Fire On Fire

Chapter 42 - Helium

What was supposed to be only a couple of hours of just hanging out alone together for the afternoon, stretched much longer than we both intended, until we were left behind at the resort, while the rest of the family returned to the ranch.

Later, her phone rings, and she goes to grab it from the foot of the bed.

"Give that back" she mutters, reaching for it, when i just grab it from her hand before she can answer it.

"Why are you always on the phone, who do you talk to so much anyway" i ask, looking at the caller ID, and keeping it out of her reach.

"That's Andrew, and he was probably calling to tell me about Riley" she grumbles.

I look back at her, my face reflecting my lack of awareness about who she is talking about, and she frowns, and sits back down on the bed.

I have seen how much my cluelessness frustrates her every time she talks about something or someone that i'm supposed to know, and i don't...and i see the frustration on her face now.

"Andrew is my step brother, and Riley is....." she says.

"..... your Half brother....yeah, i remember you mentioned him yesterday." i say, and she looks away.

"I'm sorry, i can only imagine how annoying this must be for you" i say.

"No it's not that...It's just that......there is just so much stuff with my family, that happened recently, that you sort of experienced with me, and understood at a deeper level...But now, i will have to tell you everything again, and just hearing stuff from an outside perspective is very different, you know, and it just won't be the same, but it's not your fault..it just sucks, i guess." she explains.

"Don't pout, you look like a little girl." i say, against her ear, my fingers massaging the nape of her neck and she smiles.

"Look, we don't have to get into all of it right now, or all at once...maybe you can tell me more about us right now....how we met, our times together" i encourage her.

"It's a long, crazy story" she murmurs thoughtfully, then smiles.

I smile too, excited to hear about it, and how i must have courted her.

"We can stay here at the resort all night...just the two of us, and just talk and hang out.....what do you say?" i ask.

She scrunches up her face in thought, and then she falls on the bed, face down, and groans into the sheets.

"Ella? is that a yes"

I grab her waist and turn her around.

"Are we staying the night?" i ask hopefully, the Ranch is too crowded right now, and thus provides too many interruptions and distractions.

"Just to talk?" she asks with a sly smile, and i cock my eye brow at her in a 'what do you think' kind of way.

"Ok....Man, this relationship is quite the rollercoaster?" she murmurs jokingly.

"You can say that again." i chuckle.

**

"Look whose back" Someone says, as we walk into the house back at the Ranch, the following day in the evening.

Ella blushes, and i squeeze her to my side, as we walk into the foyer.

"Where have you guys been?"

"Sight seeing" i murmur.

"What sights where there left to see...more like galivanting to me?"

"Shut up, it's none of your business" i mutter as we both rush upstairs.