Breathless (Less Is More Book 1) Read online

  “Just try and enjoy yourself tonight. I know you guys already have talked before and had a sit-down, but this is different.”

  “Thanks, mom.”

  ***

  I get to the pub and see Elliot sitting in a booth towards the bar-area and I instantly smile. He is wearing a button-up with the sleeves rolled back, and light jeans that make him look like a hot, young college kid and I Iet out a soft moan. I need to focus tonight and not picture him naked the whole time or I’ll make things awkward.

  “Hey,” I say, nudging his shoulder as I get to the booth.

  He instantly lights up with a smile and gets up and hugs me. Instead of a quick hug, he pulls me in tight and I can smell his body wash and my nose grazes the side of his neck.

  “You smell good,” I say.

  “So do you,” he says, letting go. “I’m starving. You’ve been here before you said?”

  “Yeah,” I say. “In college, mostly, but haven’t been for a couple years.”

  Not since Evan.

  I put the thought of Evan out of mind and sit down in the booth across from Elliot.

  “You look cute tonight,” I say.

  “Yeah,” he says, scratching the back of his neck. “I wasn’t sure what to wear honestly.”

  “Can I get you guys some drinks?” The waitress says, as she gets to our booth. She is checking her notepad and leans on one hip. When she lifts her face and makes eye contact with us, she instantly gushes when she sees Elliot.

  “Yeah, Val,” Elliot says, “I’ll just have a coke and then whatever Will wants.” He nods to me and Val gives me a onceover. Her smile heightens and she bites her lip a little.

  “Coke is fine for me, too,” I say, smiling.

  She scribbles something down on her notepad and says, “I’ll be right back.”

  She winks and turns around, flipping her hair to the side, as she strolls back to the bar-area.

  “Friend of yours?” I ask.

  “Not really,” he says. “She has worked here for a few years, so she knows me and I her, but we aren’t biffs or anything.”

  “She basically got down on her knees ready to service you when she looked into your eyes,” I say, teasing.

  “Is someone jealous?” he says, tilting his head.

  “I’m sure I’ll have the opportunity one day.”

  His eyes grow wide and he laughs and says, “Damn, already at it with the flirting and we haven’t even had something to drink yet.”

  “You like it,” I say, laughing.

  “I do, I do. How have you been since we last saw each other?”

  “I’ve been OK,” I say, scrunching my shoulders. “Just been grading and preparing stuff. You?”

  “Same,” he says. “I mean I haven’t really did much besides plot Andrew’s demise.”

  “Oh, can I join?”

  “Gladly,” he says, winking. Val brings our drinks and sets them on the table.

  “You guys ready to order or need some time?”

  “Shit,” Elliot says, “sorry. We haven’t even looked at the menu yet.” He looks up at her and frowns like a sad puppy dog.

  “Oh, that’s alright, honey. I’ll come back in like five.” She smiles and goes to the next table.

  “So,” I say, “what’s good here, honey?”

  “Well, babe,” he says, “they have good subs and fries. Or the pizza is good if you want to split that. Or the classic burger and fries is always a good choice.”

  “A sub sounds amazing right now. Can you get the fries loaded?”

  “Yeah,” he says, smiling. “I always get mine loaded with cheese and bacon. Best thing ever.”

  Val eventually makes her way back and takes our order. She doesn’t give Elliot any new pet names as she leaves and walks back to the kitchen.

  “So, did you grow up around here or come for school?” he asks.

  “Lived here all my life,” I say. “My older sister lives a few miles away from me and she basically took care of me growing up. Our dad died when I was three and my mom tried her best, but ya know.” His eyes focus on mine and I look down and say, “What about you?”

  “Yeah,” he says. “We moved around the state some, but always around this location. Just couldn’t leave the city I guess. What’s your sister’s name?”

  “Lydia,” I say, smiling. “She’s my rock basically.”

  “My parents only ever had me. But I don’t know. I see Sam and Ethan as brothers. And Ethan’s sister Hadley is like my rock.”

  “How is Sam?” I ask. “Did I pass the friend test I mean?” I laugh and he smiles.

  “Yeah,” he says, “you passed. He thought you were great.”

  “He seemed pretty cool.”

  “Sam is the friend that likes everyone basically until you give him a reason not to. It’s Hadley that is somewhat of a tough-one. She has literally never liked one of my boyfriends.”

  “Jeez,” I say, tugging at the neckline of my shirt. “Should I be worried?”

  “No,” he says, laughing. “I just say that so when I introduce you to her you don’t think she is a bit of a bitch because she comes off kind of mama-bear like.”

  “And Ethan?”

  “Ethan?” he says, resting his hands on the table. “Ethan is Ethan. He is a man-whore by day and an even bigger man-whore by night and will probably hit on you the moment you meet him.” He takes a sip of his drink and laughs. “Ethan has been my best friend since freshman year, though, and I love him to death. He just can be a bit much sometimes. He had a rough relationship a few years back and it kind of escalated from there I guess in a weird way.”

  “That’s never good.”

  “What about you?” he says. “Your sister, I mean. Will she be a tough one to crack?” He smiles and takes another drink of his coke.

  “No,” I say. “I think she’ll like you. Even if she doesn’t, I like you. Mostly just the way you kiss, but your personality is pretty good, too.”

  “Same,” he says.

  Our food comes and I can feel my mouth water as I take a bite of my sub. I moan a little and look up to see Elliot smirking.

  “What a nice sound that was,” he says.

  “Sorry,” I say. “It’s just so damn good.”

  “I told you,” he says with his mouth half full. “This place is fantastic.”

  “So, tell me something about you that would surprise me.”

  He thinks for a minute and puts down his fork and says, “I worked as a stripper a few towns over on the weekends when I was going to school. I made enough on the weekends to pay for everything I needed to live while going to school so I never had to work during the week.”

  “That’s surprising,” I say.

  “I win,” he says, laughing. “What about you?”

  “Before I decided to teach, I had planned to drop out of school all together.”

  “Really?”

  “I didn’t see the point of it and spending thousands every semester that I would eventually have to pay back made me not want to even more.”

  “So,” he says, “what made you decide to teach then?”

  “I was overseas doing the program and I met this young kid. He was around ten probably and he knew some English, but not a whole lot. After I did a reading, he came up and asked me some questions and then asked me certain specifics about our language and how to use certain terms. Teaching him those things made his face light up and I ended up giving him my personal textbook from way back when I took an intro class on writing. I liked seeing that need to learn in him and wanted more of it.”

  “And now you wish you hadn’t started teaching?”

  “Kind of,” I say. “I mean, I still like teaching and enjoy helping people learn, but I’m over the atmosphere in general I think. Maybe I’ll try stripping.”

  “Are you going to tease me about that forever now?” he says, laughing.

  “Of course,” I say.

  I finish off most of my sub and start picking at
the rest of my fries. Elliot is a fast eater I’ve learned and practically inhales his food rather than digest it.

  “I got an offer to go overseas,” he says. “Over to London to head a publishing house over there. It’s a new company and they haven’t produced a lot of works yet, but they really want me to come over and takeover as head of it all.”

  “That’s awesome! What did you tell them?”

  “I haven’t said anything yet,” he says.

  He plays with his fork and his expression becomes more serious.

  “I don’t know,” he says. “I mean it would be awesome, but all my friends and family are here and I’m close to running where I am now.”

  “Yeah,” I say, “but if you went to London you could already be in charge of something. Obviously they see something in you that hasn’t been appreciated by where you are now.” He looks from me to the table and back at me. “How long do you have to decide?”

  “They gave me a few months. It wouldn’t happen until early next year anyway. It’s an extension of where I work now mostly. Andrew has been talking to them and I’ve been working things out and getting to know the people. I’m terrified he’s going to fuck it all up for me.”

  “You have plenty of time to decide then. I’m sure it will all work out.”

  “Yeah,” he says. “Sorry, I don’t know why I randomly brought that up. I haven’t told anyone about it yet.”

  “No one?”

  He shakes his head and takes a drink of his coke.

  “I know if I told my friends they would all say how I would be stupid not to do it.”

  “It’s whatever you want to do. If you went to London, I could visit you and have a reason to leave the country.” I wink at him and he nudges me under the table.

  “That was delicious,” I say, wiping my mouth.

  “I love it here,” he says, smiling. “I’ve never brought a date here, though.”

  “Why not?”

  “This is like my home away from home, I guess. I’ve been coming here forever and there is always at least one person here that I know and can talk to. Bringing dates here just seems like an invasion or something. That makes no sense, I know.”

  “Why’d you bring me here then?” I ask, smiling.

  “I like the way your tongue tasted in my mouth,” he says.

  “Same,” I say and we both laugh.

  “No,” he says, “honestly, you’re different, I guess. I feel unrealistically close to you having only known you a week. Almost like a love at first sight kind of thing. Not that I love you. I just really like being around you.”

  “Well, I love you,” I say. “I was going to propose and everything tonight.”

  “Shut up,” he says, kicking me under the table.

  “No, I get it,” I say. “Honestly, I feel the same way. You’ve been a breath of fresh air into my life and I’m grateful.”

  He smiles and leans his head to the side. I can see his phone light up across the table and he looks down at it. His smile fades and his face grows serious.

  He throws his head back and sighs.

  “Apparently Ethan is in the hospital,” he says.

  “Is he OK?” I ask.

  “Yeah,” he says, shaking his head. “He got into a fight and broke his nose and now he needs a ride home and of course it is me because Hadley would kill him.”

  I can’t help but smile at him being angry.

  “You’re cute when you’re pissed.”

  He looks up at me and smiles.

  “I’m sorry,” he says. “I feel like such a dick right now.”

  “It’s fine,” I say, getting out my wallet. “It was a date regardless.”

  “No,” he says, “I’ll get this one. The least I can do.”

  We walk to the parking lot and he leans against the side of his car with his head arched back.

  “I’ll text you once I get all this settled tonight. I’m sorry again.”

  “It’s OK,” I say, leaning against the car next to him. “Thanks for getting dinner.”

  “Of course,” he says.

  I turn to my side and look into his eyes. I take my right hand and cup it under his chin. I slowly bring my mouth closer to his and tilt his chin up, as I make contact with his lips. He grabs the back of my head and runs his fingers through my hair with one hand while the other is still planted against the car.

  I lean off the car and stand directly in front of him, placing both hands on his face and palming each side. He moves his hand from the car and pulls me closer from behind as I dig my tongue into his mouth.

  “BEEEEEEP!” I hear, just as Elliot leans back more, and the car alarm scares us both.

  “Well,” he says, laughing. “I guess that is a sign that I should get going.”

  I take my thumb and wipe his bottom lip. I give him one last peck and move back away from him.

  “Tell Ethan I said hello.”

  “Oh,” he says, “I will tell Ethan many things once I get to the hospital, I can assure you.”

  Chapter Five

  Elliot

  “D O YOU HAVE YOUR key?” I ask Ethan, as I practically carry him to the door.

  “Here,” he says, handing me everything in his right pocket including his keys. I sit him down against the side of the walkway and try three different keys before I get the right one.

  “Come on,” I say, throwing his arm over my shoulder.

  I kick the door shut behind me and we slowly walk to his bedroom. I lay him face up on the bed and take off his shoes.

  “Elliot,” he says.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine. Will says hello by the way.”

  “No,” he says. “I mean about this. About calling you.”

  “I’m used to it,” I say.

  “I know.” He arches his arm above his head. “I’m sorry.”

  Ethan zones out halfway through his second sorry and I sit on the bed and run my hands up my face and through my hair. The phone calls rarely happen, but when they do, there is always something broken or he is always passed out to the point where I have to take care of him.

  I walk into the bathroom and get the small trashcan and bring it to Ethan’s bed. I go back into the bathroom and damp a washcloth and put it on the nightstand for when he inevitably pukes during the night.

  Ethan’s past has directed him in ways I can’t fathom. Rick alarmed me from the start, but Ethan saw something in him that we didn’t. I know he won’t remember tonight, but something has to change with him. Seeing him wreck himself week after week is getting old and it’s to the point where I wonder if I should get him help myself.

  I make sure everything is turned off and that he has room to breath under all the covers and make my way back home.

  ***

  “Was I bad last night?” Ethan asks at breakfast the next morning.

  “You need to stop this shit,” I say. “I’m not just saying that because you ruined my date. I know life hasn’t been the kindest to you, but you’re going to get yourself killed.”

  “Agreed,” Hadley says. “I love you baby brother, but you’re a fucking idiot when it comes to men.” Hadley sticks a piece of her waffle in her mouth and wipes her face with her napkin. “How was your date by the way, El?”

  “It was great,” I say. “Cut-short sadly, but great.”

  I give Ethan a glare and he frowns.

  “Have you gotten any yet?” Ethan asks with sausage in his mouth.

  “What does he do again?” Hadley asks.

  “He’s a professor. He doesn’t seem to love the fact, though.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He just seems unfilled,” I say. “He enjoys it, but it’s not what he wants to be doing.”

  “Speaking of being fulfilled,” Hadley smirks, “I met a new guy a couple weeks ago and it seems to be going well so far.”

  “Have you gotten any yet?” Ethan asks blankly. Hadley stares at him until h
e smirks and goes back to eating his food.

  “What’s his name?” I ask.

  “Ed,” she says.

  Ethan starts laughing and almost chokes on a piece of sausage.

  “Please tell me it is Ed Johnson from high school,” he says.

  “Yes, Ethan, it’s that Ed.”

  “Oh my god this is fantastic news,” he says. “Elliot, this guy is the dumbest person on the planet. Hadley dated him in high school.”

  “We aren’t even talking about dating here,” she says. “Just enjoying each others company.”

  “So you’re fucking?” Ethan says.

  “He isn’t as dumb as he used to be. He’s actually a major head at one of the big law firms in the city.”

  “Is that how you guys met back up?” I ask. “Through work?”

  “Yeah,” she says, smiling. “I was working a case and had to go to court to speak as a witness for the arrest and he was there representing the victim. We went out for drinks and yeah.”

  “Isn’t it frowned upon to date people like that in your field?” Ethan says.

  “Ethan,” Hadley says, closing her eyes.

  “I’m just saying,” he says.

  He turns to me and says, “When are you seeing Will again?”

  “Soon probably,” I say, shrugging. “I haven’t talked to him yet today, so we haven’t made any plans to meet up. Do you want to tell me what you were doing last night that landed you with a broken nose?”

  He looks out the window to his left and then looks down at his eggs.

  “Not really,” he says.

  “Why?” I ask him.

  Ethan never has a problem talking about his wild nights out.

  “I was on my way home from the bar and I got jumped by a couple of guys. I didn’t have anything on me so nothing was taken, but they did mess me up a tad.” Ethan looks up at me and his eyes are wet. “It was easier to let you think that it was just another small bar fight like every other time I’ve called you.”

  He looks down at his plate and scrapes around the rest of his food and says, “It just brought up stuff I guess and it’s not something I wanted to revisit.”

  “He can’t get to you anymore,” I say, grabbing his hand.

  “I know,” he says, pulling away. “I have to go. I have a day-date later today with Paul.”