Been You

Chapter 22: Dine With Me

**Trigger Warning: Eating Disorder**

JUSTIN'S POV:

After getting dressed, Ely and I took a romantic stroll, hand in hand, back to my house, all going according to plan. Once we are on the block of the house, I covertly text Za to light the candles that I had set up. We walk up to the door. I reach to open it for her, but she grabs my hand, stopping me. She kisses me softly on the lips before whispering, "You know you don't have to do all of this, right? You already make me the happiest girl, just by loving me."

"I will never stop treating you like a princess, babe. I will never give you less than you deserve. I know it may seem a little over the top because of how other guys have treated you in the past," I pause here because I see her physically flinch at the memory. I could kick myself for bringing it up. "But I need you to know you deserve so much more. You deserve someone who's willing to give you so much more. Please let me be the one? Let me give you all that I can?" I plead. She nods with an almost sad smile. Aching to replace it with a genuine one, I open the door for her. She steps inside, gasping in awe at the sight. A trail of roses and candles lead into the living room. Her brown skin glows under the candle light.

"Oh, it's beautiful," she lets out in a breathy whisper. "Roses, babe? My favorite." I smile at my work, and at her reaction. I place my hands on her sexy hips, following behind her into the living room. She flinches at my touch, but just as quickly relaxes again. That's weird. That's the second time tonight. Is she okay? I make a mental note to ask her about it later. I don't wanna ruin the moment. Once in the living room, she sees the coffee table that I had covered with a red and white checkered tablecloth. On the table was a wide plate of spaghetti, enough for two. In the center of the plate rests one large meatball. I'd recreated the scene from Lady and the Tramp, her favorite childhood movie. As kids, whenever she's come over, my mom would always make spaghetti, Ely's favorite dish, and she and I would pretend we were Lady and the Tramp. Now, standing in my living room, I wait for her reaction. She turns to me, tears welling in her big brown eyes, "This is the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me," she cries, her voice cracking. She pulls me in by the collar of my shirt, kissing me deeply. We make out so fervently, I forget when and where we are. When we break away to catch our breath, I remember.

I lead her over by the hand to the coffee table before taking my seat next to her. Sitting together closely, I prepare a forkful of spaghetti, then put it out for her to take into her mouth. She seems to debate this, until finally tasting it. I don't realize that I am holding my breath until she smiles at the taste. I breathe out happily. "I asked my mom to send me her recipe," I say proudly. She grabs the fork from me, eating the spaghetti, barely stopping to breathe. I smile at this. Seeing her like this reminds me of when we were kids. I'm so lucky to have her in my life.

We finish the spaghetti; well, Ely finishes most of the spaghetti. This makes me so content. I want nothing more than for her to have and enjoy everything she wants. After sitting for a while, her content smile fades. It is replaced by a look I can only describe as regret. Wanting to keep her happy, I offer, "Do you want desert, babe?" Her eyes widen fearfully. Her eyes search wildly, for what? I don't know. What did I do? She suddenly straddles me, kissing me deeply on the mouth. Caught off guard, I'm unable to kiss back before she pulls away.

"No, I want you," she says, seductively, her eyes large with desperation.

"Okay, baby girl, but we should probably take it upstairs. The guys only promised to give us the house for an hour," I reveal.

"Perfect," she whispers in my ear. "You can go get ready for me; I need to go to the bathroom," she says, a weak smile on her face. I agree before we both head up the stairs, her heading for the bathroom, and me heading for my room. Once in my room, I remember that no one replaced the toilet paper. It's a house full of guys, what can I say? I go out into the hallway, grab a roll from the pantry, and head over to the bathroom. I knock twice before opening the door saying, "Sorry about the toilet paper -" I stop once I see Ely leaning over the toilet on her knees, two fingers in her mouth, retching. I drop the toilet paper, run over to her, and pull her away before she can finish what she's started. I hold her as tightly as I can, words escaping me. The only sound in the bathroom is the sound of Ely crying and her repeatedly saying I'm sorry. The hurt in my heart is incomparable, so I can't even begin to imagine how she must be feeling right now.