secured it with an ink pen and put her glasses on, trying to get serious about finishing up what she started so she could move on. It still wasn’t working. The characters that she'd been lovingly developing suddenly felt flat and boring.
Closing her eyes, she let her mind see the characters as real people, like a movie playing out that she had to transcribe onto the page. It didn’t hit her until the scene was nearly done that she was recounting her night with Rex.
She read back what she typed and was surprised to see how good it was. There were a few spelling and grammatical errors but they were easily fixed.
Except...
Rex’s name was dotted across the pages where the old male lead's name used to be. A couple of clicks of her mouse and a few quick strokes on the keyboard would take care of that little mistake. Yet it felt harder than she expected and when she saw Rex disappear from the page, Ellie would be lying if she didn't feel a twinge of sadness.
***
It was way too early to be back. He had no clue what he was going to say to make up for what he did last night. Some people weren’t good with words and he was definitely on that list.
Her neighborhood was quiet and the roar of his bike sounded obscene. He parked and looked up at the front of her house. From where he sat, he saw her sitting at her desk facing the bank of windows in the front of the house. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy knot and a pair of glasses rested on her nose. Rex forgot that she wore glasses to read.
Getting off the bike, Rex walked up the path to her front door. Her windows were open and he could hear the rapid tapping of her fingers on a keyboard. She must be working. He almost turned around and got back on the bike, but the closer he got to the front the more it looked like she was typing with her eyes closed.
She was typing with her eyes closed. Eyes closed, breathing hard and her cheeks were flushed a very familiar pink. While he watched she finished and sat back, obviously reading what she just wrote. She made some quick movements with her fingers on the mouse pad then smiled--a sad smile yet she looked satisfied.
***
The doorbell rang just as Ellie was getting up to refill her coffee cup. Seeing as how she wasn’t dressed, she thought about ignoring it. She really wasn’t up for a visit from anyone right now. Peeking out the window she saw a familiar blood-red bike in her driveway.
Pulling open the door, she kept her lower body hidden. “Rex? What are you doing here?”
“I was thinking, maybe, that you, I mean—can I talk to you?” He stuttered like a shy little boy.
“I’m not really dressed for company, Rex.”
“Please.” The word stuck in his throat, like it always did. He might have learned to say it but it was still a struggle to get it out.
“Okay, come on in.” She stepped back and opened the door, still hiding behind it.
“If you want to go get dressed, I can wait.” Rex didn’t pretend he wasn’t looking, because he was. Ellie wore an old Fabulous Thunderbirds t-shirt and a pair of panties that looked like very short-shorts with a pair of hands printed on them so it looked like they were grabbing her rear. They were so outrageous that he couldn't help grinning.
Determined not to feel self-conscious, Ellie shook her head and straightened her shoulders. “It’s a little late to pretend like you haven’t seen me in less.” She moved into the living room and waited for him to follow.
He sat down on the couch and tried to ignore the fact that it was still a little mussed up from the night before. Instead he looked around her space, taking it in. It suited her—not too girly; earthy colors and very neat.
“So what exactly did you come back for, Rex?” She leaned against her desk, crossing her arms under her breasts.
She was clearly annoyed. Not that he didn’t deserve it, but it made it
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