Face the Music

Chapter 11

At 4 a.m I awoke to the beeping of my alarm for the 6th time overnight. I got out of the chair and made my way blindly to the couch. The sky outside had grown cloudy, hiding the moon and plunging the room into pitch darkness.

When my shins bumped the couch, I stopped walking and bent over, reaching for Ella. Where her shoulder should have been, there was only air. I leaned further down and touched the couch. Empty blankets, a dented pillow - only couch cushions.

I frowned, puzzled, running through a million scenarios in my head. No one had come and kidnapped her. I was a light sleeper and trying to kidnap a fighter like Ella would have made enough noise to wake me. Maybe she'd gone voluntarily. Was she scared of me? Had she taken off because she was afraid? I turned and scanned the room. There was a faint glow coming from the kitchen.

"Ella?" I called out, quietly.

"In here." Her voice replied from the kitchen.

Walking through the kitchen door, I was relieved to see her sitting on the counter next to the sink, a bowl of cereal in her hand. I stood and looked at her for a long moment. The nightlight above the stove cast a soft glow about the room.

"What are you doing?" I asked, amused. Her long legs dangled off the counter, her toes just peeking out from beneath the cuffs of her baggy sweatpants. Her t-shirt was twisted around her torso, falling off her shoulder revealing a sleek neck and a smooth collarbone sexy enough to make any respectable man wish for a cold shower. I took a breath and averted my eyes.

"Eating cereal," she answered, as if it were the most natural thing to be doing.

"At four in the morning?"

"It's like therapy," she said, jokingly. "You should try it. It's a great stress reliever."

I chuckled. "Well, alright then." I said, sliding up on the counter next to her. "I guess since our date didn't work out yesterday this will do just fine."

She smiled a little, "Better late than never."

She reached into a cabinet above her head for a clean bowl and spoon. Then she stretched across the sink to grab the carton of milk, and the cereal. As she did, her t-shirt slid along her skin, revealing a toned lower back and a tan hip bone. My mouth went dry and I tore my gaze away.

Ella, completely unaware of her effect on me, turned back around.

"Here." She said, handing me the bowl, milk, and cereal.

"Thanks," I said, not looking at her.

Get yourself together, Aimes, I thought to myself.

She could feel my tension.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

I forced myself to turn my gaze to her face as naturally as possible. My eyes met hers, and I swore that, for a moment, the desire that I felt was etched across her face as clearly as it was across mine.

She's feeling it too! I thought, then reprimanded myself. Don't be creepy, my subconscious said. You're the lying asshole, remember?

I smiled at her. "No," I said. "Nothing is wrong." I stared at her for a moment longer. The bruises on her face didn't stand out so much in the gentle, dim light of the kitchen. Her caramel hair had fallen loose from its braid and the curly strands wildly surrounded her face and fell in a flood down her back.

Turning my attention back to my midnight snack, I dumped a bit of milk into the bowl, then added the cereal.

"Uh...what the hell?" She said, looking at me with concern.