Back Road

You never know when life is going to pull the floor out from under you, and you never know your own strength until you get back up and climb your way back to the surface. I'm still climbing but the ground is starting to flatten out again, I think.

"Els, slow down." I heard him but that only made me walk faster. The sound of his footsteps getting closer fueled me to speed up. "Can you just slow down and talk to me? Please, just slow down! Elana!"

I spun around at his increase in volume and use of my full name. I looked him directly in the eye as I spoke to show just how pissed I was. "I don't have time for this, I'm not this person, Jude. I don't let others affect my emotions and yet here we are! I knew this wasn't going to end well but I can't think logically around you. You make me so damn crazy, and I'm over it." I huffed my last few words in exasperation. I was too old for this bullshit and had way too much on my plate for it. I hadn't noticed he was walking towards me as I ranted, so when I looked back up at his face he was only a few inches in front of me.

His eyes were intense, "You're over this?" His hands were at my sides before his words fully caught up to my brain. His thumbs were rubbing circles into my hips and my body immediately started to react. "Because I'm far from it, I've barely gotten started. You're so damn stubborn and trust me, Els, you make me just as crazy. But I can't help what you do to me. And I don't want to." His face was so close that his last words touched my lips. "Just let me take care of you."

Elana has been through some shit, the last thing she wanted in her life was any distractions. She was finally getting her life back on track. So when she meets Jude Anderson, she's annoyed by how attractive she finds him. And the more they get to know each other, the more she finds him infuriating and intriguing. She tries to keep her emotions at bay but it's getting harder to ignore.

I hope y'all like this story!