I skipped over to the door and swung it open. Eli stood on the other side, his guitar case in hand. I hadn't really seen a lot of Eli over the last month. We texted back and forth some and there was the occasional late night visit but our relationship had seriously cooled down. So I was surprised to see him standing there.

“Eli!” I said, giving him a smile and holding the door open for him to come inside. Riley was at her lunch shift at Barton's and wouldn't be home for a few hours. Tonight was the first night in awhile that I didn't have either homework or a shift at Barton's.

“Hey, babe. Haven't seen you in awhile.” Eli leaned in and gave me a kiss on the lips. I returned the kiss, feeling a little guilty that I wasn't more concerned than I should have been that it had been so long since Eli and I had spent time together.

And it wasn't because of Jordan, either. I was proud to say that I had held firm to my resolve to keep some distance between us. We continued to work together most nights, but his flirtation had died down. Probably because I didn't give him any sort of response when he tried. He seemed to have finally taken the hint that I wasn't going to go there with him. I could sense he still watched me while I waited tables, I could feel the heat of his eyes. And there was still that undeniable attraction between us. But for the moment, we weren't doing anything about it.

I had overheard Jordan talking to Lyla about Olivia last week. He had been telling the other bartender that the president of Chi Delta was due home soon. When Jordan had realized I was standing there, waiting for a drink order, he had immediately stopped talking about it. He wouldn't meet my eyes and I couldn't help but feel the awkwardness between us.

Lyla had gotten my drinks as Jordan made an excuse to go the kitchen. I really wish we had been able to build a friendship as opposed to this weird discomfort we felt when we were around each other. But how do you move onto friendship when all you wanted to do was rip each other's clothes off? And his girlfriend would be back soon. So it was for the best we had minimal interaction.

Eli plopped down on my couch and pulled out his guitar. He tuned it and started to strum the opening chords to the Beatles' Norwegian Wood. I sat down beside him and listened for a bit. I couldn't help but compare him to Jordan's musical talent and Eli was definitely lacking. Not that he sucked but his ability was a bit more forced and put on. It didn't flow naturally the way Jordan's did.

“So, what are you doing tonight?” Eli asked as he continued to pluck at the notes. I still had my grades in my hand. I held them up.

“I got B's in my summer school classes. So I'm thinking I need some serious celebration in my future.” I grinned, unable to stop myself.

Eli nodded but didn't respond, which was so annoying. Why couldn't he just once act happy for me? Or seem remotely interested in something that was going on in my life? “So you want to celebrate, huh?” Eli put his guitar back in his case and he scooted across the couch toward me. I tried not to roll my eyes. He really did have a one track mind.

Eli's fingers slid up the front of my shirt and traced circles on the skin of my stomach and I couldn't stop laughing as he tickled me. Eli grinned down at me as he lowered his mouth to my shoulder and nipped me with his teeth. “Stop it, Eli! I can't breathe!” I shoved him in the chest and he leaned back.

“So, what did you have in mind? You wanna hang at Randall and Cicely's?” Eli asked, sitting back away from me, now that he could see fooling around wasn't on the agenda.

Go to his cousin's apartment? Uh, no thank you. I was sort of over hanging out while Eli got high and waiting until he was ready to make out in a darkened bedroom. It seemed like ages since that had seemed like a fun idea.

“No, I think I'd like to go out. I'll probably go meet Riley after her shift and hang at Barton's.” Eli made a face.

“Seriously? You're not there enough?” he asked. I hated it when he seemed to be mocking me. I stiffened and I felt my face harden.

“Well, I really like the people down there. And I get a discount. So that's what I'm gonna do. You can join me if you want. If not, no biggie.” I got to my feet and went into the kitchen to make some lunch.

My earlier good mood was effectively gone and I kind of just wanted Eli to leave. He was getting on my nerves. Eli followed me and leaned against the counter, watching me while I made a turkey sandwich. “You gonna make me something?” he asked. I grit my teeth but pulled out two more pieces of bread.

I grudgingly handed him his sandwich and started eating mine. “Well, if that's what you're going to do, I think I'll hang with Randall for a while. Maybe we'll meet you there later,” Eli commented, talking with his mouth full, which totally grossed me out.

I hadn't expected him to offer to meet me and I was suddenly unsure if I liked that idea. I kept him completely separate from my college life. He was like my dirty little townie secret and I liked it that way. But he was offering to spend time together. And we hadn't seen much of each other lately. And I thought I still liked him.

So I found myself nodding. “Sounds good,” I said, giving him what I hoped was a happy smile. Eli reached out and pulled me to his chest. He nuzzled my neck and I tried to relax into him. This would be good. Tonight would be fantastic. Even in my head, I sounded fake.

~~

“Can't I go home and change first?” Riley whined as I ordered us two beers. It was 5:30 and Riley had just gotten off of work. I was already on my third drink and was feeling the warm fuzzies from the alcohol. I had to pace myself otherwise I'd be throwing up in the bathroom before 9:00.