Breathless

No sleep was to be had for Ella as she tossed and turned on her little, dirty mattress, waiting for 3:00. She had no clock in her room, save the one on her computer. In order to know the time, she had to check Rome’s phone, which was tucked beneath her pillow. She tried to stop pulling it out to look at it because she didn’t want to wear the battery down, but it was difficult. She couldn’t wait to see him.
At 2:35, the phone was at less than ten percent, so she decided to try to think about something else before it died altogether. She imagined herself climbing through that window tonight and running away, but she knew she wouldn’t do that. She was going to ask him to take her dress and the rest of the outfit Tim had given her so that her stepmother didn’t find it and know she’d lied. It was stuffed in an old gym bag and sitting over by the window. If Teresa came back in, she’d be screwed. But she figured her stepmom had had enough of her for one day, so she wasn’t worried about it.
So lost in her thoughts about running off with Rome was she that she didn’t even realize the time until she heard a soft tap on her window. Looking over to see him standing there, she smiled so broadly, she was certain her face was bright enough to resemble the full moon.
Ella hurried to the window, keeping her feet light on what was the second-story ceiling, and opened the glass. “Hi,”
“Hi.” He raised up on his toes, and she knew exactly what he wanted and was willing to give it to him. Ella lowered her mouth and pressed her lips to his. His tongue flickered against hers, the sweet taste of him causing her to let out a soft moan
When she pulled back, it was only to smile at him, her hands on either side of his face. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Do you think I could come in this time? Will they hear?”
Ella hadn’t considered the possibility of letting him inside. Her meager dwelling was such an embarrassment, she didn’t really want him to see, but then, he’d been there the night before and had looked in, so he probably already knew how pathetic it was. “Just be as quiet as possible,” she said as she backed away so he could swing his long legs in through the narrow space.
She was surprised he fit at all; she’d thought it would be a tight squeeze for her getting through the window—not to mention, she was liable to fall straight down to the second story roof below where it jutted out over the parlor window. Rome made it look easy, though. He had to twist his shoulders and hips through the window frame, but he managed, and then his arms were around her.
Like a starving woman, her mouth devoured his, and he kissed her back as if he’d been underwater so long, his lungs were burning, and she was his only oxygen. Her hands crept up the back of his neck, tangling in his hair as his slid around her waist and then under her shirt, but never roaming higher. Still, the feel of his hands on her flesh left her tingling and breathless. Ella had never been with a man before, and the idea of Rome touching her elsewhere had her heart racing.
Eventually, he pulled back. Brushing a strand of hair from her eyes, he said, “I’ve missed you. All day, I’ve longed to be with you.”
“I’ve missed you, too, for longer than I’d realized. Years, perhaps.”
That got a smile out of him. He took both of her hands in his. “Is there any way I could convince you to come with me now? We can figure all of this out later.”
She started shaking her head before he even finished. “I can’t, Rome. I wouldn’t make it down the side of the house.”
“I’d never let you fall.”
“Besides, we still haven’t worked out what to do about my family. I love my father. I need to speak to him about all of this, including my job.”
Rome looked around. “But look at this, Ella. This place is a shithole. Do you even have a bathroom?”
Ella had hidden the emergency bucket she kept before he got there. It was back in the shadows. “I’m allowed to go out to use the bathroom.”
“Isn’t the attic door locked?”
She nodded. “But they let me out regularly for that.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Your bed is hardly big enough for you, and you’re a tiny, little creature. It’s dusty and dirty up here.”
“Mary, my only friend, other than you and Tim, comes up every day and sweeps and dusts.”
“I’m glad to hear you have a friend, Ella, but we have to figure out a way for you to escape all of this.”
She nodded again. “I am working on it. Believe me.”
“I want to believe you, but I’m frightened for you, El. She doesn’t hurt you, does she?”
Shaking her head, she said, “No. She doesn’t.” There had been that one time when Teresa had grabbed her arm hard enough to leave fingerprints. And the few times when she’d slapped her. But that was hardly abuse--was it?
“If she ever does….” He looked so sexy, standing there with both hands on his hips, his jaw set, Ella wanted to kiss him again.
“I’ll be all right, Rome. I’ll figure out how to get out.”
“Well, maybe this will help.” He pulled a box out of his back pocket. How she’d missed it when she was kissing him, she wasn’t sure, but when he opened it, even in the dim light coming from outside, she could see that it was a phone.
It wasn’t a big one, like the ones Tim always brought her, but it looked new. He offered it to her. “Thank you,” Ella said, taking it out of the box.
“Now, perhaps you’ll be able to call me more often. There’s a charger in the box as well. Ella, we need to arrange for you to get out of here. If you need Tim’s help, can you call him on that? Do you know his number? I can get you out myself, but I think Tim can do it faster if you won’t go out the window.”
“I know his number. I called him from your phone today and left him a message.”
“From my phone?” He looked alarmed.
“Yes, but I blocked the number. I need you to do me a favor when you leave.”
“Anything.”
A smile came to her lips as she heard the emotion in his voice. “Can you take my gown with you? The one I wore to the ball? I told my stepmother I’d given it back to Tim, but I’d actually hidden it. If she finds it… I’ll be in big trouble.”
He ran a hand through his light brown hair, and Ella marveled at how it went right back into place. “Of course I’ll take it, but it sucks that you have to snoop around and hide things like that in your own home. Really, what would your father say if he knew?”
“I don’t know. My stepmom always says he can’t be bothered with things from home, that he’s too busy and important, and that’s why she’s here. But… I think he’d be mad. Today, she told me….” She stopped talking, the pain of what she was about to disclose too difficult to mention.
Rubbing his thumb along her cheekbone, his fingers tangled in her hair, brushing it back from her face. “What is it, baby? You can tell me anything.”
Inhaling deeply through her nose, Ella fought the tears that threatened to fall as she thought about her stepmother’s ugly words. “She said my mother was crazy, that she’d actually killed herself, that the story my father had told me about her death being an accident was a lie.
Rome stared at her for a moment, his eyebrows knitting together as he studied her face. “That’s absurd. Everyone knows that’s not true.”
Letting out a sigh, Ella took a step backward toward her bed. “I know.” She didn’t think it was true either, but when Teresa made one of her declarations, it always sounded like it had to be the truth. “She said everyone knows it, and she can call the asylum and have me committed.”
He shook his head vehemently, placing his hands on his hips. “Is that why you stay, Ella? Because she’s filling your head with nonsense about having you committed? Ella, she’s full of shit. You know Tim would never let them keep you locked up, and now, neither would I.”
Ella took a few more steps away from him, pacing, though even in her worried state, she remembered to keep her steps light. “I’m just worried about it, that’s all. I’ve read such horror stories of what can happen to people in those places.”
“Not anymore,” he assured her. “Hospitals for people with mental health concerns aren’t like that anymore, and they can’t keep you there if you clearly don’t belong and aren’t dangerous to yourself or others. Ella, baby, she can’t do that to you. Still, if she’s threatening you with such ridiculous statements, I don’t think it’s safe for you to stay here, sweetheart. Tomorrow, will you call Tim and let him know what’s going on so he can get you out?”
Ella closed the gap between them, nodding her head. Hearing him speak about freeing her with such conviction made the decision easy. “I will.”
“Good. But you probably shouldn’t tell him about me yet. My friend Bart thinks that would be a bad move, and he knows a lot more about this feud than I do.”
“All right. I won’t tell him yet.’
Rome exhaled loudly and then wrapped his arms around her. “I love you, Ella. When I said it last night, I meant it. Even if it seems impossibly fast. I love you so much. The moment I spoke to you on the phone, I knew you were different. I knew you were special. That you were the one for me.”
Resting her head on his chest, she took a deep breath, inhaling sandalwood and pine, mingled with a masculine scent that was purely him. In a breathy whisper, she said, “I love you, too, Rome. More than anything.”
She raised her face, and then his mouth was on hers again, and Ella pulled him so close, she could feel his heart beating against her chest, feel the ripple of his abdomen with each breath. How she longed to be in his arms forever, where she knew she was safe, wanted, loved. She prayed they’d find a way to be together because the only thing she could imagine that would be worse than living without Rome would be trying to live without air.