Our Deep End | ✔️

CHAPTER 57

Elle's POV

The next hour couldn't take any longer to arrive. After talking to Christian, I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth and put on an outfit that was pretty casual, but cute nonetheless. I usually take an incredibly long time to get ready, but today I made an effort to speed up the process, because I'm that eager to see him.

As promised, he arrived at my house in no time. The muscles in my face shift into a wide smile once I get the text message saying he's outside. I quickly scramble to grab my wallet, and my keys, shoving them into my bag before heading out.

His black BMW sits crisp, and shiny under the moonlight. And then I see him. As always, he's standing outside, leaned up against the door. 

"Took you long enough." He grins sheepishly, exposing his perfect smile.

"You literally texted me a minute ago. Relax."

I quickly speed up my footsteps, closing all the space between us. Once we're face to face, Christian's firm hands grip my waist, while his enchanting, green eyes pull me in.

"A minute is a pretty long time." He states, using his finger to inch my chin upwards. "Especially since I missed you so damn much."

"I missed you too." I reply, smitten by his candid words of affection. "I always do."

His smile expands, before he gently presses his lips on mine. Since the first time he kissed me, I've been waiting for the day where I wouldn't feel the  impact of his lips in every cell of my body. Needless to say, that day never came.

"We're going to that Italian place you like." Christian tells me once we get in the car. "Sound good?" He glances at me, before refocusing on the road.

"Sounds perfect." I reply.

My mind travels back to the conversation I had with my mother about lunch with Esme's family tomorrow. It would be ideal for Christian to come with me. That'd probably be the only way I could survive the afternoon, but part of me is unsure if he'd even be comfortable with that.

"Before I forget, I need to ask you something." I swallow, clutching his hand that rests on my thigh. Nerves threaten to build in the center of my stomach, but I take a deep breath and ground myself.

"Um, okay." Christian agrees, shooting me a brief glance of concern. "Go ahead."

"Long story short, Esme's family invited mine to their house for lunch tomorrow and I would really like you to come with me." I tell him, pulling my bottom lip in between my teeth for comfort. "But only if that's something you're open to."

The last thing I wanna do is push Christian to do something he's not ready for. I care about his boundaries way too much for that.

"Elle..." Christian's eyes land on mine as the car comes to a full stop at a red light. "Of course I'll come with you. That's not even a question."

"Are you sure?"

"A hundred percent." He tells me without hesitation. " I wouldn't ever let you do that alone."

"Thank you." I release a sigh, and bring his hand to my lips, kissing a knuckle.

"Don't thank me. I'm supposed to be here for you, Elle." His voice is a combination of light, yet firm.

"Okay."

Waves of relief crash into me, easing all the nerves I felt earlier. They'll probably come back to haunt me tomorrow, but I choose not to focus on that right now.

"Aside from that, how was the rest of your day?"

"After you left, pretty uneventful." I answer truthfully. "Yours?"