I don't own Degrassi. So. Much. Fluff. I smiled really hard writing this. I hope it makes you smile too. Reviews would be great. Thank you all so much for the ones I got last chapter. (This is the end, by the way)
"Eli," Clare whined his name for at least the tenth time since they had gotten into the car. "Please, tell me where we're going. You know it drives me crazy not knowing." She put on her best pout as he glanced over to her. His gaze lingered over her lips for only a fraction of a second before he met her eyes with a raised eyebrow and the beginning of a smile teasing the corners of his lips. He didn't even have to speak for her to know there was no way he was budging, but of course he did anyway.
"Is it the not knowing that's driving you crazy or is it the irresistible urge to kiss me?" He teased, his lips tugging up into his infamous, infuriating, and, yes, completely irresistible smirk. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest.
"Trust me, it's completely resistible," she shot back, pursing her lips to keep them from turning up. He chuckled and rolled his eyes, turning back to the road.
"Whatever you say. We're almost there," he promised, and when Clare seemed content with that they drifted into a comfortable silence. It was only a couple of minutes before the tires of the car crunched on gravel as Eli pulled off the road and in front of a chain link fence. Clare's eyes lit up as she recognized the place immediately. The dilapidated church that she and Eli had stumbled upon on one of their urban adventures, and the place the two helped Adam organize a party for Fiona. She smiled as the fond memory of the night she and Eli had shared in a hammock away from the rest of the group filled her mind. She leaned over to press a kiss gently against his cheek.
"This is perfect," she whispered. "It's exactly what I need right now." Eli smiled sheepishly, a smile that she rarely saw and she was sure the rest of the world saw even less, if ever. It was Eli after all, and the young man was anything but sheepish.
"I want you to remember the good times too, Clare. The way things ended between us…" He was cut off as Clare pressed her lips firmly to his and sank her fingers into his dark hair, which was considerably shorter than the last time they had been at the abandoned place of worship. Eli moaned softly in surprise or pleasure, she wasn't sure which, but it didn't matter. She took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, running her tongue over his bottom lip gently before melding it with his. Clare sighed in content as he pulled her closer, kissing her back eagerly. This was the kiss she wanted to remember from tonight, not Asher's.
She pulled back as soon as his name crossed her mind and shook her head. She wouldn't think of him anymore tonight, she promised herself vehemently. Tonight was about her and her boyfriend. No one else. Eli's head fell back against the seat and he looked at her curiously.
"You okay?" he asked. Concern was painted thickly on his features, so she nodded quickly to alleviate any doubts he may have had.
"Just want to see what else you've got planned," she only half-lied. She smiled brightly and pecked him on the lips. A devilish grin plastered itself on Eli's handsome face and she sucked in a breath of relief.
"Who says I have anything else planned? You have very high expectations for an impromptu, late night outing, Ms. Edwards," he said, his smug smirk making another appearance. Clare laughed and pushed his shoulder lightly. She knew Eli Goldsworthy better than anyone in the world, save maybe Adam, and there was no way on God's green earth he had driven them to a place with so much meaning in the middle of the night just to sit in a car parked on the perimeter of the actual site.
"Well, as much fun as kissing you in a car outside of this place is, we could have easily done the same thing outside my house, so spill it, Goldsworthy."
"Hm, you're smarter than you look," he joked and flashed a real smile at her. She smacked him playfully on the shoulder and narrowed her eyes in false displeasure.
"Hey, watch it or they'll be no more kisses," she threatened and did her best to keep a straight face as Eli's eyes widened in mock horror.
"Well, you look brilliant, so that was technically a compliment," he said with a grin and planted a kiss on her tiny nose. She giggled and brought a hand up against his cheek, enjoying the warmth it gave off. He leaned into her touch for a moment before pulling away. "Come on." He hurried out of the car and opened her door, taking her hand gently in his. "This way, milady," he said with a bow and a dramatic flourish of his arm. Clare laughed heartily and tugged her hand away only to wrap her arm around his.
"Such. A. Dork." Eli grinned, taking no offense to her teasing; instead he pulled her closer and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. They slipped inside the fence and made their way over to the church, sharing quick kisses the entire way. Clare paused as they reached it, but Eli tugged her gently forward.
"Just a little bit further," he prompted, and she gave a soft smile of compliance, having a pretty good idea of where he was leading her. Sure enough, a little bit further into the lightly wooded area she could see the faint outline of a hammock tied securely between two trees. She could feel happy tears pooling in her eyes and wiped them quickly away.
"Eli," she whispered, not knowing what to say beyond that. The act was charming and simple, and she absolutely loved it. He kissed beneath each of her eyes gently, somehow knowing she was crying even in the darkness. "This is…" He kissed her forehead when she trailed off and hugged her tightly.
"Hold on," he said and pulled away, seemingly reluctant to let her go. "Stay right there, okay?" Clare chucked and nodded.
"I'm not going anywhere Eli," she swore. He disappeared into the darkness, but she could hear rustling not far from where she stood and could see the bright light of his cell phone as he knelt over something and fiddled around with it. Finally, he stood up, and what followed caused Clare to cover her mouth with both her tiny hands.
The trees surrounding the hammock were all strung with brightly shining Christmas lights, making the small area glow with a softness much like that obtained by candlelight. The tears that had pooled in her eyes earlier were now flowing freely as Eli made his way over to her. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest.
"I thought there wouldn't always be twinkly lights?" she murmured and she knew he was smiling though she couldn't see him. He tightened his grip on her and she did the same in return.
"There won't be," he whispered and placed a finger under her chin before softly thumbing away her tears, bringing crystal blue eyes up to meet emerald green ones, "But there can be tonight." She let out a laugh that was made breathy by the fact that she was crying, and they met in the middle, their lips pressing gently together. They broke away and Eli led her to the hammock which they carefully climbed into and pressed as closely to each other as possible. Eli kissed Clare's curls with a feather light touch, and slowly ran his fingers across her back. She smiled and snuggled even closer to him, if that was possible, and pressed her lips to his chest.
"Clare, I love you," Eli whispered, his voice slightly husky from the cold air. "The last time we were here I wanted to say that so badly, but I chickened out. I'm not going to do that this time. I refuse to waste a single second of the time I have with you."
"I love you too, Eli, and don't worry too much about wasting time. Forever and always, remember?" She wiggled up and nuzzled his cheek with her nose which was reddened from the cold. He smiled and turned his head to capture her lips with his own. By the time Clare finally pulled away they were both breathless, cheeks reddened by the frosty air, and desire.
"Forever and always," Eli agreed and leaned down for another kiss. Clare wanted to tell him about Asher, she really did, but she couldn't. Not tonight. Plus, she was so wrapped up in the kiss that she had almost forgotten. Almost. She made a vow right that second that in the future when she thought back on this night it wouldn't be Asher that flashed through her mind. It was right now, and every moment since she had answered the phone call from the boy, who was at the moment teasing her lips expertly, that she would remember.