“Hey,” we say at the same time. Ella’s mouth curves into a timid smile, and I’m rendered speechless.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were at that interview.”
I nod. “That was at seven. Where’s your friend?” I look around to search for the fiery redhead.
“Oh,” she waves her hand, “she went to the bathroom. She said she’s going to phone Matt, so I don’t expect her to be back at least for half an hour.”
Here is my chance.
“Can I buy your coffee?” I signal to the counter where a barista is tapping her fingers impatiently on the surface of the counter. A line of people has formed behind us, giving us the stink eye. I wait as Ella orders for herself and Sophie, and before she has the chance to pull her wallet out of her bag, I jump in. “Here you go,” I say to the cashier, handing her money. Ella looks at me with wide eyes.
“No, no, no, put your money away,” she protests.
“It’s okay. Let’s go find a place to sit down,” I drag her to an empty table before she can refuse.
“Thank you,” she says gently. “You didn’t have to.”
“I know, but I wanted to.” I didn’t want to let the opportunity to speak to her again slip through my fingers, and hopefully, I’ll get her to agree to a date in Indianapolis. Of course, I go on dates! I’m not an asshole that just calls girls to hook up and then throws them out of the bed after. My parents raised me better, but I never say no to a sexy woman. There’s something about Ella that attracts me to her, I want to get to the bottom of it. There’s a good hour until boarding, so we have plenty of time.
“What do you do?” I ask, before taking a sip of the scalding hot coffee. Ella has just opened a packet of sugar, and pours it into her coffee.
“I’m a masseuse,” she says, looking me in the eyes. I’m sure she notices the longing in mine. “I work at one of the private massage therapy salons called Ace.” I nod. “I haven’t worked there for long, but I really like it. It’s my passion,” she adds. It’s difficult for me to picture her tiny, fragile-looking hands massaging professional athletes, which I know the salon is famous for. I also cannot help but to imagine what it would feel like if her hands were sliding all over my body. I’d probably have to exercise major control over my urges not to screw her right on the massage table. I shake my head a few times to rid myself of the inappropriate thoughts.
“I bet your boyfriend is very lucky for having a masseuse at home.” I don’t want to be too direct and ask her right away if she has a boyfriend since we’ve just met. But I still want to know if she’s single. The moment I finish the sentence her eyes turn sad. She quickly shakes her head.
“I don’t have a boyfriend,” she says with a sour smile. I don’t exactly know what just happened, but I’m glad she’s not taken. Ella’s phone starts ringing in her bag. She apologizes before answering. I gather from what she’s saying that it’s Sophie on the phone, asking where she is. I take this time to look at her closely. She has long, completely straight dark brown hair, gently falling down her back. I bet it’s soft as silk. It takes a lot of effort not to reach over and wrap a strand of her hair around my hand. Her long, elegant fingers tuck a stray lock of hair behind the ear. She glances at me shyly, confirms something to the person on the other side of the line, and drops her gaze back to the table. Her every move, every gesture and smile only entice me more. I don’t know why I have this burning desire to see her. I have to have her; perhaps then she won’t be so alluring. Ella puts the cell phone back on the table. “I’m sorry, that was Sophie, confused as ever. She got a little lost, and wanted to know where I was.”
Chapter Five
Ella
“I think it’s time for me to find my own apartment, don’t you think? Before we left for our vacation, I went to see one and I really liked it,” I tell Sophie. After Josh’s death, I simply couldn’t live in our house anymore. Too many memories of him were in that house, so I put it on market and moved to the city. Sophie and Matt invited me to stay with them. My parents also said I could come back home, but I couldn’t return there. I didn’t want them to see me cry all the time. That’s why I gladly accepted Sophie’s offer. I don’t know if I could have survived the first few months after Josh died without her. She was the biggest help and support I could’ve wished for, I’ll never forget that. Matt was a great help as well. Sophie is a really lucky girl to have such an amazing boyfriend. They totally deserve each other.