Always Eli by Charlie Novak
Chapter Nine
Tristan
The crisp morningair of late September nipped at my skin as I stepped outside, Indy and Solo bouncing around my feet as I tried to lock the back door. It wasn’t even seven in the morning, and grey clouds hung across the sky. Autumn had well and truly arrived, and I was happy to see it. The golden glow of the rising sun began to appear over the horizon, breaking through the clouds, and in the distance, I could just about make out the towers of Lincoln Cathedral.
I lived in a small village north of the city. It was easy for me to get to work and into the city centre, but I still got to immerse myself in rural life. Growing up, all I’d wanted to do was escape, but after living in London for two years, I’d wanted nothing more than to go back to the calm, quiet pace of the Lincolnshire countryside. When I’d moved back, it had felt like coming home.
I led the dogs around the back of the house and out into the lane, heading towards the nearby fields which we could walk around. They’d had wheat in all summer, but that had now been replaced by deep furrows where the land had been turned over. I let Indy and Solo off their leads as soon as we reached the fields, and they shot off ahead of me, hoping to find some of the local rabbit population to annoy. I dug my hands into my pockets and tramped along the grass path, lost in my thoughts.
Last night had been amazing. A Mamma Mia! singalong wouldn’t have ever been on my list of things to do, but I’d had more fun than I’d expected. Eli had encouraged me to step out of my very small comfort zone, and I’d ended up singing my heart out, not caring if I got the lyrics wrong. We’d even gotten up and danced at the end when virtually the entire audience had been on their feet. My dancing was even worse than my singing, but Eli hadn’t cared, hadn’t criticised, and hadn’t pushed me to do more. He’d just laughed while throwing his best seventies-style dance moves, radiating sheer joy while he did so.
It hadn’t been a date, at least I didn’t think it had. But it had been the most fun I’d had with a man in a long time.
Richard had always said Eli was careless and reckless, and I’d always agreed, having no more than a few brief interactions on which to base my assumptions, but now I couldn’t see any of that. All I could see was a man who lived every moment to the fullest, threw caution to the wind, and embraced life. He seemed to care deeply about those he loved, and he radiated fun and passion, but I sensed there was more to him than that. There was a lingering note of pain and responsibility underlying the joy.
I got the feeling Eli liked to pretend he didn’t care what people thought when underneath he cared a great deal.
“He’s nothing like I thought,” I muttered to myself. I looked up and realised I’d walked nearly all the way around two fields without realising. I whistled and waited for Indy and Solo to make a reappearance from under the nearest hedge, shaking leaves and dew from their chocolate coats. They pottered up to me, and I reached down to rub their heads before clipping on their leads.
“Good boys,” I said. “Time for breakfast?”
Solo, who always seemed to understand any words related to food, huffed happily.
When I got to the house, I noticed the kitchen light was on. The back door was unlocked, and when I pushed it open I heard the soft strains of Billie Eilish echoing out of the speakers. I shook my head and smiled to myself because I knew exactly who was inside.
“Morning, Alexis,” I said as I threw the doors open and let the dogs in, toeing my boots off on the mat. “Don’t you have food at your house?”
My sister, who stood near the oven cracking eggs into a pasta bowl, laughed as she turned to face me. Her caramel-coloured hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders, the long sleeves of her floral-patterned dress pushed back over her elbows. Alexis oozed a casual bohemian air, taking life at her own charming pace and making the world bend to her will. She never seemed to be in a rush about anything. I’d never managed to exude her level of charm no matter how hard I’d tried. Alexis was truly unique like that.
She lived in the cottage next door to me because we’d bought them as a pair with the money I had from London and a huge chunk of inheritance from our paternal grandparents. We’d turned the garden into a communal one, and despite the fact we had separate houses, we spent as much time with each other as apart whenever she was around. She was the only member of my family I’d ever been close to since our parents weren’t particularly interested in us, and we’d built a tiny shared life together. Just her and me and the dogs.
“Not really,” she said. “I only got back from London last night, and I haven’t been shopping. I thought we could have breakfast together. I’m making French toast.”
“With cinnamon?”
“Of course. And ice cream.”
“There’s ice cream?” I asked, frowning as I headed through the kitchen to the tiny utility room tacked onto the side where I stored the dogs’ food. Indy and Solo were already waiting, looking at me forlornly as if they’d expire at any minute. You’d think they didn’t get two meals a day and whatever treats Alexis or my dog walker, Bob, slipped them.
“There is now.” Alexis smiled and began beating the eggs, sprinkling in cinnamon as she did so. “You can’t have French toast without ice cream.”
“For breakfast?”
“It’s Monday. And life must always be full of joy,” she said. “How was your weekend?”
“It was fine.” I mixed the dogs’ food and put their bowls on the floor, chuckling to myself at the way Indy’s paws did tiny tippy-taps on the tiles in excitement.
“Did you do anything fun?”
Alexis was always telling me I needed more excitement in my life. More joie de vivre. Usually I didn’t have anything to tell her. “Yes, I did,” I said, wandering back into the kitchen and realising Alexis already had a pot of tea stewing under the knitted cosy she’d made when she was fifteen. It had a wonky rainbow pattern and a bright yellow pom-pom on top. “I went to a Mamma Mia! singalong with a friend at Lincoln Castle.” Alexis spun on the spot and stared at me, her mouth hanging slightly open. I chuckled because I’d never seen her so shocked. “If the wind changes, your face will stay like that.”
“I’m sorry, I’m just trying to process the words you and Mamma Mia! singalong.”
“Am I that boring?”
“Yes,” she said with a smile. “But also no. It’s just not something I’d expect from you. Or Richard if I’m honest. It doesn’t seem like his sort of thing.”
“I didn’t go with Richard,” I said as I finished making two cups of tea. I slid one onto the counter next to Alexis, trying to avoid her gaze.
“Who did you go with then?”
“Just a friend.” I wrapped my fingers around my mug and sipped my tea. “His name’s Eli. He just started at the office. He’s doing Jaz’s maternity cover.”
I wondered if Alexis would remember Richard had a brother called Eli, but if she did, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she began buttering slices of bread and dipping them into the eggs. My stomach rumbled. “And he’s just a friend?”
“Yes.” I didn’t tack for now onto the end, even though I suddenly wanted it to be true. The realisation stunned me, clobbering me around the head and leaving me reeling. I suddenly needed a moment of space. “Are you okay if I go and grab a quick shower while this cooks?” I asked. “I need to get changed for work.”
“Sure. You okay?”
“Just realised what the time was.” I was already halfway out the kitchen and up the stairs. I managed to catch the bathroom door behind me before it slammed shut, throwing the lock in place. I reached into the shower and turned it on, letting the water hammer into the tray while I shed my dog-walking clothes. Before I climbed in, I caught a glance of myself in the mirror—blond hair askew, cheeks flushed from the cold air and the warm kitchen. I’d never considered myself particularly handsome, although Alexis and other boyfriends had told me otherwise. I’d just always thought they were being polite. But looking at myself now, perhaps there’d been some merit to their words. I’d caught Eli looking at me a few times over the last week, and I’d thought he was just watching me to make sure I didn’t break his printer again. But maybe he was interested in me.
My cock twitched at the thought of Eli. I wrapped my fingers around my shaft and stroked myself to full hardness, watching my reflection in the mirror. I’d never been fucked in front of a mirror before, but the thought of Eli jerking me off or bending me over the sink and fucking me and making me watch had precum dripping from my slit. I bit my lip to stop a groan from escaping as I stroked myself faster, spreading precum across my skin. I thought about Eli on his knees in front of me, sucking on my cock in the same obscene way he’d demonstrated on the ice lolly at the bar. God, if he did that, I’d be done for.
There was something about the way Eli had looked at me that made me feel wanted. Desired even. His eyes had seared into my soul with a laser focus and left the images of his mouth branded there.
“Oh… oh… fuck,” I said, breathing the words so they’d be lost under the sound of the shower. I knew I should be doing this in there, but I couldn’t stop watching myself and the way my dick fucked into my fist, the head red and dripping. I was already close, my orgasm rushing towards the surface with ever increasing speed. I hadn’t done this in a while.
Thoughts of Eli filled my mind, whispers of his voice in my ear. A shiver ran down my spine as I imagined his fingers on my skin, dirty words and commands wrapping around me in a silken vise. I’d always had a weakness for dirty talk, but I’d never really had a partner that had truly excelled at it. Somehow I got the feeling it would be Eli’s forte. Just imagining him telling me what to do… what he wanted to do to me, had me gasping and panting, my hands and hips working wildly as I chased my release.
“Shit!” My cock throbbed in my hand, shooting wads of hot cum into my fist and splattering the edge of the sink. I panted, reaching for the cool porcelain to steady myself. I hadn’t meant to do that, but I wasn’t sure I completely regretted it.
I just wasn’t sure how easy it would be to look Eli in the eye when I got to work.
I didn’t end up getting to the office until after half nine. Alexis had insisted on sitting down to breakfast, and when I’d tried to argue I was going to be late, she’d pointed out that technically I ran my own separate business out of the Green & Wodehouse offices and could therefore go in whenever I pleased. I hadn’t wanted to argue, so I’d just sat and eaten my French toast with ice cream and strawberries while listening to Alexis talk about the house she was designing.
Eli was chatting with Pamela when I arrived, the two of them peering at something on Pamela’s screen. He looked up when the door opened, a smile sliding onto his face.
“Good morning, Mr. Rose,” he said, a teasing glint in his eye. “Late night?”
“No, but my sister broke into my house this morning and insisted we have breakfast together, and by the time I left, traffic was a nightmare.”
“Did you bring me any?” Eli asked, straightening up to look at me over the reception desk.
“I don’t know if French toast and ice cream travels that well.”
“Ice cream for breakfast?” He gave a dramatic gasp. “See, Pamela? You think you know a guy, and then it turns out he eats ice cream for breakfast on a Monday morning. How scandalous!”
I laughed. “Are you hinting that you want me to buy you ice cream?”
“Whatever gave you that idea? But since you offered, yes please. We can go to the ice cream shop on the corner near the cathedral.”
“It’s nearly October.”
“And? It’s never too cold for ice cream. If you had some for breakfast, I can have some for lunch.”
“Fine. We can go to the deli too,” I said, unable to stop myself from smiling. I hadn’t packed lunch anyway, and this was the perfect excuse to spend more time with Eli.
“Excellent. Orlando refused to make me lunch today, and I’m bored of Pot Noodles.”
“Surely you can make your own lunch.”
“Do you?” Eli asked, grinning sweetly, knowing full well the answer was no.
“Point taken.” I glanced across the desk for a second and noticed Pamela watching us closely, a shrewd look in her eyes. Whatever Eli and I were doing was far too obvious. “Well, I have to go and examine the mountain of emails in my inbox,” I said. “But I’ll come down about one-ish. Although I’ll be up and down a few times as I’ve got a couple of client meetings this morning and this afternoon.”
“Roger that,” Eli said. “I’ll start the coffee now so it has time to stew for you.”
I chuckled and began to head for the stairs. “If I have to drink that, so do you.”