Flames In The Fire

THREE

*Flashback*

Ellie POV

I slip into a pale pink dress and pink sandals. I look for my pink designer purse. I cannot keep up with anything anymore. I go downstairs to see if I left it in the living room. I hear the car already outside to take me to the wedding reception. I missed the wedding, but I will make the reception. My mother will kill me if I do not make an appearance at her best friend Teresa’s daughter’s wedding. Maybe it will not be too bad. I might see some people from high school. 

I left for college right after graduation, but I had to return due to severe migraines and fatigue. I will start back next semester. In the meantime, I plan to work for my father and rest as much as possible. I finally locate my purse and run out the door to a very annoyed driver.

“Your mother is going to kill me if I do not get you to the reception?” the driver says.

“Relax, William, it is only fifteen minutes away,” I say as I get into the car. I miss driving. The doctor says I cannot drive until the migraines stop. 

William gets into the car. “You do realize you are very late, miss,” William says.

“I am sorry. You are waiting for me, right?” I ask him.

“No, I believe your mother will be bringing you home,” William says.

“Damn, I will find a friend to bring me home. I cannot deal with her trying to nurse me today. I am just fine,” I say.

William looks at me and grins. I am fine. I am only tired. I wish everyone would give me some space. William drives the fifteen minutes to the reception hall. I get out of the car before he can open the door for me. I am not in the mood to be here. I just want to get this over with as quickly as possible. 

I walk into the reception. I look around, looking for the bride and groom. Everyone seems to be having a wonderful time. The room is decorated mainly blue, with fairy lights everywhere. It is so dark in here. At least I do not have to worry about getting a headache. I look over to see Noah making a mad dash for me. 

“Hey, Daniela,” Noah slurs. He has obviously had a lot to drink. “Celebrating your sister's wedding, I see,” I say.

“It is really good to see you,” Noah slurs. “You too,” I say. I start to make my way in the other direction when he takes my arm. “Listen, John is here, and he wants you to come to talk to him,” Noah says.

“Oh, he does. Where is he?” I ask. Noah points to the bar. John Bradley, wow, I always thought he was hot. He was on the football team, and I was a cheerleader, but he never talked to me. I believe he ran in the other direction any time I got near him. 

“He is over at the bar,” Noah says, pointing at John. I look over and see him. Wow, I look over to see John sitting at the bar. He looks like he wants to be here as much as I do. 

“I have to find mother and your sister, and then I will be over to say hi,” I say. “Cool,” Noah says as he walks away. I watch him walk back to the bar. I make my rounds quickly to let my mother know I made it and I speak to the beautiful bride. If I had driven myself, I could duck out of here now, but now I am stuck here. At least John can keep me company if he does not run away when he sees me. 

I walk over to the bar. I tap him on the shoulder. He turns around and smiles at me when he sees me. I smile back. His beautiful eyes and smile make me melt. I have always had a crush on him. 

“Hi,” I say to him. John makes a quick apology for Noah getting me over to him. He has no idea how happy it made me that he wanted to say hi. Men are intimidated by me because of my family. It is hard to meet someone. They hear my last night and then run. I am not my family. 

I spend the next thirty minutes wrapped in his arms on the dance floor. When John held me and clumsily danced with me, I felt something I have never felt before in my life. Strange that one interaction made me feel so much in such a short amount of time. 

I convince John to ditch the wedding. We sneak out the back door and run across the parking lot to his truck. 

“Will your mother not be looking for you?” John says.

I laugh. “It will be fine,” I say. He opens the door, and I get into his truck. “Where do you want to go?” John asks me. “Anywhere with you,” I answer him.

We drive twenty minutes to the lake. He pulls into the parking lot, and we walk down to the water. The lake has a lovely sandy area that my father had put in when he was mayor. The parking lot was his idea too. I think it messed up the look of the lake, but what do I know. 

We sit down in the sand close to the water. “I have a blanket in the truck if you don’t want to mess up your dress,” John says.

“I hate this dress,” I answer him. “You shouldn’t. You are breathtaking in it,” John says. 

“Thanks,” I say. 

We talk for hours about his work as a police officer, his family, and his messy breakup. I talk about school and how I want to go back. It is nice to have someone listen and not try to tell me what I need to do with my life. 

“I guess you should drive me home, John,” I say. John leans over and kisses me softly. “Sorry, I have wanted to do that since high school, and just in case I never got a chance to do it again,” John says. I lean in and kiss him. “I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity in case you never call me,” I say, smiling at him. 

John walks me back to the truck, holding my hand. “Are you going to call me?” I ask him. 

“Hell yes!” John answers.