COMING HOME

Chapter Four

Elijah

2 weeks later

The loud irritating alarm on my phone pulls me out of my sleep, and I remember about my interview today. I know I can ask my parents to pull some strings to find a job, but I want to do this on my own. I’m confident I won't have to go through too many of them before I find a job. I went to school to play college football, and I was actually pretty good. Football was fun, but what I really wanted to do was be a physical therapist. want to work a few years in a hospital to get the hang of things and then open my own physical therapy building.

My father on the other hand, wants me to go into business like him, and he happens to be a very well-known investor and business owner. He hopes to eventually pass everything over to me, but that’s not what I want for myself. Helping people and being around sports is more my thing, physical therapy covers both. I finish getting ready and before leaving I check my e-mail to see if I got the information I asked for a couple weeks back. I want to see Lexie again, and I need that information to make it happen. It's been 2 weeks since I saw her at the club. Seeing her again felt amazing, and I'm hoping that once I see her again, I can hold her attention long enough so she'll hear me out. I can’t get her out of my head, and I feel like a f*****g high school kid with his first crush, but I don’t care. This isn’t just any woman, it’s Lexie and there is history there. I know there’s still something between us. I could feel it the last we were together, and I know she did too.

When I open the e-mail and read its contents, I can’t help but to smile. Monday is turning out to be my favorite day of the week. The information I asked for and then some all right there for me. I close out my e-mail and grab my keys as I head out, now let’s go kill this interview.

"Thank You, Mr. Rogers. I hope to hear from you soon." I shake the older man's hand and thank him as I walk out the door. The interview went great, and I walked out with an offer I was more than happy with. It's a well-known hospital and I have researched it enough to know that it's one of the best on this side of the country. I walk out with an even better mood than I came in with, and decide to explore the hospital before heading home.

It’s your typical hospital building with too much white and people in scrubs everywhere. I make sure to check out the physical therapy section, speak to some of the Ortho doctors and after end up lost in pediatrics.

I walk around for thirty minutes and end up in the cafeteria. I make my way in, and notice some of the nurses looking at me and whispering among themselves. I smile as I pass them by and decide since I’m here might as well grab a bite so I get in a line.

Once I pay for my food I’m looking for a place to sit when one of the nurses begins making her way towards me. She's cute, but she's no Lexie. As soon as she reaches me, I see Lexie. She has on black scrubs, her hair up in a ponytail, and is holding a yogurt. My heart start beating harder and I go to step in her direction when I remember there is a red head in front of me saying something I didn’t hear a word of.

"I'm sorry, I see someone I know." I sidestep her and start making my way towards where I saw Lexie. I call out to her, but she either didn’t hear me or completely ignored me. I take longer steps until I’m next to her.

"You can't run from me Lexie, my legs are longer than yours I'll always catch you." I hear her sigh and she finally looks my way. I try to prepare myself for the feeling I get when she looks at me, but just like any other time her beauty takes my breath away. No matter how angry she is that I’m here.

"Well I can damn sure try." She looks forward and starts walking with more purpose this time.

"Can you slow down please? Let’s talk." I try to keep from grabbing her, but I need her to stop and listen.

"No. Go away Elijah." There’s annoyance in her voice, but I’m not giving up. I continue to walk alongside her, and she tries to lose me by abruptly turning towards an empty hallway.

"No, now slow down so we can talk." She’s not making this easy on me, so I grab her by the waist and pull her towards me. Her back to my front feels so good, like she was made just for me. Sparks igniting everywhere our bodies touch. Unfortunately for me, she starts to pull away.

"Don’t touch me." She pulls away.

"So feisty, I should take you home and f**k the angry out of you." That gets her to stop, and she turns to look at me. I know I pissed her off, by the way she looks. I'm about to apologize, but before I can get a word out, she shoves me back and her left hand connects with my face. We both just look at each other shocked and confused that she really put her hands on me. I knew she could fight, but never been on the receiving end of her fist. I'm shocked, but not as shocked as she seems to be at herself.

She grabs her hand, drops the yogurt she was holding onto, and starts rubbing it. I try to say something, but as soon as I open my mouth my jaw starts throbbing. Damn it, she got a good one in. It hurt, but I’m not about admit that to her. Plus, she looks guilty as hell right now. I really shouldn’t be surprised she can throw a punch since she used to take boxing classes with her dad.

"Damn it, Lexie I was joking, let me see your hand." I reach out to grab it and I'm surprised that she lets me. I inspect it and besides it being red I don’t see anything else wrong with it.

"It's not bad just a little red. Now stop assaulting me. Save the foreplay for the bedroom." She looks up at me and before she gets a chance to reply or swing at me with her other hand I remember something.

"Wait, you're not left handed?" It sounds more like a question than an actual statement. I lift her hand up between the both of us and look at her waiting on an answer.

"I know, I hit you with my left because if my hand got hurt in the process I can still work with my good hand." Her eyes drop to her hand. I notice it's because I'm massaging it like I used to when we were younger after she trained with her dad. I didn't notice I was doing it, it felt so natural, like something I still did it all the time. I don’t want to stop but she pulls her hand away.

"I have to get back to work." I hear her whisper and then she starts backing away from me.

"Wait! Let me give you my number just in case you change your mind."

"No, I don't want it." and that's it, she walks off and turns a corner.

I know I need to back off, so I let her go. She'll come around and if I must take a few more blows to the face I can take it. A smile forms on my face, she always did love foreplay.