"So this is the bedroom that you'll be using."

Leroy set down my suitcase beside a small double bed. The floral duvet looked plush, the frilled edges of the throw pillows looked delicate and intricate. I gazed at the patterned wallpaper with adoration. It looked like the decor from the home catalogues that Momma longed for but could never afford.

"Sorry that we can't share," Leroy's deep voice startled me from thoughts and I turned around, noticing that he leaned against the wall beside the door.

His gaze had become a little darker, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip as he swept me from head to toe. His admiration didn't give me the violated feeling that I got when Noah did it. Instead it ignited a burst of fire within me. A breathless need. A wishful longing.

"It's alright," I stammered, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. It felt strange to behave as though I was shy around him. We'd shared the most intimate act that two people could share. But I still became so wound up under the heat of his stare. Unable to think, almost unable to breathe.

He leaned off the wall, flicking the door shut before he sauntered towards me. The back of my legs hit the bed and I went down, propping myself on my elbows as he placed a hand on either side of me, the mattress dipping a little under his weight. The air became impossibly thick as he hovered mere inches from my face, inspecting every inch of it as though he was retaining it to memory. I understood though. It had been months of wishing to see each other and having to settle for the sound of his voice instead. Which was something that I had come to adore. But now, I kind of wanted to just— not talk.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured, the back of his hand swept my cheek and I let my eyes flutter shut, swallowing as the overwhelming emotions sent me into a state of bliss.

"Ellie?"

With a sharp inhale, I opened my eyes to the sound of his voice. It held a certain authority, but as much as he held a dominance, there were delicate undertones and his gaze was the softest statement of all. "Please look at me when I kiss you."

There wasn't a chance that I would argue. I wouldn't even want to. I met his gaze as he leaned in, his lips feathered mine and under some cruel twist of fate, the door swung open behind us and hit the wall. Leroy didn't move, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath as his brother whistled a scandalous tune.

"Dad don't want the door shut up here, Lee."

I stole a peek around the side of the firm arms that had me encased and spied Noah leaning against the door frame. It almost sounded like Leroy was counting to ten before he reluctantly stood up and shot me an apologetic look.

"Grow the hell up Noah," he spat, turning around to face the younger Lahey.

"Hostile," Noah scoffed. He seemed to be fronting a little but his cheeks had a dusting of red that indicated that he might be more affected by his brother's words than he wanted to let on. "She's here for five minutes and you're having a go?"

"You're being rude," Leroy snapped. "A simple tap on the door would have sufficed."

"Whatever." He straightened up and shot me an indecipherable glance before he focused his attention back on Leroy. "Are you coming to Eric's tonight? Oh wait, no. Saturdays have turned into bitch night, right?"

"I am coming," Leroy informed his brother who flinched with surprise. "Ellie is coming with me."

His shoulders slumped but he didn't continue the conversation. I mean, what did he expect? If Leroy was going, that he'd just leave me here alone? Noah left the room, not closing the door behind him. I didn't think that we'd get our moment or our privacy back but we had all summer to steal moments alone.

"I'm sorry about him — again." Leroy ran his hands down his face with a loud and exasperated exhale. "I'll have a better talk with him in private at some point."

I shrugged, not wanting to make a fuss about it. "So we're going out tonight?"

"To be honest, I'd rather not spend our first night together, out." He sat beside me with a sigh. "But Eric moves out of state for college in a couple of weeks and he's been a good friend of ours for a long time. So I do want to go. I hope that you don't mind?"

"Not at all," I assured him with an enthusiastic smile. "We might even find the chance to be alone?"

The way that he sunk his teeth into his bottom lip and stared up at the ceiling was an aesthetic. I stared at him with my lips slightly parted, almost feeling ashamed for the thoughts that were shouting at me. But I couldn't be blamed, he was undoubtedly the most gorgeous man that I had ever laid eyes on.

"Come on," he finally sighed and stood up, offering me his hand. "We'll go and help Mom with dinner and then go out later. That gives you a chance to get to know her."

I had so much appreciation for the respect and care that he showed his mother. It was clear that she meant a lot to him and it was important that she and I spent time together. So if that was important to him, then it was important to me and I would be sure to make a decent effort.

Downstairs, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of delicious home-cooked food. I was no chef. I could boil an egg and make toast so I was quietly hoping that she wouldn't ask too much of me. It was clear that she knew her food from the amount of spices on the wall rack and the ingredients laid out on the countertop.

"Hey Mom." Leroy smiled as we stood on the other side of the bench. The countertop surface ran along the far wall and came out in an L shape, cutting the large room in half to create a dining space. "Can we help?"

She smiled and started to give out directions on what he could do for her. But I lost focus on her words as I spotted the pile of post-it's, scattered pens and stacked books that were underneath the wall phone at the end of the benchtop. Leroy was no longer beside me; I took a brief note that he was in the kitchen clattering through the cupboards and I moved over to the clutter and started organising the brick-a-brack.

I stacked the books from biggest to smallest and set them against the wall. The post-it notes were soon placed in a small pile and the pens were dropped into the cup where a lone permanent marker was housed. It looked so much tidier in a matter of moments and when I glanced up with a satisfied sigh, I was met with two pairs of eyes, watching me with curious fascination.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just —"

I stammered for an excuse but there wasn't one. I just had a mild obsession for things being in their place. Still, I had been scolded by Momma on more than one occasion for touching things that didn't belong to me.

"You can do my Tupperware cupboard as well if you want," Eleanor broke the silence with amusement. Leroy laughed and continued cutting up vegetables and potatoes beside his mother.

I took a brief moment to admire how his biceps flexed with each stroke of the knife. How delicate he was with his large hands and how the tip of his tongue peeked from between his lips as he concentrated.

"Uu—um really?" I stammered, swallowing and turning my attention to Eleanor, rather than the drool-worthy boy beside her. I didn't want to just start going through her cabinets in case she was kidding. But I definitely wouldn't have minded stacking plastic instead of cooking.

"Oh I'm dead serious." She nodded, stirring what looked like bread crumbs and egg in a bowl. What the hell? "That cupboard is a nightmare. It's almost a sport to put things away now. We just open the door, throw things in and attempt to close it before a Tupperware avalanche takes over the kitchen."

I laughed with her childish giggle and moved around the countertop, heading towards the cabinet on the other side of the kitchen which she had pointed at. I realised that perhaps I should have watched a couple of news announcements before I came. I might be more familiar with this woman. She wasn't what I had been expecting at all and it was refreshing to know that money didn't equal snobbery.

"So Ellie," Eleanor said over her shoulder as I knelt down in front of the cabinet. "What do you want to do now that you've graduated?"

"I want to—"

I opened the door and just as she'd warned, dozens upon dozens of containers, lids, cups and every variety of plastic that you could imagine, came loudly tumbling out of the cupboard.

Well at least we'll have plenty of time for conversation.