Locked in Love

You Like Me?

        After that night with Eli, things got a little weird between us. We never made eye contact and we never talked. We didn’t even go in a room if the other person was in there. We avoided each other as much as possible and I hated it, truth be told.

As with Colton, I haven’t really seen much of him. He is never around anymore. Once in a while he will pop up at the house, but not much and I am very grateful for that.

“Hey Avery, will you and Eli run to the store and pick up some eggs and apple juice?” Amy asked.

I groaned. This was a something I wasn’t going to get out of. I sighed and rolled off the couch.

“Do I have to go with him?” I asked.

“Yes. He isn’t going to want to go alone, so you can be some fun company for him.” She winked at me.

I sighed again. “Where is he at?”

Amy thought about it for a moment and then shrugged. “Check out back will you?”

I nodded and headed to the back porch. He was sitting on the edge of the pool with his cell phone attached to his ear. He spoke very fast and very low, so most of the words he said were inaudible.

“Eli,” He glanced up for a millisecond and went back to talking. “Eli, Amy said we had to go to the store to pick up a few things. Come on.”

He sighed and told whoever was on the phone he’d call them back. Then in the quickest motion he stood up and walked past me out to his truck.

“Bye Amy!” I yelled before going out the front door.

When I slid into the passengers’ seat, Eli somehow scooted closer to the door. His hands were around the steering wheel with his knuckles white to the bone. His jaw looked tense. He stared straight ahead.

“Eli, what happened with us the other night,” I began, but he lifted his hand up to stop me.

“I don’t want to talk about it, Avery.” He said.

We drove in silence for a few minutes before he broke it.

“Are we something or are just not speaking anymore or are we just friends?” He asked.

I looked at him, a little confused. Were we something? Did anything transpire from our simple little kiss? Did I even want something with him?

I just sat there; I didn’t say anything for the longest time. Why? Because I honestly didn’t know what to say.

“Avery, please answer me.” He groveled.

I turned in my seat so that I was facing him.

“Eli, I think I want us to be something, but if what happened when we kissed happens if we break up, I don’t want it. I need you to talk to me. I don’t want you to act like I’m not even around. I mean me and Colton got in one little fight and he totally went AWOL.”

Eli’s hand tightened even more on the steering wheel when I mentioned his brother and he blinked way too many times. It kind of looked like he was holding back tears.

“It won’t happen. I cherish you too much to ever let anything happen. I’m so freaking tired of all the bull crap that girls put me through, Avery. ”

By that time we were at the store. I jumped out as quickly as possible and made my way to the entrance. Eli was trailing behind me, not even making an effort to catch up with me.

He was so cute, but I knew, I liked both brothers. But I liked Colton more than I liked Eli. I know I shouldn’t when Colton treats me like I’m a piece of trash, but the way he pushes away from me makes me want him even more. That night on the beach when he towed me away from Levi, I hated him, I really did, but I wanted him more than ever when he walked away from me.

“For God’s sake, would you slow the heck down?” Eli said, grabbing my arm.

“I can’t. I just can’t do this. I’ll be home later.” With that, I was out of the store running to the beach.

“What are you doing here?” Colton asked, as I walked up to him.

I looked at him. I looked at his beautiful face. He gave me an evil glare, but with the little touch of humor in his eyes, I knew it was okay to approach.

“I needed someone to talk to.” I simply said.

“Then why didn’t you just go crawl to Eli. He loves when you talk to him.”

“Because this is about him.”

Colton was taken back by the harsh tone of my voice, even though it came out a little harsher than I wanted it to.

“Awe, poor little Avery. Did you and your little boyfriend have a fight?” He asked with a mocking grin on his face.

“No you jerk. He was never my boyfriend. We just got really close over the summer so far.”

He rolled his eyes and went back to sipping what looked to be beer in his plastic red cup. He looked out at the ocean at a passing girl in a too small bikini when he finally started talking.

“OK, tell me what happened.” He turned to me with a serious look on his face.

I went into the whole story from when we first started talking to me finding him crying to the kiss that happened to the conversation in the truck.

“So let me get this straight. You like me, not Eli. He kissed you and you totally freaked because you didn’t want to hurt him by letting him know you like me, right?”

I nodded and he continued.

“So what are you going to do?”

I honestly didn’t know. I doubt Colton wanted anything to do with me anymore and I didn’t know if Eli would even talk to me after I ran out on him. Could this possibly get any worse?

Of course I spoke too soon because waltzing up to Colton and me was the devil himself; Levi Locks.

“Hey baby.” I turned around to the sound of his voice.

“What do you want?” I sneered in his direction.

He looked shocked at the way I said that.

“Don’t be like that. Whatever I said the other night, I didn’t mean it. I was drunk and saying really stupid stuff. Let’s go and hang out or something, or are you too busy with Colt?” His baby blue eyes got a sparkle and his lips frowned down to a pout.

“Really dude? You’re going to almost hit her and you just expect her to go and ‘hang out’ with you.”

“Yeah, I guess I’m finished here with him. He

doesn’t really have much to say.” I said.

I glanced at Colton and he shook his head in a disapproving way.

COLTON’S POV

I could not freaking believe Avery was going with the douche that almost hit her the other night. Did she loose her mind? And at that he got her the name and she is just going to go and “hang out” with him.

This is pure bull. To top it off, she likes me. All this time I have liked her and I thought she liked Eli. Bull freaking crap.

This cannot be happening. This was suppose to be a summer full of partying and hooking up, not freaking drama with some girl I met one summer.