It is currently a quarter to two and Eli is still gone. I tried really hard not to care but I failed. I can't stop thinking about what happened and where it all went wrong. I can't figure it out. He's hot and cold at the same time and it gets kind of exhausting to deal with. In an attempt to forget what happened, I went out to the lake to just take a walk and enjoy nature. After I got bored of doing that, I texted Tess to ask her if all is still going well and where she put the car keys. Her answer comes an hour later and after grabbing the keys from one of her jacket pockets I jump into her car and put the town center as the destination in the GPS. I am on vacation and I can't just always wait around for other people. I will just explore the town a bit. Maybe I can shop for some cute clothes or a new bikini. Also, I really need to stock up on sunscreen if I want to spend more time at the lake.

I park the car on the side of the street, pay the meter for two hours and make my way around the small streets in the town center. There are many cute shops and I managed to find a new sundress, a pair of shorts, and a combo deal on a big pack of sunscreen and after-sun lotion. Yay me! After about an hour I find a small book shop and I decide to take a look inside. It's not like I need more books but I want more books. As I browse the bookshelves, I remember Eli asked me for a recommendation. Still not knowing all that much about him, I walk to the non-fiction aisle but I don't find anything I think he'd enjoy. I move on to crime books but no luck there either. When I reach the fiction bookshelf, I grab a copy of Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro for myself and choose Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss for Eli. Not sure if he'll like it but it kinda fits his attitude so he'll have to live with it.

Even though the day started out nice and warm and sunny, thick clouds are now stealing the show and it is getting darker and colder. A fresh wind picks up speed around the streets and I don't waste any time getting into the car after purchasing the books. I check my phone for the first time since I arrived in town and see a message from Bennett. He is letting me know that he'll be back at the same time as Romy, so Friday. He's going to pick her up on his way since Simon doesn't have the time to drop her off. Reading this leaves me with two contradicting emotions. Frustration for one, since Eli can be exhausting to be around with his grumpiness and mood swings. Excitement is the other feeling that is settling in the pit of my stomach and the crevices of my heart. I enjoy spending time with Eli and getting to know him a bit better. I also REALLY want to kiss him! I shake that thought from my head and text Bennett, thanking him for letting me know. I start the car and drive back to the house. When I arrive, I see Eli's truck in the driveway. I'm getting a little nervous at the possibility of him not being alone right now but I haven't seen a woman around him in a few days. I grab the stuff that I bought and before I can even shut the car door, Eli comes storming outside, an angry expression clear as day on his face.

"Where the fuck were you?!" he starts yelling.

I flinch and look at him all confused and a little taken aback. "What do you mean? I was in town."

"And you didn't think to tell me or leave a fucking note or something?!" he continues yelling.

"I don't appreciate you talking to me like that," I start to tell him. "I don't have to tell you anything about where I go. You are not my dad, boyfriend, or brother. And it's not like you ever tell me where you go, right?" I retort back in a calm but stern tone.

"Yeah, but I'm a grown-ass man, Romy! Since Ben is gone, I am responsible for you. If anything would happen he would kill me and I am not joking about that. You will not do this again, you hear me?"

"You are not responsible for me and I am a 'grown-ass' woman, as well. Don't treat me like a fucking child!" I say, now getting angrier, too.

"Then stop acting like one!" he spits at me.

I take a step back like the words have physically just slapped me in the face. I scoff and shake my head. "Wow...good to know what you really think of me then." I reach into one of my shopping bags and pull out the book I got him. More than done with this conversation, I walk past him, slamming the book against his chest in the process. "Happy fucking reading." And with that, I disappear inside the house.

Locked inside my room, I cannot suppress the tears and I let them fall freely. That fucking hurt. I don't know what his issue is or why he felt the need to talk to me in such a manner but he was way out of line. I've barely known him for a week and he acts like he's been my babysitter for the past 10 years. Unbelievable.

A knock sounds from my door. That's all. One single knock. I decide to ignore it and wipe the tears from my face. It's silent for a few seconds until I hear a soft "Romy?" coming from the other side of the door. "What?!" I bite out, the word coming off harsher than I intended but I'm not sorry for showing how I feel about all this.

"Can you come out so I can apologize properly?" A few moments pass. "Please?"

I am all for talking things through when they get heated and solving any issues but I don't want him to think I am easily pushed around and a simple sorry will make things alright. So I opt for a middle ground.

"I'll be down in a while. I'm gonna take a shower now." I tell him through the still closed door, hoping he'll get the hint, and wait downstairs so I can get to the bathroom in peace.

"Okay, I'll be downstairs then. I'm gonna make dinner, do you have a favorite dish?"

I bite my lip to not full-on smile because I know what he's doing and I hate that it's working. I clear my throat and tell him my favorite dish is Vietnamese spring rolls. Which of course he has no idea to make nor does he have the ingredients to make them. He grunts his disagreement and I chuckle quietly, hoping he didn't hear it.

"Anything vegetarian and without bananas or mushrooms is fine," I let him know in a neutral tone.

"Great," he murmurs and I hear him walking down the stairs.

After grabbing a fresh pair of underwear, some shorts, and a light sweater, I make my way into the bathroom, already smelling the food Eli is preparing. I take a longer shower than usual. I know I'm being a little petty but I can't help it. I'm really butthurt about what occurred earlier. I even blow dry my hair. Take that, you big, mean grump.

It smells heavenly when I descend the stairs and I have to remind myself that I am not happy with the cook at the moment.

Nonetheless, I comment "smells good" when I enter the kitchen. Eli turns to look at me and I can see a mixture of regret and guilt on his handsome face. Good.

"I'm making fried rice," he tells me. "Is that okay?"

I step up next to him and lean my back against the counter, crossing my arms in front of my chest. "Yes," is all I say, my voice coming out gentle but confident.

I observe him cooking, his demeanor very different from before. His shoulders are slightly slumped and his head hangs low on his neck. It almost seems like he's trying to make himself smaller. I make a move to set the table but quickly notice he's already done so. Instead, I walk towards the fridge, taking out a bottle of Riesling. I grab a wine glass from the cabinet and catch Eli's attention. He looks at the bottle with a frown and I feel myself getting agitated again.

"You got a problem with me drinking alcohol, too?" I question him.

"No," he growls out lowly and fucoses back on the task at hand. I know he's lying. He can't hide his emotions all that well. Especially the negative ones.

"Hmmhm," is all I manage, pouring myself an extra-large glass. I take a big sip and sit down at the island.

Eli brings over the wok with the fried rice and starts serving me and him a big portion. I wasn't lying earlier, it really does smell heavenly and I dig in immediately. We eat in silence and by the time my plate is empty, so is my glass of wine. Eli asks if I would like more food and I shake my head no. I get up to put my plate and cutlery in the dishwasher and go to the fridge to refill my glass. Apparently, Eli has different plans because his hand presses against the fridge door, not letting me open it.

"What the hell is your problem now?" I question, getting more frustrated by the second.

"Can you wait with that until we talked and I apologized?"

"Why? I don't plan on getting shit-faced, I will understand you just fine."

"Please?"

"Okay, fine. Let's go talk then." I walk into the living room and plop down onto the couch.

Eli sits on the coffee table in front of me. He leans his elbows on his knees and lets his head hang down before he lifts it back up and looks straight at me.

"I am really sorry for how I treated you and the way I talked to you. Everything you said was true and I had no right. None at all. I was worried about you and I was confused why I felt that way and I stand by one thing I said, and Bennett would agree with me, we are responsible for you and Tess in a way. You are our guests, and we live in a world that is not always friendly. I am confident that you are safe and that you can stand your own but I couldn't help but worry. I know that it is no justification for the way I acted. I had a shitty day and I was letting it out on you and I feel terrible about that. You are not a child and I definitely don't see you as one. Quite the opposite actually. I hope you can forgive me because I am genuinely very sorry."

He lets out a heavy sigh once he is done with his lengthy apology. I appreciate his words and I feel he is genuine about them. He means what he just said.

"I accept your apology."

"You do?"

"Yes," I nod, giving him a small smile.

"Thank God," he mumbles and I chuckle.

"I thought you weren't religious."

He doesn't say anything to that and I am okay with that.

"Thank you for the book, by the way. I totally forgot that I asked you for a recommendation."

"You're very welcome," I tell him, my smile growing a little.

"It might take me a while to finish it but I will let you know how I liked it when I do."

"You better," I point my finger at him jokingly. He smirks and pulls something out of his back pocket. It's his phone.

"Put your number in here, so I can reach you and don't have to worry." He hands the device over to me.

I put my number in his contacts and give him his phone back. I feel my own phone vibrating in my pocket and I take it out to see Eli has texted me a simple 'hi'. I save his number as 'big ol' grump' and put my phone on the coffee table next to where Eli is sitting. I have to lean forward to do so and my upper body gets really close to Eli's in the process. When I move to lean back into the couch, Eli grabs my forearm and stops me from moving away any further, not that I got far anyway. We are nose to nose and I let out a shaky breath. His eyes roam my face and a low sound rumbles in his chest.

"Eli?" I quietly question.

"Fuck," he curses and I wish he'd do it over and over again. What the hell is wrong with me?!

"What are you doing?"

He doesn't give me an answer.

"Eli?" I ask again.

He shakes his head slightly as if to straighten his thoughts out. Maybe I should try that, too, because currently my thoughts are anything but straightened out. "You still need to tell me what you want," he says after a long stretch of silence, his eyes not leaving mine.

"What?" I cluelessly manage to say, getting more and more giddy.

"Your prize for guessing my age correctly."

"Oh, right..." I completely forgot about that. The only thing I can think of the is same that popped into my head when he asked me for the first time this morning. You. But of course, I can't say that, right? Right?! I start imaging what would happen if I did and my skin starts getting hot, my breath comes out in shallow puffs and I bite my lip. I feel the blood rushing to my face and my eyes fall to Eli's lips. We are so close that I can feel his body heat radiating off of him and I feel his warm breath on my face.

"Romy," my name leaves his lips, that I am still staring at, in a way that sounds a lot like a warning.

I try to pry my eyes from his lips but fail miserably and I manage to whimper a "yes".

"What do you want?" he asks again, his voice incredibly low. My eyes finally leave his parted lips and flicker up to his green ones. And this time I cannot stop it.

"I want you."