Chasing Ella

IX. Closer

Chapter 9
Palm Springs High School
4:47 am | Ella

"I need you."

I groaned after hanging up the phone, and rolling out of my bed. I dragged my feet to the bathroom across the hall and took a quick shower to try wake me up. Which helped, a little. I still felt tired and heavy. It's Friday but there's no school because the teachers have a meeting the whole day.

I barely had any sleep last night because the still to be named baby wouldn't stop crying. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong, I did everything I needed to do! Like having him fed, burped, and changed. It wasn't until I would start rocking the baby back and forth in a small crib my dad made with scraps of wood yesterday that it finally cooed, which I read from the instruction manual that its needs have been met.

I threw on a simple gray halter top, a flannel over it, and matched that with black skinny distressed jeans. I carefully took the baby out of the crib and walked out of the house as quietly as possible. I crossed the street and walked up the front steps of their house.

Knock. Knock.

When the door swung open, I saw him tugging on the hems of his shirt, pulling it down. For a quick second, I had a perfect look at his perfectly sculpted body. He was skinny, but muscular. His hair was messy, unlike his usual neatly tamed, slick back blonde hair. Ew. Did I just call him perfect?

Dark circles surrounded his eye. I can only assume that he didn't get much sleep either.

"He kept you up all night too?" I asked, smiling sympathetically since I too, have experienced it.

He yawned and rubbed his eyes, "What gave it away?" He asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe those huge dark circles that makes it look like you have two black eyes." I said, matching his sarcasm.

He chuckled weakly and yawned again. "He's in the living room." Chase said, moving out of the doorway and giving me entrance to his house.

I walked in and handed him the baby in my hands. He looked taken back for a minute and hesitated to bring the baby close to him.

"Relax, it's just a robot." I said, kneeling down besides the edge of the sofa where the baby laid, surrounded by pillows as if it was going to roll over and fall.

I heard Chase scoff from behind me before he threw himself down on the side of the couch.

I picked up and cradled the baby in my hands and started shifting my weight from one foot to another. In a matter of minutes, the baby cooed. I sighed in relief and placed the baby down next to the twin.

I basically threw myself on to the couch next to Chase and sighed in relief.

"I don't usually believe in miracles, but you, Ella King, is a miracle worker." He said.

I turned to look at him, only to see that he was already looking at me. Despite my restlessness, I surged up all my energy just to weakly punch his shoulder. He ended up laughing at how weak I was.

"Oh, shut up." I said, glaring his way before letting my arm go numb on the side. "Give me an hour or 2 of sleep and I'll kick your ass, Santiago." I warned him.