Chapter twenty-three | Sexy Hoodie

I jerked away from his side as a sudden thought hit me. With eyes wide, I quickly grabbed my phone and raced down the stairs.

"Holy shit! I forgot about it!" I groaned as I skipped down two steps at a time.

His feet thundered right behind me as he followed me down.

Grabbing my hand just as I was about to swing the door open, he turned me around. "What happened, Cynthia?" Concern furrowed his brows together.

"My dad is coming home this evening, and I forgot to go grocery shopping. He will not be happy to see that we are using the refrigerator as a decoration only," I spoke frantically. "I need to make him something for dinner too."

Eli's shoulder's relaxed as he gave me a long look. "Calm down! You almost gave me a panic attack. Come on. I'll come and help you," Eli said calmly, squeezing my shoulders.

He asked me to wait a minute and then ran upstairs. He returned with his phone, keys, and wallet.

He had pulled a blue jacket over his t-shirt that read Chemistry jokes Argon. That made me smile a bit.

His nerdiness is cute.

"Come on, let's go," he said and pulled the door open for me.

"I will drive," I called out and gestured for him to give me his keys.

He gave me a long look and then nodded. He shrugged his shoulders and threw his car keys towards me.

I adjusted the seat to my size and pulled out of the driveway. The ride was silent as the GPS pointed us the way towards the nearest Target.

"So, do you have a list or something?" Eli asked as he grabbed one of the red shopping carts with bullseye logo.

I nodded and fished out the note on my mobile. It wasn't complete, but the stuff listed was enough for tonight's dinner.

I walked through the aisles, putting various items inside the cart he was dragging with him. Eli was quiet throughout the process, with a few comments on a better brand.

I grabbed two enormous packs of oreo and placed them into the cart. He made a sound at the back of his throat as he did that.

"Too much sugar," he grumbled, glaring straight at the oreo packs. I bit my lips and stifled a laugh.

Returning my attention to the list on my phone, I walked towards the meat aisle.

Just as I picked a pack of chicken drumsticks, a sweet tinkling voice, stopped me short.

"Hey, Eli!" the voice beamed.

I turned around to notice a girl in an oversized black hoodie and tight black jeans.

She was tall, around 5 feet 10 inches. Her brown hair was piled up on her head in a haphazard bun as her brown eyes twinkled with joy.

She is pulling off this sexy look even in these clothes.

The look of happiness as Eli noticed the girl was enough for me to judge the girl.

Yes, I am feeling jealous, not one of my proud moments.

"Hey, Ria. How are you?" Eli asked as he moved towards her. Both of them embraced each other in a hug that showed familiarity, making me stand there awkwardly.

"I am great," she said as they pulled back to a safe distance. Her eyes turned towards me and lingered on my hand.

It made me realize that I was still holding the chicken drumsticks in my hand and gawking at them like an idiot.

A blush crept up my face, and I placed the pack in the cart. With amusement dancing in her eyes, she turned towards Eli.

Gesturing towards me, Ria said her next words with a cheeky grin. "Your girlfriend?" Her eyes wiggled suggestively.

Eli coughed awkwardly as a blush surfaced on his face too. "No, a friend. I am here to help her grocery shopping," he got out awkwardly.

"Ria this is, Cynthia. Cynthia, meet Ria."

She leaned forward and extended a hand that I took eagerly.

"Oh, I know her, but either way, nice to meet you, Cynthia. It is good to see a pretty girl around this nerd," she joked, earning an eye roll from Eli.

"It is nice to meet you too. How do you know each other?" I asked, feeling curious as I scrutinized her personality and looks.

"Oh, I am one of his ex-girlfriends," she added nonchalantly, with a dismissive hand.

While, I, on the other hand, choked on thin air. Eli looked unaffected and didn't deny her statement.

She looked down at her watch on her phone and cursed. "I gotta leave, but see you soon, Eli and you too, Cynthia."

My mouth was agape in shock as she left her way.

"She was your ex?" I asked, feeling a shock course through me.

Eli turned and gave me an odd look. "Yes?" he asked, sounding cautious.

"Why the fuck did you break up with a girl like her? She was so sexy and nice," I exclaimed, pointing at the direction she disappeared.

Eli rubbed the back of his head as he thought about an answer. "She moved away to another city. So, we broke up... Oh, I forgot to ask why she was here."

"She has changed a lot," he added, staring at the cart.

"Eli! Catch." Ria shouted from somewhere as she threw something his way.

Eli fumbled a little but caught the object. "Use protection, kids," she snickered as she skipped away once again.

Eli cleared his throat and placed the pack of condoms in the cart.

A middle-aged woman passed by us and gave us a disgusted look. I almost flipped her a finger in return.

"You can have this. You might need it with... uh, Aaron," he added quickly.

I looked down at the flavored XL pack of condoms. Looking up, I shook my head. "I don't need it as I already have an unopened pack at home. Also, this would be too big for him."

He made a weird face at my statement. "I signed up for grocery shopping, not getting to know his dick size."

I chuckled and shook my head. Returning at around six-thirty, I placed the stuff on the kitchen shelf.

I still had half an hour to make some dinner for us.

An involuntary smile slipped on my face as I thought about my Dad. I might not show it much, but I loved my dad a lot.

"Do you need my help to put these away?" Eli asked as he gestured at the brown paper bags. I nodded and smiled thankfully.

"Do you know how to cook?" I asked as I placed the oven on preheating.

He gave a guilty look and shook his head. "I can make toast and eggs. That's it. I am more like my mom in this department," he explained as he placed the milk carton in the refrigerator.

"Can you chop some vegetables for me while I marinate the chicken?" I asked as I removed the wrapping from the packet.

As a thought invaded my mind, I whirled around to face him. "You are staying for dinner," I announced, gripping his shoulders.

He shook his head furiously, making his dark strands fly in front of his eyes. "No, I am not. Your dad is coming back after so long. So, it should be just you and your sister with him."

Even though his thoughts were right, I didn't want to sit awkwardly as my sister glared at dad. I narrowed my eyes as he groaned in frustration.

"You are joining us for dinner," I commanded. Elias scoffed in response, but I knew it was his silent acceptance.

Both of us worked together on the herb chicken recipe as I taught him some basics of cooking along with me.

No matter what, Eli was an enthusiastic learner (with literature as an exception).

When the food was almost ready, I heard the click of my sister's heels down the stairs. She came into the kitchen and scowled at the sight of Eli.

Turning towards me with a disapproving stare as her nose scrunched up in disgust, she muttered her next words. "Why is this nerd here?"

Disgust was clear in her voice as she looked at Eli like he was an insect.

Rage bubbled through me, but I reined it in. Eli was now tense as he glared daggers towards my sister.

"I am your sister's friend. So, get over it," he gritted and returned to the task at hand.

Lea gasped indignantly. Serves her right.

I returned to my work as both Eli and I ignored her presence. I could practically hear her eyes roll as she spat her next words.

"I am going out to a party. Might be back late at night."

At her words, I looked up shocked. "But Dad is coming home today. It has been a month since we met him, and you are leaving this dinner for a fucking party!" I shouted in disbelief.

She rolled her eyes at my statement and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"It is not like he is going anywhere. He will be here for a week at least," she pointed out and made her way outside.

I was too shocked to say anything back.

"Tell the old man that I said hi," she hollered from the front door and left.

I was both frozen with shock and anger, staring at the space where Lea had been a minute back. Faintly registering Eli's warmth behind my back as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

He placed his chin on my shoulder as he ran a soothing hand through my hair.

"She is a bitch. It's her loss that will not be able to have your food. Which, by the way, smells divine," he said reassuringly.

His warm breaths tickled my shoulder as his deep voice whispered right next to my ear.

I felt a pleasurable shiver zap down my spine as I shook out of the stupor.

"It also means more food for us," Eli added as an afterthought.

"I agree with you," I said as I gained my voice back. "Lea is a bitch."

Eli snorted, still hugging me close from behind. His warm breath kissed my skin as the deep rumble of his chest shook me too.

I felt myself melt in his arms as I laughed along.

He was making me fall so fast that any rationality was leaving my mind. It was both a scary and euphoric feeling.

Where we were heading was still beyond my comprehension, but I was sure of one thing. I would never regret giving my heart to him. He would cherish it no matter what.

"What are you thinking about?" he said as he pulled back from me. His warmth was replaced with cold air, making me shiver a bit.

"Nothing," I said, averting my eyes from his icy blue orbs.

We worked in silence as he hummed a tune. It was hard to guess which one it was because he was horrible at it. But I didn't tell him that.

"I have texted my parents that I am having dinner with you," he said, out of the blue. I gave him a questioning brow, and he just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Will it be weird to say that I am nervous to meet your dad? It has never happened to me before, when I met Navya's and Connor's parents. I am not even your boyfriend, to begin with, just a friend. So, is it weird? I just realized that I am rambling. So I will stop now."

I smiled at his words and pulled his cheek playfully.

"My dad is a very chill person. Even if you were my boyfriend, he wouldn't have cared. He just cares about my happiness. Even then, you are too cute to be hated by someone," I responded, trying to reassure him.

"That cute made me sound like a baby," he grumbled as I squished his face into a duck face.

We heard the front door open and heavy footsteps move across the wooden floor. "Princess?"