The Art of You

25 | Mountain To Climb

"Five?" His face twisted into a devilish grin, and I agreed by kissing him again.

"If I can take it," I reached between his legs, and he groaned at my touch, tightening his grip on my hips. I tried writing out of his grasp because I knew this would end with me on my back if I did not move away.

After many attempts, he let go and dressed, and we tiptoed to the front door. My shoulders sagged when the living room lights were off, and the scent of coffee did not fill the air.

"See you later, Eli," I pushed onto my toes. He held the back of my head, giving me a long, deep kiss goodbye. The door slid shut with a tiny click, and I rested my head on the wood in relief.

"Elijah Preston?" Reva's voice bellowed into the apartment, startling me. "You've been fucking Elijah Preston?"

My heart plummeted into the depths of my stomach, and I pivoted, blinking at my best friend, who stood with folded arms in the hallway. Her hair was messy from sleep, and not only did she look upset, but she also looked mad.

"Not plural," I said as if it could improve this situation. "We had sex once."

"When did this start?"

"He had been coming to the studio—"

"That long ago?"

"No! Reva, hold on. I have been meaning to tell you, but everything has been new and weird, and I didn't know what was truly going on until last night."

Reva sat on the living room couch, facing me. "How long have you guys been seeing each other?"

I thought about the different occasions I saw Elijah, and my arms fell to my sides. "I told you he started showing up to the studio after hitting the ball through the window. Nothing ever happened except for some innocent flirting. We texted here and there and then kept running into each other. Eventually, he told me he had feelings for me about a month ago, and we only just kissed two weeks ago. This is all new."

"I don't mind you keeping things private, but sneaking around? Not telling me anything or acting like you two weren't a thing at all? I'm not sure what I've done for you not to trust me...."

I cut her off. "I trust you, and you haven't done anything to make me not trust you."

"You used to tell me everything, and then you started pulling away." Her anger was replaced by sadness, and I closed my eyes, exhaling through my nose. It seemed her reaction would be inevitable no matter when I told her because it was true. There was no reason for me not to talk to her about Elijah.

His home run through the art room window felt like it happened yesterday, but it was almost two months ago. Our relationship was becoming serious, and the fact that I would be a senior in college in two weeks weighed on me like a load of bricks.

"I know I've been distant. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Elijah and me sooner." I sat beside her. "I haven't been in an actual relationship since Ben, and I've been avoiding them at all cost. If I weren't so stubborn, I would've been dating Elijah months ago. So, this has been a lot for me to take in."

Her eyes softened. "You really like him?"

I nodded. "But I haven't fully agreed to be his girlfriend yet. He keeps alluding that we are a couple, especially now that we had sex, but I'm afraid that everything will go downhill from there once we go public."

"Sadie..."

"I know how dumb it sounds."

"Does he know about Ben?"