WHERE: eli & caroline’s apartment. WHO: @carolinerhodes & eli.
As Eli pulled his keys from the ignition, the guilt returned. Like a leaden weight on his chest, he deflated on a breath and let his head rest against the steering wheel for a long moment. When he finally looked up again, his eyes trailed to the passenger’s seat, to the impersonal gift-wrapping he’d paid for, the lacy black lingerie inside suddenly now feeling just as impersonal.
The entire ride home, he’d told himself he hadn’t done anything wrong. Hadn’t done anything wrong, and yet, he’d waited in his car until he was sure Theo had left and only then, had gone back inside to make his purchase. He’d ordered alfredo to go on a separate credit card in case he needed to explain the lunch he’d paid for on the off chance Caroline asked.
It was a hell of a lot of track covering for no wrongdoing.
He sighed again, grabbed his bags, and made his way to their apartment. The weight followed him, made each step heavy and sluggish, and he stopped outside the door to take a steadying breath before he went inside.
And when his eyes found her, his chest tightened, muscles tensed against the sudden, sharp remembrance that he loved her. She might not have set his heart on fire, might not have brought color and noise to gray silence, but as he swept up behind her to press a quick kiss to her cheek, he knew that he hadn’t wound up here on his parents’ wishes alone. “You’re home early,” he said, injecting his voice with casual calm as he set both bags down on the counter, eyeing the one with gift wrapping and wishing he could make it disappear entirely. He held up the bag from the restaurant and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “I brought you some mall pasta.”
