The Secret of Ella and Micha

Without warning, I turn around, slipping out of his grip. I secure my arms around his neck. His eyes darken as he welds our bodies back together.
    My head falls back, allowing him access as I put my weight into his lean arms. He holds me tightly, tracking kisses down the hollow of my neck, licking my collar bone, delving lower and lower as his hand sneaks for the bottom of my skirt again and the palm of his hand caresses the back of my thigh.
    He groans, cupping the back of my head with his other hand, then suddenly he pulls away. “How drunk are you?”
    I glance from left to right like there’s an answer hidden in the crowd. “I don’t know.”
    He sighs and drags his fingers through his hair. “You’re killing me, you know that?”
    “I’m sorry.” I pout.
    He laughs and directs me back over to the table. “Go meet up with Lila and I’ll be there in a bit, okay.”
    “Why? Where are you going?” I ask.
    He rubs his hand across his face and lets out a breathy laugh. “I have to go take care of some business.”
    We part ways and I go back to the kitchen like he told me. Lila’s eyes are accusing as I sit down at the table. I try not to smile, but I’m too intoxicated to care.
    “Look at you,” Lila says. “All smiley.”
    I start to say something, but spot Micha talking to Naomi in the middle of the crowd. She laughs at something he says and then the two of them head toward the hall where his bedroom is.
    I guess that was the business he had to take care of. I get up from the table and without another word I run outside into the rain.

    Micha
    Ella is killing me tonight. I’ve got a hard on so bad, it’s probably going to take an hour in an ice-cold shower to calm me down and she’s drunk, so I can’t take it any further. I head back to my room, to take care of the problem myself, when Naomi meets up with me.
    She waves her finger at me and then laughs. “You and I need to talk.”
    “I still haven’t decided!” I shout over the music.
    She takes me by the arm and tugs me down the hall, bumping people out of the way until we reach my room. She shuts the door and flips on the light. “Alright, please explain to me why it’s so hard to make the decision about something you’ve always wanted to do?”
    “I’d rather not.”
    She throws her hands in the air, exasperatedly. “I don’t get you. All you used to talk about in high school was playing in a band on the road.”
    “I still do,” I say. “But I’m not sure if I can leave people behind.
    Her face relaxes and her hands fall to her side. “I actually get that. I was worried to leave my dad alone, but I talked to him and explained why and you know what? He understood.”
    “Mine’s more complicated, Naomi.” I sit down on the bed, wishing she’d leave. “It’s not just my mom I’m worried about.”
    She sits down on the bed beside me and crosses her legs. “It’s because of Ella.”
    “Fuck, am I that obvious,” I say. “Because I always thought I was subtle.”
    She snorts a laugh. “You’ve never been subtle. And it’s not just you. It’s both of you. But you know what, you can’t center you’re life around one girl. You gotta move on and live life the way you want to.”
    She doesn’t get it. “Yeah, let’s not talk about this.”
    “Alright.” She holds her hands up. “Sorry, I’ll let you be. I just wanted to give you something to think about.”
    She pats me on the knee before heading out into the hall. Once the door shuts, I fall back onto my bed. Maybe she’s right. Maybe it is time to let go of her.
    “Fuck.” I need resolution.
    My eyes wander toward Ella’s house. It is dark, except for one light. The bathroom where her mother died. That light hasn’t been on for eight months. Why is it on now?

Chapter 15

    8 months earlier…

    Ella
    “You’re not seriously going to climb up that tree, are you?” Micha frowns at me through the dark. He’s dressed in a pair of sexy jeans that make his butt look good and his black t-shirt fits him perfectly. “You’re gonna break your neck.”
    I rub my hands together and give him a devious look. “You know how much I love a challenge.”
    From behind him, the moon shines from the sky and his blonde hair nearly glows. “Yeah, but you’re a little out of it right now and I don’t think you should be climbing up any trees.”
    “I’ll be fine.” I wave him off, pushing the sleeves of my leather jacket up. He always worries about me. I like