Elly and the Road Less Traveled

Chapter Eight

 Gino took two more steps before turning back to her with a laugh. "You okay?"

Elly couldn't speak. Her heart raced. Her feet wanted to run. And her hands fluttered uselessly at her sides. Gino moved closer, blocking her view of Brandon and Penny. He put his hand on her arm.

"Hey, I didn't upset you, did I?"

Elly raised her eyes to his face without seeing him. Instead, she strained to hear Brandon and Penny. Their voices were louder now, but she couldn't pick out their words. Soon they would overtake her and Gino. Elly needed to do something. Anything.

"Janellen?" Gino asked.

Run.

Coward.

Say "hi."

Awkward.

Hide.

Where?

When the solution hit her, she didn't think. She put her hands on Gino's shoulders and planted her lips on his. She lingered there, unsure how long it would take for Brandon and Penny to pass. Would they recognize her? Did she want them to?

Before she had time to consider all the possibilities, Gino got over his apparent surprise at her sudden interest in his affections. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. His lips overpowered hers as he backed her against the cool stone building. She gripped his shoulders, thankful he wasn't objecting. Thankful he wasn't making her stand on tiptoes. One of his hands roamed down to her hip, the other to her breast. Whether or not he understood her intentions, he was making things look real.

Had they walked past yet? Had they recognized her? What would they think if they did?

Gino kissed across her cheek and down her neck, allowing Elly to turn her head. Brandon and Penny were walking away. They weren't glancing back. They still chatted and laughed, too involved with each other to notice anything or anyone else.

Tears formed in Elly's eyes.

They hadn't noticed.

Once she had been the one so absorbed with Brandon. So focused on their love that everything else faded away. She missed it. Missed the warmth another body provided. Missed the passion they'd had in the early days. Passion. Like what Gino was generating now, nibbling on her ear. She turned back to him. He pulled his head away, just far enough for her to see his eager, questioning eyes. She could recreate what she'd had with Brandon. Just for a night.

"My roommate's out of town," she said, her voice more low and breathy than she intended. "Want to go to my place?"

Gino's face brightened with a slow, wide smile. "That's what I've been saying for weeks."

***

Elly gazed into Gino's beautiful steel-blue eyes, his face illuminated by the soft light of her bedroom lamp. Any second thoughts she'd had on the subway ride and on the walk to her apartment had been erased by his smiles and confident swagger. Any doubts had vanished in his kisses and caresses.

He's not that young.

He wants to be an executive chef one day.

And he sure is pretty.

Maybe this could work.

He smiled and traced her lips with his finger. "Worth the wait?"