Ava

After finding Sara a clean pair of clothes that were too big on her, but clean at least, I handed her a towel and some toiletries so she could get cleaned up. While I did that, Elijah made a bed for her out on the couch, not even bothering to offer, but doing it happily anyway. My heart warmed when I went into the living room to see what he’d done for her.
“Thank you,” I said and raised one hand to touch his cheek. “Thank you for everything you did for us tonight. I know this wasn’t the date either of us expected. You didn’t have to get involved.”
Instead of answering, he drew me into him, brushing his lips against mine. We could hear the shower still going in the bathroom, but I knew it was inappropriate to have a quick screw before leaving again. I let my body sink into his as we became one, and Elijah brushed a strand of loose hair behind one ear. This was our first date, our first real night together, but I felt like I’d known this man my entire life.
“Do you still want that date?” he asked softly, running a finger against my cheek. I looked into his eyes and nodded. After the last couple of hours of hell, I needed a pick-me-up.
“That sounds wonderful, but only if you’re up to it.”
“Always.”
I untangled myself from Elijah with a grin and knocked lightly on the bathroom door. “Elijah and I are leaving,” I called. “There’s food in the fridge. Make yourself at home. But remember what I said, Sara. No funny business. It won’t be worth it for you.”
“I heard you, Ava!” Sara shouted, and I could practically hear the eye roll I knew she was giving me, but I smiled anyway. Of the teenagers I’d ever worked with, Sara wasn’t the worst one by far, and I knew there was very little chance of her rebelling again, at least not now. She’d never actively hurt me, and after tonight, I knew she would mind her manners the best she could.
“I’m locking the door behind us,” I shouted to her. “Keep it locked, Sara, and don’t answer it for anybody that’s not me.”
“Okay, mom.”
“So, Mr. Fancypants,” I said to Elijah, crossing the room to kiss him again. I ran my hands up and down his arms, noticing the firm flex of his biceps as I did. My heart fluttered against my chest, and heat rose to my skin. “Where are we going on this date?”
“I guess you’ll see,” he said and escorted me down, once more, to the limo.
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting for a first date, but this wasn’t it. The private helicopter (pilot included, imagine that) was surreal enough, and it wasn’t until the thing flew up and landed somewhere on top of a mountain in Washington that it became nothing short of a dream.
“This is amazing,” I breathed, stepping out of the chopper after Elijah as the helicopter rotors died down. We were in the middle of a mountainous field, a field that looked as though it had been cleared out specifically for the chopper to land. We were far away from civilization, but everything felt so peaceful. So right.
“Ready?” Elijah asked, offering his arm again. I hesitated, frowning at him.
“Ready for what? Aren’t we where we intended to be?”
“Almost,” said Elijah, taking my arm in his. “Just come with me.”
I felt no fear, no hesitation. The beauty around us was surreal, and Elijah used the glow of his cell phone to light our walking path into the woods. There was a trail through the trees, a hiking trail it looked like, and I had to pay extra attention to my feet to keep from stumbling and face-planting it into the moist, mossy ground.
“Where are we going?” My voice sounded giddy, like a child at Disneyland, and embarrassment overcame me. He probably thought I was such a naïve little girl, so different, I’m sure, from the rich, distinguished women I imagined he had dated before.
Elijah didn’t answer immediately, but he didn’t have to. As the trail began to narrow, beautiful, glowing white lanterns appeared, lighting up the rest of our stroll. They lined the ground like beacons, casting the trees around us in a warm glow. A small breath escaped from my lips as Elijah led me into a second clearing, halting to a stop, and my heart thumped against my chest. I spotted multiple things at once, overwhelmed by the beauty. I noticed a picnic table in the middle of this clearing, surrounded by trees. Silk, red cloth covered it. On top of the table was a basket of food, and next to the basket was a bucket full of ice and champagne. The clearing backed up to the edge of the land, and in the distance, the Seattle skyline burned bright against the dark, star-dotted sky. It was like something out of a fairytale, something that only dreams provided.
“Where are we?” I whispered, overwhelmed by the bliss and beauty of what stood before us.
“This is my land,” Elijah said. “Welcome to my mountain.”
“You own this?”
“Indeed,” he said with a chuckle. “You look surprised.”
“I guess I shouldn’t be,” I said with a dumb giggle. “I just never saw you as the outdoorsy type. But this is … magical.”
Elijah smiled and offered his hand, which I took with a shy smile, and he led me to the picnic table, where the view of the city was extraordinary. Those beautiful white lanterns still lit our way, basking us in glittering light against the sky's darkness.
“Do you enjoy Italian?” Elijah asked as I sat down on the bench, running my fingers over the soft, silk table cover.
“The food or the men?” I joked. Elijah looked at me quizzically, his head tilted to the side, and I took that as my cue to nod. “Yes, I love Italian. Food that is.” I would have slapped myself with it if I'd had a spare hand, but Elijah only smirked. He took a seat across from me, and before I could say anything more, the pilot that had flown us here emerged from the trees, joining us in the clearing. Resting over one arm were two cloth napkins, one of which he laid gently in my lap. I flushed, adjusting it, butterflies fluttering around in my stomach.
“The first course, my friends, is lobster linguine,” the pilot/server said. I watched in silence as he opened the basket on the table, removing multiple food containers before opening each one and kindly dishing it up on fancy China plates for Elijah and me. I could only stare, mesmerized, wondering if I was dead and this was simply heaven. As soon as the linguine was dished up, the pilot/server bowed slightly and returned to the chopper. I watched him go, frowning, wondering if this was normal for Elijah Trevino. It was because he was staring at me, smiling. I looked down at my food and then tried it, shocked at how magnificent it tasted.
“Elijah,” I said and looked around, admiring the gorgeous forest. I wasn’t sure where we were exactly, somewhere just outside the city, but the location was perfect. “This is beautiful. It’s just stunning.”
“I plan to eventually build a home here,” Elijah said. He cut a slice of soft, homemade French bread and handed some to me. “I’ve always enjoyed the privacy of a thick forest. And the view? The view is to die for.”
“It’s phenomenal.” I buttered the bread as a cool breeze caressed my cheeks. It was a few degrees cooler up on the hill than in the city, but it was worth every moment. I imagined what kind of house he would build up here. A large, cascading one, probably. Maybe a glorious cabin, where the front room overlooked the city view.
As we ate, shooting flirty glances at each other over the table, a moment of doubt overcame me suddenly, jerking me back to a reality I didn’t want to face. This was too easy. Too good to be true. I put down the bread and looked at him.
“Is there a reason for this?” I asked.
Elijah’s eyes met mine, curious. “A reason for what?”
“This,” I said and signaled to the beautiful date he’d prepared. “And, you know, the Sara situation. Is there a reason you care this much? Am I missing something? We barely know each other.”
“I apologize,” Elijah said, but he smiled, if only slightly. “I didn’t realize I needed a reason to ask you out.”
“Well, you do,” I said.
Dammit, Ava, just shut up.
“Do I?” teased Elijah.
“Generally, when a guy asks a girl to dinner, he does it for a reason. Say, for example, he’s attracted to her, finds her funny, or wants something from her.”
“All of the above,” Elijah said. He still smiled, so relaxed and happy that, for some reason, it annoyed me. He was relaxed tonight for a man who seemed like he thrived on control.
“This isn’t a game.” I set down my fork to focus on his face, ignoring the glass of champagne that bubbled in a flute near my hand.
“I know it’s not,” said Elijah, reaching for his glass to take a sip. “But I do find you attractive and funny. Not to mention intelligent, brave, and bold.”
“You missed one.” I hesitated, unwilling to say it but knowing I had to anyway. “Do you want something from me?”
“Yes.” Elijah retrieved a platter of chocolate-dipped strawberries from the cooler, laying them on the table for us. They were beautiful, almost too pretty to eat. “I want you to relax and have a good time tonight. Because I certainly am.”
Somehow, his words put me at ease. I knew I was ridiculous, but it was hard not to feel insecure when you had my track record with relationships. Elijah seemed too good to be true, and I was terrified to face that reality if it ever showed its head. I didn’t want to fall too fast, too soon. For all I knew, I was just a temporary screw in the privileged life of Elijah Trevino.
For the time being, however, I was reassured.