It has been a long time since I wrote the first ten chapters in this fan fic, but decided to return to it. Hope you enjoy it!!

Chapter Eleven

Grace hung up the phone and walked of the bedroom. Eli was rinsing out the paint brushes in the kitchen sink. He didn't look up when she said, "Eli..."

Grace - "He has no idea..."

"Eli, talk to me. Please," she pleaded as she stood beside him and put her hand on his wrist.

Finally, he drew a breath and turned to her. She could tell right away that he was hurt.

"We have a lot of things to talk about," he finally replied.

Eli - "Why was I being so cold to her? She hadn't planned on the kiss or of Spencer interrupting us."

He noticed a glob of paint on her cheek. He reached up and wiped it away, but she placed her hand on top of his.

"Eli... we just kissed. We aren't supposed to kiss..." she began.

"I know! Believe me, I know!" he interrupted, looking away.

"Let me finish, please," she took a big gulp of air. "Eli... I didn't expect Spencer to interrupt us. I didn't want him to interrupt us."

He quickly turned back to her. "You didn't?"

Eli, leaning forward on his chair - "Well?"

She shook her head. "I have no idea what's going on right now, Eli. This is different and scary. We're family. And now roommates..."

"You're right," he stopped her. "Look, it's late and we both are in need of a shower. Do you mind if I clean up before I go home?"

Grace - "Is he brushing me off? I wasn't finished!"

"Be my guest," she replied before pivoting and walking into her new bedroom. She paced the room as she listened to the water hitting the shower walls and the sound from the exhaust fan. A few minutes later, both ended. She emerged from her room, holding her pajamas, ready to take a shower. In the hallway, Eli was looking at her as water droplets dripped off of his hair.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow at Booklovers?" he asked, grabbing the keys to Henry's truck off of the breakfast bar.

"I guess so. Goodnight, Eli." She walked quickly down the hallway and into the bathroom. She waited until she heard the front door shut before she climbed into the shower and cried.

Eli - "Looking back on life, there will be lots of events I want to relive. Storming out of Grace's apartment that night is on the top of the list."

The next few day crawled at a snail's speed for Eli. He didn't hear from Grace, but he also didn't try to contact her. He put all of his effort into his work which, unfortunately, meant training Spencer. Eli knew he wasn't being nice to Grace's friend, answering him curtly and quickly showing him the ropes. Spencer tried to bring up Grace, but Eli always quickly changed the subject.

Finally, night came. Eli took extra time that afternoon getting ready. His expectations were high, but he really hoped Grace would forgive his abrupt behavior. He also, secretly, wanted to look better than Spencer. He knew Grace wasn't shallow and cared more for a person's insides, but it didn't hurt if he tried.

At 5:55, Grace quickly walked into the back hallway hear Eli's office and clocked in. He could see her from his office, but she didn't even acknowledge his presence. He cleared his throat before calling to her, "Grace? Could you come into my office for a second?"

Grace turned and walked swiftly into his office. She made sure she closed the door behind her. She walked up to his desk, staring into his eyes.

Grace - "He has such beautiful eyes..." she says, frowning.

He pointed to the chair, "Please sit."

She folded her arms and plopped onto the chair.

Grace - "Oww. My stubbornness has just made my butt hurt!"

"Why does this feel like I'm getting fired?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Eli asked, softly.

"You are being so formal right now. Eli – please talk to me. Why did you storm off last night? Why are you acting like you hate me?"

Eli looked down at his desk and swallowed. He had no idea what to tell her. When he looked up, he noticed she was looking out his office window, out into the restaurant. Eli followed Grace's gaze and saw Spencer sitting at one of the tables. "Grace, don't worry about it. I don't hate you. I hope you don't hate me for being so immature. Go have fun with Spencer," he commented, turning back to his computer.

"What about last night?" she asked, softly, looking down at her hands.

"What about last night? We were caught in a moment. It could have happened with anyone. It just happened between us," he said.

"If that's how you feel..." she stood up and left his office.

Eli - "What the HELL is my problem?"