I made my way downstairs quietly, smoothing the skirt of my dress nervously.
"Mum, just so you know, Joel's here," I said into the kitchen.
"Okay," she said," I'll be in here... Behaving myself." I grinned.
I was just about to open the door when my phone buzzed.
I'm here :)
I took in a deep breath, and opened the door.
Stood on the doorstep was Joel, wearing a red checked shirt, black jeans, a black leather jacket and white converse.
"Hey, snap," I said, pointing to his footwear.
"Oh yeah!" He said, "Great minds..."
"Think alike," I finished. We laughed, and the sound was music to my ears. Me and Joel were okay again.
"You look beautiful, by the way," Joel said, surveying my dress.
"Sexy enough for you?" I asked, giving a twirl.
"Definitely." His smile was all fox, but softer. I loved it.
"Come inside," I said, holding the door open and stepping back to let him into the hall. He walked through, politely looking around him. His gaze focused on one particular photo on the wall of me, around the age of five, dressed as a pumpkin on Halloween.
"Wow," he said, pointing to it.
"Shut up," I said, attempting to cover it with my hand, but he was much stronger than me.
"No, it's cute!" He insisted, trying not to laugh.
"Whatever," I said, grinning at him, "Do you wanna meet my mum?"
"I'd love to!" He said with enthusiasm. Mum was going to love him, I knew it.
We went past the array of embarrassing pictures and through the door into the kitchen where Mum was preparing dinner. She looked up when we came in.
"Hello! You must be Joel," she said, extending her hand towards him. Joel took it without hesitation.
"Hello, it's so nice to meet you," Joel beamed.
"You too," Mum said. She stole a glimpse at me, smiling widely. I smirked to myself.
There was an awkward pause as no one knew what to say or do. Finally Mum said,
"Why don't you two go upstairs? I'm sure Joel would love to see you room." Joel and I looked at each other; Mum didn't know that Joel had already been in my room. At night. Half naked. But we made our way over to the stairs anyway.
Just as we reached the base of the staircase, Joel whispered in my ear,
"Do you think your mum likes me?"
"She loves you," I whispered back. He grinned widely.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. But not as much as I love you." I stared into his dreamy blue eyes, captivated by his attractiveness. We were breathing the same air.
"Do you have a piano?" Joel asked suddenly, breaking the spell. I blinked, still mesmerised by his presence.
"Uh, yeah. In the lounge," I said.
"Can I hear you play?" He asked sheepishly.
"Come on then," I said, taking him by the arm and steering him into the lounge.
I sat down on the stool, and Joel sat next to me, on my left. Our thighs were touching. I considered playing one of my exam pieces which I knew well, but they didn't mean anything to Joel. So I decided to play something that did.
I positioned my fingers on the keys of the piano, pressed my foot on the pedal and began to play Red Sky. I'd tried to play it a few times on the keyboard in my room, and although it wasn't technically difficult I still didn't know it perfectly. But when I played it I could hear the emotion through the soft chords, and I hoped Joel could hear it too.
I got so lost in the piece that when I came to an end by playing the final chord, that when Joel snaked his arm round my waist I jumped.
"Sorry," he said. I didn't say anything. "That was beautiful, Ellie. You are so good at playing the piano."
"Thank you," I whispered. I felt nerves flutter through me. I had been closer to Joel than this before, and we had been caught in more compromising positions, but for some reason that moment felt so much more intimate. It was new and exciting.
Ever so slightly, the corners of Joel's mouth lifted into a smile, and he leaned his head in my direction. Automatically, I leaned my head in too, tilting it slightly, and closed my eyes. I could sense everything about him; his presence, his smell, his breathing, his touch. His hand was still against my bare waist, not moving.
I felt the soft brush of his lips against my jaw, gently kissing the skin. I opened my eyes in surprise; he had never done this before. He moved down, continuing to scatter kisses on my neck, my collarbone, my chest. I sighed in content, and felt heat travel through my body.
Subconsciously, I brought my arms up to his face, stroking his jawline and running my fingers through his hair. He smiled softly, before saying,
"Ellie, I'm not going to make out with you when your mum's in the next room."
"Okay," I said, too aroused to care. What is happening to me? I thought.
"Upstairs?" He asked quietly. I just nodded, eager to continue where we left off.
Joel took my hand and we walked up the stairs quietly. Neither of us said anything. We went into my bedroom, and Joel shut the door behind us. I sat down on my bed, waiting.
"Ellie," Joel said.
"Yes?" I asked clearly. Just say it.
"Do you want to... Spend the night at mine?" I immediately thought, Why not here? But then realised: Mum.
"I think Mum's cooking us dinner, but afterwards... Yeah, please. I'd like that," I said shyly.
"You sure? You don't have to, I know that you've never-" I pressed my lips to his to quiet him.
"I want to," I said forcefully.
"Okay, fine," he grinned.
"What about Ryan, is he-" This time he cut me off my pushing me down onto the bed, holding my wrists with his hands. He growled teasingly
"I'll take that as a no, then," I said laughing. He smiled, before descending down and planting a kiss on my forehead.
"C'mon, let's go help your mum with dinner," he said. I sighed; always the gentleman.