His Sister

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I lie on my back wrapped up in Ellie's arms with my chest rising and falling slowly while I attempt to catch my breath. Her lithe fingers graze the skin on my arms and leave a trail of goosebumps behind. I stare at the ceiling of my car, still in a daze. Our legs are tangled together and her hot skin keeps me warm from the cool air. We lie in silence as her lips occasionally brush against my forehead. Despite the euphoria that I'm feeling, I'm also a little anxious.

"What's wrong?" Ellie asks quietly, her lips ghosting over my temple.

"What do you mean?" I ask, lifting an eyebrow.

Ellie brings a hand up to my face and presses a thumb against the space between my eyebrows, "When you're worried about something, you get this little crease right here... So what's up?"

"Nothing's wrong, I just... I don't want you to think that this is moving too fast. I don't want you to feel rushed." I admit.

Ellie shakes her head, "I'm old enough to make my own decisions and I decided that this is what I wanted. I would've been more than comfortable with telling you if I wanted you to stop."

"Yeah, but... I mean, we've only known each other for—"

"That doesn't matter to me, Tara. Time isn't a measurement of feelings. Okay? Don't think like that."

She's right. I don't need a certain amount of days or weeks or even months to be certain of how I feel. I'm so into Ellie. I shouldn't feel like I need to put on the brakes if she's okay with going at the pace we're going. So long as she's comfortable, I'm comfortable.

"Besides... You gotta test drive the car before you buy it." Ellie jokes, prompting me to groan and try to snake away from her.

She pulls me closer to her and peppers my skin with kisses. I eventually give up and just allow her to continue showering me in affection. She leaves soft pecks on my shoulders and the back of my neck, giving me chills like no other. If I've never known it before, I know that this is bliss. I close my eyes and wish that I could just stay in this very moment forever. Everything is so calm and quiet and just... Perfect. Until Ellie's phone starts ringing.

So much for staying in the moment forever.

She slowly sits up and rubs her forehead. I grin as she leans over to the front seat to grab her phone, still completely naked. I giggle and she kisses my cheek before answering the phone. She brings it to her ear and clears her throat.

"Hello?" She says in a raspy, tired voice.

My blood runs cold when I hear Jay's voice, "Hey, Ellie."

"Yeah, hey. What's up?" Ellie clears her throat again.

"Wait. Did I just wake you up?" Jay laughs.

"No, no. I'm just exhausted. Long day. What did you need?"

I can hear movement on the other end of the line, like he's walking around somewhere, "I just wanted to see where you were. I've been sitting outside your apartment for like, half an hour. I want to talk to you."

Ellie bites her lip as she scrambles to grab her clothes. I frown and gather up my own. Reluctantly, I put them on and watch as Ellie gracefully lies her way through the remainder of her phone call with her brother.

"Oh, shit. My bad. Well, I'm on my way back right now. Me and Tara stopped to get food and we ended up hanging out for a while." She tells him.

"That's cool," Jay responds, "You guys are getting awfully... Close, I guess."

"Yeah, it's great, right? Anyway, I'll see you at home." She says, hanging up and pulling her shirt over her head, "I'm so sorry, Tara. I really hate to do this to you."

"Don't even worry about it. Tonight was one of the best nights I've ever had." I reply with a genuine smile.

"I'm glad." Ellie beams, "It was an amazing night for me, too."

Ellie climbs back into the passenger's seat and I make my way up to the driver's side. I start the car and we venture out of the woods and onto the dirt road. We drive on the bumpy terrain until we reach the road. The drive back toward her apartment complex is quiet, but she holds my hand the entire way. When we pull onto Main Street, I turn to Ellie and smirk.

"One thing is bumming me out, though." I begin.

"What?" She asks, turning to me with a look of concern.

"Well, now I can't make fun of you for being a virgin." I tease.

She rolls her eyes, unable to resist chuckling, "Very funny. So, when can we hang out again?"

"I was hoping you'd ask." I say as we pull into the parking lot, "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I'll have to check my calendar." Ellie grins as she gets out of the car, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright," I say cheerfully.

As Ellie walks toward her apartment, I begin backing out of the parking space. I turn around and slowly ease the car out of the spot. When I go to put the car into drive, Ellie is pounding on my window. I nearly jump out of my skin as I turn to look at her. I roll the window down and scowl at her.

"Jesus Christ, Ellie. You scared the shit out of me. What's wrong?"

"I just wanted to tell you to be careful going home." She informs me.

"I will." I laugh.

She leans in through the window and plants a quick kiss on my cheek. I smile and feel an instant surge of warmth and happiness. She runs off toward the stairs and I drive away feeling more content than I have in years. Except there's still one little, tiny problem that I'm forgetting about...

Jay.