Disclaimer: I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog and its creators.
A/N: Again thanks for reading this story and for the comments. Joel and Ellie's drama and romance are getting intense as they got closer and closer to each other. Hope you like this chapter so let's go with it.
Chapter 16: Chasing the Soul
It was almost dark when they arrived at Rodrigo's pier. Joel drove the boat slowly closer to the wooden platform where the old man was already waiting for them.
"¿Adonde rayos fueron a pescar ustedes dos?" said Rodrigo as soon the boat touched the wood and Joel cut out the engine.
"Calmate old man… Tomamos un pequeño desvío y perdimos la noción del tiempo." Joel turns his head to the back and looks down at Ellie that was now back on her t-shirt and shorts. "Hey… Ellie, can you pass the rope to Rodrigo? So he can tie the boat to the pier?" he asked her gently.
Ellie looked up and looked at him with not a happy face. But she happily complied. Ellie moves to the side and grabs the rope. "Here… Sorry, we're late… we don't mean to get back too late…"
Said Ellie while passing the rope to the old man.
"Is that okay girl… I was just a little worried about you two." He grabs the rope and ties it to one of the vertical wooden logs on the pier. "Did you two have fun catching the fish?" he asked as he finished.
"Yeah… we have some fun… thanks for letting us use the boat," said Ellie while grabbing her backpack and moving to the side of the boat where the old man was standing on the pier.
Joel started to get down from the driver's side until he landed on the deck of the boat. "We caught a few big ones, so those will be our dinner tonight…" Joel moves to the side to grab the bucket with the fish inside, while Rodrigo helps Ellie to get out of the boat. "Oh, one more thing…" he said with a smile on her face. "The cooking will be courtesy of the girl right there, so you don't need to be worried about that," he said while pointing at Ellie.
Ellie turns her head and looks at her as soon as she gets on the pier. "Wait a minute… cooking raw fish wasn't part of the deal," she said quickly.
Rodrigo looks at both of them with a clueless look. "What deal?"
Joel grabs his bag and put it over his shoulder and grabs the bucket with his other hand. "Well, you lost the bet so you have to cook for me for a week, and since we're going to eat here tonight… you have to cook the fish," he said with a smile on his face. "Here…" he said while passing the bucket to her. "I just hope that you know how to clean a fish… because that is part of the cooking."
"Arrggg… this is no fare," she said after grabbing the bucket with a mad expression. "I think that you're taking this too much for amusement."
Joel stands on the side of the boat looking at her. "You should not be winning too much, girl… all of this was your idea."
Ellie looked at him for a minute. "Arrrggg… you're impossible." Said Ellie before turning around and starting to walk away. "Fuck!… I can't even believe that you won…" she continued murmuring on her way to the house.
Rodrigo stays watching her while she continues walking toward his house. Soon she was far away, he turned his head and looked at Joel. "What the hell was it all about? What kind of bet do you two have? What did you two do out there?" he asked Joel.
"You don't want to know… old man," answered Joel as soon as he got out of the boat. He saw the old man smiling at him. "No, no es lo que piensas… anciano… Solo te voy a decir, que no tendré que cocinar por una semana." he said with a smile. "Solo espero que sepa cocinar…" he said before starting to walk out of the pier.
The old man started to laugh and follow him. "No se que ustedes dos hicieron aya fuera, pero me alegro que la pasaran bien." he said as soon he got close to Joel and put his arm around his shoulder.
Joel rolled his eyes. "Como te dije… no es lo que piensas. Solo fuimos a pescar y a nadar," Said Joel as they continue walking toward the house.
"¿La llevaste a la caverna?" he asked with an amusing tone. "Ese es un buen lugar para… ya sabes."
"No!... and stop saying those things… Ellie and I are… I'm only her guide, that is all." he said while shaking Rodrigo's arm.
"Ok… si no quieres decirme… Tal vez le pregunté a Ellie… women are better at talking about those things."
"Good luck with that…" said Joel before he got close to the house's back door.
Both men stopped close to Ellie. She was already waiting for them in front of the back door of the house. "Look, I know that we make a bet and I lose… and I will cook the fish… but no way am I going to open and clean them up," she said with a firm voice.
"Don't worry girl… I will help you with that." the old man put his arm around her shoulder and opened the door to guide her inside.
"You… should not… she needs to do all that by herself," Joel said while following them inside.
"A little help is not going to hurt, if she has never done it before, someone needs to teach her how to do it anyway," he said while letting go of Ellie and stopping in the middle of the living room.
"Whatever old man… you can help her if you want… but I will go to the bathroom and take a shower. Do you still have some of my clothes here?" Joel asked before dropping his bag on the floor close to the couch.
"I think you have some in a box in the fish tank room." Replay the old man.
"Thanks," said Joel before turning around and walking away.
Ellie looked at him while rolling her eyes again. "Is he always like this?"
"No, always. Sometimes he is worse." he put his arm on her shoulder again. "Don't worry girl, I think you're warming his cold heart… you should have seen him a few years ago." he moves Ellie around and starts walking toward his kitchen.
"Oh… I want to hear some of that," said Ellie while looking toward the room Joel disappeared into. "What do you mean the fish tank room?"
"Oh… yeah is a room full of tanks where I put the living one I caught. I can show you the room later. Now… let me teach you how to prepare a good fish… and while we're on that you can tell me all you two do out there." he said with a smile.
Soon Joel enters the room, he looks for the box Rodrigo mentioned around the room. The place has a few fish tanks where Rodrigo put the live fish he catches to sell later. After a few minutes, he saw the box in a corner. He opens it and grabs some clean clothes that he left in the old man's house when he helps him a few times. So he has them, Joel gets out of the room and walks toward the bathroom. Before he goes inside, Joel can hear Ellie and Rodrigo talking in the kitchen, but he can't hear exactly what they were saying. He knows that the old man will try to find out what they do out there, Lucky for him they didn't do anything, well at least not what he thinks they did. They only talk so the old man will be really disappointed by that. But he has to admit that it feels good to talk a little and he has to admit that Ellie makes him feel things that he is never going to feel again. Soon he gets inside the bathroom, Joel takes his clothes off and enters the bathtub, and opens the water.
The warm water feels good on his body and even though he should let Ellie take a shower first, he needs it more. Thinking about Ellie on that beach and under the water with that bikini she was wearing was making some part of his body have a natural reaction. Lucky for him, he managed to hide it most of the time so he hoped that Ellie didn't notice his erection. As the water continued hitting his body, Joel put his hand on the wall while staying under the warm water. He closed his eyes and tried not to think of her, but his mind took him back to the beach. Joel tried to hold it, but his new erection was not helping him. He needs to release himself if he wants this to go away before he gets back there. He has not masturbated since he was younger, he has sex with Tess to calm that down and after her, he has sex with a few local women he finds in the bar when he gets the urge.
After a few minutes, Joel closes the warm water and opens the cold one, but as it was too cold, he decides to get his erection off the other way around. So he slowly moved one hand to his front and grabbed his dick and closed his eyes. Joel tried to think of one of the women he had sex with before, but that wasn't not working. After a few minutes, the image of Ellie in her bikini goes into his mind, and without thinking his hand starts to move. His mind floor away and he only can see Ellie in front of him with a smile on her face. Soon after that, his hand started to move faster making his climax get closer and closer. A few minutes later, Joel had to tighten his teeth as he came hard, spreading his seed into the bathtub wall in front of him.
Shit! He said to himself as he cleared his mind. The last thing he wanted was to do this while thinking about Ellie, but somehow he couldn't help himself.
xXx
Back in the kitchen. Ellie was standing beside Rodrigo as he showed her how to cut the fish and took the guts out. She was with her head turning to the other side and with one hand covering her mouth.
"You should be looking at this girl… otherwise how are you going to learn?" he said while looking toward her.
"If I do that… I'm going to get sick… I don't even know how I watched you while you did it the first time."
"Ahhhh… Cut a fish is not that bad… debería ver cuando cortan a un cerdo."
Ellie turns her head to look at him but still holds her hand on her mouth. "What!"
"Nothing… Don't worry, you can relax now… they're ready for cooking… Do you want me to cook them? I know that you have some kind of bet with Joel… but he doesn't need to know." Said the old man with a smile.
Ellie looks at the fish and it does not make her feel sick anymore. "No is okay… I can do it from here." Ellie moves close to him and grabs one of the fish. "How do you two like them? I can make a soup if you like or if you two want it fried…"
"A soup will be okay… let me check if I have all that you need for that," he said, moving away and starting to look in his cabinet.
"Okay…" Ellie put the bigger fish on a cutting wood plank and grabbed the kitchen knife. "I don't think I will need the rest of them for soup."
Rodrigo looks at her and the fish. "Yeah… that one will do. I can marinade the rest and put it in the fridge for later," said Rodrigo while grabbing the test of the fish and moving away.
"Okay," she answered while cutting the big fish.
Rodrigo helped Ellie get things ready for the soup and after 15 minutes the food was on its way to cooking. While they were in the kitchen, Rodrigo asks her about the bet they make and where they go after they finish fishing. Ellie gladly told him about how the fishing went and all the things she saw underwater. After that, she told him about the cove Joel took her and how beautiful that place was. She only told him about the swimming bet they made before they came back and how surprised and mad she was after Joel won. She did not understand yet how he did it after she pushed him on the sand and got a head start. She didn't mention anything about her conduction she put if she wins. But since Joel already won, he knows now that she has to cook for him and clean his house for a week.
Rodrigo laughs a little at that. "Are you really going to do that? I mean you're on vacation and I don't think Joel is really going to make you do those things," he said in a more serious tone.
"Well, a bet is a bet…" she said while looking around making sure that Joel wasn't there. "I know I'm on vacation, and to be sincere I don't like to do that much… well at least the cleaning part. But between you and me I want to use this to know Joel more," she said the last part in a lower voice.
"That is interesting," he said in a lower voice too. "I wish I can help you with that, but if you want to know him better you need to work on that on your own… Joel likes his private life to be that… private and as much as I wanted to help you it is better if you make him talk by yourself."
"Is it okay… I know that Joel is your friend and you don't want to compromise that… just for me, but I think I make some progress on that."
"That is great," he said with a smile on his face. "So… Joel take you to the cove?" asked Rodrigo while taking out some ceramic bowls for the soup.
Ellie was using a spoon to move the soup but turned her head to look at him as soon as he asked. "Yeah… I have never seen anything so beautiful… The water was so clear and warm." she said with a smile on her face. "We also saw two big turtles… they were so beautiful… that place is incredible."
The old man smiled. "I think you're a lucky lady… Joel never has taken anyone to that place in a long time… well, any tourist anyway."
"Really!... Why not? I bet people will pay him good money just to be taken there."
"I can't say much about it, but Joel wants to keep that place untouched as much as it can be. Not many people here know the place and the locals on that island know how to keep it that way. Some guides know it, but they do not take people there… They know how that place is important for the people that live here and they know how some tourists contaminate the water and the beaches."
"Yeah, I know how some people are," she said thinking about all the species the man has killed just for contamination.
"Rodrigo is right… so I hope you don't tell anyone about that place or I have to kill you," said Joel as soon as he entered the kitchen.
"Hey… Solo le estaba hablando de lo especial que es ese lugar." said the old man with his hand raised up. He knows how much Joel hates people talking about his private life.
"Ese lugar no es tan especial…" he said looking toward Rodrigo. ¿Qué le dijiste? Espero que nada-hey," Joel protests as soon he gets hit by a wet kitchen towel.
Joel quickly looks toward Ellie. "What did I tell you two about speaking Spanish in front of me?" she said while looking at both men.
"Yeah… I get it, but why do you always throw things at me? Rodrigo is right beside you… you know. Besides, he is the one that started speaking in Spanish…" said Joel while putting the towel on top of the table.
"Well, we're in his house so he can do whatever he wants… you on the other hand."
"Gracias," he said before moving closer to Ellie and putting his arm around her shoulder and practically smiling at Joel.
"Yeah… I can see that you two are really pals now…" he said while walking toward the fridge. "Oh… why is he helping you? you are the one that is supposed to cook the food. So why do you let him help you?" he added without looking at them.
Rodrigo moved away from Ellie and raised his hand in front of him. "Wow, Wow… I just give her the cooking things… She did all the rest."
Ellie put her hand on her waist. "Don't take it on him… I know that I lost the bet, but you don't need to be so bitching about it. Besides, the bet was cooking in your house, not in all the places we go…" she said with a mad tone.
Joel opens the fridge door but turns his head to look at her. "Hey… don't need to get mad, I was just joking around." Joel looks inside the fridge looking for a beer, but he does not find any. "Hey… did you drink all the beer I brought you?".
"Of course, I did… Do you bring those for me… remember? Besides, you should not be drinking anything yet."
"Jesus… you too?" Joel closes the door and walks closer to the cooking pot, and opens the top to smell the soup. "Well, I hope that at least we can eat something good… Mmm… this smells delicious…" he said before looking at Ellie that was beside him. "Are you sure it was you the one that Cook-ahhhhhh… ow!" Joel put the top back on the pot and moved away from Ellie while rubbing his shoulder. "Hey, that hurt!... Why are you always hitting me?"
"Because you're such an ass sometimes… now stop being you and help Rodrigo with the table and keep an eye on the soup… I will go to the bathroom and take a shower." Ellie turns around and walks toward the living room. She was lucky that she brought an extra change of clothes in her backpack, otherwise, she would have had nothing to wear here.
Soon Ellie was gone, and Rodrigo moved closer to Joel. "So… you take her to the cove? Wow, nunca pensé que llevaras a alguien hay después de lo de Tess-" he stops when Joel glare at him.
"No es lo que crees así que deja de pensar en eso… solo la lleve porque pensé que era un buen lugar para nadar. Además ese sitios no es tan especial, otra gente va hay también."
"Tienes razón… si la hubieras llevado a la cueva eso sería otro cuento." Rodrigo grab the bow and put them on the table. "Solo digo que le des una oportunidad a esto… Por poco mueren haces unos días atrás… y esa chica no lo pensó dos veces en tirarse al mar para salvar tu vida." he turn his head and look at Joel. Si eso no fue una señal… no sé qué más puede ser. Yo creo que no debes seguir castigándote por lo que pasó… y sigue con tu vida. Tal Vez esto es una segunda oportunidad."
Joel turn around and put his hand on the counter and look down. "Tu crees que todo eso se puede olvidar tan fácil? ¿Crees que no lo he tratado? Tommy era como un hermano menor para mí… veo su rostro cada vez que voy a dormir… y el de Tess cuando le rompi el corazon… crees que todo eso es fácil de olvidar?"
Rodrigo move closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Si, él era un buen chico, pero lo que pasó no fue tu culpa… y lo que pasó con Tess, bueno eso fue algo que no se pudo evitar. Yo entiendo pero lo que estabas pasando. Pero ya ha pasado mucho tiempo… y creo que es hora de tratar algo nuevo… hijo."
"Lo siento mucho," said Joel with some tears coming down from his eyes. "Se que siempre me has querido como un hijo, y siempre estaré agradecido por todo lo que has hecho por mi… pero la verdad es, que no se como salir de todo esto. Quisiera cambiar todo lo que paso, pero no puedo."
"Nadie puede cambiar lo que paso hijo, pero creo que alguien te ha dado una segunda oportunidad… y creo que debes aprovecharla.
Joel moves his arm and passes it on his face to clean his tears. "Si estás hablando de Ellie… no creo que ella sea lo que tu piensas. Solo está aquí de vacaciones y nada más."
"Tal vez eso sea cierto… pero tal vez fue el destino lo que la trajo aquí." The old man tightened his fingers on Joel's shoulder for a brief moment. "Solo piensa lo bien… y trata de abrir un poco los ojos y tu corazón si enrealidad quieres superar todo esto… my friend," the old mangive Joel a soft hit in his back and move away. "Now, let's stop with all these sad things, and let's enjoy the evening. That girl does a great job with the cooking, so help with the table before she comes back."
Whiteout they notice Ellie, leaning behind the wall that divided the kitchen from the living room when Joel and Rodrigo were talking. She doesn't want to listen to their conversation, but she can't help it. Too bad they talk in Spanish so she can't understand most of the words they said, but she knows that it was something that made Joel really sad. After they finish talking about that, Ellie decides to get away from there without getting noticed and walks toward the bathroom, and goes inside. Ellie put the backpack on the floor and took out the clothes she would use on the top of the hamper the old man had in the bathroom. The old man mentioned Tess, whom she knows now was Joel's girlfriend, but who is this Tommy guy? It looks like something bad happened to him that makes you upset, maybe this is what Joel doesn't want to talk about. Ellie put her hands on both sides of the sink and looked at her reflection there. What happens, Joel… I can see that you're struggling with something from your past…. And I really want to help you if I can… I really do, but you need to let me in.
After a few minutes of thinking, Ellie takes off her clothes and goes into the bathtub, and opens the water. Ellie moves under and closes her eyes as soon she feels the water hitting her body. She tries to shake Joel's image from her head, but she can't. It was like the man penetrated her soul and was founding his way into her heart. She doesn't know how all this happens because they barely know each other. But today's conversation on that beach was like a door opening between them. Ellie doesn't really know what to do about all this, but she is afraid now that she is getting some feelings for the man. Ellie stayed in the bathroom for almost one hour, not only taking a bath but also thinking about Joel and how all this will go from now on. After she finishes, Ellie put her clothes on and walks out of the bathroom carrying her backpack in one hand.
Soon she got into the leaving room, she dropped it on one of the chairs there. Then she saw Joel and Rodrigo sitting outside on the porch of the house drinking and talking. Ellie rolled her eyes, before walking toward the door, opening the screen door, and going outside. "Hey… how nice of you drinking out here," said Ellie with her hand on her waist.
Both men turn around as soon as they hear Ellie's voice behind them. "Hey, you really take your time in the shower… I almost went there to see if something was wrong," said Joel before moving the beer toward his mouth.
Ellie rolled her eyes before moving closer to Joel and yanked the bottle from his hand before he took another drink. "What the fuck is this?" she said while moving the bottle of beer away from him.
"Hey… that is mine!" Joel quickly protests the try to get it back.
"No, anymore…" she said before moving the bottle to her mouth and drinking the rest of the beer in one sip. The beer was half empty, but that didn't matter to Ellie. Soon she finishes, Ellie lowers the bottle and looks at Joel's face. "I already told you not to drink when you're taking those pills the doctor gives you," she said with a furious tone.
Rodrigo laughed at that. "I like her," he said with a smile before drinking his own beer.
Joel looked at him and rolled his eyes. "Why… because she treats me like she was my mom? I think you like everyone that treats me like shit…"
"Hey!..." Ellie quickly protests. The look at Rodrigo. And you!... you said that you drink all the beers Joel brings you. So why was he drinking one?"
"Well, I did drink all the one he brought, but I forget that I have another six-pack in my fish fridge." He looked at her with an apologist's eyes. Sorry, I tried to stop him, but he said he only drinks one…" he said before finishing his own beer. "Anyway, the food is ready… así que vamos a ver que también cocinas." The old man stood up and walked toward the door. "La mejor forma de llegar al corazón de un hombre… es a través de su estómago." he said before going inside.
"I don't get completely what you said, but if it was about my good cooking then thank you." Ellie stops in front of the door and turns around as soon Joel stops behind her. "And you… stop being so stubborn… and stop trying to drink alcohol for a few days…" she said while pointing at him with one finger. "I bet that not drinking for a while is not going to kill you."
"Really!... it was just one beer… that I had not even finished thanks to you." Said Joel while glaring at her, but after looking at her face some images start to flow into his mind again, so he needs to keep her away from him for at least a few hours. Look, I know that you're trying to help me and I really appreciated that… but one beer is not going to kill…" he stopped when he heard himself talking. He was drinking the day she saved his life so he understood her concern.
"Just let go inside and eat…" said Ellie before turning around and walking inside.
Joel shook his head before walking inside after her. Shit… what an asshole.
xXx
"So what do you two think?" said Ellie after putting her spoon on the empty bowl. "Can I cook or not?" Asked Ellie while waiting for their answer.
Joel was taking his last month of soup. But Rodrigo put his spoon on the empty bow and looked at her. "Well, I can tell you that this was really great, but Joel is the cooking expert, so maybe he can give you a better opinion." said the old man while looking toward Joel.
Joel put the spoon on the bow and grabbed a napkin from the table. "I think… if we don't die in five minutes… you pass," said Joel with a smirk.
"Really!… I should let you two die of starvation…" she said with a disappointed tone.
"Hey!... don't get mad at me… I really like it," he said in his defense. Joel is the one that has been an asshole… like always."
"You two are something… really."
"Well, don't worry… I will give you a B for it," he said with a smile. "And I think that is a great compliment coming for a guy that works in a bar and cooks there."
"Work in a bar restaurant… you get fired, remember?" said the old man while interrupting him.
Joel looked at him with rolling eyes. "Yeah… thanks for reminding me of that."
"Don't worry son, I'm sure you will find something else soon." said the old man.
"Yeah, sorry that you lost your job, but maybe you can ask that man from the ranch if they're hiring. You already told me that you work there… right?" Ellie stands up and starts to grab the empty bowls.
"Hey… you don't need to do that girl… we have rules here. If someone cooks, the other one cleans the dirty dishes." he stands up and grabs his bowl.
"Well, you should let her do it… she lost the bet, remember? And that includes cleaning."
Jesus Joel, can you stop being an ass about that bet?" Rodrigo moves around the table and picks up Joel's bowls before moving closer to Ellie grabbing her from her hands and continuing walking toward the sink. "Besides, both of you are my guests here… and I don't care about your stupid bet and who wins or not," he said in the last part, looking at Joel.
Joel glances at him, moving his hand up in front of him. "Solo decia… anciano."
Ellie raised her arm and stretched her body. "I don't know about you two but I'm full…" Joel looked at her and saw how her t-shirt moved up showing her belly. He quickly moved his head to the side to not look at her body. After a minute she lowered her arm and looked toward Rodrigo. "Do you have some beers left, I'm dying for a drink?"
Joel glances at her again with a surprised expression. "Really? You want to drink… after drinking my beer?"
"Hey…. I'm not the one taking pills… so I can drink all I want," she said while sticking out her tongue toward him.
"Yeah… real mature…. How old are you again?" said Joel before standing up and walking out of the kitchen without saying anything.
"Hey… I was kidding… you don't need to get mad," she said while chasing him, but stopped at the entrance of the kitchen when she saw him go outside. "What is wrong with him? He has been acting weird since we came back from the beach," she said while turning around and looking at Rodrigo. She saw the old man looking for something in the upper cabinets.
"Ahhhh… don't worry about him… he will be alright," he said calmly.
"Are you sure? Because I hear him early and he sounds upset… I know that Joel has some-" Ellie started but stopped when the old man yelled.
"Ha… te encontre," he yells interrupting Ellie. The old man turned around with a bottle in his hand. I Don't have any more beers, but if you want a drink, I have something better than that… Do you want to taste it?" he said while showing her the bottle with a smile on his face.
Ellie moves closer to him and grabs the bottle. "What is this? I have never seen a drink mark like this before…" She examines the strange bottle design and the title on the sticker of the bottle. "Pitorro… is this a local drink?"
"No, and yes… well, it is a local drink, but not from here. I have an old friend in Puerto Rico that sends me a few bottles every year… is a local drink there, but not very legal," he said while taking the bottle back. "Is a little strong… so think about it, maybe this is not for you. Not even Joel likes to drink this," he added.
"Really? Well, I'm not Joel, So maybe I like it…" she said with a smile.
"Are you sure? I already told you that this is very strong," he asked again just to be sure that Ellie is ready for this.
"Hit me, old man… this is not my first time drinking… So I can handle everything," she said excitedly.
"Ohhhh…you are a brave woman, I can give you that… Now I like you more than before." he turned around and started to look for two glasses.
xXx
Outside Joel walks toward the pier and stands at the end of it and starts looking at the dark water. He can see some of the houses' lights in the distance and a few of the boats in the water. Joel doesn't really know what to do about anything in his life now. All the people that he knows tell him to move on, but he is stuck and can do anything about it. Joel doesn't want to continue hurting people around him and losing his job will not help. He tries to get help a few times with the help of Tess, but he only finds emptiness inside him since Tommy died. He wasn't blood-related to him, but he really loved him like the brother he never had and when he was gone he felt like part of him died with him. He pushes Tess away, not because he doesn't love her, but because he wants her to be happy and he knows that she won't if she stays with him. He just came here to hide after his accident and get away from his surfing life. He wanted to start all over Tess with new people, but all that failed. He doesn't have anyone in the States, his surfer friend starts to fade away when he can't surf anymore, so he decides to get a new life. Too bad that didn't work the way he wanted.
Joel slowly sat on the edge of the pier and put his arm on both sides as he continued looking at the darkest of the water. What do I do now? My life was shit before, but I worked and stayed busy and that helped to keep my mind in one piece… but now this girl busted into my life, and things change. Joel tries to make sense of all of this, but he can't find any. He wanted to know why this girl arrived in his life and for what purpose. The old man told him that it was destiny, but he doesn't believe in that crap.
Joel looks up to the sky and starts watching the stars. That view couldn't be more beautiful than that, so he lay on his back and closed his eyes to try to clear his mind and find out what to do. Joel opens his eyes as soon as he hears music coming from the old man's house. Joel doesn't know how much time passes since he closed his eyes, but he knows that it wasn't that much. What the hell is all that about? I never saw Rodrigo putting music like that before, well at least not when I'm here. Joel said before slowly standing up and looking at his wristwatch. What the fuck? I can't fall asleep for one hour. He thought that he was just out for 15 or 20 minutes, but one hour was too much.
Joel stands up and starts walking toward the house, which looks like there was a party going on in there with louder music. Soon Joel opened the screen door and entered the living room. He saw Ellie dancing with Rodrigo in the middle of the room. "Hey! What are you two doing? Your neighbors are going to complain about the loud music."
Both of them turn their heads and look at him. "Joel… Mi amigo… Como… Estas?" said the old man with a drunk tone.
Ellie raises the glass she has in her hand and smiles. "Hey… Joel… where were you? You're missing the party…" She continued dancing but moved toward him. "Do… you… want to dance?" she asks Joel while moving in a sexy way in front of him. "I don't offer… you… a drink… because you… can't… drink any." she said with a heavy tongue.
Joel moves one of his hands and tries to grab the glass from her hand. "I think you should not either… Are you drunk?"
"Whaaaaaaaat!" she said while moving the glass away from him. "Of course… not… I only drink a few… shit I forget… how this thing… is calling."
The old man moves closer to Joel and smiles. "We're only having a little party… Quieres unirte a nosotros?"
"¿Estás bromeando? ¿Qué rayos le diste?" Said Joel looking at him, but moving close to Ellie.
"Solo unos tragos… ella insistio…" said the old man while moving away from Joel.
"Solo baja el volumen o apaga el radio." Joel says before moving closer to Ellie, finally grabbing her arm with the glass and yanking it from her hand.
"Hey… that… is mine!" She tries to get it back but Joel uses his other arm to keep her away from him. "You're not fun… give me that back… I'm not finished yet."
"I think you have had enough of this." he moved the almost empty glass to his nose and smelled it. "For cry's sake… old man you give her Pitorro?" He pushes Ellie away when she tries to grab the glass in his hand again. "I don't even drink this shit… how many does she have?" he asked with a worried tone.
The old man lowers the radio volume and looks at Joel. "Solo dos vasos… o eran tres?" He said without being sure about that. "I can tell you something… Joel. Esta mujer sabe como… beber y bailar," The old man moved toward his couch and sat there. "No recuerdo haber bailado así desde… Tess."
"Jesus…" Joel helped Ellie to sit on one of the chairs and quickly walked toward the sink and drop what was left of the drink. "Dile eso cuando esto le explote en la mañana," said Joel while walking back to the living room where both were sitting now.
"Who! Dance better than me? Your… girlfriend?" she said with a very drunk tone. "I can dance better…" said Ellie while standing up and starting to move. "Hey… Rodrigo put on more music…"
Joel moves closer to her and grabs her arms to stop her. "Nope… no more dancing or drinking… we need to go." he let go of her and started to look around.
"Noooooo! I want to drink more and dance…" She moved closer to Joel and put her arm around his neck, as soon as another music started. "I want to dance with you now… I love this music… dance with me… I will don't tell anything to… your girlfriend," Ellie starts to move and tries to make Joel dance with her.
"C'mon… we need to go." he tries to yank her arm away from him but she moves closer and hugs him. "You're going to be sorry in the morning…"
"Why? This is all fun… I want to stay a little longer… I want to dance with you…Hmm… you look so sexy," She moved her head closer to him. "I even wanted to… kiss…" she moves her lips toward his, but stops before she gets too close. "Oh… shit! Your girlfriend is going to… kill me now."
Joel grabs her arm softly and moves her away from him. "I think it is better if you get some sleep…"
Ellie let go of him this time. She feels a little embarrassed right now. She has gotten drunk before with her friend, but never like this. "I… think… you're right… but… I don't have… a place to stay… So where am I going to sleep?"
Joel moved her to his side and put his right arm around her waist. "I will take you to my house… you're staying there for now… remember?" He starts walking with Ellie beside him and looks toward the couch. The old man was already out and snoring. "We need to have a serious talk later… old man," he said before walking toward the radio and turning it off, then helping Ellie walk toward the door.
"Ahhhh… the music is off… I want to… dance… I want to dance with you." said Ellie now with a sleeping voice.
"We can do that on another day… now let's go home." Joel opens the screen door and walks out with Ellie. Soon he was on the porch. He turned around and closed the door and locked it. Soon Joel starts to walk toward his jeep, and Ellie's body starts to feel heavy. "Don't feel sleep yet…girl… I will take you to bed real soon," he said while continuing walking.
Ellie raised her head and looked at him. "Really? Are we going… to sleep… on your bed?"
Joel did not say anything to that. It was better to ignore her in this condition. Soon he was on the passenger side of his jeep, Joel opened the door and helped Ellie to get in. He looked at her face as soon as she sat on the seat. She was looking at him with sleeping eyes and a smile. Why was she smiling at him? Then he realized what she said early. Shit! She most thinks I'm a pervert and wants to take advantage of her… but why is she smiling like that? Soon she was secure on the seat, Joel walked to the other side of the jeep and got in. Joel starts the engine and starts to back the jeep. He looked at Ellie who was still looking at him with a smile on her face.
"Are you okay?" he said, turning the lights on and getting ready to drive away.
"Yes… I feel wonderful," she said no, taking her eyes away from him. "Your girlfriend… will be mad… if we sleep together?" she said with a casual voice.
"Jesus girl… I don't know why you let him give you that. And I can guarantee that you will feel worse in the morning." he turned his head to the front and started to drive off.
Ellie was more quiet as soon as Joel drove away from Rodrigo's house. She fell asleep halfway to Joel's house. So he thanked God for that because she had been talking nonsense since the departed Rodrigo's house. What was that old man thinking? Giving her that kind of alcohol, that he did not even drink because it was too strong and gave him a really bad hangover the next morning. Soon Joel arrives at his house, he parks the jeep in front of it. Ellie opens her eyes and looks at him with curious eyes.
"Who are you… and… How do I get into… your car?" She moved her head to the side and looked around. "Where… is this place… it does not look like… my hotel."
Joel rolled his eyes before turning off the engine, took off his seatbelt, and opened the door. "Try not to move much or-" It was too late for the warning since Ellie just moved her head over the door and threw up.
"Shit!..." Joel quickly gets out of the jeep, walks toward her side, and waits for her to finish. She didn't throw up much, but he knew that that was only the beginning. Making sure to not step on her vomit, Joel opens the door and takes her seatbelt off, and starts to help her out.
"Hey… I know you!" she said with a heavy tongue.
"C'mon… let me help you to get out." Joel grabs her hands and carefully makes sure neither of them steps on her vomit. "Yes… you know me… I hope that this teaches you not to drink that shit."
"Drink? Did we drink… something?" She practically said not to remember anything that happened in Rodrigo's house.
"You did… and that was not a good idea," he answered while helping her walk toward his house. Soon they get to the two porch stair, Joel moves one arm and grabs her by the waist, because she Bareilly can walk. Joel has to deal with something like this with Tess once. It was the first time they drank that stuff and Tess got drunk like hell. He has to nurse her for a few days, so he is hoping that is not going to be the same with Ellie.
"Are we going… to get in trouble?" she asked as soon as they got in front of the door. "The school director… don't like us… to drink… so I don't want you… to get in trouble," she said as her mind is getting all messed up.
Joel can't get why she was talking about school, but it was making him curious about it. Did she is talking about her friends there or her boyfriend? He remembers her saying that she doesn't have too many friends there and that she doesn't have any boyfriend, but he wonders if all that was true. Joel opens the door and walks her inside. He helped her walk through the living room and continue toward his room. "I will take you to bed… so let me know if you want to throw up again… okay?"
"This… is not my dorm?" she said while looking around. "Are we going… to have sex? I will like that… right now…" She continues talking nonsense things, at least that is what Joel thinks.
Joel enters his room and helps her into the bed. "Don't worry… a little sleep will help you to feel better." That was a half-lie because he knows how she will feel in the morning. He moves her legs into the bed and starts to take her shoes off. Soon after he finished he grabbed the blanket and put it on top of her. Joel sat on the edge of the bed and slowly moved his hand closer to her and removed some hair from her face. Ellie moves her head but stays with her eyes closed. She mumbled something that Joel can't get but decided to leave her alone and hope that she doesn't throw up again in there. Just sleep well. After a few minutes, he moves off the bed and gets out of the room, but not before stopping at the entrance and looking at her with a smile on his face.
After that, Joel walks out of the room and closes the door but not completely. He walked toward his leaving room and saw the little mess there, even after Ellie cleaned a little the day before, he made a mess the next day. Joel starts to pick up a few things from the floor and some clothes from the couch, where he is going to sleep tonight. He was lucky that most of the pain in his back has gone and mentally he feels a lot better now. He hopes that he doesn't need to take more pills tomorrow because he is dying for some beers and with Ellie close to him he knows that he will not get any. After he finished picking up the things and put them away, Joel looked at his wristwatch and saw that it was only 11:00 pm and he didn't feel like sleeping yet. So after a few minutes of thinking about what to do? He decided to go outside and take a walk on the beach to clear his mind.