Otherside

Chapter 7

Anthony was incredibly understanding about Elle and John, to the point of him encouraging them to go out, which relieved a huge stress off of her shoulders. She spoke to Anthony the day after her conversation with John, and to her surprise, Anthony was more than okay with everything. They both agreed that what they had was fun, but it was nothing more than that, so it was no problem that she was seeing someone else. It had been a couple of months since that night, and the couple couldn't be happier. John was healthy and confident that having Elle as motivation would keep him from relapsing, and Elle was amazed at the wonderful emotional connection that they had.

Each night, they would stay up talking for hours in the bed they shared until one or both of them would fall asleep. Much to everyone's surprise, they hadn't had sex yet, but it wasn't seen as a priority to the two of them. First, they wanted to get to know as much as they possibly could about the other, and then they'd decide when the time was right. Dave had since left the band and John was now officially a member again, which of course was cause for a party. The boys invited all of their friends, both personal and professional, and threw a total rager in their hotel suite one night. Anthony was careful to keep the drugs and anyone under the influence of them in a different room from the main party, much to Elle's relief. She would occasionally see him sneak off the the back room where they were, and she made a mental note to scold him about it later, but for now she was living in the moment with John.

They sipped on red wine as she sat on his lap, watching all of the guests dancing and probably doing things that they would later regret. Then, a song came on that Eleanor absolutely loved, so she quickly stood and extended a hand to John, who looked at it reluctantly.

"Dance with me!" she commanded playfully.

"Really?" he asked, sighing, and she nodded her head, a bright smile on her face.

He stood and took her hand, and she led him to where everyone else was dancing. She turned and began moving to the beat; her hand still had a tight grip on his so he was forced to move with her. He seemed stiff and awkward at first, but once the alcohol started to kick in, he moved more fluidly and even began to enjoy himself. His long hair rested on his shoulders and would swish around whenever he moved his head, which Elle had to admit that she absolutely loved. About an hour before the party broke up, they retired to their room and changed into their sleep clothes; for John it was a pair of flannel pants and for Elle it was a large t-shirt.

They lay on their bed, her head on his chest, his arms wrapped around her, and their legs tangled together. They lay in silence for a while, Elle tracing the tattoos on his arms, until it was broken by John.

"Ellie?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

She froze, unsure if she had heard him correctly. She picked up her head to look him in the eye and found him staring nervously away from her. Her hand reached up to touch his cheek, forcing him to look at her, to which he reluctantly did. His eyes were serious, and she had no doubt that those three little words held more meaning than she could fathom. Their lips met in a deep kiss, and she rolled them onto their sides so it would be easier to look at him. When they broke apart, Elle gazed intently at him.

"I love you too, John."

A broad grin broke out across John's face, and she returned it, silently cursing that damn contagious smile. He kissed her again, rolling them more so she was on her back and he was laying on his side, his elbow propping him up and his hand caressing her cheek. He was ecstatic that she shared his feelings, and in an effort to prove it to her, began placing light pecks all over her face, a giggle coming from his lips.

"I love you." he kissed her forehead.

"I love you" another to her nose.

"I" her left cheek.

"Love" her right.

"You." and he was back at her lips, sinking deep into the kiss. She laughed into his lips, running her fingers through his hair. They both wished beyond anything that this moment would last forever.