HOW TO CATCH A BAD BOY

Her gut screamed at her over whatever logic her head told her to just … keep her mouth shut about Elijah. Elijah didn’t even know about her crush on him. No one did, so there wasn’t even really a secret to be brought out into the open. It was just something she used to feel. Something she’d gotten over.

“What’s waiting for you when you get back home?” Chandler asked.

Elena smiled, happy for the change in subject. “Dinner at Emily and Daniel’s. But that’s after Elijah and Lexi come back from their honeymoon. They’re going to be back early because of work, and knowing Emily, It’s going to be loud and crazy and … perfect. Wanna come”

“Ermmm… I’m not really looking forward to Emily bashing my head in with a pestle when I show up at her house,”

Turning slightly in her seat, Elena took a moment to gauge his facial expression. Because his eyes were covered, she couldn’t get a true read on him, not really, but the rest of him looked relaxed and happy. Interested.

This was the both of them outside of the cabin. Him getting to know the other parts of her life, and her, hopefully being able to do the same.

“Nothing of the sort is going to happen,” she started. “And besides, we could use the opportunity to let her see that there’s nothing to be worried about when it comes to us.”

He nodded. “Okay. I like your other friend. What’s her name again….”-he snapped his finger-“Beth, right? The only one who didn’t try to glare me out of your apartment, which makes me prone to like her the best.”

Elena laughed. “Yes, Beth is really sweet. She’s nice and playful and sees the best in everyone. She likes you too.”

“Nice.” He nodded appreciatively. “One point for me,”

Elena’s face felt warm and flushed and happy at how he was trying to get to get along with her family and friends. He was trying at least. She licked her bottom lip, watching his face carefully. “You and Emily will be fine. Stop worrying about it,”

His grin hooked up on one side. “You know, I think we might be.” He squeezed her hand. “Even if she hates me now, your friend Beth is on my side. She can talk me up.”

“Emily knows you,” she pointed out.

“Emily has spent more than ten years as best friends with the younger brother who’s gone his whole life hearing what a horrible influence I’d be on him. Trust me, I understand why your sister won’t be a fan of”-he glanced meaningfully at her-“this.”

Elena frowned. “She’s still my twin, though, and my best friend. When she sees …” her voice trailed off. It felt like a strange place to say something big and meaningful like when she sees how important you are to me. When she sees how insanely happy you make me, When she sees how wonderful you really are. When she sees that I’m falling in love with you.

Chandler heard something in the pause and pulled his eyes from the road.

“When she sees …?”

“Us,” Elena finished lamely. “I think if she’s able to see us… ToTogether she stammered slightly over her words, “you know, hanging out or whatever. She’ll be okay with it.”

He didn’t exactly look convinced. “If you say so.”

“Emily is protective of me, just as I am of her,” She didn’t want to feel defensive about the way he was immediately writing off Emily’s ability to see that she was happy or give him a second chance, but she did. “And yeah, maybe she doesn’t know you as well as I do, but she’ll get to know you. And she’ll see that you’re more than what Laura’s written you off to be.”

Sensing her discomfort, Chandler lifted her hand and kissed it. “Okay. You know her better than I do. I’ve only seen her as Elijah’s best friend. She’s protective of him too.”

Elena sighed. He wasn’t wrong. “Emily is …” She searched for the right words. “She’s like … bottled energy inside a body that can hardly hold it. It’s one of the biggest ways we’re different. She was always the ringleader when we were young because her brain never stops moving. She’s stubborn, and she’s strong-willed.” Despite her words, she was smiling. “And she’s my other half. Because she loves me,” she finished quietly. “She’ll be okay with you.”

Chandler took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t … I don’t know what it’s like to have that.” His smile was rueful, but Elena still saw the sadness clinging to the edges. “So I’m sorry if it sounded like I was questioning your sister. You’ve got a pretty big leg up on this whole family deal.”This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

In answer, she squeezed his hand, and she saw the way his chest and shoulders relaxed. “You’ll be fine.” At his skeptical look, she laughed. “You will.”

“I’m glad you have so much faith in me, love.” His tone was wry, but she heard what was buried beneath it. “Don’t know that I’ve earned it, but it’s appreciated.”

Her finger traced small circles over the rough knuckles on his big, warm hand. “Will you come with me to the dinner then?”

A sweeter, softer kind of butterfly took off inside of her body the moment she asked. It wasn’t about sex. It wasn’t about how he made her feel when he looked at her with want and desire.

This was about having him sitting next to her at a dinner table and knowing she could reach for his hand. It was letting him know that his presence mattered to her. That she’d crave the normal, in-between things when he wasn’t around her.

Chandler took a moment to answer, but when he did, his voice was a little rough, a little low. “Yeah, love. I can give it a shot.”

The rest of their drive was music and easy conversation, and the closer they got to Vacaville, she felt a slow tension creeping in-between her shoulder blades. The scenery was so familiar to her that she couldn’t use it as a suitable distraction over what may or may not wait for them at Emily’s dinner.