Inferno Part 3

~159~ Tell Me

Ellie's POV

I'm baking a pie, trying to ignore the fighting going on right beside me.

"Dad, come on! I don't understand why you can't just give me some money. You're so damn rich!"

"I'm rich, you're not. Where the hell is all of your money, Colton? You have no bills. NONE. I'm still paying your damn cell phone. You have a good job, and you work all the time. You're telling me that you don't have the money for supper? What are you spending your money on?!?!"

"Everything is expensive!" He argues.

Alex folds his arms and looks at me.

"El, when we lived on our own at his age, were things cheap?"

"Nope"

"Were things hard?"

"Yup"

"Did we get to eat out every damn day?"

I look up from my pie, not wanting to be in the middle of this argument at all.

"Keep me out of it," I snip as I go back to cutting the apples.

Alex gives me a funny look, and then turns back to Colton.

"I'm not giving you money. Quit spending your money on whatever it is you're spending it on, and grow up. Otherwise, I'll quit paying for your cellphone bill."

"You're serious?"

"Try me."

"You know, most parents don't completely turn their backs on their kids when they turn 18!" He yells as he grabs his keys and leaves, slamming the door.

Alex hangs his head for a minute, and then I see him look at me.

I pretend like I don't notice as I put more apples in the bowl.

"Can we have our talk now?" He asks as he sits down across from me at the island, and takes a sliced apple out of the bowl, eating it.

"Bout what?"

"Why you've been mad at me for almost three months."

"I'm not mad," I say as I wipe my hands on a towel.

"Ellie, quit insulting me. I admit that Taylor knows you best in the world, but I know you second best. A CLOSE second best. I know you better than I probably should."

"What does that mean?"

He cringes and shakes his head.

"Never mind."

"Say it!"

He rolls his eyes and pops another apple into his mouth. "I can even tell that at some point today, you've had sex."

"What?!?!" I ask as I try not to blush. Taylor and I totally had a quickie in the walk-in closet after I got home from work today.

"How could you possibly know that?!?" I ask once I get my wits about me.

"Because I know you—Like I said, I know you too well. You have the same facial expression you did after we got done. Trust me, I wish I didn't know that."

"Great," I groan as I start mixing ingredients.

"Just so I know, how soundproof is the guest bedroom?" He asks after a minute.

I look at him and hide a smirk. "I'd coordinate your alone time on nights that Taylor's at work, so you don't scar him to death."

"You heard us last night?" He asks as he puts his head down in embarrassment.