The Forgotten Ballerina

Twenty-Three

OMNISCIENT POV - THE SAME NIGHT

Marissa walks into a small coffee shop, the same one Lilly and Eli used to hang out at. She sees Eli sitting alone at a table meant for two. "Hey, can I sit there?" She asks, hoping he'll say yes. He does.

She sits down with him and they talk, laugh, and even connect. "Why are you here alone?" She asks him. "Maybe I was just waiting for Lilly to come and see me. I come here often hoping she'll be here." He replies.

"Well, there's more to life than waiting on just one girl." She says, insinuating something she doesn't even know. "Do you maybe want to go grab a drink? I'll drive you." He asks. She nods and they walk out.

They get into his car and drive to the nearest bar. Eli decided not to drink but Marissa does, only a little bit. After the bar closes and they have to leave, Marissa takes Eli's hand. She guides him back to his car.

"You know, when you and Lilly were dating, I actually thought you were kind of cute." She says, without thinking. "I always thought you were so pretty." He says, no hesitation. She smiles at him, he smiles back.

Once again, Eli being the hopeless romantic, he leans in to Marissa, but she stops him. "We can't." She says. He doesn't understand, but nods to make her think that he does. "I'm sorry." He replies.

Marissa turns to get out of the car but instead she just looks back to him. She climbs over to his side of the seat and has a passionate look in her eyes as she kisses him, something that she's wanted to do all her life.

Although she knew it was wrong, Marissa would never get over the fact she had found a love so real and alive. She had never given, let alone received, a gift as good as what was in front of her.

Eli can't help but pull her towards him and his body. They go with each other's movements and start to undress themselves. "This is wrong." She says, still trying to keep up with him.

"That's what makes it fun." He says, looking in her eyes, to maintain the illusion of lust and excitement, a feeling to replace Marissa's confusion. "No, seriously. We really shouldn't be doing this." She insists.

He looks troubled for a moment but then realizes what he's doing. "I'm so sorry. What are we even doing with each other? This isn't right." He says. She nods and returns to where she sat originally.

She looks back over to Eli, he's still staring at her, and her lips. "Oh, what the hell?" She says after going to hold his cheek and kiss him again. "Coming back for more, I see." He whispers in her ear as he towers over her, keeping her body closer and closer to his.

"How about we go somewhere a little more private." Marissa suggests. Eli nods and they try to fix each other's appearance before driving to Marissa's apartment. Eli drove to her place and went inside.

Marissa was up against the wall, giving her all to Eli, he couldn't keep his hands off of her. He smiled at her with a look of relief, he knew this was real.

They kept going, until...