Chapter Text
Ellie’s long, callused fingers plucked at her guitar strings in rhythmic manner, enjoying the unnamed melody that had been stuck in her head for weeks. The Texas heat blasted against her pale skin creating a beading sheen of sweat on her brow. The base of her guitar was a little sticky from the humidity on her hands and wiping her beading brow every so often in attempt to keep the burning sensation out of her eyes.
She closed her eyes to the onslaught of dust that was sure to irritate them but smiled anyway. The smell of hay and old sawdust swirled around her. Sitting on the old porch she loved so much, she let the grin grow. Cicadas buzzed all around, only to be broken by the occasional sound of a disgruntled cow or restless horse.
Once the wind died down, she bent down to grab the forgotten bottle of beer at her side and took a swig, automatically wincing at how warm the liquid now was. Shrugging, she placed it back to where she found it and continued to strum.
Her mind drifted to when Joel first taught her play. She around twelve the first time he handed her his old Fender. She’d been having a lot episodes then. Waking up in the middle of the night covered in sweat. Poor Joel would tear up the stairs to get to her only for Ellie to yell at him to leave her alone. She was even angrier when he dropped her off at the therapist’s office.
She refused to go in the first couple of times. Then she sat there staring at Dr. Cruz’s abstract painting until her time was up, silent as a church mouse. In truth it was almost three months before she just kind of relented and started talking. Ellie figured Joel was going to continue to take her and Cruz was still getting paid. No one had ever cared that much to make sure she was okay. It was then her heart started to soften to Joel.
One night after a particularly bad night terror, Ellie woke crying. She could still remember dream Joel kicking her out. Telling her that she was worthless. That Joel had enough of her shit. Real Joel knocked softly and walked in, not trying to coax anything from her or make her talk about it. Instead he told her to follow him.
He led them out onto the porch, the little copper puppy excitedly wagging his tail at their feet and pulled the old guitar out. They sat there in the Texas heat, breeze hitting their faces periodically as he taught her the chords. She could remember the smell of his Brut cologne and the gentleness in his hands as he redirected her fingers when she missed a chord.
Her eyes filled with tears despite herself, not used to this kind of patience. Not used to someone using action to show care. So touched, every sarcastic remark died on her lips, instead listening to every single instruction he gave. It was that night that she thought she might love Joel. He didn’t have to do any of what he was doing but he wanted to. He wanted her to be okay and that meant the world even though she didn’t have the language to speak it at the time.
There were so many months of her fingers near bleeding, practicing and then practicing some more. Music was an escape she hadn’t known she needed, and her record collection was quite eclectic and impressive for a nineteen-year-old. Joel was a country and rock fan, passing the love of those genres down to Ellie. He had played Pearl Jam so many times while working on the Ranch she would play that particular band when she was feeling a little nostalgic. While she was quite fond of so many types of music, she held a personal affinity for nineties alternative. After many a night in this same spot, she’d learned the entire Jagged Little Pill album.
Some Saturday’s Joel would make a fire, and they would sit beside it playing songs for one another, singing surprisingly harmonious melodies. Ellie cherished those moments with the man who loved her like she was his own and maybe sometime throughout the years, that’s just what she became. Joel’s daughter.
She could hear Joel messing around in the kitchen, probably preparing their dinner. He didn’t like assistance while he was cooking, preferring Ellie or her Uncle Tommy to clean up afterwards. She guessed he didn’t like feeling crowded. She understood. That and he really did get a kick out of surprising them with something actually edible.
The first few years here at “The Ranch,” as they called it, weren’t always the best. She’d nibbled enough blackened pieces of meat and overly seasoned vegetables at the beginning. She guessed before her a well-balanced meal wasn’t a huge concern for two single guys. She’d have been happy with anything really, but Joel was insistent on sitting down together as family every evening with real food.
Then came all the charcoal and canvas sets he’d brought her throughout the years. When he’d discovered she could really draw, he started coming home with different paints, pencils and countless sketchbooks. The sentimental fool kept everything she’d ever drawn for him. She supposed his favorite was the one of his dog because that one was framed and placed in the foyer where everyone could see it.
Ellie didn’t like thinking about her life before Joel. There weren’t a lot of happy times before he came into her life. Dark times littered her memory. Lonely times with no one coming to save her from her situation. She’d once told Dr. Cruz that she didn’t remember a lot of her childhood. That concerned her to a point, but Cruz reassured her that a lot of kids who experienced trauma kind of black out the bad things. She shuddered to think what could have happened to make her brain break like that.
It wasn’t long after she had finally opened up that Sr. Cruz diagnosed Ellie with an anxiety disorder. It really wasn’t news. Deep down she knew an eleven-year-old shouldn’t have the nervous system of someone on their way to war. Her battles has just been different in stature. They’d talked through different coping mechanisms that actually eased some of what she was carrying. She supposed her beginnings were a big instigator in her mental and behavioral issues.
To her knowledge, and according to her birth certificate, she was born in some bumfuck county in Boston. Her mother died in childbirth, and she still didn’t have any information on her biological father. Yeah, she could have done one of those ancestry tests if she really cared that much but Joel was enough. He was good and kind. Anyone would be lucky to have him as a parent and searching for someone who had abandoned her before she was even born didn’t sit right with her.
Her maternal grandmother lived in Texas and was the only known blood family alive, so when she was only a week old she was sent to live with her. Unfortunately, she was elderly and sickly. Ellie was six months old when her grandmother died of a massive stroke and that’s how she ended up in child protection services. From here, she’d been in so many foster homes she couldn’t count. Most she didn’t remember she was so young.
At eleven her social worker dropped her off at a small house outside the Houston city limits in a little town called Shepard. It was a little more developed now but there was still a country feel to it. Her foster parents were an older couple and now their faces had faded like the rest. They weren’t overly nice, but they weren’t mean either. The best she could say is that they were indifferent. She would take indifferent to angry any day.
They did what they needed to do to keep her alive. Made sure she was fed and tried their best to make her go to school. She’d been to dozens of schools. Didn’t bother making friends. There was no point to that. When they sent her away, she’d never see any of those kids again. She had a tiny bedroom, and she was the only child there, so she counted that as a win.
About a month after she arrived, she became restless. There was nothing to do but watch the same five channels on an ancient television. They weren’t really the technological type, no computer to use or even a cell phone in sight. There was one phone and it was on the wall in the kitchen. She’d wondered if her social worker brought her here as punishment for all her fights and truancy?
Ellie couldn’t take it anymore. She was deep in her bones, stir crazy bored. Whispering, “Fuck it,” to herself she made her escape. Slipping out of her window, she walked aimlessly down the road enjoying the breeze. The house was always kept at some temperature from hell and she hated it. Hate the stickiness of the humidity on her skin.
There were only a couple houses on the old couple’s street. The parcels of land were huge, some going on for acres. People moved here to get out of the city. She’d lived in Houston for a while and it was busy. She understood the need for quiet. She thought that she might like a place like that one day. A place she could call home.
A couple of miles into her late-night trek sat a sizable home fenced around a considerable amount of land. Ellie was amazed at the size of it. At the time, the red painted two story house she now called home was the biggest place she had ever seen with her own eyes. She could make out the flick of horse tails and the faint moo of a cow. At the sound her interest peaked.
After climbing the great white fence and scaling down, Ellie was mesmerized by the sight in front of her. A handful of cows grazed, horses neighed in a large stall and the house itself was something within its own right. A large chicken coup the size of the old couple’s house sat about an acre out and had the wild thought of stealing an egg just so she could know whether one straight from the source would taste better.
There was a diesel double cab truck parked near backside of the house, so she snuck around in the shadows trying her hardest to not get caught before she could reach the horses. Ellie loved horses. They were one of her favorite subjects to draw, so majestic.
She’d just stepped up to the stables when a tiny bark stopped her in her tracks and a flashlight blinded her. And that was when she came face to face with Joel Miller for the first time, Spike his tiny dachshund puppy on his heels.
Ellie grinned at the memory, the puppy in question now at feet snoozing and the white in his copper fur showing his age. When she was home, the dog never left her side. Her heart clenched at the thought that he wouldn’t be around one day. She stroked the back of his ears and he huffed, rolling on his back for scratches making her chuckle. She remembered him whimpering when she left that first night, as if he knew that’s where she belonged.
After handing her a hot chocolate and sandwich, Joel drove her home not caring that she was being the rudest little bitch she knew how to be. He surprised her even more when he began showing up, asking if she’d like to learn how to ride a horse or if she’d enjoy driving his four-wheeler around his property. She’d be lying if she hadn’t been suspicious of his real intentions for a while because what middle aged man wants to hang out with a kid? A pervert. That’s who.
She could still hear the couple apologizing to Joel about her behavior and warning him against having her on his land. She could also still see his little smirk as if he disregarded all of their words as soon as they left their mouths.
But Joel ended up being one of the purest souls she ever met. He’d been through a lot, and she guess he saw that same loneliness in her. For a few months, they just hung out. She met his brother, Tommy. Learned that he was the lead foreman their construction company. That the huge five-bedroom ranch style home they lived in was once a two bedroom with little room to wiggle around and rotten siding.
Tommy and Joel had built it from the ground up, completely knocking down what was left of the little house and went from there. After half a decade, they’d created a place filled with animals and the peace Joel was desperately attempting to find.
Tommy once mentioned that Joel once had a wife and daughter during one of her first visits and that information answered a lot of the questions that she had for him. It wasn’t like she would have asked. He didn’t tell her about Sarah and Cathy until years later. That’s just how their relationship went. Joel didn’t push but neither did she. They let one another breathe until they felt like talking about it.
Even after all the effort the brothers made, she was still acting like a punk ass and honestly had no idea why Joel would even bother with her. She shuddered all the names she’d called him. At how many times she has cussed him out like someone who’d personally wronged her. Sometimes Ellie wanted him to give up and prove her right. He never did. He just consistently showed up for her even when she wasn’t sure she wanted him to.
One day she was sitting in the little old couple’s house and the next her social worker was bringing her to Joel’s. Sure, she thought that she interested him for some reason, but she had no idea he’d even inquired about adopting her. Beside the house and property she wasn’t even aware he had been well off enough to start a strenuous process like that. Especially with the way he lived.
Joel was frugal at best, but he always made sure they had the things that were important. Necessities were a given and some wants were provided just because he wanted to. He wasn’t rich by any means, but he had more than enough to put her through college without making it an issue. They weren’t like Jesse’s parents. He was born into money.
The first couple of months he fostered her, Ellie gave him complete hell. It didn’t matter that she’d deduced he was an alight guy, she’d never been given a reason to completely trust an adult and already resigned herself that she would eventually age out in the system.
Ellie skipped school, refused to eat. Sat in the humongous room set up for her and stared at the wall, hating the full size bed that felt like a cloud because sooner or later, Joel would do what all fosters did. She didn’t think she would be able to take getting used to this for it to be ripped away like everything else had. She’d push too far and he’d realize that she was a lost cause.
That day never came. Instead, he patiently listened to her rants and gave her space. He was a man of few words, but he could listen with the best of them. And the few words that did leave his lips were all of understanding and patience. He’d once said that before he had married Sarah’s mother, he was a bit of a hell raiser himself. Tommy confirmed it. There were more than a few bar brawls Tommy and Joel had to fight their way out of because Joel’s mouth became a little disrespectful.
Little by little, Ellie found she and Joel shared more in common than she had suspected. He’d learned to tame that part of himself for his family, and she supposed he’d seen that young version of himself in her. His paternal instincts had gone into overdrive with her staying under his roof and he really just wanted to do the best for her.
After beating the shit out some bully making fun of her clothes at that horrid public school she was attending, she was sure that this was it. Joel had picked her up that day, the Principal fuming at the damage she had done to the poor boy and Joel nearly flipped his lid at Ellie’s black eye instead. The one and only punch that connected before she beat the living hell out of the kid twice her size.
Joel glared at the Principal, “Is common practice in this school to punish little girls defending themselves from near grown boys almost the size of me?”
The principal stared, stuttering her words, “She taunted him.”
Joel reached down and took Ellie’s hand for the first time and she allowed it, shocked he wasn’t even upset with her, “He picked on my kid and she defended herself. Not her fault his parents didn’t teach him how to write a check his ass can’t cash. I’m taking her out of this hell hole now. If the kid wants to press charges I’ll gladly sue the hell out of them and this school,” he glances down at Ellie concern written on his face, “Come on, let’s go home.”
Then one afternoon, while she was silently chewing a horrible frozen dinner meat patty, Joel cleared his throat and asked her if she wanted to stay there permanently. Not knowing everything would change for the better she shrugged and muttered, “Fuck it.”
The back door opened, Joel’s head appearing from the inside, his salt and pepper hair sticking up all over the place with a sheepish look on his face, “El, I think I burned the gravy. It’s not supposed to be this shade of brown.”
Ellie’s smile widened, standing up with a quiet stretch, “Want some help, old man?”
He scratched his beard, “How about I pick up a pizza? I wouldn’t feed this slop to pigs.”
Ellie drove up to the University of Houston-Clear Lake campus in the old truck Joel gifted her a couple years go. He’d insisted on driving her, but she’d adamantly denied his request, wanting to get a feel for her new temporary home. She needed to feel more like an adult and having him hold her hand wasn’t going to achieve that goal.
Tentatively exited the truck and slinging her bag and guitar case over her shoulder, she looked for any sign indicating where Hunter Residence Hall was located. Ellie spared a quick glance at the boxes in the back of the truck hoping no one snatched anything before she’d had the chance to unload.
When she was accepted into their biological science program, Ellie was tempted to stay at home but a seventy-mile plus journey to and from seemed excessive. She would be close enough to go home on the weekends, so she relented. Change used to be an inevitability in her life before Joel and now she hated it with a passion. Joel taught her routine and accountability, something that she had no conception of before and she just really loved The Ranch.
She already missed the animals. She missed her horse, Shimmer that Joel gifted her for her sixteenth birthday. She missed Spike begging to sleep with her and most of all, she missed Joel. She hadn’t been gone a day yet and she was already homesick. Fuck she needed to get it together.
Blowing her auburn hair out of her face Ellie glanced around taking account of the box containing her journals and sketchbooks, finally folding the last of her clothes and satisfied with the tidiness of the room, she left her new dorm and got back in her truck search for the University Forest Apartments.
In her sixth-grade year, the same year Joel adopted her, seeing that she wasn’t adapting well in public school Joel enrolled her in Christian Academy private school. While he wasn’t religious and Ellie hadn’t been to church a day in her life, the education there was supposed to be among the best and the classes were small enough where each child got enough attention to thrive. And thrive she did.
It was here she met Jesse Kang. He was a tall shaggy haired boy with deep brown mischievous eyes, a total foil to her auburn tresses and emerald globes laced with a twinge of sadness. For the first time in her life, she found herself clicking with the boy. She’d never really had a friend before, but Jesse really didn’t take no for an answer, and he really liked her for some reason.
They’d been placed in several classes together. She could remember Jesse walking into history class bypassing everyone calling his name to sit next to her. He whispered to her all throughout the class making it impossible to ignore him. Then again at lunch, he plopped down beside her, complimenting the sketch she had drew of a raven. She recalled the burn of embarrassment on her cheeks, “You don’t have to lie. I know it’s not that great.”
Jesse’s brows drew together, “You’re a real artist, Ellie! I am serious. Maybe one day you can draw me something?”
Ellie couldn’t fight the tiny smile on her lips, “Yeah, I could do that.”
He grinned a crooked grin, handing over an extra bag of potato chips from his lunchbox, “Consider this payment upfront.”
And Jesse had been there every day since. He’d been there when Ellie had accidentally broken her leg messing around on the four-wheeler and giving Joel a near heart attack. Ellie had been there for him through his first heartbreak with Katie Wilson and planned their entire futures on standing side by side through it all.
He’d taught her how to play video games, even gifting her first game console for her thirteenth birthday. She smiled remembering how proud of himself he’d been doing odd jobs and saving to buy her a game console and not himself. He was completely selfless. It was annoying at times.
He’d taught her how to play poker and how to laugh until her belly hurt. She taught him how to play a few chords on the guitar and about all the different solar systems and constellations. They’d ridden horses until nightfall and laid under the stars hand in hand. Ellie had slept beside him for weeks as his mother battled breast cancer and thankfully won out.
Jesse’s parents constantly antagonized them about being in a secret relationship and in truth, that was probably their endgame wish but there was a truth about Ellie that only Jesse knew. You see Ellie liked girls. She’d never been confused about that. It was just a truth that lived within her.
After Katie had broken up with Jesse, they were in his room lying on his bed when he confessed Katie was jealous of Ellie.
Ellie’s face turned red before bursting into laughter, “She thinks I like you? Like a boyfriend? Yeah, right.”
Jesse sulked, “That’s too crazy to think about? Am I hideous or something?”
This was when all the mirth drained from her body, “Jesse, you know you’re a good-looking guy. You don’t need me to tell you that, but I don’t even like…” her voice stuttered.
Jesse turned his face in order to see her more clearly, understanding written all over, “You don’ t like boys.”
She swallowed the knot in her throat, “Yeah.”
He threw his leg over hers and his arm over her middle, “I know. I think I’ve always known.”
Ellie released a shaky breath, “You’re not… I don’t know. Does that bother you?”
He shook his head, “Nah. My parents are probably going to lose it though. They started planning our wedding years ago.”
Ellie groaned, “Gross. As if I’d marry you and your ugly mug.”
Jesse grinned planting a sloppy kiss to her cheek, “Joel will be happy he won’t have to worry about you getting pregnant,” he laughed, “We got to find you a girlfriend.”
She upturned her nose, “Barf. I’m good being alone. Plus I have you and you’re a fucking handful.”
“Jesse?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, Freckles.”
Jesse slammed open his apartment door and picked Ellie up swinging her around, “El!!!”
Ellie groaned, “Put me down, you freak.”
He laughed wholeheartedly, kissing her cheek, “I fucking missed you! It’s been a whole week, El! We’ve never been apart this long.”
Ellie rubbed the back of her neck, cheek still burning from the kiss, “You’re completely dependent on me. It’s a problem.”
Jesse grinned, his fingers adjusting the gold St. Christopher medallion Ellie gifted him a few years back. He never took it off and touched it often, like it gave him courage when he needed to find it, “I know. I’m totally pissed we couldn’t room together just because you have a vagina. Stupid.”
She laughed, “Maybe the issue is you having a dick? Have you ever thought of that?”
He squinted his eyes at her, “Nope,” he said with a pop, “Come on! Let’s check out the campus.”
Eventually they ended up at a Denny’s Diner scarfing down pancakes and laughing at memes on their phones. She caught herself hoping that their friendship never changed. She loved Jesse more than anyone else, besides Joel and Tommy of course. The thought of losing him brought mist to her eyes that she quickly blinked away.
Within the first month of their freshman year, Ellie was completely overwhelmed and Jesse was thriving. She only wanted to look at the stars, not foreseeing how big of an adjustment college life would be for someone who only knew three people. Out of all the programs he would have excelled in, Jesse had chosen their nursing program. She had to admit that the choice fit him. His mother’s cancer really affected him. He ran marathons for breast cancer research and was the one who was essentially by her side caring for her. He was a caretaker through and through. Ellie knew he would save so many lives.
While she was drowning in math homework she didn’t understand, he was getting it all done with enough time to party. He’d even began dating some mystery girl in the same program Ellie hadn’t met yet. Ellie was about the throw a textbook across the room when a knock at her door startled her.
She was actually happy for the distraction. She’d met a few people in class almost as miserable as she seemed to be at the moment but only Jesse knew where her dorm was.
A huge grin spread across her lips as she opened the door to find Jesse in a black dress shirt and slacks.
Quirking a brow she smirked, “Going to a funeral?”
The smile previously on his face evaporated, his hands running through his shaggy hair, patting his chest, “Shit, I look like someone died? I was going for clean cut!”
She clicked her tongue, “Well, you look like someone got cut and bled out and are in mourning.”
He rolled his eyes, “Fuck! Well its too late. I’m not going back to change. Get dressed we are going out.”
Ellie chuckled, “Yeah, no. I’m not that bored.”
Jesse pushed through the door, hip checking her, “I’m not taking no for an answer. You’ve been doing the mopey teenager thing since we got here. I’m over it.” He stomped over to her closet, picking out her dressy green flannel and handing it over, “Get your skinny ass out of those sweats and into some jeans then put this on.”
Ellie’s bottom lip jutted out, “Jesse,” she whined but he cut her off. Gripping her chin gently in his hands he made her look at him, “You need to have fun with people your age, preferably with the assistance of some alcohol. You might actually have a good time. I don’t want you moping around all year. Besides, I want you to meet Dina. She said she would be at the party tonight.”
Ellie raised a brow in question, “Dina?”
Jesse’s cheeks reddened, “Yeah, the girl I’ve been seeing. I’ve told her all about you. I want her to meet my best friend.”
Ellie sighed relenting, snatching the flannel out of his hands and shaking her head at the little, “Yes!” he whispered into her room as she headed over to pick out a nice pair of jeans, “Turn around. I don’t want you checking out my ass.”
Jesse scoffed, “Get over yourself. Please, I’m the one who helped you get in and out of the shower when you broke your leg. I’ve seen everything you got.”
Ellie threw a rolled-up pair of socks at his face, “We don’t talk about that, remember?"
“People don’t forget, Freckles.”
The house that they arrived at was already lively and vibrating from the energy of all the bodies it was now occupied by. People littered the property, some already very noticeably drunk. Ellie groaned, parties were never her scene. Hell, anywhere with this many people sounded like a place she definitely didn’t want to be.
Jesse, to his credit, stuck by her side, taking her hand and pulling her into the chaos. She hoped that she appeared decent in her clothes suddenly feeling a little comfortable in her own skin. She’d thrown her hair up in effort to bring it out of her face but was now regretting it.
As if he could read her thoughts, Jesse squeezed her hand, “You look good, El. Try to relax,” he said with a lopsided grin.
Leading her into the kitchen, Jesse let go of her to grab two cups and fill them up with some cheap ass beer from the keg that made her mouth salivate, “This is shit,” she said as she sipped the bitter liquid.
Jesse grinned, “You’re such a beer snob. I blame Joel and his expensive tastes.”
Ellie snorted, “Yeah, Corona and Modelo’s are top shelf. You’re just jealous he lets me drink because your parents would never.”
When Ellie turned eighteen Joel sat her down and plainly let her know that she was an adult now and would probably want to go do things that could put her in situations that worried him so they made a deal to take the stigma out of drinking. She was allowed to drink at the house as long as Joel or Tommy were around. Honestly, that talk took all mystery out of sneaking around, plus she only hung out with Jesse. It wasn’t like she’d be attending big blow out parties in nowhere Texas.
Jesse opened his mouth to retort when a flash of curly black hair came into view pulling Jesse into a hug. He smiled, big and genuine returning the gesture before clearing his throat and motioning his hand to Ellie, “Dina! I’m so glad you came. This is my best friend, Ellie.”
When Dina came into focus, Ellie’s heart began to beat a bit faster in her chest and her toes felt tingly. The breath in her lungs came to a halt. She didn’t think someone that looked like this girl existed in real life.
Dina reached out a hand, “Dina Margolis.”
Ellie stared at her outstretched hand for longer than was probably acceptable before taking it into her own. Dina’s hand was buttery soft and so warm. Ellie shook her head as if coming out of a daydream and finally spoke, “Ellie. Ellie Williams.”
Dina smirked, letting Ellie go and glancing to Jesse, “You didn’t tell me she was cute.”
Ellie choked on the sip of beer she’d just taken, “What?” Her stomach tightened at the comment. An unease she wasn’t familiar with took root in her chest.
Dina’s smile widened, “Come dance with us.”
She shook her head again, this time with certainty, “Dancing really isnt my thing.”
Dina tapped her chin with a forefinger, “Let’s see, Jesse said partying really isnt your thing. Dancing isnt your thing. So, what is your thing, Ellie Williams?”
Ellie bit her lip, her eyes narrowing, “I don’t know.”
Jesse threw an arm around Dina’s shoulders, “Ellie likes to brood.”
She felt the pout form on her lips proving his point, “Fuck you.”
He stuck out his tongue, “You wish.”
Dina reached out to take Jesse’s hand and something inside Ellie churned. She blamed it on the atrocious beer. Who fucking brought this trash? And more importantly why was she still imbibing said trash?
Eventually, Dina did get her on the dancefloor, though she wouldn’t count standing there as Jesse and Dina bounced around her as dancing, but it was a start. They stayed there for a few hours, Dina hooking an arm through Ellie’s and seemingly knowing everyone in effort to get her to be more social. It was obvious how extroverted and open she was and Ellie blushed from the constant contact.
To say Dina was beautiful would be an understatement. Her long curly hair kept a distracting shine and was frustratingly impeccable, not one strand out of place even after all that dancing. Her eyes were a deep chocolate, as understanding as they were calculating. She was short, especially in comparison to Ellie and Jesse and had the kind of curves Ellie would have killed for. The cute little black romper she was wearing accentuated that fact.
When Dina caught her staring, she quickly moved her eyes to look at anything else but the girl beside her. Ellie swallowed reminding herself that Dina and Jesse were kind of dating and wherever this train of thought was going was not only wrong, it was dangerous.
They’d lost Jesse a few minutes before to some guys he knew, Dina promising him to keep an eye on Ellie. She didn’t want to be a burden because she was shy and she did tell Dina that only to be told to, “Shut up. You’re stuck with me.”
One cup of beer turned into several and before Ellie realized she was getting drunk. Dina’s comments became more hilarious and when Ellie laughed, Dina tilted her head to give her the biggest grin. Jesse appeared out of nowhere, an arm sliding around her waist to keep her steady.
Everything went fuzzy after that. The next thing she remembered, Dina and Jesse were at each side of her, an arm thrown over their necks and helping her into her room. She mumbled something an attempt to get the restricting flannel off her body when a chuckle gained her attention.
Expecting Jesse to be in front of her when she fully focused, she was instead stunned by the sparkle of Dina’s eyes and her kind smile. Not really knowing how words work at the moment, Ellie scanned her face taking notice of the beauty mark on the side of her left eye, appreciating how gorgeous she was as Dina helped her out of the shirt.
She thought she should feel embarrassed, this new girl seeing her so out of sorts but she didn’t get that vibe from Dina. It was almost as if they’d known each other forever and Ellie could completely trust her. She silently hoped that she was right. She really wanted to be Dina’s friend.
At some point her hair fell into her eyes and Dina’s tiny hand gently brushed her hair behind her ear, whispering something that sounded like, “There, that’s better.” Suddenly her senses were overwhelmed by the girl’s perfume, something akin to lavender and some water scent she couldn’t name.
When their eyes met again Ellie managed a, “Whoa,” causing Dina to chuckle.
Dina patted her shoulder kindly, “Whoa, yourself. Come let’s get you to bed, Freckles.”
Ellie pouted, “Jesse calls me Freckles.”
Dina smiled, her voice lowering another register as the smile on her lips grew a few centimeters, “Then we’re just going have to figure out a new nickname for just us, aren’t we?”
Unable to stop her hands, she wrapped one around Dina’s wrist planted on her shoulder, “Thank you, Dina.”
Brown eyes grew even kinder, “You’re welcome, Ellie. Get some sleep, okay?”
Jesse was already turning down the sheets when she made her way to her bed. She hoped that she didn’t say anything else embarrassing because the world went black when sleep overtook her.
Over the next week or so, Ellie kept finding Dina at her door. Sometimes with a coffee and smile in hand. Sometimes with a request to have breakfast or dinner, whatever time of day it happened to be. Dina was easy to talk to, and Ellie began to be unable to deny how beautiful the girl was. It was painful really that someone that perfect was able to exist in the same dimension as Ellie was.
One afternoon Jesse and Dina had run into her as she was going into the library at the same time as they were. Four hours later, a sunset and a ridiculous amount of caffeine later, Jesse kissed them both on the cheek and gave up for the day leaving them alone except for a handful of people scattered about.
The library was so quiet you could hear a pin dop, but that didn’t stop Dina from sitting entirely too close and whispering questions to Ellie, who to her credit was really trying to study and increasingly failing, “So what do your parents have to say about you wanting to be an astronaut?”
Ellie raised a brow, “How did you know I wanted to be an astronaut?”
Dina smirked, her shoulder repeatedly bumping into Ellie’s making her heart race, “I might have interrogated Jesse a little. That and you’re in biological science, STEM and shit. All your textbooks point to huge space nerd territory.”
Ellie’s face scrunched with embarrassment, “Already written me off as a dork I see.”
Dina shook her head, “On the contrary, I think that you are very intelligent and very brave for following your dreams,’ she smiled, “It helps that you have the looks to get away with it.”
Ellie was learning that Dina was a naturally flirty person. She didn’t mean anything lewd from it, it was just the way she was. Friendly, polite and extraordinarily, gorgeous. Ellie felt the heat rise to her cheeks at the compliment, “Well, as far as parents I just have Joel and my Uncle Tommy. They’re pretty cool with anything I want to do as long as it doesn’t put us in the poor house I guess.”
Dina leaned back in her chair a little, a pencil flipping through her fingers, “So Joel is your dad? I’m sorry. Do you even want to talk about this with me? I can shut up.”
Ellie chuckled, “It’s fine really. Um, well Joel adopted me right before I turned twelve. His brother Tommy lives on the Ranch with us. Always has since I’ve been there anyway.”
Her brows raised in question, “A Ranch?”
Ellie shook her head, “That’s sort of a nickname. It’s just a really nice house with a good parcel of land and a little creek a mile or two down the property.”
Dina grinned magnified, “Oh man, that sounds cool. Totally makes our little suburban three bedroom in Houston sound boring.”
Now it was Ellie’s turn, “Do you have brothers or sisters?”
Dina nodded, “I have a sister, Talia. She’s three years older than me. My mother gave birth to a little boy when I was very little, but he didn’t make it past his third month.”
Ellie lifted her hand, placed it on top of Dina’s and squeezed, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright. Really. If it wasn’t for his photo in the living room I wouldn’t even remember what he looked like. That was hard on my mom but she’s the most resilient person that I know. Lady is tough as nails.”
Ellie teased, “So that’s where you get it from?”
Dina grinned, squinting at her, “Flattery will get you everywhere with me.” They both laughed, “So, are there animals at this ranch?”
Ellie nodded, a smile on her face thinking of home, “Horses, a couple cows for milk. Chickens for eggs and a very dramatic weenie dog named Spike.”
The dark haired girl lit up, “Oh my God, Ellie! I want to see them! Can you take me horse riding one day?”
Ellie gulped, “I will if you want me to.”
She reached out a hand for Ellie to take and they shook, “Good. Then it’s a date.”
At the word, “date,” Ellie’s stomach did somersaults inside her body. Just the thought of every being able to take Dina out on a date did things to Ellie she didn’t have the language to even begin to speak about.
She breathed out, straightening out whatever idiotic face she was making and gave Dina a lopsided smile, “Yeah.”
Dina sidled up to Ellie, hooking her arm through hers as they made their way towards the dorms, “From how Jesse talks about you, I feel like I’ve known you for years.”
Ellie made a face, her green eyes glancing towards the sky, “I don’t know whether that’s a good or bad thing.”
Dina pulled at her arm gently, bringing them a little closer as they walked, “All good, I promise. He loves you very much.”
At that Ellie couldn’t help but smile, “I love him. He’s my best friend. My only friend since like forever.”
Dina quirked a brow disbelievingly, “You’ve never had another friend? You’re fucking lying to me.”
Ellie cracked a smile, “I’m very serious. You’re the only person I’ve had more than a five minute conversation with besides Jesse since I arrived here.”
Dina squeezed her arm, “Well, first of all, Jesse’s not your only friend anymore. We’re friends now aren’t we?”
Ellie nodded, “I would like to think so.”
“Then it’s settled and we need to change this hermit situation you have going on. Get you to make some friends. Maybe get you someone to date or something?”
Dina glanced up at her, but Ellie avoided her gaze, “I’m not really sure about that right now. I want to focus on my studies.”
While she wasn’t exactly adverse to finding a girl to potentially date, she hadn’t told Dina that she was gay yet and wasn’t sure she could take her having a bad reaction to that information. Dina’s door coming into focus saved her from the conversation getting deeper.
Dina let Ellie go and she missed the contact instantly, “Well, this is me,” she scanned Ellie’s face, her eyes darkening before she noticeably swallowed, “Goodnight, Ellie. See you tomorrow?”
Ellie grinned, letting her eyes close for a second, “See you tomorrow, D.”
She walked down the hallways towards her room unable to stop smiling.