The Stella I Remember

32| What Could Have Been

"What are you thinking about?" 

Stella's voice was low as she snuggled against me. God I loved how she felt in my arms. Especially when she was very, very naked. 

I continued to stroke her hair. It's a guilty pleasure that I couldn't get enough of. "I'm thinking about our last day together." 

She didn't look up at me and kept her head on my chest. "Which part?"

"All of it. Everything. Mainly I was thinking about what our life would have been like if..."

"If I had been at that airport," she finished for me. 

I felt the tenseness in her shoulders and knew instantly where her mind was going. I tucked my finger under her chin and she finally looked up at me. 

"Stella, these are good thoughts. It's kinda nice, actually. Imagining what future we may have had." 

She settled back against me and draped an arm over my stomach. "What would it have been like?" 

"Well for one, I would have kissed the hell out of you when I saw you in that airport." 

She laughed, her breath shooting across my skin. "Would it have been all movie-like? You know, where the girl runs to the guy and he scoops her up. Then he twirls her around and kisses her in front of everyone." 

I chuckled at what she described. "Well...we both would have probably ran at each other, but nothing is like a movie, Stella. They aren't real. We are real." I brushed my lips against hers. "It would have been way better than any movie." 

"How would you have kissed me?" 

"Like I fucking missed you," I breathed, stroking her arm. "I don't think I would have been able to stop kissing you once I had you in my arms." 

"And after?" 

"After the kiss? I would take you out to dinner. But not in Jacksonville. There's literally nothing there except TGI Fridays. But I would take you on a real date." 

"Where would we stay?" 

I stopped stroking her arm and placed it on her hip. "Would you have come back with me to New Orleans if I had asked? To meet my parents?" 

"Yes. Even though my parents would lose it."

Stella sat up now and leaned against the headboard of the bed next to me.

"What would happen after I met your parents and we had our date?"

I answered her with the truth. "I would try to figure out a way to keep you." 

"Really?" Her tone was teasing. "You'd wanna keep me?" 

I smiled back at her and poked her nose. "Of course I would. I want to keep you now." My expression fell and I got serious for a moment. "I don't want to lose you again, Stella. I can't." 

"You won't," she vowed softly. "You got me, Elliot. I'm yours." She placed a soft kiss to my lips before pulling back. With a light blush coloring her cheeks, she straddled my waist. "And if you found a way to keep me? What would we do about a place to live? And school?" 

I wrapped my arms around her waist and leaned my had back against the headboard so I could look into her ocean blue eyes. "Well you would crash at my place for the summer. My parents were cool and would let you. But they would give you the spare room to sleep in."