Searching

Chapter 22

John lay awake thinking... He thought about his business and thanks to Elise it was now coming back on track. He sighed.
Why was he now thinking about Elise all of a sudden? When did he start caring about her? Why did he wait until it was too late to catch some form of feelings for her? She was now engaged to Tim. The man who did care for her. The man that warned him that if he didn't clam her then he would... and he did. He gave a slight chuckle.
Tim was always a man of his word. When he said he was going to do it then he was going to do it. He gave another sigh as he turned on his side.
He wondered how his life would be if he actually took Elise up on her many attempts to be with him. What women still helped a man who was nothing bit rude to her?
Was this really it? Elise Watson no longer cared for him? She was no longer in love with him? As she put it. She was engaged so he guess that she really was over him.
Damn him for being so pig headed.
"What is my beautiful fiance doing?" Tim asked as she talked on the phone with Elise.
"Just waiting for you to get here." She was sitting on the floor stretching. She was pregnant but that still didn't mean that she had to be an out of shape pregnant women. She was thinking about going for a short jog also.
"I can't wait to see you. I do have to talk to you once I get there." She froze in the middle of a stretch.
"Seems serious? You never say (I have to talk to you) you just come and talk to me witch make me believe this is serious."
"Well it is kind of serious. But don't worry yourself. I'll be there in a few hours."
"Tim..."
"Yes?"
"I love you." A smile beamed on his face.
"I love you to baby."
"Hey brother." Max said as she watched John take a seat at the kitchen table. She frowned when she seen that he was deep in thought. "You okay?"
"Ah yeah. I'm good. How is my niece?"
"Good getting bigger everyday."
"Let me guess. Elise has her?"
"And you will be right." They shared a laugh.
"She do love kids." John said.
"You do know that mom isn't here right?"
"I was actually hoping to talk to Elise." This sparked up Max interest. Never have that man intentionally wanted to talk to Elise. Something must really be wrong for him to want to talk to her.
"Something wrong?" She asked not wanting to seem too nosey.
"More mold has come into my house. Need a place to crash until otherwise. Just a few days."
"Now you know Elise will not mind you staying with her. She has more than enough room."
"Even with Tim being there?"
"They're engaged but they haven't moved in with each other yet. Besides Tim had to leave out of town for a few days. Something to do with work. Elise was telling me."
"Oh." John said calmly on the outside but on the inside he was plotting.
"Call her. I'm sure she'll invite you right over." Max said absently. Not seeing the wheels turning in her brothers head.
"Welcome. Come on in" Elise said to John once he knocked on her door. He had told her that more mold returned in his house and he needed a place to crash for a few days. She invited him with no hesitation. "My home is your home." She said.
"Thanks again for letting me stay here again." He said as he placed his bag down.
"No problem at all. My door is always open to family." His heart sank a little. Now she was considering him family?
He would ask her in the past why didn't she considered him her brother when she considered Max her sister. She would always say because she was in love with him and its nasty to be in love with a brother. So there was no way she could see him as one. But she did now?
"I just cooked also. Made enough for you."
"Okay thanks. Will Tim be joining us also?" He asked as if he didn't know he was out of town.
"No. He had to leave for a few days. Something to do with work."
"Oh okay. So how does it feel being engaged?"
"The being engaged part isn't what's great. The person who you're engaged to is the great part."
"What a way to put it." She turned to face him after they reached the kitchen. She arched a brow up at him with the way he was looking at her.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm good." He said snapping out of his trance.
"So how's Amber?" He was thrown off a little by her question.
"She's fine." He said. Although he and Amber still talked the cemetery wasn't there. He wasn't in love with her. He feared the women he now wanted was no longer in love with him.
"You two still going strong I see."
"Yeah we're hanging in there." He said as he took a seat. She absently begin making him a plate.
"Thank you. Are you going to join me?"
"Sure I'll join you." She was eating for two now. She found herself enjoying there conversation. It wasn't an uptight anode conversation like the last time he was there. He was actually laughing and smiling. Something she wasn't use to seeing him do so willingly... at least when it came to her.
After they ate John made his way to the room he was staying in. He cursed himself because the whole time they spoke he sported an erection. Something that never happened when it came to Elise. It's funny how you don't see the attraction until the person is no longer available to you.
For the next two days they talked and reminisced. She even showed him the orphanage where she worked. She was surprised to see him enjoying himself with the kids.
Where was this John when she was so called in love with him? Why was this John showing up all of a sudden? She wasn't use to this John. This smiles and affectionate John. The John who actually seemed to be enjoying life. She found herself growing angry. Why was he suddenly being nice. She went out to get some air.
"You okay?" John asked as he walked onto the back porch where she was.
"Yes im fine."
"I love what you done with this place. It's amazing that you're helping these kids."
"Thank you. I love kids."
"I know that." He said with a slight chuckle. She cringed at the sound. Not because it sound horrible but because she still liked it. She glared at him and he frowned. "Are you okay?" Putting herself in check she forced a smile.
"Yeah. I'm good. Ready to get out of here?"
"Sure."
With being pregnant it wasn't hard for her to fall asleep witch she was grateful for. She felt something was up with John and the more she stayed away from him the better. Just one more day and he would be going home.
"So how is the roommate going?" Max asked Elise as she lounged in the backyard of her mother's house.
"John is John." she said absently and Max laughed.
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know." Elise said laughing herself.
"He hasn't been rude to you though. Right?"
"Surprisingly no. No smart remarks. No sarcastic remarks. Its crazy but he's been all laughs and jokes. It's..." She paused trying to find the right words.
"It's what?" Max prompted.
"It's weird." Max laughed. "He has never been this nice to me before. It's got me thinking..."
"Got you thinking what?"
"Something is up with that man. And I don't like it."
"What do you mean?"
"He's never been this nice to me before. Somethings up. Mark my words."
"Have you ever thought that he's just changing for the better?" Elise seemed to think about it.
"No. No. That's not it." Max bust out laughing.
"You are too much."
"I'm serious Max. I've been claiming to be in love with this man for many many years and over those years I've learned everything about him. From when he is in a good mood or a bad mood. Everything... and this happy go lucky man is not the John I know but I feel it's more than just changing for the better."
"What do you think it is then?
"I don't know and that's what scares me."
"Well he leaves tomorrow right?"
"Yeah. Maybe I am overexerting then. I don't know. He just seemed so strange to me."
"Maybe he's in love with you." They both paused then bust out laughing at the same time.
"You and I both know that is not it."
"Right." Max agreed.
"How about I cook tonight." John said and Elise froze.
"You want to cook?"
"Yes." John said with a slight chuckle.
"You know how to cook?"
"Yes I know how to cook. I'm my mother's son remember?"
"Point taken." She allowed him to cook while she talked on the phone with Tim.
"How is the roommate thing going?" Tim asked. She had told him about John staying with her because of the mold in his house returned. Although she knew he didn't like the idea of John saying with her he had no choice but to be okay with it because it was Elise he was talking about. The woman didn't even kill bugs there was no way she was going to say no to allowing John to stay with her no matter how he treated her in the past.
"It's going okay. He's been a gentleman."
"Not too much of a gentleman I hope."
"Come on Tim we're talking about John here. That man does not like me. Literally."
"I beg to differ..."
"Cut that out. Even if he was I wouldn't give him the time of day. I gave him his chance. You are my one and only. My boo thang." He burst out in laughter.
"Your boo thang huh?"
"Hell yeah. I miss you so much baby."
"I miss you to. I'll be back tomorrow night."
"I can't wait."
After hanging up with her fiance she made her way down the stairs. The smell of food directed her to the kitchen. The meal that John cook was actually good and they both made there way to the living room where they watched a movie.
Elise quickly sat up once she realized she had fallen asleep. This baby was really doing her in.
"Someone is really tired." She looked over at John to find him smiling at her.
"Sorry about that."
"No need to apologize. You're beautiful when you snore and slob. "I don't snore or slob." She said laughing.
"You were calling hogs."
"Stop it." She took a pillow off the couch hitting him with it. "I'm going to bed." She stood.
"Elise." She looked down at him
"Thanks for watching the movie with me."
"Anything for you handsome." She froze. "I did not mean that. I'm sorry..."
"Elise its cool. Don't worry about it."
"It's just, I know how you feel about me calling you that."
"I was an ass. Angry at the world for what was going on with me in my personal life. I'm sorry for that."
"Apology accepted." She said smiling. She was caught by surprise when he took her hand.
"I also wanted to apologies for missing our opportunity." She froze. Did she hear him right? No she didn't. You trippin girl. She thought. He continued. "I don't know. I guess I sometimes wish that we can push back a few months to where you were still interested in me."
So she did hear him right. She was at lost for words.
"I ah...don't know what to say."
"Just let me say... give us a chance Elise."
"You know how much I wanted to hear those words. How I prayed that you would wake up and realise how much I'm in love with you. And how I want to spend my life with you making you happy and having a bunch of babies."
"Elise please forgive me and give us a chance."
"What about Amber?"
"She's not the one for me Elise. You are. I need you baby."
"John..." He pulled her onto his lap slid his hand to the back of her head and kissed her so gently. He pulled her closer once he heard her moan.
"Elise..." John popped up once he heard a loud thud. A dream? Dammit. Now he was sporting a damn erection. Looking on the chair he seen that it was empty. When did she leave? Realizing that the loud thud was real he stood rushing up the stairs. "Elise." He stopped at the entrance of her door. "You okay?"
"Yeah. I just dropped something."
"Glass. Come here." Picking her up he carried her over the mess. "Go get the trash can I'll pick this up for you.
After cleaning up the mess she thanked him and was about to lay down when John voice stopped her.
"I had a dream about you." She smiled.
"I hope it wasn't too embarrassing." He gave a slight chuckle.
"No not at all. I wanted to show you what we were doing." She looked at him confused.
"Now John if you were pouring something on top of my head we can just skip the demonstration."
"No. Let me show you." He went to her and wrapped his arms around her and leaned down connecting their mouths together before she had a chance to react." John groaned once he realised Elise wasn't resisting him. His tongue slid inside her mouth and that's when she pulled away.
"John..." He watched as she wiped her mouth. He went to caress her face but she smacked his hand away. "This isn't fare John. This isn't fuckin fare." She pushed him. "Get out."
"Elise..."
"Get out my room. Go!"
"Elise..."
"You don't get to do this. You don't get to do this John." She begin to cry.
"Elise."
"You're so fuckin shellfish and stingy. And you don't think about anyone but your damn self. Get out!" She pushed him out her room and slammed the door in his face. He could hear her crying threw the door.
"Elise. I'm sorry."