Spinner had picked out a surprisingly nice restaurant. Ellie decided that despite everything, he must have retained a little bit of Paige's training--after all, the Spinner she'd known before The Paige Reform had decidedly little class. He didn't even let out a yelp when she teased that she would order the most expensive items on the menu.
She ended up getting a salad and water. Spinner protested briefly, but she quickly shut him up. "I'm watching my figure," she said. "I would think you would want me to." He looked her up and down appreciatively and nodded.
"Fair enough, Freak Girl," he teased.
"Okay, if I'm Freak Girl, then you must be... Hormone Boy." And the nicknames stuck, at least briefly. They took turns feeding each other small bites, and Ellie had to struggle to stop the onset of Sean-related nostalgia. She forced him out of her mind (rather unsuccessfully at certain moments) and vowed to at the very least pretend to enjoy their night.
They finished up and Spinner paid for the meal, then took her hand and led her back to the car. "Next stop," he said, "my place. If you want. No one else is home. Not that we have to do anything. Unless you want to. I want to. But you probably don't."
Ellie laughed mechanically. "Let's go," she said. He happily obliged. It was only a five minute drive, and when they got there, he escorted her inside and took her coat. Thankfully, the dress was long sleeved--she wasn't exactly in the mood to be questioned about the cutting. She pushed him lightly onto the couch, hiked up her skirt and perched facing him on his lap. He grinned widely and leaned forward to kiss her.
They went on for a few minutes kissing and flirting. until Spinner glanced at his watch and groaned. "Mom and Kendra will be back soon," he said. "Can I take you out again sometime?"
Ellie pretended to think about it before breaking into a smile. "Of course," she said. "After all, the better we get to know each other, the less unfinished business we'll have." She gave him a flirtatious wink. She knew she wasn't really acting like herself, but it beat thinking about Sean--which of course she immediately did upon her realization that she hadn't been. "I'm free tomorrow, seeing as it will be a Saturday. And I still have my place for a few days. So come on over. I'll make you a meal or something." He nodded, trying to conceal his eagerness. Food and hot girls were a combination that was very much to his liking.
He drove her home and even escorted her to the door, where he received a very grateful good-night kiss. Ellie was continually surprised that the chivalry he'd learned from Paige still remained. Maybe she could make this work after all.
----------------------
Sean sat staring at the phone and willing himself to pick it up, yet at the same time, warning himself not to. He had no conscious plan of who he wanted to call, yet if he'd thought about it for a moment, he would have known that his fingers would go automatically to Ellie's number. He sighed and forced himself to pick up the receiver and dial Jay's number. He had to know what was going on.
Of course, there was no answer. Funny how things always work out that way. He supposed that should have been indication enough, but instead he punched in the number he knew by heart, but had almost forgotten.
"Hello?"
"Emma? It's Sean..."