Odes To Ella.

Chapter 34: P.O.V.s

We started walking out of the store together.
"I don't know. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that you do all these things for Ella and I...but you barely know us. I guess I just want to know why you even bother with us." I told him. He shrugged with a smile on his face.
"I don't know. I'm just drawn to you I guess." He smiled. I giggled.
"Drawn to us, ok." I nodded and let my eyes wonder. They landed on the candy store just ahead of us. The little kid in me wanted to run inside and buy it all, but all I could do as an adult was stare with envy.
Derek followed my gaze and looked down at me.
"You want candy?"
"Hmm? Oh, no that's ok-"
"You want candy. Let's go!" He snapped his fingers and started walking towards the store. I stood in place for a minute.
"I..." I watched him. He stopped and turned around with a wide smile on his face and spread his hands.
"Am I going to have to drag you in here?" He asked with a grin. I opened my mouth, then closed it and found myself walking towards him.
He stepped aside and followed me in as I gaped at all the store held.
There were large wooden barrels filled with taffey that created a large circle around a giant candy store sign. The other wall was lined with jelly bean dispensers and along the other wall sat the cashier counter and a display case filled with truffles and chocolate.
A boy with round glasses and red hair smiled to us.
"Hello! Welcome to the candy store." We nodded politely in his direction and I marveled some more. He smiled and looked to me.
"What should we get?"
"I'm not sure where to begin..." I trailed off and gaped. He smiled and walked so he stood behind me.
"You look like you want chocolate." He set his hand on the small of my back and guided us towtads the display case. The contact of his hand made me shiver and stiffen a little. He frowned.
"Are you ok?"
"Me? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." I assured him and walked a little faster so his hand fell off. He took it back and stuffed it in his pocket.
The man walked to the other side and leaned on the counter.
"What can I get you?"
"What do you suggest?" I asked while hugging myself. Derek stood beside me and smiled to the boy. He just shrugged.
"I don't know. I like all of them."
"Do you have a favorite?" I asked him. He thought for a moment.
"I guess my favorite ones are the champagne truffles, but I also love the mint and raspberry ones."
"We'll try all of them." Derek said with a smile. The boy nodded and filled a 24 truffle box with the truffles, then set it on the counter.
"Is that all?" He asked. Derek looked down to me.
"I think Ella would like some taffey." He took my hand and pulled me to the barrels while handing me a brown paper bag. We started throwing all sorts of flavors in the bag. Cherry, green Apple, banana cream pie, cinnamon, strawberry.
When the bag was almost over flowing, we took it to the counter and paid for the candy.
"That'll be $15.47 please." Derek paid and we walked back outside.
"Thank you for buying this."
"You're welcome."
"Where to-" but I caught a sign in the corner of my eye.
I saw that my favorite store, Bath and Body works, were having a sale on their body wash. I started walking to the store. Derek followed with a smile planted on his face.
I walked to a circular display and started smelling everything. I picked up something called sunset in Hawaii and put it to his nose.
"What do you think?"
"It smells like body wash." He said. I rolled my eyes and kept smelling.
I found myself next to a rack of room spray. As I was smelling, I noticed that Derek walked off to the hand gels to smell them.
I smiled deviously and walked behind him with the spray I had in my hand, cinnamon swirl, and I got right behind him.
I quickly sprayed him on the neck, causing him to spin on his heel. I sprayed him on the chest and ran off. He smirked, grabbed a random spray, lilac springs, and we had a spray war. I hid behind people, who laughed, and ran so he wouldn't get me.
We finally had to stop when a store employee told us we would have to leave if we continued, so we grudgingly put the sprays back.
I laughed and poked his arm.
"I won, just so you know."
"Mmmm, I don't know."
"I did because all I can smell from you is cinnamon." I giggled. He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows.
"Do you like that?"
"That you smell like cinnamon?"
"Yeah." He smiled. I shrugged.
"I suppose you could smell worse."
"I'll take that as a yes." He smiled. I sighed and went back to the body washes.
"What should I get?" I asked. He looked from the rack to me, then smiled.
"Whatever you choose, I think it will smell better on you." He smiled. I felt my cheeks light up.
"That was oddly sweet."
"Just like you."
"Ok, I might pass out if you continue this." I giggled and grabbed two random ones. We paid and started to his car with our bags of things.
The song, "Dani California", came on the radio. I smiled and started singing along and jamming out. Derek frowned at me.
"I didn't know you liked them."
"The red hot chili peppers? They're only the best band of all time!" I giggled and jammed out.
We pulled into the driveway and walked inside. The second we opened the door, Lola came sprinting at us and jumped up and down. I laughed and set my bags down. Then I kneeled in front of her and scratched behind her ears.
"I bet you need to go outside, huh?" She barked and followed me as I opened the back door and let her into the fenced in backyard. She sniffed around and peed near a big oak tree that sat in his back yard. When she finished she ran back to me and jumped up on me. I pushed her down.
"No! No jumping." I pointed a finger. She sat and tilted her head. I smiled and opened the door.
"Wanna come in?" But she got up and started sniffing around. I sighed and went inside.
Derek stood in the living room, looking out the window.
"Looks like it might rain."
"Good. We could use some." I said while grabbing the chocolate and sitting on the couch. He smirked at me.
"Who said you could eat the chocolate yet!" He started tickling my sides. I giggled and pushed him away.
"I did!" I put a piece of the champagne truffle in my mouth and smiled. He took a raspberry one and closed his eyes.
"God, chocolates the best."
"Agreed." I nodded. He turned his head and stared at my hands. I smiled.
"What? Is there something on my hands?"
"No, I just think they're pretty." He slipped his hand under mine. "I like holding them." He smiled up to me. I blushed and rubbed my thumb against his hand.
"I like holding yours." I replied. He scooted closer to me. I looked at him again.
"I still don't know why you do all these nice things for us." I ate another truffle. He looked back at my hands, then tilted his head at me.
"When Ella came to my office, I noticed how respectful and soft spoken she was. Not at all like the other kids. At first I thought she had an abusive parent, but then I met you and..." He trailed off, blushing a little. I smiled.
"What?" I scooted so our knees touched.
He shook his head.
"No, it's really corny."
"So? I don't mind." I said. He blushed more and looked back at me.
"I saw you and...my heart did backflips. Then I got to know you as a smart, independent woman and I realized...you're all I've ever wanted." He bit his lip and looked down. I felt my heart swell.
"Derek..."
"I know, it's cheesy, huh?" He smiled meekly at me. I felt a smile spread across my face.
"Thats not a bad thing." I assured him. He laughed.
"Well, maybe not yet." He brushed some hair behind my ear.
Just then a huge lighting bolt lit up the sky. I jolted back into his arms, him catching me.
"Afraid of lightening?"
"No, it just startled me." I said. We heard scratching and whining from the back door. Derek got up to let the dog in.

(Ella's P.O.V. at 5:00...:)

Frankie and me sat in the back of aunt Effey's car, playing I spy.
"I spy with my little eye...something...black!"
"Is it the road?"
"No."
"Hmm...the seat?"
"No."
"The board thingy in the front." I pointed to the front of the car. She shook her head.
"No."
"I give up."
"It's my mama's hair." She said while giggling. I smiled.
"Let's play something else."
"Like what?"
"I don't know." I shrugged. Aunt Effey pulled up to the ice cream place next to McDonald's. It had a playroom, so we told her what we wanted and ran to the ball pit.
Frankie and I pretended that one of us was drowning and the other would have to dive in and save the other.
"Ahh! Help me!!!" Frankie fake screamed. I giggled and jumped in to save her.
"I've got you!'
"Hi, what cha playing?" We heard a boy say. I turned around and saw Perry standing by the ball pit with his hands in his pockets. He wore a blue and white striped shirt with jeans. Frankie shrugged.
"Playing lifeguard. Wanna play?"
"Sure! How do we play?" He asked while coming over to us. I smiled.
"One of us pretends to be drowning while the other one saves them."
"But wait, there's three of us now!" Frankie said. I scrunched up my nose.
"Hmm..."
"Oh! One of us could be a shark!" Perry said. I smiled and Frankie nodded.
"Ok! I'll be the lifeguard, Ella can be the person who needs to be saved, and Perry can be the shark!" She told us. I giggled and ran to the middle of the pit. Perry buried himself in the balls and Frankie stood on the side, waiting to save me.
I started jumping and yelling help like a drowning person would.
"I'll save you!" Frankie yelled and jumped in. But Perry grabbed my leg and pulled me down and started to drag me away.
"Ahh! Shark!"
"Go away!" Frankie took my arms and pulled on me. I laughed as she pulled me to the side of the pit.
Just then aunt Effey came in with our ice cream.
"Frankie! Ella! Come eat." She called to us.
"We have to go now, bye Perry!"
"Bye guys!" He waved.
After we ate our ice cream, we went to Frankie's house. Frankie took me to her room and we played dress up.
"I'm a fashion model! How do I look?" Frankie posed for me. I giggled and clapped.
"You look like the best super model ever!"
"Ok, now your turn!" She told me. We played until 8:00 when aunt Effey told us to get our pajamas on. Since mine were at Mr. Anderson's house, Frankie let me wear her pink ones with cupcakes on them. She wore yellow ones with horses all over.
After we laid down we talked for awhile. Frankie fell asleep before I did, so I stared at the ceiling and thought about being a princess.
Suddenly, the door crept open and a man in black clothes walked in.
He sat down on the floor next to me and smiled.
I sat up and tilted my head.
"Who are you?" I whispered. The man smiled with white teeth and looked down to me.
"My name is itchy. I'm your imaginary friend."
"My imaginary friend?"
"No one can see me but you." He told me.
"How come?"
"Because. Now, you can't tell anyone about me, ok?" He said. I nodded. He smiled.
"Good. Now, wanna hear a bedtime story?" He asked. I shrugged and layed down. He told me the story of the three little pigs and didn't leave until he thought I was asleep.

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Hope you liked it, enjoy the next one, bye! :P.