Looking For A Legend (Book 1)

Looking For A Legend Chapter 19 - Elijah

            “I’m really glad you decided to come with me this year.  Mom and Dad will be so happy to see you, Eli.” Levi looked over at his brother, sitting beside him in his pickup truck.

            “Happy is not the word I would use.”   Eli mumbled into Levi’s mind.

            “Hey, it’s Christmas.  Peace, joy, family, love, and all that, right?” Levi asked.  After several minutes with no response, he looked over at his brother.  Eli was slumped down in his seat, reading on his phone.  “I love the anachronism there, Eli.  Victorian gent using his smart phone.  Very nice, Eli.”

            “Shut it.  I’m not in the mood for it.” Eli griped.  He was not himself.  While he was still dressed in all his normal clothes – a crisp white shirt under his matching brown vest and trousers, the details were all wrong.  Eli hadn’t shaved, and his chin was covered in dark stubble.  He was without a tie, which was unusual unless the weather was hot.  And most noticeably, while Eli was never chipper, he wasn’t usually out right grumpy.

            “What’s wrong?  You have your ‘I want to go swimming’ vibe, but like… Amplified. Did something happen yesterday?”  Levi was getting worried about his little brother.

            “Valentina’s on a plane back to New York right now.  I dropped her off at airport before going to your apartment.  I was pretty much only home to change and pack.” Eli looked up from his phone.  “We didn’t really talk all day.”

            “Eli, you never really talk.” Levi argued.  His attempt at a joke fell flat.

            “You know what I mean.” Eli was exasperated.  He threw his arms down against the truck’s seat with a sigh.  He was acting like a teenager, not some one of his age.

            “Okay, so what happened?  Did you get in a fight about something?”  Levi put his jokes aside and focused on listening to his brother.  Any other time that Eli had ever needed Levi, his older brother was there for him.  That was not about to change.

            “No, not at all.  Yesterday, I got a message from her.  It was an invitation for coffee before she went home.  I go, we exchange gifts, and everything is going great.  We talk about her dad, and you, and Tracker and then she invites me back to her house.”  Eli ignored his brother’s looks as he told the story.  “So, we are drinking, and translating more of Tracker’s work, and she finds a passage about her father.  We were lying on her bed, and she’s right against my side, with her head on my chest.  She got a little upset, I think.  But she was more freaked out that she got her make up on my shirt.  And I told her that it was okay, and I’d just wash it out.  So when I came back from her bathroom, she’s giving me these weird looks.  I ask her if she’s okay, and I told her some stuff that… Well, she really must have liked what I said.  We’re standing really close together, and she’s looking into my eyes, and I’m looking into hers.  Then I kiss her.  And she’s kissing me.  And it’s great, and it feels good, and then…” Eli paused.  He trusted his brother completely, but still was reluctant to share his words.

            “And then what?” Levi asked curiously, and a little impatiently.  Eli rarely had gossipy stories to tell, and when he did, they were rarely so juicy.  Usually it was Levi spinning takes of his nights out to Eli.

            “And then Valentina and I had sex.” Eli blushed furiously.

            “Wait! What?!  You slept with her?” Levi shouted.

            “Yes! I did.  And now things are weird!  I took her to breakfast this morning, and she barely said anything to me.  I told her I’d pick her up from the airport when she got back and I barely got a ‘yes’!  You were right, Levi.  I have a massive crush on her, and I just might have ruined it all.” Eli nearly drove Levi off the road with a shock to his brother’s mind.  Thankfully, the road was clear, and Levi recovered quickly.

            “Eli, I’m sure you didn’t ruin anything.  Valentina was probably just nervous about what it meant, just like you are now.” Levi offered.

            “I never said I was nervous.” Eli muttered.

            “You’re in my truck, on our way to Mom and Dad’s, for Christmas.  Something is wrong.”  Levi countered. 

            Eli covered his face with his hands.  “Ugh! Levi!  What do I do?  I like her so much, as a friend, and as a woman, and as a person.  I’m so afraid I’ll lose her.”

            “Eli, you aren’t going to lose her.  Hey, I remember my first time with Adrianne.  She was so freaked out afterward.  It was a week before she spoke to me.  But I was dumb, and I kept bugging her, and it pushed her further away.  So here’s what we’ll do.  After dinner, I’ll help you write her a message.  The perfect day after message: Not too needy, not too detached.  Just right.  Then we’ll wait.  Give her time.  I’m sure she just need’s time to figure out her feelings.”  Levi assured his little brother, even taking a hand off the wheel to pat Eli on the shoulder.

            “I really hope so.” Eli mumbled again.  “And this goes without saying, but don’t tell Mom or Dad.”

            “Eli, with you, everything goes without saying.” Levi laughed.  Eli didn’t.  And not for the first time that holiday, Eli regretted joining Levi on this trip.