Parting Chances (Fighting Chance #1) Read online

  I went through my nighttime routine, slipping into my pajamas, washing my face and brushing my teeth—twice. If I was going to be sleeping anywhere near Eli, my breath was going to smell minty fresh all night long. When I was unable to hide in the bathroom any longer, I returned to Eli’s room. Eli sat on the edge of his bed, holding his clothes in his hand when I entered. He glanced up when I set my bag in the corner and gave me a soft smile.

  “Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to take a quick shower.” And with that, he left me alone in his room.

  Right. Make myself comfortable. That was easier said than done. Especially since he was just down the hall…in the shower…naked.

  Oh god, Haley! Focus on something else. Anything else.

  I stared at his bed, unsure of what to do. If he really was planning on sleeping in the bed with me, I didn’t know which side he usually slept on. Or was he more of a “take up the entire bed” kind of guy. Oh man, it got more awkward the longer I stood there. Instead of crawling under the covers like I wanted to do, I perched myself on the edge of the mattress and scrolled through my phone. It was too early for any normal person to be awake, but I needed something to do while I waited for Eli to get done with his shower… And there I went, thinking of him naked again. Damn it.

  I was flipping through Instagram when a freshly-showered Eli walked back in. He wore those sweatpants I’d seen him in before, and thankfully he had a shirt on. He chuckled when he saw me sitting on the very edge of his bed, but didn’t say anything as he continued to his closet.

  “Sorry, I didn’t know which side you usually slept on.” That made him freeze and turn slowly back towards me.

  “I usually sleep on that side but end up taking up the whole bed.” He grinned at me sheepishly. “But I thought I was sleeping on the floor.”

  Great, we were back to this point. “The bed’s big enough for the two of us.” Had I really just said that? By the look on Eli’s face, yes, yes I had.

  “You sure?” He was still standing by his closet, and his question gave me an out. But I was positive I didn’t want it.

  “Get your butt in bed.” I grinned at him as I slid under the covers. The flash of heat in his eyes was noticeable as he took me in, lying in his bed. My heart sped up as he continued to stare at me. “Okay, seriously, you sure do know how to make a girl feel uncomfortable,” I mumbled. I kind of hoped he hadn’t heard me, but by the way his posture changed, I was pretty sure he had.

  He quickly climbed in next to me and pulled me close to him, resting my head on his chest. “Sorry. You just have no idea how much you affect me.” The sound of his heart beating was lulling me to sleep. I’m pretty sure I mumbled something about how I did know, before I fell off to sleep.

  ***

  Beep! Beep! Beep!

  My body jolted at the sound of an alarm going off. I reached my arm out to smack the snooze and hit something warm instead. Beep! Beep! Beep! Oh hell, that was so annoying. When had I changed my alarm from music to the annoying buzzer? I hit at the clock again, and once again, hit something warm and soft.

  What the…? I turned my head to see what was in the way and lost my breath when Eli’s face came into view. That soft warm thing I was hitting was his face. Oh god. I groaned and yanked the blankets up to my face to hide my embarrassment.

  Beep! Beep! Beep! Where the crap was his stupid alarm? I propped myself up on my elbows and glanced at the table on his side. It was empty of a clock. Looking over at the table on my side, I found the culprit. I tried smacking the top, like I would to mine, but nothing happened. The stupid beeping just kept blaring. A few more beats from my fist, and nothing happened. If anything, it seemed like the beeps got louder. Throwing myself back on my pillow, I let out another groan.

  “Eli! Your stupid alarm won’t shut up!” I elbowed his ribs, finally managing to wake him.

  “Woman, stop hitting me,” he mumbled and attempted to turn over. I caught his arm and clutched tightly.

  “Eli,” I whined. “The alarm.”

  He finally seemed to acknowledge the beeps and reached his arm out to hit it. I shifted my head just in time, before his arm came down on the pillow.

  “Pretty sure I’m still here.”

  Eli turned to face me, his eyes wide. “Crap, sorry! I usually wake up alone.” He scrambled across me and finally shut off the alarm. The silence that filled the room was deafening. And I would have questioned his choice of words. He usually woke up alone. What did that mean? But any coherent thought flew from my mind because in the process of him shutting the alarm off, he had managed to position himself right over me. He was now propped up on his elbows staring down at me.

  “Sorry about that.” He grinned. His legs straddled mine and his hips pressed into me. Heat shot straight through my body.

  “Oh, you know. I just love the annoying sound of the buzzer.” I tried to laugh it off, but my voice came out shaky. As if he knew the effect he was having on me, he shifted his hips slightly causing my stomach to tighten and heat to flood the area. I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and tried to stifle the moan that I knew was coming. It didn’t help, and a breathy sigh escaped. Eli’s eyes darkened as he stared down at my lips, and he shifted his hips again. I didn’t even bother covering up the moan that escaped this time.

  A slow smile spread across his face as he leaned down. He stopped when his nose brushed mine, his mouth only centimeters away. My heart beat wildly in my chest; I was pretty sure he was able to feel it. His chest pressed against mine, and I felt his heart keeping the same speed. The thought that he was just as affected by me as I was by him made me grin. The smile didn’t last long though as Eli brought his lips down and brushed them against mine.

  Holy hell.

  I’ve been kissed before, but just that light brush was better than anything I’ve felt before. I’m pretty sure you could actually see the sparks when our lips met. He pulled back slightly, meeting my eyes with his as he gave me a questioning look. Why on Earth was he questioning this? Couldn’t he tell from the moans that I was so ready? To answer his unspoken question, I lifted my hips slightly, circling them against his. The sharp hiss that escaped his mouth almost undid me, but I got my point across. His lips crashed into mine, consuming me with his want. I matched his pace and couldn’t stop the moan building in my throat. His tongue ran against my lips, and I parted them, letting him in and our tongues danced with each other. The minty taste that lingered in his mouth broke me out of the trance I was in for a moment, wondering what mine smelled like. But Eli kept stroking my tongue, bringing me back to the present. He didn’t have an issue with it, so I didn’t either.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him even closer. My hips moved against his in perfect rhythm, our lips never breaking. A groan rumbled through his throat, making the fire burn through my body faster. This was worth the months of sexual tension that had built between us. I slid my legs to the outside of his and wrapped them around him. The sensation increased as I switched position, and the moan that passed through my lips echoed throughout the room. He moved his lips down my neck, kissing and nibbling from one side to the other. He moved one hand to my stomach and started rubbing small circles over my tank top. He kissed his way back to my mouth as his hand slowly trailed up my body. His thumb brushed the underside of my breast. My body trembled under his as a throaty groan escaped my lips. I felt his hand move up more and…

  Bang! Bang! Bang! Eli jerked back and rolled off me to his side of the bed. Our breaths came out heavy and uneven as we both stared at the door. Had I been too loud? Did the entire house know what we were doing?

  Bang! Bang! “Hales? Hales are you awake?” Kyler’s voice came through the door.

  “Um… yeah.” My voice came out shaky and hoarse.

  “Good! So I forgot my computer at home. Can I use yours for this shift?” Kyler yelled through the door. I heard Eli grumble and felt his head slam into his pillow.

  “Yeah, sure. You didn’t even h
ave to ask.” I bit my lip and tried not laugh. I’d forgotten the house was full of people.

  “Kind of did. I don’t know your password.”

  “Oh, right.” I sighed. “It’s Cavanaugh. All lowercase.”

  “That’s such an easy password. Anyone could steal it.” Kyler laughed from the other side of the door.

  “Ky, I think if someone is accessing my computer, we’d have bigger issues than just them logging onto it. You know, like them stealing it first.” I rolled my eyes even though she couldn’t see.

  “Yeah, yeah. Thanks Hales!” Kyler said. “Carry on with what you were doing.” Oh shit, had she heard? “Good morning Eli.” Kyler laughed through the door before I heard her feet on the stairs.

  Yep, she knew.

  Eli started laughing and pulled me to his chest. I wasn’t sure if it was funny or if I should die from embarrassment, but I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped.

  “Kill me now,” I groaned into his chest. His arm tightened around me, and his laughter continued.

  “Oh no. That was the best wake up I’ve ever had.” He kissed the top of my head. I closed my eyes, smiling at what had happened between Eli and I, but drained from all the emotions I was just put through. I snuggled in closer and let his heartbeat sing me back to sleep.

  The next two weeks flew by. After that first night of trivia, we hadn’t had any more hot and heavy make-out sessions, which was probably for the best since it was incredibly awkward facing everyone once we went downstairs. We ended up finishing in 21st place—way better than the 257th place from the year before. As we left, Noah gave us a pep talk about how this had been great and next year we were bound to crack the top ten. We had all just nodded our sleepy heads and went home to crawl into the comforts of our own beds. Though it was hard for me to fall asleep that first night without Eli sleeping next to me. How he had affected me so much in two days, I’ll never know, but I honestly wasn’t going to complain about it. Especially since the first week after trivia we’d only seen each other at school since I was putting in as much time at work as I could. Robb may have been a cool boss, but he wasn’t thrilled when I asked for a week off for Christmas.

  Finals came the second week, and between studying and taking the exams and working, I barely had time to see Eli. We had one study date for the Chemistry final. But since the final was on Wednesday, we met up Tuesday night to cram. Our final for our animation class was also on Tuesday, so I hadn’t seen him since we parted ways after Chem on Wednesday.

  The campus was quiet as most people were home for winter break. I’d been working double shifts over the weekend, so the only thing I saw was the Chapman Buzz, my car, and my apartment. Eli and I talked on the phone a few times, but I wasn’t entirely sure when he was leaving for his mom’s house. I had figured he’d already left, and that made my heart hurt a little. Who knew when I’d see him again?

  I lugged my suitcase down the apartment stairs to my car. I only had this week off and wanted to spend as much time with my family as I could. Caleb and Emma had arrived on Saturday and were only in town for the week. And the last time I’d called home, I was only able to talk to Dad since Mom was sleeping. He didn’t say exactly how she was doing, but by the exhaustion and sadness in his voice, I had to assume she was worse. And being worse than when I was home for Thanksgiving made my heart break.

  My car was covered in a dusting of snow when I reached it. Great, just what I wanted to do—drive home two hours while it was snowing. I popped my trunk and tossed my suitcase in the back next to the presents I had loaded earlier. Wrapping my jacket around me tighter, I slid into the driver’s seat and shut the door against the frigid air. I turned the key in the ignition.

  Nothing. The car didn’t crank. It didn’t sputter to life. It didn’t do anything. Shit. I tried again even though I knew nothing was going to happen. And I was right. Shit, shit, shit! I slammed my hands onto the steering wheel. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the light switch was turned on. I let out a groan. Tears formed in my eyes when I realized I wouldn’t be making it home today. At least, not until I could get AAA here. I opened my glove box and searched around for their card. When I found it, I called the number on the back but was met with a wait time. An hour wait time. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I hung up. I’d call Dad. He’d know what to do.

  As I dialed the familiar number my phone rang. Eli’s name popped up on the screen, and despite the tears running down my face, a smile formed. I sniffed and answered.

  “Hi.” My voice was soft and wavered. I had never been good at covering up my emotions.

  “Haley? What’s wrong?” Eli sounded slightly panicked, which made me cry harder.

  “Oh, nothing. Aside from my stupid car not starting, and now I have no way of getting home. And I can’t get ahold of AAA because there is a freaking wait. Like everyone has a dead car right now.” I was rambling, and most of my words came out with a quiver. Eli sighed on his end.

  “Christ, woman. I thought something horrible happened.”

  “This is horrible!” I screeched. “I can’t get home! Didn’t you hear me? My family is all at home waiting for me, and I can’t get there! I’m not going to be home for Christmas.” Okay, I knew I was being overly dramatic, and I knew eventually I would get home, but I wanted to be there immediately.

  “I’m not saying that isn’t an issue. Yes, it is. But Hales, I live just an hour west of you, on the same highway. I can give you a lift.” His words echoed through my mind. Once again, he was coming to my rescue.

  “Really?” I blubbered into the phone.

  Eli chuckled. “Yes, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Go inside. Warm up. I’ll see you soon.” With that, he ended the call and left me grinning through my tears.

  The cold started seeping through my coat, and I realized my car was not running, and it was only about ten degrees outside. I flipped my hood over my head and ran from my car to my apartment, letting out a sigh when I stepped into the warmth. While I waited on Eli, I called my Dad to let him know what was going on. He, of course, knew how to take control of the situation and told me he would take care of everything and my car would be good to go when I got back after Christmas.

  When I hung up with him, I still had ten minutes before Eli would be arriving, and I was still slightly frozen. I made myself a cup a tea, transferred it into my thermos, and perched myself on the armrest of the couch. I was next to the window and had a perfect view of the parking lot. I’d be out the door as soon as I saw Eli’s car. As I took a sip of my tea, I saw headlights turn into the parking lot. Immediately, I slung on my coat, grabbed my keys, and headed out into the chilly night. After locking up, I ran down the stairs to meet him. He helped get all my stuff from my car to his, and in no time, we were in the warmth of his car, thawing our fingers next to the vents.

  “Hi.” I finally spoke up. We hadn’t said a word to each other as we loaded my stuff into his car.

  “Hi.” He grinned over at me, leaning across his center console and brushing a small kiss on my lips. My body instantly warmed at his touch.

  “Thank for the lift,” I mumbled as he returned to his side of the car.

  “It’s not a problem. I’m going in that direction anyway.” He drove out of the parking spot, and we were on our way out of town. The snow came down in big puffy flakes, and the roads were covered in white.

  “It’s not just that. I kind of hate driving in the snow, so is it bad to be happy that my car isn’t working right now?” My question was just met with his chuckle, and his fingers laced through mine.

  “I’m also kind of glad your car isn’t working right now.” He gave my hand a squeeze but kept his attention on the road.

  “So what are your plans for break?” I asked.

  “I’m going to my dad’s for early Christmas with his family. I’ll be back at my mom’s on Christmas Eve, and we’ll do the family thing there. I’m coming back on the 26th because I have to work.” He paused and glanced over
at me. “I mean, is that good for you? I can pick you up on the 26th if you want.”

  Honestly, I hadn’t even thought about how I would get back. I maybe thought my dad could just drive me home, but Eli’s plans were spot on with mine.

  “That works perfectly.” I leaned against the headrest and watched the snow drift around us.

  “What about you? What are your plans?”

  “Oh, I’m not even sure. Thanksgiving was completely different than our normal tradition, so I don’t even know what to expect now. I’m sure my mom is worse…” I trailed off as I started to get choked up. This was going to be the last holiday with my mom, and I wasn’t even sure she would be coherent enough for it. My eyes teared at the thought of that. Eli squeezed my hand, breaking me out of those horrible thoughts.

  “It’ll be okay. You’ll be with family.”

  I wanted to believe him. I desperately wanted to believe every word that came out of his mouth, but I knew everything would not be okay.

  Instead of replying to him, I plastered on a small smile and gripped his hand. I stared out the window, watching the bare trees fly by.

  ***

  “Hales, we’re here.” Eli nudged my arm lightly as I opened my eyes. My parents’ house was outside my window. I must have dozed off because I barely remembered the trip.

  “How did you get here? I never gave you directions.”

  Eli was all knight-in-shining-armorish, but I doubt he could find his way to my parents’ house on his own.

  “Noah gave me your address.” He smirked, then pointed to his GPS.