[ COMPLETED ]
Eliana Oakley and Casen Walker couldn't be further on the other's spectrum.
Eliana is twenty-one years old and in her last year of college. An artist at heart, she uses that to her advantage to further her early fashion design career...
She doesn't even look at me as she walks further into the room, heading to the suitcase for her perfume.
Seeing as she's not saying anything, I speak first, "You look beautiful, peach."
She glances up with a smile, "Thank you, Case." She pauses, running her eyes up and down my body, "You look handsome, love."
Here's the thing, it's not like she doesn't talk, she's just a bit dry with it and less talkative.
Her eyes catch on my tie and she raises a brow before approaching me and resting her hands on my chest.
"Good try." She mumbles and gets to work, her nimble fingers quickly tucking and folding where she has to. I, however, can't stop staring at her — her lashes, the highlighted bulb of her nose, her blushed cheeks, her glossed lips... She doesn't even need them to look pretty.
She just is. But now, with her recent attitude, I have this dark feeling looming over me like a thundercloud.
"Ana," I say softly. She hums, but doesn't meet my eyes, "Baby, look at me."
I can tell it takes everything in her to look up at me, and even then, she blinks profusely and sends me a forced smile. And then, the tears that gloss her eyes.
I rest a hand on her jaw, careful not to mess up her makeup or she'd kill me, "What's going on?"
She opens her mouth and her breath hitches as if she's about to answer, but then she doesn't. Nothing comes out and she's left tucking my tie back into the vest.
"I'm just really proud of you, Case." She sniffles, "And I'm so appreciative of you choosing me to be here by your side." As genuine as her words are, I just have this sinking feeling that she's holding something else back.
I want to confront her... tell her to be honest with me... tell her not to be scared to open up, but before I can, there's a knock at the door and barks coming from beyond it.
My head falls at the arrival of my teammates and I have to resist the urge to run my hand through my hair. Eliana scoffs out a small laugh and wipes her tears away.
"Uh," She kisses my lips before wiping off her gloss that transferred, "You can go ahead with your boys. I'll get Jo from her room."
She goes to step away but I take her hand into mine and pull her into my hold, hugging her like it's the last thing I'll do.
"I love you, Eliana Oakley." I mumble into her neck.
She rubs my back with one hand while the other caressing the nape of my neck, "I love you more, cowboy. See you out there."
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