Wow! It looks like chapter 4 really shook things up! Thanks again for all your feedback, comments and favorites. Here's chapter 5. Enjoy!
--Aeli
I woke up surprisingly well rested. As I rolled out of my bed I threw on an old t-shirt and and shorts. But once I began to open the door, I felt my stomach turn. Last night began to creep back into my head and I realized that I had no idea what to expect on the other side of that door. Was Alex pissed? Amused? Aroused? What about Elliot? Poor Elliot. The cradle of sleep had let me forget the mess that I had made and as I woke my anxiety began to spike.
Carefully I opened my door. I glanced down the hall to Alex's room. The door was shut. He was either still asleep or at work. Either way, I hoped I was alone. I carefully shut my door and tip toed to the kitchen. On my way there I saw my dress in a pile on the living room floor. I quickly gathered it up and tucked it under my arm. When I finally got to the kitchen I put my dress on the table and started to make coffee. This was the true test, if coffee didn't pull Alex out of his room he wasn't home. As the coffee maker began to bubble I heard the buzzer ring. I froze. I didn't hear any movement in the apartment. The buzzer rang again. I scurried to the intercom,
"What?" I whispered,
"Delivery!" the guy shouted back at me. I buzzed him in. As I waited by the door, I scanned the apartment for Alex. Nothing. I relaxed. The delivery man knocked at the door. Opened it only to be greeted by one of the largest bouquet of purple flowers I had ever seen. I gripped the vase with both hands and carried it in the apartment. I closed the door with my foot and carried the vase into my room. The flowers consumed my desk. They were beautiful. I loved purple flowers. I carefully searched through the flowers until I saw a card perched in the middle. It read,
Erica,
I am so sorry about last night
Please let me make it up to you tonight
--Elliot
On the back was a time and an address. My mind began to frantically race around. My thoughts wound back on themselves over and over again. What was I going to do? I pushed my head into my hands and took a few slow, deep, breaths. I decided to take one thing at a time. Alex seemed to be gone for the time being so I was going to deal with Elliot first. I got dressed for work and packed a simple black dress and heels in my office bag. I still wasn't sure if I was going to take Elliot up on his offer, but I wasn't ready to completely eliminate the possibility.
***
After a day full of meetings and distressed artists, I needed to alleviate my personal stresses more than ever. I decided to see Elliot. As I got changed in the office bathroom I felt silly. How could I hope to save this relationship, especially after all I had done. I hopped into a cab and gave the address. We stopped in-front of a beautiful hotel downtown. I instantly I felt underdressed. I carefully approached the concierge and gave my name.
"Oh yes, Miss Erica Anderson. We've been expecting you."
He lead me through the lobby to a restaurant. It looked even more beautiful than the hotel. I really felt out of place. Thankfully we kept walking. He opened a large door that lead to the kitchen and beckoned me through. He lead me through the kitchen around the busily working cooks until I saw a chef's table set for two in the back. There was Elliot with a single purpled flower. His face lit up when he saw me. I gave him an icy stare.
"I didn't know if you would come," he smiled as he rose and kissed me on the cheek. He gave me the flower. I melted.
"Elliot, you didn't have to-" I started.
"Yes, I did," he replied, "I was terrible to you. Please sit." I did and soon the chef came out and greeted us. Elliot was all smiles as he talked with the chef as they discussed the meal to come. I smiled, despite myself. He was incredibly charming. As the first course came out, he was so sweet that I began to feel terrible. I slouched in my chair and buried myself in my meal. He quickly picked up on my mood. "I guess we should talk about last night."
"Yeah," I mumbled.
"Look it's," he glanced around, making sure that the kitchen staff was busy. He leaned into me, "I get weird about that stuff. I'm sorry."
"What stuff?" I asked.
"Stuff," he started, "in public," he continued.
"That makes no sense," I whispered, "I went down on you outside."
"That was at my house," he clarified.
"Still, we could have been caught. There was a party. It was pretty public," I snapped back.
"We weren't out in the open or on the street. It was public private," he reasoned.
"Ok," I dismissed him.
"Erica," he pleaded, "I just like my private life to stay private. What I do behind closed doors, should stay behind closed doors."
"So can I kiss you in public?" I asked, challenging him.
"Yes, Erica, of course," he sighed.
"Really? With or without tongue?"
"Erica," he warned.
"Can I hold your hand? Touch your shoulder? Your neck? Your thigh?" I continued.
"Erica," he groaned.
"What? What is too much for you?" I asked.
"Things within reason, please," he responded, obviously frustrated. I looked back at him and considered.
"What should we do, if we are in public and what to make things more private?" I asked.
"Don't be mean Erica," he snapped, still convinced that I was making fun of him.
"I'm not," I responded, softening my tone, "Seriously, what if the mood strikes?" He looked back at me, realizing that I was negotiating. He carefully smiled back at me and blushed slightly.