Be in My Life (Fifth Book in Life Series)

Chapter 8

"I love you. I can't remember when I fell in love with you but very naturally, I had fallen in love with you before I knew it. The first time I met you, you were a strong and kind boy. You always protected me." ~Makoto Shinkai 

Logan

I again tell Cassandra that I am leaving. I glance at the clock to notice that we have an hour till closing. "Do you think you can handle closing without me?" I ask her. Cassandra has been working for me for about a year and has closed the bar on her own before so I trust her. 

"Yeah. I will call if I have any questions," she replies. "Going home early?" 

"I have to go pick someone up," I reply. 

"Ah," she says with understanding. 

When I arrive back the Hanes's, I park the truck and head in. I have a gut feeling that Ellie is going to need help after what Anya said. As soon as I walk through the doors, my eyes immediately find Ellie mainly because she comes stumbling in my direction. Yep, definitely drunk. 

"Logan!" She giggles in between sips of the Bud Light. 

"How much have you had to drink?" I ask with worry. 

"Not enough," she replies laughing like I asked the stupidest question in the universe. "Let's dance!" She declares, grabbing my hand and trying to drag me to the dance floor. 

"I think we should get you home," I suggest instead. 

"No!" She says like a stubborn child in a candy store who was just told they were leaving. 

"Ellie," I warn. 

"One dance?" She asks, pouting a little. 

"And then do you promise you will come home after?" I ask with my eyebrows raised. 

"Maybe," she replies, grinning ear to ear. 

I let her drag me to the dance floor. "I wanna slow dance," she says. I have no choice but to let her slow dance with me. 

Ellie's head rests on my chest and her arms are wrapped around my waist. I just hold her. Even though this really isn't how people slow dance, I am not going to Ellie any different. 

"You have a heartbeat!" She says with surprise. 

I can't help but laugh. "Why are you shocked about that?" I ask laughing still. "I am human and I am alive," I point out. 

"Because I have never heard your heart beat before," she says with wonder and awe in her voice. "I thought I was the only one whose heart beats." 

"Trust me, Ellie, you are not the only one," I say with a smile. 

"There goes being unique," she says with the disappointment of a drunk person. 

"You are unique," I correct. 

"Maybe I don't want to be unique," she says with stubbornness. "I wanna be special." 

"You are special," I say with a sigh. 

"Am I special to you?" She asks. 

"You have always been special to me," I reply.

"What am I to you?" She asks. 

"My reason for living," I say with honesty. 

"I shouldn't be that," she disagrees. 

"Why?" 

"I am not pretty, not very pretty at all." 

"Who said you weren't pretty?" I ask. 

"No one has to say it, I just know it."