Lies:
I wouldn't lie to you
Today is a mess... It started as a mess; it continues to be one and who the fuck does Rémy Miller think he is... I'm repeating myself. Ever since that situation with Heather he has been getting on my nerves. First, he's being all vague and cryptic about my whereabouts last night at the party when I saw him at Rhett's. Next, he's just storming out and leaves me alone at that place, acting like I took a knife and jammed it into his chest.
I imagined it.
But I didn't do it.
Honestly, he's a big baby.
With a great punch apparently. Because as soon as I walked into the boxing gym, I saw him throw one at Eli's face.
You need to make your own mistakes.
That's what he said before he left.
He also kept going on about Eli telling me something and a certain truth that needed to come out, and now my head was spinning with doubts and questions.
"E, what was he talking about?" I take a step back and look at Eli, his face filled with apprehension.
He shakes while rubbing his face. He took a hard blow to the nose but by the looks of it nothing is broken and not a drop of blood is spilled.
I always knew this man was built like a rock. "Nothing." He shrugs. "Like I said, he just came in and punched me in the fucking face."
"Seems like he had a reason." I mutter and I hate to question Eli's story, but I saw the sorrow in Rémy's eyes as soon as he saw me. They instantly softened, and if anything, they somehow held on to something truthful. He could get benched for assaulting another student on campus, so why would he take that risk.
"Are you seriously taking his side? You don't even know the guy." He snaps and I'm taken aback.
He has never been angry at me before, but he definitely is now, and I don't know how to feel about that. It's not my fault Rémy has a problem with him, I at least hope it's not because of me, but how would I know, nobody is telling me anything!
I let out a frustrated growl. "Eli, I swear if you're hiding something from me, I'm gonna run away from you as fast and as far as I can!" I raise my voice too now and an instant grimace clouds his face. "What happened last night that I don't know! E?!"
He shakes his head and confidently steps closer, his hands rubbing my shoulders in an attempt to calm me down, but I look away. "Cé, look at me," He whispers, softly pushing my chin to meet him halfway. "I'm not hiding anything." He continues to whisper with the softest tone. "Last night, you got drunk, and I made sure you got home safe. I swear that's it. No shenanigans. He's probably trying to get into your head as some sick revenge for calling him out about Heather. I was there all night; he didn't even talk to you." I'm trying to sketch a picture or a timeline of the party, hoping I might remember a stupid detail that could tell me who's telling the truth. My best friend, and longtime crush, who suddenly wants to date me, or a guy who has more rumors to his name than anyone else on campus. A guy who hooked up with my roommate and made that evil emotionless monster cry.
That tells me something about his character.
That tells me I should know who to trust.
"Céline, come on. I wouldn't lie to you." Eli rubs his hands over my shoulders again and it's supposed to be reassuring. But I hesitantly bite the inside of my cheek, trying to make up my mind. Something is off, but I don't know which direction the big red warning sign points to. To who.
"Fine." Eli suddenly sounds bitter, and he shakes his head dismissively. His tone hurts and it's like I'm betraying my best friend by not taking his word for it. "If you w,-"
"Pinky swear on it." I blurt out, interrupting another exasperated sigh. "Do it." Holding out my pinky, I try to force a smile. My head however is still caught in a turmoil of doubts, but if he pinky swears on it I might be able to let it slide.
Call me naïve...
But I really don't want to lose my friend over half-truths and fishy lies.
If fuckboy from hell knows more than Eli is telling me he could have just told me. But he didn't, he left the truth hanging somewhere for me to guess and I'm grasping now.
"Fine," Eli's smile has finally emerged again and it's as comforting as usual. "Give me that pinky." He smirks, drawing my closer. "I swear on everything to my name, I'm not lying to you, and I never will. Nothing happened, he's just trying to get into your head for some reason. I couldn't lie to you even if I wanted to." He looks me in the eyes with every word spoken before proceeding to shake pinkies on it. "Today has been a lot." He sighs and thinks I'm ready for a change of subject.
Honestly, I don't know if I am.
"True." I mutter,
"How's your foot?" He looks down at our feet and then his gaze meets mine again. "Is it good enough for a date?"
"What? Right now?"
That was unexpected.
I'm staring at him with my mouth ajar.
"Right now." He's charming his way into my schedule when he reaches out and pushes a loose curl behind my ear. It's hard to look away now, it's hard to refuse anything he proposes next. "Why wait?" He whispers and his thick voice sends a shiver down my spine.
"Uhm." I'm not good with unexpected requests and I do usually think about them before agreeing, however this time my tongue doesn't agree with my methods. "Let's do it."
"I have an idea. Wait here." A grin flashes across his face and I'm not moving while he goes to get something from his bag. As soon as he reaches me again, he holds out his hand, a coin in the middle of his palm. "Let's toss a coin. If it lands on heads, we go..." He thinks about it briefly. "Bowling. If it lands on tails, we..." He looks at me and cocks a brow.
"Go see a movie?" I smirk.
I like this whole toss the coin concept.
It's cute, it's adventurous and exciting and it's making me lock away my worries.
"Cé, I actually want to talk to you on our date, so a movie isn't going to do it." A full-on smile explodes on his face and it's as appealing as always. Why? Because he rarely smiles at anyone else. When he's around me, it's like it's the only facial expression he wears.
It looks good on him.
Way too fucking good.
"Okay." A sudden chuckle leaves me. "Tails and we'll drive into the city to grab food and drinks at Bodega."
"I have always wanted to go there, so deal. Heard the food is exceptional." He nods and he isn't wrong. Bodega has been on my to-do list for so long, just like Eli. He has been on there just a tad longer though. "Okay, let's flip it." He tosses the coin into the air, catches it and slaps it onto his hand. "Tails."
"Great." I smile.
I guess I can at least check of one thing from that to-do list. Maybe two, but that solely depends on how we decide to end our first date.
✨
I'm absolutely loving tonight. I thought I already knew every detail about Elijah Wren but turns out there's still a lot more underneath that surface I have yet to discover. And I'm not talking about taking off his clothes, although I have been thinking about it ever since my first drink.
I should have gone for a virgin mojito instead of whatever strong stuff I'm sipping right now. I asked Eli to stop me at three, but I think one might already be too much. I used to have a great tolerance to alcohol, but it turns out it's not like riding a bike.
You do unlearn how to drink.
I definitely have.
There was a lot of small talk over dinner and dessert, a lot of flirting, a lot of drowning in each other's eyes and let's not forget the casual foot bump that was anything but awkward. "I'll go and pay."
He tries to get up but pout at him. "But I don't want this to be over yet." I do have a whiny voice whenever I'm tipsy, combined with the pout, I might be able to convince him.
"Cé, tonight's not over yet." He shakes and I'm curious whatever meaning he's hiding behind those words and that smirk while he walks away to pay.
Once he got back we decided to take a walk under Boston's city lights while he continues to talk about California and how much he misses the warmer climate. It was also an opportunity to ask me if I was cold. Although I'm used to temperatures like these, I bluntly deny it. "I'm freezing." I exaggerate a shiver and with a hearth melting smile he throws his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his side.
I'm in flames.
It's weird to think, yesterday he was just a friend, and now he's acting so naturally touchy around me it's like he had been holding back all this time. "Eli?" I whirr and he hums back. "Do you like me?" I'm whining at this point, and I'm blaming it on the alcohol multiplying with my blood the second the cold outdoor air hit me in the face. "I mean, why do you want to date me? Why now?"
Eli looks down at me when he suddenly stops in the middle of this park side road. "I wanted to ask you out for a while. I mean look at you." His hand stretches to my face and the back of it collides with my flushed cheek. "You're gorgeous." His fingers slowly travel down my jaw until his thumb can slip over my mouth. "Any funny." He adds, his thumb gently pushing the corner of my mouth up into a smile. His gaze has never felt this intense as it lingers on my mouth. "And I really want to kiss you right now." He whispers slowly and every word flutters inside my stomach.
I'm down badly for him and I have been waiting to hear those words ever since I met him. So, it doesn't take me long to make up my mind. "Please, do." I whisper and stretch upon my tiptoes.
With another smirk he completely closes the gap and presses his mouth on mine, kissing me relentlessly. I'm drunk but this is far from a messy kiss. His tongue precisely slides over my bottom lip and I love how he pulls me closer with each gentle brush of his tongue. His touch feels oddly familiar and I'm letting myself get hypnotized by this kiss. As soon as he lets go, I force my way back to his lips. "Not yet." I whisper softly and he continues to woo me off my feet until we are both satisfied with the longevity of the next thrilling kiss.
Dear god.
Arch angel Elijah just flew me to heaven.
Now I want him to take me to the burning pits of hell.
"Shit." Eli mutters before softly pressing his lips into mine again, short but meaningful. "If I had known you were that good of a kisser, I would have kissed you a long time ago." His hands have fallen into my neck, where they hide from the freezing January winds.
I join his smirk while I let myself melt into his company, that kiss still simmering through every inch of my body. "Such a shame you waited this long."
Eli scrapes his throat, "I thought about it so many times though. Trust me."
I do trust you.
That kiss was filled with an insane amount of anticipation and urgency and the second he let go it looked like he could finally breathe again.
His dark green eyes watch me fumble my lip between my teeth, deciding if a second kiss would be appropriate, and it would, because I'm already aching his mouth. Instead he grabs my hand and hauls me into motion. "Come on let's drive home."
We continue to goof around, pulling each other closer, landing a casual and playful kiss here and there, until we reach the car. Silence has never sounded this loud as soon as he sits behind the wheel and turns towards me. "So, your place or mine?" He breaks the awkwardness and now my heart is racing so loud that no matter how loud the silence, I wouldn't be able to hear it.
"Yours?" I ask him, and I don't know if it's the alcohol speaking or the way I imagined this moment for the last five months or so. I imagined it every time I had ten free minutes on my hands and the room to myself.
I'm nervous, I shouldn't be this nervous...
"Okay." He mutters nervously and turns on the engine, glancing at me before driving away from the city center. As we leave the tall buildings and city lights behind, I'm question whether this was such a good idea. Especially since he has been awfully quiet the entire ride. I have a hard time telling what's going on inside his head, and mine...
It's pure chaos.
Kissing, that's one thing...
Going the extra mile into pound town...?
A whole other dimension.
This could be the start of something new and exciting, or the end of our friendship.
Suddenly, that to-do list seems irrelevant, and procrastination sound like a good alternative.
My thoughts are trying to coward their way out of this car, while my heart is pounding so hard there's no way I can move without passing out.
"I don't know why I'm so nervous all of a sudden." I rasp while squirming in my seat when we are parked in front of his dorm and he kills the engine.
He wets his lips and glances at me. "Me to. I-." His voice shivers. "I don't want to ruin us."
I give him a wary look. "Me either."
Do not be a freaking chicken.
Chickens don't get laid.
Chickens don't meet their soulmate.
I think?
"We don't have to. I could just drive you to your dorm." Eli shrugs while looking down into his lap before turning to me again. "Seriously, no pressure."
My chest would say otherwise.
It's suffocating, and I just need to get the elephant out of the room, so I can breathe again.
"I want to stay with you tonight." I nod and his fingers nervously intertwine with mine. "I'm sure." A soft smile paints his lips a gentle pink shade and it's too hard to resist. I try to be bold and lean in, kissing him passionately and I'm instantly met with a counterattack. With desire his hands cup my face and they pull me over. There's absolutely no way I'm going to fight back and within a few strokes of his tongue I'm straddling his lap, the steering wheel poking my back. We stop for a second and the eye contact is too intense, both of us exploding into another urgent kiss. It's the way his teeth longingly grab my lip, how his hands find my zipper and slowly slips open my jacket, how they then settle for my waist, and he crushes the space between us. How his hips roll up and my body aches to be even closer. "I want to go inside." I whisper into the tight air while his mouth disappears into my neck and I'm feeling like a primal animal. "Now." I moan when his tongue starts to fuse with my skin. I don't have to ask twice as he opens the door and lets me step out first. I'm even more on edge and flustered by the time we reach his room and as soon as he closes the door my only target is his mouth. This time I allow myself to whimper when he pushes my jacket off my arms, and I fidget with the zipper on his. "Fuck, I can't open this thing!" I mutter, and frustration spills from my tone. It's urge. Hunger. Lust. I have been looking forward to this moment for so long, it turned me into a ticking time-bomb.
Aaahh!
I inwardly scream as his zipper is stuck and I'm making him pull the jacket over his head instead.
It's gone, and so am I, because he's hauling me into the air and pressing me into the door. My legs are draped around his waist, his forehead pressed into mine. "Tell me you want this." He rasps.
I push myself up against him while my hands disappear into his dark hair. "I need this."
Desperate, I sound desperate.
I am.
It's all happening so fast. His kisses are rushed even though my head is processing everything is slow-motion. Slowly, yet my senses are heightened, from the moment he threw me onto his bed and stripped from his clothes to the moment he started taking off mine. His sheets were messy, and so were his kisses now. His hands felt greedy when they explored every inch of me, his tongue too, not leaving me a second to catch my breath. My mind was going at seven thousand thoughts a second when he reached over me to grab a condom from his nightstand and a rough nine thousand more when he asked me to put it on him. Eli looks like a bad boy, rough, tough, uncut. That's definitely how he fucks too. I counted the tattoos on his chest while he harshly thrusted his hips and suddenly my body went numb.
Thirteen.
He has thirteen distinctively different tattoos on his chest.
I wasn't feeling that rush anymore once he started moaning in my ear and his hands cupped my breasts.
I wasn't feeling anything I expected to feel or was supposed to feel. I have had sex before, but this, I never felt this.
Nothing.
A void.
Empty.
It was like I was watching us from a distance because none of this felt real.
He was quickening his pace while a part of me played along. Loud and clear and apparently the delightful sound of a woman moaning gets him off. He's shaking on top of me while whispering something into my ear, but I'm deafened by the sound of my bubble bursting.
My perfect image of us.
Our bubble.
Exploding.
The state my mind would be in after a night with Eli turns out to be not as bubblegum pink as I would have thought.
Rather, blue-ish, because I have the female equivalent of blue balls and I'm too embarrassed to tell him.
He has no clue I just faked it.
Why?
Because I needed it to be over.
To do list...
Check.
✨ One of the best worst love scenes I have ever written. Sadly, it came from a place of experience. To everyone who has ever felt like Céce in a moment like this. It's okay. Sometimes you have to kiss a million frogs to find a Charming Prince and a million more to find a Prince Charming.
✨ Do you think Eli can keep up with his own lies?
✨ I bet the next morning is going to be awkward
✨ also this is an early update, it's not Monday, but it is someone's birthday tomorrow. And the comment asking me for a early birthday gift totally convinced me! Happy bday to you! Also sorry it's not a lot of Rémy and Céline content at this point but this just had to happen.