Zay's POV
I have to hold back my moan as I bite into the food that got set in front of me. This is the second dinner that I've had heat and if I didn't have to live so far away, I would definitely try to come here every night.
This is sex on a plate.
If I could make love to the food on my plate, I definitely would.
I look up from the food in front of me and I turn towards Elliot who I find smirking at me, his own plate close to empty just like mine. I slowly finish chewing the food in my mouth and wipe it carefully with red cheeks.
"What?" I ask him and he shakes his head, instead it's his dad who answers across the table from me.
"You act like you've never had a home cooked meal before." He says and though I know he meant is as a joke, I can't help the ping of pain that comes as I think about my childhood. I try my best at a smile as I answer him.
"Oh, I haven't. Except for when Elliot cooks sometimes." I amend, looking back down at my plate, not wanting to ruin my good mood.
"Your parents aren't much cooks? That's how my sister is, her lazy ass just comes over here and tried to eat up all my food whenever she gets the chance." He grumbles and it makes me laugh loudly, shaking my head at his pouting expression.
When I turn back to Elliot, his deep brown eyes are on me, a slight frown in between his brows as he looks at me and it makes me sober up a bit, worried that I'm messing up again.
Ever since dinner yesterday and he let me stay after for a few hours, I've been trying my best to make sure that I'm actually listening to him. That I get to know him as Elliot, the art major that got a job because he wanted to and not because he needed to and not as Elliot, that man that's supposed to love me because he's my soulmate and that's the most important thing.
Before we talked, I never noticed that little things that I did to him. Like the pouting when Iw ant him to stay longer, hug me more, not leave me. Or when I use it lips and body against him.
I haven't said anything about realizing it, but once I started paying attention to what I was doing, I felt like shit. In a way, I always knew what I was doing so I could get more of his attention and get him to be with me just a little bit longer, but I never thought about it hurting or annoying him. I never just stopped to ask him what he wanted to do or just simply as him to stay for a few more minutes.
When I talked to Brice a few days ago, I didn't believe the words he said about pushing someone away and that you can't force them to love you.
Growing up, the only thought pushed into my head is that when you find your soulmate, everything will be perfect. They will be the best for you and you won't have to worry about anything because that person will be your happiness and it will all be okay.
What no one ever tells you is that this is hard.
You have to learn each other properly so that you can love each other correctly.
And while it's something that should be common sense, I was so caught up in what Elliot could do for me and not what I could do to make it easier.
I've had a lot of time to think.
"Let's go out tonight." Elliot tells me and I snap out of my head and back to him as he looks at me softly and I smile nervously at him.
"You want to go somewhere?" I ask him nervously and he smiles a bit, his lips twitching on the corner as he nods at me softly.
"Yeah. We can call it a date." He tells me and I feel my eyes prick with tears and emotions, new ones inside my chest that feel different that they did before. Deeper. Realer. That don't just happen when he gives me a sexy look or flirts with me. It happens with he smiles, when his brown eyes catch the light and they look like honey. When he rolls his eyes at me but he can't stop the laugh from falling from his lips.
"I would like that." I tell him and he smiles at me before he excuses himself and grabs both of our now empty plates and goes to put them in the sink, the water turning on as he gets ready to wash them.
"That's why right there." I hear and I turn my head to see Elliot's mom looking at me with proud and tender eyes making me look at her in confusion. "I know you wondered why we didn't hate you or why we didn't give you a hard time for breaking his heart. It's because of that look that you get in your eyes when you look at him. It may still be hard now, but that look? I know it's all going to work out." She tells me, reaching across the table to tap my hand softly making me smile softly at her, not helping my emotional state at the moment.
She pulls her hand away with smile just as Elliot comes back to the table. "What's my mom telling you now?" He asks in fake exasperation and she saves me from answering by doing it herself.
"Oh just old lady talk." She says, giving me a wink that makes me laugh to myself as Elliot looks at us suspiciously.
"Come on, Zay. Before she poisons your with her old lady sickness." He says , giving me his hand to help me out of the chair as his mom looks at us with a proud glint in her eye that makes me cheeks heat up. I wave goodbye to her as Elliot holds my hand, leading me up the stairs to his room to my surprise.
When we enter the room, I look around in awe and surprise. The walls are painted stark white but the thing that catches my eyes is the fact that all over his walls is art.
There's drawing, charcoal, spray paint even pencil sketches all over the wall, some big some small, the progression of his art in display only for him and his parents around the room that he grew up in. I let go of his hand and walk towards the wall, my mouth agap in awe as I look at the paintings that are years old, still beautiful in old age.
"Oh don't look at those they're terrible." Elliot tells me once he sees what I'm doing but I shake my head softly, still looking at them.
"They are amazing. You're amazing Elliot." I tell him and he's silent for a second before I hear some rummaging behind me. It's quiet for a moment until I feel his body behind mine, his chin on my shoulder as he looks at the pictures I do, the two of us clearly seeing two different things.
"Come on." he tells me, grabbing my hand softly, pulling me away from the room that shares so much about his soul. I just want a couple hours to read all the writing on the wall and look at every picture even if it's just a doodle he did in the sixth grade.
Sadly though, he leads me downstairs and out the door, a bag in hand as his other hold on to mine tightly.
We walk down the side walk, the sun dipping low into the hora in the honey like sun racing across the skies as the colors all melt into w bright gold, the day ending softly as everyone snuggled up with loved ones and eat dinner and laugh at the table.
We're only walking for a few minutes before Elliot pulls me off of the concrete and towards a half hidden trail that leads into the woods. Now of course he would very well be ready to kill me, but I follow him; too curious for me own good. He moves be aces out of my way, letting go of my hand to make sure I don't get hit in the face.
And when we come out in the other side of the trees it's the most beautiful meadow I've ever seen in my life. It's large, the knee length flowers and weeds blowing softly in the wind as the sun beams down on them making them glow in the light.
My breath catches in my throat at the raw beauty showing, the meadow beautiful and left likes own thing out of a book or movie.
Elliot's hand finds mine again as he drags me towards the meadow, stopping once we're in the middle, the warmth of the sun above me making me grin softly, loving the feeling of being here with Elliot even if it's somewhere as simple as a meadow thirty seconds away from the street.
It's perfect.
And when I look at Elliot who sits down across from me, reaching into his bag to grab stuff, I felt my heart flutter again, this time stronger than ever as I watch him.
"I'm going to draw you. I've wanted to before but it didn't feel right." He tells me, a sketch pad and paper in his hands as he looks up at me, the sunlight making his chocolate eyes look like an endless pool of smooth dark honey.
"Does it feel right now?" I ask him, nervously, though for once I actually feel settled as if this is where I'm supposed to be.
"Perfect."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes yes yes! this is what I've been waiting for. They're so cute and perfect. I'm happy that things are finally coming together. This book is definitely an emotional roller coaster.
Thoughts?
Comments?
QOTD: do you like getting your nails done?