One For The Road ✔ | A short novella |

15. Santa Cruz

Chapter Fifteen

Santa Cruz

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"You're the one that I want. The one that I want. The one I need, Oh, yes, indeed." The Lennings - Jessie

Santa Cruz, 11.45pm, August 28th

Jessie

Ellis looks so funny with his flannel shirt held up over his head, trying to dodge the rain. But it's too late. It's coming down harder than when I first stepped out and he's soaked through now.

When he soon shrugs and gives up with his makeshift shelter, he shakes his dark hair like a dog and finally embraces the moment filled with thunderous vibrations and sharp lightning and the biggest raindrops I've ever seen. 

I take him by the hands and jokily give him a twirl. He laughs and repays me with a tipsy spin until I fall into him, dizzy and rain soaked. 

"You know that we've got to spend the rest of the night and morning like this now, until we find the hotel?" Ellis says, poking his tongue out with his eyes closed. "If we catch hypothermia this is all your doing Jessica Adkins."

"A little rain never hurt nobody," I counter, dancing in front of the yellowed beam of light the car emits. My sandals are close to slipping away and everything clings to me like film wrap but it's fun. It makes a change to being stuck in the car or having to be with my thoughts, all of which are jammed on how much I want to wrap my arms around Ellis. All the damn time.

Kicking away leaves and balling up his flannel shirt, he steps closer and licks my nose. "You had a bit of rain on you."

"I did, did I?"

"You did."

I grin as I trace my own mouth with one finger. "I also have some here..." Ellis swoops in to kiss the corners delicately and when the water runs down the side of my neck I let him know this too. "And a little further down."

His brow arches and I know that he's thinking the same. And as another clap shakes the ground beneath we race to open the car doors. When I slam it shut and look up Ellis is in the backseat. 

"What are you doing there?" I whisper, giggling because I know full well why. I just want to hear it from him. I want to live in this moment before everything changes again for a little longer. 

"Waiting for you."

I clamber through the gap between seats and flop onto the backseat with a squelch. "Well here I am."

"You're very wet," he smirks and I swat his hand away as I laugh into it. 

"You're gross."

"Just stating the obvious."

And without anymore small talk he pulls me in by the back of my neck for a  passionate kiss, slipping my t-shirt over my head as I raise my arms. His hands are strong but gentle and my heart skips a thousand beats to feel the warmth of them and his tongue as he runs it along my collarbone. 

"Ellis," I say a little breathless as the rain fiercely lashes down and the windows form a thick fog to block out the bolts of intermittent light. "I think, I think this is it."

"Just one more second," he announces, fighting to reach the glovebox and I soon realise his most recent purchase from CVS. I don't ask what's in the small brown bag, I'm just glad that it is.