Blue Violet - By Abigail Owen Page 0,18

against their cars to stretch out their muscles Alex said, “Breakfast?”

“Sorry. Can’t. I have some more studying to do for class.” Ellie lied.

“Maybe tomorrow, then,” he said, trying not to appear disappointed.

Ellie’s heart rate picked up and she smothered a dorky grin. “Sure.”

“Same time and place?”

Ellie nodded. “See you here.”

They hopped in their cars and with a wave, both drove away.

*****

Alex headed home from his run with Ellie with mixed feelings. She really was adorable, although a little reticent about her background. When he’d seen her at the coffee shop the previous morning, he’d thought about walking away before she’d noticed him. But something about her drew him to her, and he’d approached her despite all the reasons he knew he shouldn’t. And then he’d gone and not only asked to run with her, but he’d practically insisted on it. And now he’d made it a standing thing between them.

What are you doing Alex? He questioned himself. As much as everything in him insisted that he pursue her, it simply wasn’t possible. And beyond stupid. Regardless of the age difference, he might be putting her in danger based on Lucy’s latest premonitions. I have no choice. I’ll keep everything light and casual with Ellie, and walk away if things got intense. He made the mental vow.

And then he immediately went back on those few good intensions by texting her again later that night.

“Hey.”

“Hey back atchya.” Alex chuckled. He loved her sassy little text comebacks.

“Had fun on our run this morning.”

“ : ) Me too.”

“We still on for tomorrow?”

“Same bat time, same bat channel.”

Alex shook his head, completely confused. “Huh?”

“Didn’t you ever watch that old hokey Batman show on TV?”

“Lol. Can’t say that I did.”

“Sheesh. I thought everyone knew that expression. You missed out.”

“Sounds like it. See you tomorrow.”

“With bells on.”

Chapter 11

Ellie’s life fell into a pattern. At school, there were a few more people she recognized. A few more friendly faces in the halls. Her days of being the focal point of everyone’s curiosity were over. Now she was just another regular student.

Meanwhile, she was becoming addicted to her mornings with Alex. They’d take a quick run around the lake and then breakfast at the little shop where they’d bumped into each other the first time. They chatted about any and everything, a casual comfort stealing into their interaction that had Ellie opening up a little bit more each day.

She felt a little thrill when she thought about their time together, despite the fact that he treated her more like a little sister than anything else. A disappointment she chose to ignore for the time being. And he’d stopped the flirty little texts. She wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that either. Thankfully, Griffin had kept whatever thoughts he had about the situation to himself.

Ellie spent time with the Adelaide, Lila, and Nate at school, and felt like they were becoming true friends. Although they never mentioned how Alex and Ellie met every morning to run. After the first day, Griffin informed her that Alex hadn’t shared this fact with his family yet. So Ellie kept their secret.

One day, as she was just about to get into her car, Ellie heard someone calling her name and turned around.

“How’s it going?” Adelaide asked once she made her way over. She searched in her purse, pulled out sunglasses, and popped them on.

“Same ol’, same ol’.” Ellie grinned, leaning an arm along the top of the car door.

Adelaide got straight to the point. “So, I know it’s been a while since I asked…” She gave Ellie an apologetic look. “But things seem to have calmed down at home since Alex got back. So how about that study session we talked about?”

Ellie had been patiently waiting for this invitation. Griffin had assured her that it would come eventually, but it had been almost two months and she’d started to lose hope. “Sure! That sounds great!”

“Okay. So how does Thursday night sound to you?”

They had a French test coming up, so it was perfect timing. Ellie had a ready answer this time, and, for once, was thankful for the recent snowfall.

“Um…” Ellie feigned remorseful surprise. “I’d love to come over, except my family doesn’t feel comfortable with me driving all the way to your house in the dark while it’s snowing. We didn’t have snow very often where I was in Texas, and I’m not very good at driving in it yet.”

“Oh.” Adelaide bit her lip, clearly disappointed. But Ellie had a plan. She