Starting Over 💙

Chapter 3

Ellie knocks on Mrs. Murray's office door and waits for the 'come in'.

She enters the office with Tara and they both take seats in front of the desk. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I have to talk to you about the new client you had me meet with today."

"James Adams? What about him?"

"Please, you can't have him as a client." She looks to Tara and then back at Mrs. Murray, her hands fidgeting nervously in her lap. "He's my ex husband, and more importantly than that is that he's dangerous." She sees they were both waiting for her to elaborate. She looks at Tara, "please don't tell Chris."

"Of course sweetie, what is it?"

"He's the reason I left London and moved here. He was abusive. He's dangerous. He put me in the hospital and I was in a coma for a week." She feels the tears break through as she feels Tara grab her hand. "He made me miscarry when I was 4 months pregnant."

"Oh honey." Mrs. Murray stands up and comforts her. "I'll call him today and tell him we can't take him on as a client. I'm sorry."

Ellie stands up and wipes a few stray tears away, "it's fine." She looks back at Tara who was now standing next to her, "just please, don't say anything to Chris." Tara just nods as Ellie turns back to her boss, "is it okay if I take the rest of the day?"

"Sure. Of course."

~~~

Chris calls Tara later in the afternoon while at home. "Hey. Is Ellie okay? Did you talk to her?"

'Chris, hey. We talked, yeah. She made me promise not to tell you, I'm sorry. But she's really had it rough.'

"Rough? Is she okay? You should have seen her with him, she was terrified."

'I know. Just take it easy with her, I have to go.'

"Okay. Thanks Tara." He sighed but hangs up the phone and tosses it on the counter. He knew that Ellie had been terrified of her ex and was now worried about him being able to get to her whenever he liked.

~~~

Ellie stands out in front of Chris' house, hovering on the porch for more than ten minutes before finally working up the nerve to knock on the door. "Ellie?"

"Hey. Is dinner still on the table? I . . . I didn't want to be alone." She fidgets, and stares at the ground, too embarrassed to look him in the eyes.

"Of course." He goes to reach for her hand but decides not to. "Come in." He moves to the side for her to enter, pointing to a closet, "you can put your coat and stuff in there if you want. I'll go order pizza." After putting her stuff away, she enters the kitchen to find Chris opening a bottle of wine. He gestures to the bottle, "do you want some?"

"Please." She sits down at the kitchen counter as he sets a glass of wine in front of her. "Thanks Chris."

He leans on the opposite side of the counter, watching her, "do you want to talk about it?"

She takes a drink of her wine before shaking her head slightly, "not really. Can we just watch a movie or something?"

"Of course we can. Come on." He leads her to the living room and points to her to sit on the couch. "Disney okay?"

She laughs as she sits on the couch, "perfect. Thank you Chris." Chris claims a spot on the couch, cautious to keep enough space between them that they didn't touch. She puts her wine glass on the table and turns to face him on the couch. "I'm sorry."

He mirrors her, resting his arm on the back of the couch. "For what?"

She moves a few inches closer to him on the couch, leaving a small area between them. "For today? For being weird. I don't know. I'm just sorry."

"Don't be." Before he can think about it, he leans forward and runs his thumb softly across her cheek, making her close her eyes. "Sorry." He puts his hand down, silently berating himself in his head.

"It's okay, it isn't your fault." She grabs his hand cautiously as she scoots so she is even closer to him, their knees touching. "Go ahead." She closes her eyes so she doesn't know when he's going to touch her so she doesn't flinch and feels her heart start to race in anticipation.

Chris brings his hand up to her face with a smile. He knew she was trying to say she trusted him. He runs his thumb over her forehead and brow. He brings his other hand up and does the same thing. He runs his fingertips gently down her arms and back up, seeing goosebumps along her skin.

She feels him being extra cautious with his movements. He places his hands on either side of her face, running his thumbs across her cheeks. He moves one hand down to hers in her lap as he places his other hand at her jaw and he runs his thumb across her lower lip, parting her lips slightly. She feels him lean in and press his lips softly on hers before leaning back again. They both jump when there is a knock on the door.

"Pizza." Chris stands up and walks away as they both laugh. He comes back into the living room and sets the pizza box on the coffee table. "More wine?"

She takes a big drink from her glass and hands it to him. "Please." He leaves and comes back with a full glass for her and another bottle. She notices him watching her as he sits back down beside her on the couch, "what?"

"I don't know. Was the kiss okay? I probably.."

She puts her hand on his, interrupting him, "it was fine Chris. It was good. Maybe we could even do it again sometime."

Chris smiles as he tucks some hair gently behind her ear, "I'd like that."

They finish the movie and the pizza as they talk and laugh. She helps him clean up and follows him to the kitchen. "Ice cream?"

Chris laughs and points to the freezer, "I have cookies and cream."

"That'll do." She grabs it out of the freezer and sits at the counter and he sets two spoons in front of her. She opens the ice cream and sets it in between them. She watches as he grabs one of the spoons and comes around the counter to sit next to her. He reaches over and grabs the ice cream, his arm brushing hers as he places it between them again making her laugh.

"What?"

She watches as he brings a spoonful of ice cream to his mouth and smirks. "You're constantly testing my boundaries, what you're allowed or not allowed to do."

He puts the spoon in the ice cream and leans forward. "I know. I'm sorry." He reaches his hand up to her face, not quite touching it, "may I?" She doesn't say anything, just nods slightly and sets down her own spoon. She leaves her eyes open this time, watching him as he caresses her face, his fingers barely grazing her skin. His thumb grazes her lips again and she parts them, making her breath quicken. He leans forward, asking permission this time, "may I?" She nods again as he leans his lips into hers. Softly, again. She places her hands on his legs as she feels the slightest taste of his tongue before he pulls away again. "I'm sorry Ellie."

She sits up, letting out a soft sigh. "For what?"

"For whatever he did to you." He runs his fingers through her long hair before standing up.

She just shakes her head, not wanting to acknowledge it. "Can I stay here tonight? I've had too much to drink."

"Of course you can. I have plenty of rooms." He leans on the counter next to her. "And we can takes things slow. As slow as you need."

She places her hand on his on the counter. "Thank you Chris. I'm not sure I'm worth the trouble though."

"See, I think you are." He grabs her hand, pulling her to her feet, "come on, I'll show you to a guest bedroom."