The Forever of Ella and Micha - By Jessica Sorensen Page 0,13
she tows me around the corner of the brick restaurant and into the smoking area. It’s dark and the air feels a little damp compared to Vegas’ dry heat.
“That Naomi is a bitch.” She waves her finger as she talks.
My eyebrows furrow as I check to make sure no one is listening to us at the corner of the building. “Why? What did she do to you?”
“She didn’t do anything to me.” She crosses her arms and her face reddens with anger. “She said stuff about you.”
“Like what?”
“That you mess with Micha’s head. That you’re no good for him.”
My jaw drops. “She said that to you?”
“No, but I overheard her.” He eyes wander to a group of guys standing by the corner observing us. “She thought I was in the bathroom, but I was coming back and I heard her talking to that Chase dude, who by the way is so hot.”
“The one with a lot of tattoos and with a Mohawk thing going on?” I ask and she nods. “He doesn’t seem like your type.”
She shrugs and then quickly shakes her head. “That’s beside the point. I think Naomi wants Micha, and I don’t trust her.”
“We’ve gone over this a thousand times.” I hold my breath as a guy with a cigarette walks by and blows smoke in our direction. “I trust him.”
“I think you’re making a mistake.” She picks some mascara off her eyelashes. “I think you should ask him to quit the band.”
“No way, I would never do that to him,” I say, appalled.
“It’s your call,” she replies. “But I’m saying I smell trouble.”
“Yo, Ella May!” Micha hollers from the corner of the building and Lila and my gazes dart to him. “What are you doing?”
I glance at Lila. “Thanks for worrying about me, but it’ll be okay.”
She sighs and we walk over to Micha, who’s waiting for me with his hand extended. “Is something wrong?”
I stare into his eyes, glimmering with happiness. “No, everything’s great.”
Micha
Usually, everyone in the band crashes in the same room. Naomi takes one of the beds and the rest of us flip a coin to see who gets the other. Tonight, I get an extra room so Ella and I can have more time together.
After some charming persuading on my part, I convince Lila to sleep in the same room as the band. She doesn’t seem too thrilled about it though, since Dylan won’t stop bothering her.
Once we’re alone, Ella flops down on the bed and drapes her arm over her head. “I’m exhausted. What time is it?”
I glance down at the leather-banded watch on my wrist. “Almost three o’clock.”
“Really?” She props up on her elbows. “Do you always stay up this late?”
“Usually.” I unfasten my watch and slip off my boots, prowling toward her. “And I’m good for a few more hours at least.” I shuck off my shirt, climb onto the bed, and cover her body with mine. Her fingers trace my stomach muscles and the black cursive font of the tattoo on my ribs.
“I’ll always be with you, inside and out,” she reads. “Through hard times and helpless ones, through love, through doubt.”
I lean back a little, bring her hand to my mouth, and gently kiss her palm. “You know I wrote that for you.”
“No, you didn’t.” Her eyelids flutter as I breathe on the sensitive spot of her wrist. “You wrote that when you were, like, sixteen.”
“Actually fifteen.” I release her hand and lie down on top of her, supporting my weight with my arms. “I remember sitting down to write it and the only inspiration I had was your sad eyes—I couldn’t get them out of my head.”
She pouts. “I don’t have sad eyes, do I?”
I brush my finger along her cheekbone and underneath one of her green eyes. “You did. All the time. And sometimes you still do.”
“You look sad sometimes too,” she tells me with her auburn hair spread out across the pillow below her head. “But right now you look happy.”
“That’s because I am happy.” I start singing her the lyrics and it makes her grin broaden.
“There we go,” I say and kiss her deeply, nipping at her lip and tracing my tongue along the inside of her mouth.
She wraps her long legs around me and things turn heated. Threading my fingers through her hair, I caress her neck with my tongue until I know she’s going to have a hickey. Her shoulder shudders upward from the touch of my breath and she giggles.