Control

31 - That's My Girl*

Vince walks ahead of us like he's mad at the floor.

Alexander walks beside me like he cannot, for the life of him, stop smiling.

I walk between them trying not to think about the fact that I was just wrapped up like a human carry-on by a very large man who absolutely did not want to talk about it.

"So," Alexander says lightly, hands in his pockets, smile still there like it's glued on. "Do we need to debrief the elevator incident, or are we pretending it didn't happen?"

"I vote pretending," I say immediately.

"Shut up," Vince mutters at the exact same time.

Alexander hums. "Two votes for denial. Noted."

That's when my brain finally catches up to my mouth.

"I'm really sorry," I blurt, words tumbling out all at once as we turn the corner toward their office floor. "I know we were supposed to go out tonight and I was actually really excited, like I even tried to think about what I would wear and that was already stressful, but then the playdate fell through and there's no one to watch Eddie and I can't leave him alone and I didn't want to cancel but I also didn't want to bring him without asking and—"

I stop for air. My hands flap once, helplessly.

"I swear I wasn't trying to make this complicated," I add. "It just sort of... happened at me."

Alexander doesn't interrupt. Doesn't look annoyed. If anything, his smile softens.

"Ellie," he says gently, just my name, like it's a pause button.

I look up at him, already bracing for disappointment.

"We'll figure it out," he says easily. "Okay?"

That should help. It does help. A little.

I nod anyway, even though my chest still feels fizzy and tight and apologetic all at once.

And then the office door opens.

Enzo is inside.

Eddie is inside.

Eddie is on Enzo's shoulders, wearing a pair of Enzo's sunglasses that are sliding down his nose, laughing like its the only thing he'll ever do.

I stop walking so fast I almost trip.

"Oh," I say faintly. "That's... that's him."

Eddie spots me immediately. "LILI!"

He leans forward on Enzo's shoulders like gravity is optional. The sudden shift tips Enzo toward me before he can stop it, and suddenly they're both closer than expected.

I lift my hands on instinct.

I catch Eddie's hands as he reaches for me, his small fingers warm and damp, his weight still pitched forward. My grip steadies him, and for a second I'm holding him and anchoring Enzo, all of us suspended in an awkward, breathless balance.

"There you are," I say, laughing softly despite myself.

Enzo adjusts without a word. One hand settles firm at Eddie's calf, the other at his back, grounding us all again. When I look down from Eddie, but certainly still above me, he's already watching me, face unreadable, calm in that infuriating way of his, like this was never a problem at all, and he was in control from the beginning.

Eddie grins above us. "I found the big window," he says proudly. "And the chairs that spin! And Enzo says I'm allowed to touch the plants because they're magic!"