Recovery (Sequel to Been You)

Chapter 6: Get Caught With Me

JUSTIN'S POV:

I'm holding Ely in my arms when an idea strikes me. "Ely?" I ask excitedly.

"Yes?" She answers after a moment of hesitation.

"How would you like to get to know your friends? Do you think that might help you feel less alone?" I offer. She's quiet for a while, which I believe is just her considering this.

"I'd like to... but I'm scared. What if I'm not the same as they remember me? What if they don't like the way I am now? What if I don't like them? What if -" she rambles nervously.

"Hey, hey, hey, babe," I laugh, trying to calm her down. "I'll be with you the whole time. There's nothing to worry about. They all love you. Just be yourself. And if at anytime you feel uncomfortable, we'll just tell them you have a headache and we can come right back to my room to cuddle. Does that sound okay?" She looks up at me with her large brown eyes that still make me melt.

"Thank you, Justin," she says softly. I brush her cheek with the back of my hand.

"Anything for you, baby girl. Now, I'm gonna go shower for our little get together. That is, unless you wanted to go first?"

"No, no, that's fine. Go ahead. I'll go next."

"Okay, babe," I reply, gently setting her head down on the pillow as I get up. I leave the room to head to the shower. Once I get to the bathroom, I realize I should invite everyone over now to give them at least some notice. That is, until I realize that I left my cell phone in my room. I leave the bathroom to go back to my room. I turn the knob to my room, but the door is locked. Hm, that's suspicious. I smirk to myself, knocking lightly on my door.

"Just a minute!" I hear Ely yell. The door swings open rapidly. "Yeah?" She asks, out of breath. I rest my hand on my doorframe above her head, making Ely squirm.

"Is there a reason that my door is locked?" I ask knowingly.

"No," she answers in a clipped tone. It's so funny that she thinks that I don't know her better than that. "Is there a reason that you're back? Aren't you supposed to be showering?" She argues.

"I, uh, forgot my phone," I answer, smirkingly.

"Oh," she stands corrected, walking over to my nightstand to grab the device before handing it to me. "Is that all?"

"Yeah, just one more thing," I tease. She raises her eyebrows questioningly as I lean down next to her ear to whisper, "Your sweatpants are on backwards." Her mouth falls open as I walk away grinning to myself. Once I get to the bathroom, I send two text messages. The first is a group message to the team and the cheer squad.

Me: Hey, Ely has been having a tough time since the accident. You all know that she doesn't remember anything from the last three months & that's been really hard for her. She feels really alone. I'm having a get together for her later at the house. You're all welcome to come, but please be gentle with her. xx Justin

The next text I send is to Ely.

Me: Hope you're enjoying yourself, baby girl (;

And with that, I set my phone down, strip myself down, and get in the shower. I'm not gonna lie, after discovering what Ely was doing in my bed earlier, I quite enjoyed myself as well during my shower. Once I finish, I actually clean myself and then get out. I dry myself off, wrap the towel around myself, and then grab my phone. There are several messages from the group chat saying that various people will be over to see Ely. But the text that catches my attention is from Ely herself. It's short, but I blush nonetheless.

Girlfriend: STOP.

I return to my room, the door unlocked this time. I open my mouth to taunt her some more.

"Don't," she warns before I can even start. I realize she's really embarrassed.

"El, cmon, I am your boyfriend I know that you -"

"Were. You were my boyfriend," she corrects.

"Fine," I roll my eyes. "I was your boyfriend, and I know that you pleasure yourself. There's no need to be embarrassed," I say plainly. She's quiet, so I add, "It's actually so hot." Her mouth falls open.

"Um, I'm gonna go shower."