All Chapters of Lavender: A strong woman: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

I squeal. “Put me down! Now!”“No. Learn to be nice and polite and I won’t treat you like a child. As long as you act like one, however, I’ll treat you like one.” He says, shutting off the TV, grabbing my purse and leaving the apartment.“Put me down, or else-““What? What will you do?” he cuts me off and I stomp my feet in the air, achieving absolutely nothing.“I really hate it when you lift me up.” I say, huffing, but I receive no reply, and in the next minute, I’m put down on the passenger seat of his black car. I cross my arms over my chest and he shuts the door. “You will be the one to give him the hundred bucks if he persists.” I declare when he starts the car.“Okay, whatever.” Neither of us says anything for about a minute. “You look really beautiful.” He breaks the silence.“I know, I always do.” I say, looking out the window.I just know he rolled his eyes. “I meant like, you’re wearing a dress. I usually see you in leggings. It suits you.” He elaborates.After a while, he

“Eli.” I blurt out, trying to stop him, then frantically try to think of something to say. “It’s Marissa, do you remember me?”I can see how confused he is by the way his parted mouth closes slightly and he quickly looks around the room.Oh, please, Eli, you’re smart, go along with me. James looks just as confused but in a much less cute way.“Marissa. Yes.” Eli finally stutters and tilts his head to the side a little. Awkward silence has spread around the room. I clear my throat. “H-How have you been?”It takes almost a minute for him to reply. “I – Well.” He takes a breath. “Would you mind stepping outside with me for a second?”“Yes, of course.” I stammer and grab my jacket. James grabs Eli’s arm and looks at him, unhappy, but he reassures him. “It’s okay, I know her.”I make it a point not to look at James as I pass him by and follow Eli outside. When I close the door, he jumps at me and wraps his arms around me and I feel tears run down my eyes. “Eli. Oh, my God. Is it really you

I gently put my hand on top of the hand he has on my waist, and I slowly trace my fingers over it, then lift it off my waist. To the beat of the music, I turn around so that my back is to his front and I put my hands on his thighs, then slowly trail them down his legs as I slowly squat. I could swear I felt his leg twitch, and I smirk, standing up and turning around.I put my hands on his chest, pushing him backwards and down into a sofa, then climb on top of him, straddling his thighs. I throw my hair on one side and grab his hair, pulling his head backwards and exposing his throat. His lips part and his tongue darts out, wetting them and my eyes focus on them, as I gulp. Subconsciously I feel his hands as they grab on to my hips. “Holy shit. What are you, a stripper or something?” He asks quietly and my nausea intensifies. For a second, he looks like he’s not joking.“Oh, fuck! Go get a room, guys, this is public space!” I hear Jack’s voice shout over the sound of the music, and I

Taking a deep breath, I stand up and get dressed, then realize I’m standing in his room for the first time. Smiling a little, I take a few short steps and trace the furniture with tips of my fingers, observing his aesthetic.Everything is light wood and the bedding is white, polar opposite to my black. It’s all a little disorganized and messy, but it smells nice. It smells like… Lavender.I chuckle and then shake my head.This is for the best.When I ascend the stairs, I almost crash into Eli, who’s waiting for me outside the door.“God, you scared me.” I jump a little.He winces. “Sorry. I just heard the fight. Are you okay?” he asks softly and I nod convincingly. “Yes, absolutely, why wouldn’t I be?” I reply and he purses his lips.“You know, you don’t have to always be okay.” He says and I look at him like he’s an idiot.“Of course I do, what are you talking about? If I lose my shit, everything goes to hell.” I place my hand on his shoulder. “But I really am fine, don’t worry.”“W

Maria nods. "Why would anyone do that? Like, did he kill someone and sent it anonymously by mail to Europe so it would never be found?"I groan. "You're overreacting. Maybe he was protecting it or something, I don't know. You can't make him into a killer just 'cuz you don't like him. That's ridiculous." If everyone thought that way, I'd already be in jail.I stand up and head back out, refusing to listen to people taking shit about someone I liked. I know the girls haven't had it good, but there are people out there that are much worse than David could ever be. I don't understand how they don't realize that. I make extra effort to smile at David on my way out, feeling bad for him, and stop on my way to the stage by Kai's desk. "Hello, champ. You okay? Your plants fine?"I take his glass of beer in my hand and make two big gulps, making him laugh. "My plants are fine, why wouldn't they be?"He shrugs. "I dunno. You look the way you did when your Bonsai caught a bug. Defeated."I cring