2.0 The Chronicles of Us - Shame & Blame

Chapter forty-one

*♡ Ellie ♡*

My eyes glance at the clock for the third time in less than a minute. Tex said he was going to pick me up for a date, but he hasn't texted me the details yet and it's getting past dinner time. Did he forget? Seems highly unlikely. Then again, the last-minute tour preparations are taking up a lot of his time and, undoubtedly, his mind.

I pace back and forth, peeking behind the curtain with every turn. No sign of my favorite person. Just when my patience gets the best of me, my phone chimes. I hurl myself over the couch to grab it.

Tex: I'll be there in ten minutes. Wait outside.

Tex: Oh, and wear a dress.

Me: Why?

Tex: This again? Just do it.

He quickly sends a smiley-face to soften his words. Last time he ordered me to wait outside and wear specific clothes, he surprised me by taking me on a bike-ride. That can't be it, though. A dress is hardly appropriate bike-riding attire.

I decide to stop thinking about it and wait outside on the sidewalk. I'm wearing a simple t-shirt dress with matching blue ankle-sneakers, anyway. He should be here any second now. A small distance away, a shiny car turns into the street. I don't recognize the vehicle but boy do I recognize the handsome driver!

I squeal and bounce on my toes while Tex parks the car along the curb. The cabriolet is cherry red with a beige soft top that is pulled down. It's polished enough to see my own reflection.

When he walks my way, smiling so wide my insides melt, I excitedly ask, "Did you trade your bike for this car?"

Before answering, he gives me a kiss so deep, he has to keep me from falling over. "No, of course not. Why would I ditch my pride and glory?"

That's what I thought.

"Okay, so why did you get a new car?"

"I didn't." He shrugs and casually tosses the set of keys in my direction. "It's your car."

Albeit being stupefied, I manage to catch them. "You bought me a car?"

He chuckles. "Your deductive skills are amazing."

Reality hasn't kicked in yet. "Why on earth would you buy me a car?"

Another noncommittal shrug. "I forgot your birthday. Remember?"

My jaw drops for a good amount of seconds before I'm able to respond. "Are you crazy? That doesn't mean I'm owed a car!"

"Stop whining and get in. I wanna go for a drive." With his hand on the small of my back, he ushers me to the driver's side and then moves over to the passenger's seat himself.

I sit myself behind the wheel, both mouth and eyes still wide, and observe the interior. It's fancy-looking; leather and chrome. He must be joking. This can't be mine. "Really, Tex, you shouldn't have—"

"I got you some other things as well," he interrupts, reaching between his legs. "Here." He throws a pair of oversized sunglasses and a silk scarf on my lap. "And I also got you this. Ah fuck, I should've wrapped everything." A foam keychain with the words Los Angeles on it lands on top of the other gifts. I'm not sure why, but the keychain tears me up the most.

I hold the items in my hands. "This is insane, Tex. You didn't have to do all of this for me."

He smirks irresistibly. "Was the keychain too much?"

"The keychain?" I stammer, unable to form a sensible sentence.

A dimple shows when he smiles. "I thought, since it's a convertible, you might need the glasses to keep your eyes bug-free and you could wrap that scarf around your hair like they do in those old movies."