Diamonds Are Not Forever

CHAPTER FOURTY-THREE

I looked around the table, everyone was enthralled in a story Elliot was telling about his childhood trips to his family's chalet in France, even Cassie had abandoned her own texting to listen in.

Me: Great, Elliot is a big hit.

Ash: So, what did that ostentatious fucker buy you for your birthday?

I rolled my eyes and grinned at my phone, snapping a quick picture of my ring and sending it to Ashley.
Elliot caught me in the corner of his eye.
"What are you doing?" He mused, scooping up a spoon full of creamy lemon cello flavoured gelato. The way his mouth curved around the spoon was sexy, distracting me for a second.
I quickly everted my eyes and focused back on my phone screen.
"Sending a picture of my ring to Ashley."
Elliot automatically tensed at the mention of her name, "How is the she-devil this evening?"
I shot him a warning look.
"I really don't know why you dislike her so much, you're practically business partners..." I trailed off, distracted by my phone vibrated again, indicating another message.

Ash: Over the top bastard isn't he.

I bit back my laugh when I looked back up at Elliot.
"We are not business partners." He stated matter-of-factly, his chin jutting out in distaste. "I'm technically her boss."
"And I'm technically your girlfriend, so play nice."
Our interaction was more light hearted and banter-y than the last time we had spoken about Ashley. This time it felt more casual, less intense.
A far cry from the blazing row and incredible sex that had followed, anyway.
Elliot's face was full of mischief when he spoke, "How is the lovely and brilliant she-devil this evening?" he corrected himself.
I giggled and batted his arm, liking how easy our back and forth was becoming.
"She's fine, just planning some celebratory drinks tomorrow."
His mouth twisted into a frown.
"Where are you going for drinks?" He asked.
"Ashley's house." I answered.
"Who's going to be there?"
So many questions...
"Just me, Ashley, Carol and Teddy. Is that a problem?" I quizzed, cocking my head at him.
"No." He insisted, but the concerned look in his eye suggested otherwise.
Why is he so weird about my friends?
"Why don't you have drinks at my place instead?" He suggested, out of the blue.
I looked at him, dumbfounded.
"A party, at your place?"
Elliot seemed the kind of guy who liked his own space, and probably wouldn't take kindly to my drunken friends snooping around his apartment.
He pondered his own idea for a beat, his look far away in thought. Until eventually he nodded to himself. "Yeah, consider it another birthday gift."
The idea of Elliot Truman throwing me a birthday party scared and excited me in equal measure.
"Okay."
I quickly text Ashley back.

Me: Slight change of plan for tomorrow, Elliot wants to host drinks at his apartment. Is that okay?

She took a little longer to respond, the three dots of doom appearing and disappearing again until her reply pinged through.

Ash: Sure, if that's what you'd prefer.
Ash: I'll rally the troops and get Frankie to discuss details with Elliot.

Me: Thanks, love ya x

Ash: Love ya 😊 x

"All clear with the boss." I quipped, putting my phone back in my bag.
As if on cue, Elliot's own phone vibrated in his jacket pocket.
Ashley Goulding doesn't mess around.
"That will be your brother, to discuss the details of the party." I cocked my eyebrow at him.
Elliot didn't make a move to answer the message, just carried on eating his gelato.


After Elliot kindly paid for our meal, despite a chorus of protest, we said goodbye to Auntie Joan and Cassie outside of Rossi's and Elliot offered to walk me home.
"I'm with my family, I'll be fine." I protested, ushering Milo in front of me so I didn't trip over him. He had a tendency to dawdle.
"Nonsense. I'd prefer to walk you all home, its dark and late..."
...And we're in a rough part of town, I finished his sentence in my head.
My mum was quick to chime in, balancing the remainder of my birthday cake in its box on her hip. "Such a gentlemen, an escort home would be lovely."
Elliot flashed me a smug smile, knowing he had won. I was getting tired of him getting his own way all the time.
"We don't need an escort," I muttered to my mum under my breath. "This isn't a Jane Austen novel."
If she heard my jibe, she didn't let on.
When we set off walking, a few paces behind, Elliot held out his arm for me to take. I looped my arm though his, a little unsteady on my feet from the rain slicked path against my heeled boots. My hand accidentally grazing the taut muscles of his arm as I held on to his bicep for support, trying to dodge a puddle, the only indication that it had been raining earlier. What had been dark and overcast skies was now a crisp and clear autumn night.
"I think tonight went well." Elliot's breath formed clouds in the cold air as he spoke.
"Oh yeah, I especially liked the part where my mum outed me about hiding my brothers cancer from you." I responded sarcastically.
His face went blank as he looked down the bridge of his nose at me.
Note to self: Too soon to be sarcastic about Milo's condition with him.
We strolled a little further in silence, a few cars revving their engines in the distance as we turned off the main street into more residential ones.
"Who are you staying with by the way, while your mother and brother are in New York?" Elliot asked, looking both ways as we crossed the street towards my house.
I shrugged awkwardly. "Myself?"
He didn't like that answer, not one bit.
"You're staying in your house alone?" The familiar vain in his throat poked out above the collar of his shirt.
I didn't want to fight again, but you never knew what would set this guy off.
"Well, who else am I going to stay with?" I huffed.
"I offered for you to move in with me, you never did give me your answer."
That's right, he had said I could move in with him the night I signed the Agreement.
I'd not given it a moments thought, if I was honest.
Life had quite got in the way.
There was no denying the curve ball of recent events I had been thrown; between fake marriage contracts, fancy family mansions, work and my brothers pending trip to the medical centre in Manhattan – I'd hardly had a moment to breath.
I drew my bottom lip between my teeth, anxiously chewing down as I considered my options.
I could stay in my house, alone, which I hated doing.
Or, I could stay in Elliot's plush penthouse apartment, with soft furnishings and a view that would make anyone want to wake up to it in the morning...
It was a no brainer really.
"Okay."
"Okay?" He couldn't hide the astonishment in his voice.
"Yeah."
Elliot let out a breath he must have silently been holding in.
"I expected more push back, if I'm honest." He admitted, straightening his back so he stood even taller by my side.
"I can argue with you about it, If you'd like?" I jested.
He quickly shook his head, "Oh no, I'm accepting first answers only."
As my front door came into view, I felt a strange pang of sadness.
The thought of letting go of Elliot's arm seemed like the worst thing in the world in that moment.
I could feel his own steps hesitating, slowing our pace down so our conversation didn't have to come to an end so soon.
I must have been too busy secretly drinking him in, because a uneven pavement slap came out of nowhere, causing me to trip and stumble into Elliot's side.
He was quick to catch me, as always.
"You falling for me again, Miss St. James?" His nose crinkled up as he smiled through his dig at my clumsiness.
I pushed off my embarrassment quickly, dusting myself off as we came to a standstill at the gate to my front yard.
"No, I would simply rather kiss the pavement than talk to you for another second." I deadpanned.
Elliot's face turned eerily dark, his baby blues narrowing in my direction.
Shit.
"I was kidding!" I quickly explained, my own eyes going wide in my head.
Suddenly, his expression turned from a sour scowl  to a feverish grin in a spit second. "So was I."
Letting out a breath of relief, I brought my hand to my chest like I'd just been winded.
"I thought you were being serious! Its my birthday, you can't be mean to me!" I laughed, pinching the sensitive skin under his arm as punishment for his trick.
He jumped at the nip, humour transforming his face anew. "I'm never mean."
"Urm-"
It wasn't the time nor the place to bring up his previous behaviour again, not when he'd been a breath of fresh air that night. He picked up on my hesitation though, bringing his hand to his hair so he could run his fingers through it.
"Well, I'm trying not to be anyway."
"I know."
Silence stretched between us.
"Thanks again, for the ring." I held up my hand, the Claddagh ring taking pride of place on my middle finger.
"You're welcome."
We'd said goodbye so may times before, so why did this one feel different?
My mum called out from the front door steps, key hovering over the lock as Milo stepped impatiently back and forth beside her. "Thank you again for dinner Elliot, it was so lovely to finally meet you."
"It was my pleasure, Alice."
With that, she opened the door and they disappeared inside, leaving us alone in the darkness. My mum was good at a lot of things, but knowing when to leave was what she excelled at.
Reaching out, Elliot took me by surprise and pushed a lock of hair out of my face, the warmth of his body heat fighting off the chill that had settled into my bones from the walk home.
"I'll come help you pack some of your things in the morning?" There was a hint of something in his voice. I couldn't place it, too busy reviling in his touch as his fingers traced the side of my face before letting them fall back to his side.
I nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Goodnight Elliot."
"Goodnight Juliette, Happy Birthday."
He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead, his lips lingering a little longer than they should have.
This man had seen every inch of my body naked, taken me to dizzy heights just with his touch, yet that had felt like the most intimate thing he had ever done to me.
I couldn't wipe the grin from my face as I turned and scaled the stares in record time, looking back over my shoulder to wave off Elliot as he stood at my garden gate, the overhead street lamp casting him in a yellow glow.
It had been a good night, in the end.
It had been the best night, actually.