Elena blinked at him, unsure of what to say and surprised about how direct he was. Her mouth opened, but she didn't have a chance to say anything before Emily chipped in.
"Yes, she would really like to dance. Wouldn't you, Elena?" Emily asked, with an evil, mischievous smile on her face.Elena narrowed her eyes in her sister's direction, and watched as Emily laughed out loudly before returning her attention to Daniel. "Sure," she told Chandler, "But just so you know, I'm a terrible dancer,"He smiled at her then. "For some reason, I find that very hard to believe,""I'm serious," Elena insisted,"Then I guess you don't have anything to worry about because you see, Elena," he leaned closer to her ear, so close that every hair on her body became erect, "I'm a terrible dancer too so I guess we'll figure it out there,"Thankfully, he moved away so she could stop holding her breath and she smiled at him. Chandler stood, then held out his hand to her. Elena took it, and together, they moved to the dance floor.—-----Have you ever been invited to a costume party? You take the time to plan your outfit, you buy the supplies, perfect the look, and then arrive, only to discover that you're the only one who wasn't in on the secret. Awkward…That's how you'd feel.Awkward. That's how Elena felt as she walked to the dance floor with Chandler….her hand gently clasped in his. Elena always knew, abstractly and from vague hints over the years, that Elijah and his brother weren't close. That he was kind of an outsider, though Elena figured Emily was prone to exaggeration when she'd said he was an actual delinquent.Elena had never met Chandler, but from what she could remember, Chandler Kendrick was at least six years older than Elijah and they weren't close… At least not like Elena and Emily. And if this hangout was any indication, Emily was right. Being brothers and having similar eye color was where the similarities ended.Chandler was the outsider. The black sheep of the family. The rebel. Elijah was quiet and shy, and while Chandler didn't talk much, he was outspoken, straightforward and bold. Elijah was a doctor, while Chandler was a successful businessman. He was the complete opposite of his brother, and he was covered in ink and attitude. Seriously, what kind of businessman had so many damn tattoos, Elena wondered as Chandler faced her.The strains of music seemed to drift away as they stood, and as Elena looked over her shoulder at the other couples enjoying each other's company on the dance floor, she felt even more awkward, and began to wish that she'd said no.Chandler watched her with keen interest. She was doing her best to ignore his presence entirely, or maybe she was that lost in thought, he wasn't sure. He observed that at some point on their way to the dance floor, she'd slipped her hand out of his, and he'd let go of her hand, acting like he didn't notice. He approached slowly, sheathing whatever weapon that might spook her, giving her a small smile as he held his hand out."Come on, Elena. Dance with me?"Elena's chest fell and rose on an inhale as midnight eyes snapped to his face."You really want to? I mean, it's not even a slow song,""Ouch." Chandler said and hand rubbed at the spot above his heart, and he saw her gaze flicker to his tattoos. Again, he acted like he didn't notice. He was used to people giving him weird glances because of his tattoos. Most people did not like it, even his mother at some point, but she got used to it. "Yes, even social reprobates like myself enjoy dancing with a beautiful woman, and it doesn't matter if it's a slow song or not. Never mind about that. I don't care about the song because I wanted to talk to you."Even as the pink deepened on her high cheekbones, she was clearly undecided, Chandler observed. Time to see if this first corner piece would click into place, or if he was completely off-base. "Come on," he said quietly, "I've known your sister for a while and she is fearless… A little bit scary too I must admit, but I'm sure that fearlessness is something you both share…. A twin thing as they put it,"Chandler had meant that to be a compliment, but oh, no, she didn't like that. Her eyes flashed like an impending lightning storm, and he felt the surge of electricity gather around him like a cloud. He was beginning to think that she'd turn around and walk away from him, but he was surprised when she slid her hand in his, and stepped closer. Not quite close enough, but at least that was something.Bracketing her feet with his own, Chandler slid his free hand around her waist and brought her flush against him. Just close enough to not be improper, considering they were not alone, but just enough so he could feel the heat radiating from her body and still be enveloped by her flowery scent .If someone from their table walked past, they would stare. Chandler was sure of that. They might gawk at the way he was holding her. And damn if he didn't want them to. The Hennessy was doing things to his system. Something that made him daring and a little wild.He knew what they'd see, how they'd judge. The bad boy and the good girl, a strange pairing maybe, but if they saw them like this, swaying on the dance floor, they'd assume they had a thing for each other. That something about her had him kind of obsessed. Something about her made him feel dangerous. And maybe that was true, even if just for this one night.In his arms, Elena Davis felt incredible. Her body was warm, her skin was soft, and she smelled like flowers. But she was holding herself a little stiffly, so Chandler backed off just a couple of inches as he gently led her in a slow circle. When he directed her in a slow turn out and spin, she smiled."See? I'm full of surprises, too," he told her."Apparently." She replied. "So …" he watched her face. "Do you like Vacaville so far?"She shrugged lightly, "Well, I can't say for sure right now. I've been here for only two weeks. In Fact, I just got my apartment today, so…. I think I'll hold on to my review for now," "Too bad," he said, "I was hoping you'd say you felt much better about Vacaville since you've just met this really cool dude—," he paused and gave her a look, "—That's me by the way…" Elena couldn't stop the smile this time. Chandler continued, "...But I guess I was wrong. You're not a fun person."Elena set her jaw stubbornly, and the smile quickly disappeared. "That doesn't sound very fair. You can't make a conclusion just like that because of one thing.""No?" he turned her again, pulling her back into his chest. "Agree to disagree.""So you'd want me to dissect you right now?" Elena asked, face flushed from the way he'd just tilted her back. "Because I have made
Chandler caught her arm, stopping her movement. She stared at his place where he made contact and he dropped his hand to his side. The thing was that he did understand. He understood how it felt to have a sibling who seemed to be the apple of everyone's eye. The child the parents were always proud of. The one who had everything figured out. "I'm not complaining," he said, "I kinda did the same thing and you listened…. And it's okay to start over. As long as you don't give up. You can try as many times as you need to," Elena smiled at him. It was weird and funny at the same time. How she'd come here, anxious to see her crush from years ago… Who happened to be his brother, and now she couldn't even remember if Elijah existed. She stared at the clover tattoo on the side of his hand and wondered why he had so many of them. Chandler noticed her staring. The wavy length of her deep brown hair caught the lights in the room and he tilted his head and watched her for a moment. It had been a
"You're going to make me blush if you keep talking like that," Elena laughed out this time. Chandler Kendrick… Blush. Now wouldn't that be fun to see? She opened her mouth to say something when Emily, Daniel and Charlotte showed up behind them. "I really hate to break up…Whatever this is, but we have to go," Emily said, "Daniel has this really important meeting tomorrow morning so he has to go to work early," Chandler looked behind them and frowned when he didn't see his brother. Emily seemed to notice what he was looking for and said, "Elijah and Lexi are in the parking lot. They're waiting for you," Elena stared at Chandler and smiled politely, "I'm sorry I have to go," she told him, "I had a great time tonight. Thank you, Chandler," Chandler smiled back and nodded, "I had a great time too, Elena. Goodnight," to Emily he said, "Could you please tell Elijah that he can go. I'll take a cab back to my place and call him tomorrow morning," Elena began to leave with her sister and
Lost in thought, she had no idea when he got close to them. Chandler recognized her immediately, and he smiled at her. Elena found herself wanting to smile back, but she didn't. Knowing that she'd be living in the city, and how close her sister and his brother were, she knew that she would likely run into him sometimes, so the earlier she put boundaries between them, the better. "Hello, ladies," said Chandler, in that voice of his that had remained ingrained in her memory for the past three days. "Hey Chandler," Emily greeted back. Beth on the other hand simply smiled and waved at him, while Elena remained silent, although she couldn't stop herself from stealing glances at him. "What brings you to the mall?" Emily asked him, "Hunting for chicks? Or whatever the hell you men do with your spare time?" Chandler laughed this time. A deep, sexy, rumble that did something weird to Elena's insides. "Nah, I just wanted to get some stuff," he replied, "And I don't… hunt for chicks. If I wa
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked him, "You scared me!" Chandler raised both hands as he took a step inside the kitchen, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to. Emily said you were here so I came to say hello," Elena didn't roll her eyes, but she did let her eyelids fall shut before lifting them slowly. Hiding her reaction made her even more fascinating in Chandler's book. He saw her shoulders rise and fall as she took a deep breath and let it out. It made him grin."What?" she asked, with a bit more heat behind her tone."Just find it funny that you need breathing exercises to deal with the other Kendrick brother. Am I really that vile?""I wasn't doing breathing exercises," she explained calmly. "I just ... wasn't expecting," Elena paused, and her dark eyes flicked briefly in his direction, "Well… you.""Not many people are, love.""That is not my name," she snapped. "I am aware of that." He gave a brief glance of his own, careful not to piss her off more than he already
Emily's eyes widened dramatically as she stared at Chandler, then they flipped to Elena and blinked a few times. Chandler crossed his arms over his chest and leveled a dry look in her direction."Hey Emily," he said quietly. As frustrated as he was with Emily's interruption, he'd never been so happy to see her in all the time he'd known her. Because if she hadn't walked through that door, he might not have been able to keep himself from reaching for Elena just to see what she'd do. If he thought she was smokin’ hot in the yellow dress she'd worn to the club that day, what she was able to do with a pair of leggings and a crop top was a fuckin miracle of fabric. But instead of staring at her like he quite desperately wanted to, Chandler kept his gaze pinned on her twin sister. The one meeting his stare head-on, quite unapologetically."What's going on?" Emily asked no one In particular. Chandler decided to answer because Elena couldn't seem to find her tongue, "Nothing much. Elena and
In the living room, soft music played in the background, creating an ambiance filled with laughter and conversation. Everyone was getting along quite well, and Elena was happy. This indeed was the start of something new in her life. She didn't know how it was going to go or end yet, but she was here for it. Amidst the group conversations they all engaged in, Chandler found himself engrossed in an animated conversation with Charlotte. Her laughter was infectious, her sparkling eyes capturing his attention momentarily as she leaned in closer, her fingers lightly grazing his arm."You are a very handsome man, Chandler Kendrick," she complimented, making sure no one else could hear her, her voice carrying a hint of flirtation.Chandler, ever the polite and courteous gentleman, acknowledged her compliment with a gracious nod. "Thank you. It's very nice that you think that," he replied, "You are a lovely woman yourself, Charlotte," Charlotte smiled at his compliment and Chandler hoped she
She tugged on some cotton shorts, a tank with a built-in bra and a T-shirt, worn through in spots from being washed so many times. When she flipped on the bathroom lights, she took a second to remember, again, what she'd felt like before the night began. Happy. Terrified. Excited. Now she just felt exhausted. A makeup remover wipe took care of her face, bringing it back to its normal state. A brush did the trick for her hair when it was tugged high on top of her head and off her neck. Her hand was just about to flip the light switch off when the door buzzer rang.Elena froze. "Nooo," she moaned because for some weird, fucked up reason, she just knew. Oh, did she know who it was. She knew it couldn't be Emily because she'd given her sister a key. It rang again, and she swore under her breath. It was the kind of language that would've cost her a fortune in her family swear jar.With a brick of nerves lodged in her throat, Elena hit the speaker button. "Who is it?" she asked, hoping that