Chapter 13 - Eleanor - Purge With My Demons

Sunday morning brunch was calling my name like a long-lost friend. Owen and I were meeting Giordana at one of our favorite places. Owen tagging along was Giordana’s idea. He said he didn’t want to intrude, but G insisted he come.

Owen:

Be there in 5, gorgeous.

Eleanor:

See you soon ☺️

Owen and I had texted infrequently since we last saw each other. I had hoped it would have been more, but work had been consuming my life lately. With my boss out of town, I was managing all the design projects. It was a great opportunity and experience, but I was ready to relax.

The Back Porch was an adorable outdoor restaurant that boasted a huge patio seating space. It was our favorite place to go for brunch, they had the best mimosa deals and breakfast biscuits.

There was a light knock on my front door. Luci bounded across the living room and sat at the front door expectantly.

I opened the front door and Owen stood there, looking like perfection. He was dressed in a bleach-dyed black t-shirt and black pants. It looked like he had recently gotten his hair cut, the sides freshly shaved. The tattoos on his head peeking out more than the last time I saw him. In his hand, he held an earring and a polished rock.

“Here you go.” He thrust the items toward me.

My hand opened to accept them, but I was confused. “What are these?”

“They were sitting on the window here.” His tattooed hand pointed to where my crow friend had been leaving me gifts.

“Oh! Thank you.” I moved to the side so he could come in. “I have a crow who brings me trinkets. He typically leaves them there.” I dropped them in the bowl with my other gifts. Owen was looking at the bowl with curiosity and a hint of a smile.

“That’s cool.”

“Yeah, I’ve always heard stories about it but never knew it could happen.”

Owen was directly at my back, his warmth enveloping me. “You look beautiful.” His arms wrapped around my center as he leaned into my neck. His breath sent hot chills down my side. I melted into him. Spinning me around, he pinned my back to the door, his arms caging me in.

My breath hitched as he leaned forward, lining my body flush with his.

“I owe you a proper hello. If that’s okay.”

My brain had short-circuited. Forming a coherent thought wasn’t a possibility at that moment. The golden brown flecks in his green eyes danced as I watched him. When his lips touched mine, the entire world set on fire.

Flames danced behind my eyelids. Flames that burned so hot they were ice blue. Nothing would compare to the way it felt to kiss Owen Alastor. His hands slid down my body, exploring my curves as our tongues danced. He stopped at the short hem of my babydoll-style dress.

A small piece of the dress was bunched up in his hand when his lips left mine. With his forehead to mine, he stated, “Sorry. I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.” His hand cups the side of my face.

“No need to apologize.” I looked him directly in the eyes. “Do it again.”

He lifted me from under my thighs and pinned me to the door again. This kiss was fierce. Not at all timid like the one before. His hand roamed up my thigh, and he stopped himself again. “I have to stop myself. We should go.”

My breaths were heavy. I didn’t want him to stop, but he was probably right. “Okay, yeah. Let’s go.”

“You may want to put on some pants, though. I rode my bike here.”

“I’m sorry, your what?” Shock. That was the only way to describe the emotion I felt in that moment.

He was not serious.

“I hope that’s okay. You’ll be safe. I’ll keep you safe.” He pinned me to the door again. “Promise, Eleanor. I’ve got you.”

* * *

I was hot and bothered the entire way to The Back Porch. Being so close to Owen and the vibrations of this bike, this was a problem. I was probably squeezing him so tight he had to be uncomfortable.

We finally arrived, and luckily, there didn’t seem to be a wait. “Hi, there. Table for two?” The young woman at the front grabbed two menus and walked around the hostess stand.

“Three actually. For the porch, please.”

“No problem.” She then started leading us toward the back, where the porch wrapped around the building with a gorgeous view of a small wooded area in a park.

Once we sat down, a server came over. “Good morning, can I start you two off with a bottomless mimosa bucket or some coffee?”

“I’ll have a caramel coffee, please,” I answered before looking at Owen so he could place his order.

“I’ll have the same,” Owen said without looking at the server, only looking at me. As soon as we were alone again, he stated, “We like the same kind of coffee. When you gave Cora your order the day we met, you gave her my exact order. I never drink it any differently.”

I gave him an intrigued look. “Oh, that’s weird. I don’t either. I mean unless I don’t have another option, but caramel is my favorite. Well, I prefer salted caramel, but that’s just me being picky.”

“I just find it ironic, that’s all,” Owen added, just as Giordana walked up to the table.

“Hey guys.” She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder as she walked up to the table.

Giordana sat down, and we fell into comfortable conversation. I ordered a round of mimosas for us, all of the juice flavors for Giordana. We ate our brunch, had a few more mimosa buckets that Owen insisted he was paying for, and enjoyed our morning. Most of what we discussed was about Owen’s show at Purge, which was coming up soon.

“I’m excited to meet Ashton and Tristan, you talk about them all like y’all are family. I love it.” I topped off my drink with the last of the peach juice.

“They are my family. I owe them everything.”

“That's how I feel about G. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for her.”

“Absolutely not. Shut the fuck up. We are not talking about it.” Giordana was insistent, so I did as she asked.

“Fine. But I love you like a sister. Okay. That’s all I’m going to say.” Owen’s hand was resting on my thigh, his thumb lightly rubbing back and forth. A sweet gesture I didn’t expect but welcomed and appreciated.