What was Still is

Chapter 32: James

"I don't want to go back just yet" Ely's sleepy voice comes up behind me, I turn my attention to him and he is so damn sexy. His pajama pants hang from his hips, his bare chest has been kissed by the sun and is still as toned as it was was two years ago. My eyes travel up his body and when I catch sight of his hair I can't help but laugh. It's sticking up in every direction.

"What's so funny?" He pokes me in my side and I squeal trying not to drop the spatula. "Nothing!" I laugh. "Don't make me drop this breakfast is almost ready" my lower half moving from him while I stay and finish cooking the eggs.

He makes his way to the coffee pot and pours himself a cup before grabbing my mug down to make me a cup. "Oh no I don't want any, but I'd love some orange juice. His eyebrow raises but he doesn't question me any further and switches to a glass before heading to the fridge.

I plate our breakfast and slide them up on the bar, "You're eating bacon?" Ely points to my plate where I have two strips.

"Yea it smelled so good when I fried yours so I decided to make me some" I shrug my shoulders as if it's no big deal.

After we finish breakfast I load the dishwasher and Ely disappears to get ready for work.

————————————

Ely comes through the door at a quarter till six, I have been on the couch all day going over new colors to add to my new line and binge watching Netflix. I've been so wrapped up in my work I didn't realize what time it was.

"Hey babe" I shove everything off my lap and make my way over to Ely. His face is tense and his hair has definitely had his hands in it more than once today. "Everything okay?"

"Yea... no" he blows out. "You remember Sarah right?" He steps lightly with that question and I know it's because he thinks I still have a grudge. My eyes fall to the spot on the rug where I broke down scared that something was going on between them. And maybe there was something for her but I know there wasn't anything from Ely.

"Yeah, I saw her at the airport when I got home. She seemed happy with her new husband" I say folding my arms and I see it in his face when the light bulb comes on. 

"It makes total fucking sense now." He growls obviously frustrated. He stalks off to the kitchen and grabs the whiskey from the cabinet and a tumbler.

"What makes sense? What is going on?" I slide into a stool and watch Ely pour himself a glass down it and then pour another.

"Sarah is suing the firm for wrongful termination. She is saying we fired her because..." he trails off watching me before asking. "Are you sure you want to know? It's bad Jay." He's nervous and downs the second glass.

"It doesn't matter, I can't imagine a world were she is right." Shocked at how confident I sound.

"She saying that my father and Mac found out about our sexual relationship and since my father built the firm from the ground up they fired her trying to avoid a scandal or whatever. But really she violated half a dozen sexual harassment rules and not just with me but still that's not what got her fired, they just padded the final reason." his shoulders sag in defeat.

My ears are ringing, not really catching much after "sexual relationship". I can feel the familiar fear building, I can either succumb and take off back to Jo's and eventually L.A. or I can listen to what he has to say and what my heart knows.

"But you didn't have a relationship with her." I go with the second option.

"No she was fired for sneaking around with a client and instead of being adult and coming to the partners about it so that we could get in front of things she hid it."