Augh, what am I saying? There. Are. No. Teams.

The rest of the nightconsisted of plentiful makeovers, even more gossip, Alexis and Taylor trying to convince me of my feelings for Eli while Isabella rolled her eyes, prank calls, food, and of course, chick flicks. We probably watched every movie based on a Nicholas Sparks movie. Alexis was a big romantic.

We passed out in the living room at about three in the morning and woke up at noon. Isabella had a major sweet tooth, so she had most of the cinnamon rolls we had for breakfast. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone drink half a gallon of orange juice in one sitting, that is, until today. Taylor just chugged cup after cup. I wondered how such a small little body could do that. Either she was really thirsty or she really liked orange juice.

“Wow,” was all I could utter as Taylor wiped her mouth clean. “Alexis, does she drink this much everyday?”

“Call me Lexi or Lex; we’re friends now. Not everyday, just everytime we have a sleepover, which is pretty much every weekend, so…”

“And Isabella?”

She hesitated. “She’s just hungry.”

“She’s not pregnant, is she?” I blurted. Did I just say that out loud? Way to make a good impression, Ash. She already didn’t like me as it was and I just had to go and say that. You just don’t randomly ask if someone’s pregnant or not. It was just the first thought that came to my mind. Skinny girl eating boatloads of food…I was watching way too much attention for my own good.

“Why would you say that?” Isabella asked, cocking her head to the side, a twinkle of fear in her eyes.

I turned red from embarrassment. “I—I don’t know. I’m so sorry. I don’t know where that came from,” I babbled.

“Can we trust you?” Isabella asked in a low voice, leaning closer to me.

I wasn’t good when it came to questions like that. It would be up to the person who asked me, wouldn’t it? It seemed like a serious situation, and I hadn’t given them a reason not to, so I nodded.

“I am.”

“You’re what?”

She breathed deeply. “You’re so slow, Ash. I’m pregnant.”

She was really pregnant? I was right? I couldn’t imagine her pregnant. She’s so thin and she didn’t even look like a candidate for a teenage mother. I mean, she was legal and so was Aaron, but still. “But you guys are so young.”

“It wasn’t planned,” she spoke softly.

“You don’t seem scared at all. How far along are you?”

“Four weeks. I’ve gotten used to the idea, and I’ve told my parents and they’ve accepted it. They love Aaron.”

I found it a little weird, but it wasn’t like she was sixteen and still in high school. “On the bright side, you can get financial help in college!”

Isabella laughed. “That’s true, but I better go. I have a doctor’s appointment and I don’t want to be late. Bye ladies!” She stuffed another cinnamon roll in her mouth before leaving.

“Do you mind if I ride with you, Ash? If not, I guess I could call Blake…”

“Sure, just let me call Eli.”

I called him and he was on his way. We finished eating and by the time we got dressed, Eli was honking his horn incessantly.It was obvious that he wasn’t a patient person.

“Thanks for inviting me, Lex,” I said gratefully. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with Eli, but I needed a night with the girls.

“No prob, Ash! See you soon?”

“Definitely. Do you want shotgun?” I offered Taylor.

She shook her head and climbed into the backseat. “So how was your sleepover? Did you guys have pillow fights and facials?” Eli asked.

I grinned. He was watching way too many movies if he thought that was what happened at sleepovers. Maybe I’d inform him of what actually happened at sleepovers, but he would probably be disappointed and crush his perverted dreams or something like that.

Eli was dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants, his russet curls were sticking up unevenly. He looked like he just woke up, which I found incredibly sexy. Wait, did I just say that Eli was sexy? He was attractive, that’s all. I so did not like him like that. There was no way that Alexis and Taylor were right.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I smiled wryly.

“I would! Tell me!”

“My lips are sealed,” I said secretively, winking at him.

He looked over at Taylor and gave her a pleading look. She smirked. “I don’t think so, Eli.”

“Aw, c’mon, Tay! I’ve done you favors!”

She crossed her arms. “Like what?”

He raked his fingers through his hair. “I set you and Blake up.”

“No, you didn’t! We didn’t even know you!”

“Okay, but I approved of it.”

“How does that do me a favor?”

“Please Taylor! Please?”

It’s not like we did anything worth knowing, but it was just fun to watch his reactions. “I’ll let Ashlyn decide if she wants to tell you. Now take me home,” she demanded.

He grumbled something, and twenty minutes, later, dropped her off at a white house with a fancy looking, black iron fence surrounding the lawn. “Thanks Eli, bye Ash!”

I waved goodbye and watched her run inside. She was just too darn cute.

“But you’re cuter,” Eli said, tapping me on the nose. Did I say that out loud? I’m glad it wasn’t something totally embarrassing.

I swatted his hand away, feeling a rush of tingles when our hands made contact. I thought that only happened in the fairy tales, but apparently not. I wasn’t naïve to know what it meant, but I refused to believe it. I was just imagining things, my brain hypnotized from all the teasing that Alexis and Taylor did. Yeah, that’s it.

“You want to do something today?” he asked.

I think it was kind of a given…I scrunched my nose. “Hang out with you? Well my mom did say I should help out the needy, and you do seem like you need companionship—”

“You’re funny,” he said sarcastically. “But seriously, where do you want to go?”

“What makes you think that I’m going to say ‘yes’?”

“So you don’t want to hang out with me? Fine, I’ll just take you home like the good chauffer I am.”

He made a sharp U-turn and headed in the direction of the apartment. “No!” I cried quickly. “I was joking.”

He smirked and did another U-turn, which was not only dangerous, but probably illegal. I grabbed onto my seat for dear life. I don’t even know how he managed to get his license. I swear, if he made another unnecessary move, I was going to die. “I thought so,” he replied smugly.

“Don’t do that again!”

“Why not? Scared?” he mocked, amusement lingering in his voice.

“YES!”

He laughed. “Alright, I won’t do it again.”

“Good. So where are we going?”

“How does the zoo sound?”

“The zoo?” I repeated.

“You know the place where they keep wild animals.”

“Oh, but I thought we already went to your house?”

“Har har, very funny. So is that a yes?”

“Sure, why not?” The zoo was potential fun. There were so many cute animals, like seals! I love seals; they’re so cute. They’re like the aquatic version of a dog. “Just let me go home and change—”

“You don’t need to change. You look fine, and besides, do you want me to make another U-turn?”

“No,” I groaned. Those were just accidents waiting to happen. “Let’s go to the zoo!” If Eli was going to the zoo in sweats, I could do with jeans and a t-shirt. It’s not like we were going to a party or anything.

“Like a date?” he smiled slyly.

I wasn’t even going to attempt to argue with him. In the end, he was going to win. I would save us some time if I did this. “Call it what you want.”

“Oh goody, now I have something interesting to tell my diary!” he enthused.

I raised an eyebrow. “You have a diary?”

“You don’t?”

“No, I didn’t think anyone keeps a diary these days.” I scoffed. “Facebook is everyone’s diary.” He looked flustered, as if really did write in a diary. Unless…“Don’t tell me, you have a diary?”

“Psh, no. Diaries are for wimps, and I’m no wimp,” he snorted. I stared at him, blinking. “Okay, yes, I have a diary, but it’s like the wimp from that one book—”

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” I finished.

“Yeah, that. But like him, I’d prefer to call it a journal.”

This was gold. Eli had a diary. I was suddenly curious as to what was in it. Feelings? Did guys even have feelings? Okay, that came across as coldhearted, but it’s not like they actually take the time to write it down. “Can I read it?” I know it was a bit of a long shot, because if I kept a diary, I certainly wouldn’t show it to anyone.

“I think not!”

Yup, long shot.

The zoo was about an hour away, but we got here in approximately forty minutes. Let’s just say that Eli has really good luck with the cops when he’s speeding. I think I had three near-death experiences, much to Eli’s amusement. Car rides make me sleepy; the radio playing in the background, the vibration of my seat, the dreary feeling of content. Soon enough, I fell into a slumber.

I felt someone prodding my side. “Ash, Ash, wake up. We’re here.”

I ignored the voice, smacked my lips, and then snuggled into something warm. It smelled good. I can’t really explain what the scent was, it just attracted me.

“Oh, I see! You want to cuddle!”

My eyes fluttered open and I found myself leaning against Eli’s arm. I yawned, stretched, and sat up. “Eli? Where are we?” I asked drowsily, rubbing my eyes.

He chortled. “We’re at the zoo.”

My eyes widened. “Already?”

How long was I sleeping? I don’t even remember falling asleep. He nodded and tapped my nose. “You’re cute when you sleep. Did you know that you snore?”

Of course I knew that I snored. Dakota and Mom used to tease me everyday, and when I was younger, my dad as well. It annoyed the crap out of me. It was so embarrassing! No one other than Olivia, Liam, and my family knew about that. “I do not snore!”

“It’s okay, Ash. No need to turn red over it. I think it’s cute.”

“Shut up,” I mumbled.

Then I realized that he had changed into jeans, but still had on his white t-shirt. “When did you change clothes?”

“When we—err—I stopped for gas,” he laughed. “I brought a change of clothes with me.”

“You knew we were going to hang out in a public place?”

“I was hoping.”

My face flushed a deeper shade as he held out his hand, expecting me to take it. I did and stepped down. Well, this was new. I realized he didn’t let go of my hand, and I wasn’t going to be the one to do it, either. I ignored the butterflies erupting in my stomach and walked in sync with him.

Alexis and Taylor were really getting inside my head. A little voice in the back of my mind was nagging me. You know, you might actually like him. I scoffed. What did it know? Was it possible that he liked me back, you know, if I did like him? He sure acted like it, but he’s been with enough girls to know how to act like he did. Was I a rebound for him to get over Rachel?

Eli paid the admission. I offered to pay for mine, but he shot down that idea quickly. He insisted on paying. His reasoning? It was a date.

I tugged his hand over to where the seals were located. “Slow down!” he exclaimed, his lips tugging upwards. “Excited much?”

“Yes! Look, aren’t they so cute? One of them is clapping. Isn’t that the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen?” I gushed.

“Second sweetest,” he whispered, winking.

“Aren’t you the charmer?”

“I know, I know. So are we done looking at the seals?”

I sighed, not wanting to leave my precious seals. I nodded, but prolonged the walk away, making sure to glance back every few seconds at the sea animals. When we were far enough away, I quickened my pace. He led us to the reptiles. The exhibit mostly showcased snakes, but held some lizards, even a komodo dragon.

“Eli, what’s that snake doing?” I asked, slightly alarmed, slightly curious. I pointed to a green snake swimming in the small pool of water.

“Drowning a bunny,” he said emotionlessly.

I chocked and my eyes bulged. How could he say that so coolly? “What? They’re killing innocent bunnies?!”

“They’re probably not that innocent, Cutie. You know the expression ‘they go at it like bunnies?’ I’m sure that they’ve had a nice, fulfilled life. Besides, the snakes have to survive somehow, don’t they?”

He had a point, but still. Bunnies are adorable. Couldn’t they make the snakes eat in a dark, dark cave or somewhere where I couldn’t see them? I’m pretty sure the zoo was scarring little children.

I saw more snakes swallowing the poor things whole. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, covering my eyes with my hands. “What are you doing?” Eli asked amusedly.

“I don’t want to see this anymore! I can’t watch bunnies get eaten alive or else I might puke.”

He chuckled. “We can leave, and besides, that snake’s looking at me funny.”

I rolled my eyes. “Sure it is.”

Next we went to see the monkeys, or in other words, El’s family. As soon as we got near the cage, the monkeys flocked to him, as if he were their leader. When I asked him about it, he just told me that he was their king and that I should bow down to him. I told him to watch it, and he started making faces at the monkeys. What a child. The monkeys soon got bored of him and went to terrorize some kid on the other side of the cage.

“I think we really bonded,” Eli stated casually after leaving the monkeys.

I laughed and dragged him off to see the kings of the jungle—lions. “It’s your favorite animal, right?” I confirmed.

He nodded and stared at them in awe. I had to drag him away; we were watching them for half an hour! That’s more time than I had with my seals, which I found totally unfair. We agreed to see the elephants next. He was about to chuck a peanut at them, because you know, elephants like peanuts, but I grabbed his arm just in time. “What do you think you’re doing?” I hissed, ripping the packet from him.

He looked at me like I was nuts (no pun intended). “Giving a peanut to an elephant?”

“Don’t you know elephants have a good memory and that they’re easily scared? Maybe it’s just in the movies, but you still shouldn’t take the chance.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

After that, we saw about every other animal—and their body parts—in the zoo, even the ones that weren’t part of it. Yes, a seagull pooped on me, right on the shoulder. Eli laughed as I gave him a death glare, wiping the feces off with a napkin. “It’s not funny, in fact, it’s disgusting.”

“The view over here is funny,” he defended through bursts of laughter. “There’s a pretty blonde wiping off bird poop off her shoulder. C’mon, if you saw someone wiping bird crap off their shoulder, wouldn’t you laugh?”

I needed a new shirt. There was no way I was wearing this. It still didn’t come out you could still thee the white of it stained on my blue t-shirt. But to be honest, I would’ve probably laughed. It was wrong, I know, but if it was anyone but me, I’d be doubling over, clutching my stomach. “Yeah, I guess I would find it funny,” I agreed. “Now let’s get pudding.”

“Uh…pudding? I don’t think they sell that here, but they have ice cream.”

Hm, something frozen sounded good. I agreed and we walked, hand in hand, to the ice cream stand. I had to make the difficult decision of choosing between cookie dough and cookies n’ cream; I guess I was in a cookie mood. It just depended on what kind I wanted to get: chocolate chip or Oreos?”

“What are you getting?” I asked, eyeing the selection.

“A double scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough in a cone, you? It’s almost our turn, so hurry.”

Just my luck! Maybe he’d be willing to share so I could have the best of both worlds. “Cookies n’ cream, please!”

He ordered and handed me my cone. We went to sit at a table with a striped umbrella. We had a pleasant view of the flamingos, that is, until a pair started to make babies—definitely scarring. “Can I have some of yours?” I asked, taking a bit of mine.

“Only if I can have some of yours,” Eli bargained.

“Deal!”

I leaned over and took a bite of his, earning me a scowl. “What was that for?” he yelled.

“You said I could have some of yours…”

“Why would you take a bite and ruin the smoothness of it? Why not just lick it?”

I crinkled my eyebrows. “Who cares what it looks like?”

“I do.”

“Well, get over it.”

I licked it this time, and then he licked the same spot. “It’s like I’m indirectly kissing you!” Eli exclaimed giddily.

“Just eat,” I muttered.

We happily ate each other’s ice creams, and by the time we were done, it was already six. “Do you want to join my family for dinner?” Eli asked.

“If I’m not intruding…” I didn’t want to become a huge moocher or a bother.

“You’re not.”

“Then yes!” I couldn’t wait to have more of Marsha’s cooking. She was probably the best cook ever. It’s a shame that Eli didn’t inherit his mother’s talent.

“I have a feeling that you’re only using me for my mom’s cooking.”

I gasped dramatically. “How did you know?”

He shook his head and looked at me sadly. “It was a gut feeling.”

I grinned and turned the radio on. Eli started singing along to it. He wasn’t a very good singer…as Randy Jackson would put it, ‘It was a little pitchy, dawg.’ He was belting the lyrics to Call Me Maybe and his voice would crack everytime there was a high note—higher than his voice box could handle. It was quite entertaining to watch—err—listen?

“You’re not going to fall asleep on me again, are you?”

“Probably not, but I’m not going to make any promises. Besides, who can sleep with you singing?”

“You’re right; it’s quite angelic.”

“Um…not at all. Sorry to ruin your dreams.”

“And here I thought I was going to be the next Carly Rae Jepson!”

“You’re not a girl….”

He frowned. “I guess that ruins things, too.” He resumed singing, and I even joined him this time. “You have a beautiful voice,” he complimented seriously.

“Really?” My brother told me that I sounded like a dying catfish…I didn’t know that catfishes made noises. When I told him that, he said it would be better if I didn’t make any noise. I smacked him.

“No!” he guffawed. “You’re worse than me.”

I did the same thing I did to Dakota; I smacked him. “Hey! No one is worse than you.”

“Then you’re a close second.”

I rolled my eyes and sang anyway. I couldn’t believe that I was singing so freely in front of him, but here I was! I don’t think I’ve ever sang in front of my friends before. My voice was one of my biggest insecurities. “I have a great nickname for you!” I said, clapping my hands. “Elf!”

“Elf? What kind of name is that?”

“You know, Eli. Elephant, Elif. Elf!”

“I don’t like it.”

“Good. That means it’s a great nickname.”

“Whatever, Cutie.”

“That, on the other hand, is a horrible nickname.”

“I think it’s a nice.”

“It’s so unoriginal.”

“It’s fitting,” he argued, “while mine, I don’t even know where you came up with—”

“You think I’m cute?”

“Duh, I’ve told you that like a million times.”

We turned onto my street. Wait—why was he on mine if we were having dinner at his. “Elf, this isn’t the way to your house. We’re going to yours to eat, remember?”

“We are, but if we go there first, you won’t consider this a date anymore, now would you?

Why did it matter? “I—I guess not.”

“Exactly! Then we can make the date end right, and then we’ll have dinner.” What did he mean by, ‘make the date end right?’ Hm, I guess I’d just have to wait and find out. Joy.

He went around and opened my door, just like before. He had my sleepover bag slung over his shoulder as we walked to my front door. “I had a great time today,” Eli said, gazing into my eyes.

Wow, those eyes are really pretty, like Spring. Yes, that’s what they reminded me of, Spring. “Me too.”

Before I knew it, his lips were locked on mine. I didn’t respond at first—I was just too shocked. I didn’t know that he had the audacity to do it, especially on the first ‘date’, but I suppose I should’ve seen the signs. But to be fair, I thought he was just kidding around.

I responded by raking my hands through his soft hair. I really should ask him what he used, because his was softer than mine. His lips were also soft; he was just a big softy.

We both pulled away for air. “What was that?” I demanded.

“A kiss?”

“Why did you do that?”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it as much as I did because it’s written all over your face.”

Was I that easy to read? It didn’t matter. Now, I was interrogating him. I mean, it was a good kiss, but still. “That’s not the point. Why did you kiss me?”

He grinned sheepishly.“Because I wanted to.”

“Well just because I wanted to kiss you too doesn’t mean that I go around and do it,” I snapped. He smirked and looked at me knowingly. What did I say? “Why are you smiling?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Because you wanted to kiss me too?”

“I –I didn’t say that,” I stammered.

“Oh, but you did.” He came closer to me, so our noses were touching. He looked at me with his smoldering gaze; I just couldn’t look away. “And you want to do it again,” he whispered, “because you liked it.”

I snorted. “Yeah, right.”

“Why is it so hard to admit?”

Why was it? I had no idea. I bit my lip and unlocked the door. I ran upstairs and threw my bag next to my desk. I changed into a casual, cotton purple dress. I quickly brushed my hair and reapplied my makeup. I went back downstairs and Eli was leaning against the doorframe, making him look like a model. He saw me and straightened up.

“Why’d you change? You don’t need to change for dinner at my house.”

“Who says I did?” He got part of the reason. I didn’t want his dad to think I was a slob or something. After all, I did have bird poop on my previous shirt.

“Then why did you?”

“It has something to do with a stupid seagull.”

“I forgot about that. It’s something to add to my diary and a topic for dinner.”

Was he being serious? “We really don’t need anyone to know that the bird took a dump on me.”

“Sure we do!”

“No…we don’t.”

“Okay, whatever you say. Now let’s go. The family’s waiting!”

I hopped in the passenger seat and he drove, quite recklessly I might add, to his house. The yellow porch light was on. I didn’t notice it before, but his porch had one of those chair swings. It was white—made the place seem even more cozy.

“Mom, Dad, I’m home! I brought a guest with me.”

Eli led me to the dining room. The walls were a maroon and the floor was a light wood. There were photos of the family hanging on the wall. In the middle was a big, oak table. The table was already set and Marsha came in with an extra plate.

“Hi, honey!” she chirped. “Good to see you again. This is my husband, Ethan.”

She gestured to the man sitting at the head of the table. He was the spitting image of Eli, or rather, Eli was a spitting image of him, except for the eyes. They were bright green, like Marcus’s.

“Hi Marsha, Mr. Clemens. I hope I’m not intruding.”

“Not at all. Call me Ethan. Mr. Clemens makes me feel so old.”

“You are old,” Marcus interjected. Marcus looked at me, smiling. “Well if it isn’t Ashlyn. How have you been doing?”

“Hi Marcus. Since yesterday, great,” I said sarcastically.

“I like her. She’s funny,” Ethan commented. My heart swelled.

Eli pulled out a chair for me, right next to his. Dinner consisted of pork chops, mashed potatoes, and corn. It was delicious, nothing less than I what I would expect from Marsha.

“So, are you a friend from school?” Ethan asked me.

“Oh, no. I met him on the beach. I’m visiting my brother. I live in New York.”

“She fell on me,” Eli blurted.

Ethan laughed. “How did this happen?”

“I tripped on a bucket,” I mumbled.

Ethan’s eyes were twinkling with amusement. “So New York, huh? That’s pretty far from Florida.”

I smiled and nodded. His family was pretty nice, and they loved to make fun of their two sons. It was great. It reminded me of my family before my dad’s death. The rest of the dinner wasn’t awkward, thankfully. That is, until Eli mentioned we were on a date earlier today.

“A date?” Marsha rejoiced. “That’s wonderful! Are you two dating now?”

At the same time, Marcus whined, “Does that mean Lexi wins the bet?”

Ethan just looked shocked.

“Oh, we’re not dating,” I reassured them. “We just went to the zoo, that’s all.”

Marsha looked disappointed, Marcus ecstatic, and Ethan still had the same expression on his face. For once, Eli didn’t say anything. I was a little disappointed. I mean, I know I said it, but maybe I wished it was something more.

Eli offered to drive me home. He dropped me off, we said goodbye, and to my displeasure there wasn’t a good night kiss. Maybe that was only for dates? Why did this bother me so much? It’s not like we were dating or anything. I went inside and informed Dakota I was home, and went upstairs to put on my pajamas. I turned off the light and snuggled under my covers. Just as I was about to fade into dreamland, it occurred to me.

Taylor and Alexis were right.

I liked Eli.

Like more than a friend.

I, Ashlyn Tate McKenzie, who hadn’t had a serious crush in years, liked Elijah James Clemens, a boy who was in love with someone else.

Isabella on the side!