Summary: On the day she leaves LA, MC (Ellie) can’t stop thinking of who she left behind. (slightly NSFW)
Notes: This is my entry for Day 4 of Ride or Die Appreciation Week! I used some of PB’s dialogue and bedazzled it a bit.
When Ellie entered her hotel room, she quickly shut the door, dropped her bag on the floor, and flopped back onto the bed. It had been a long day on the road and she still had a couple more ahead of her before she reached Langston for orientation. However, she was grateful her dad had made her reservations at decent hotels along the way so she didn’t have to stay at some roach-infested motel or sleep in her car. Ellie closed her eyes, telling herself it would only be for a moment so she could brush her teeth and watch some terrible TV before bed.
“I have to lay low for a while, but when I can, I’ll come find you.”
“Promise?”
“I told you I’ll never lie to you again, and I meant it. I’ll find you.”
Her eyes snapped open and she stared up at the plain hotel ceiling. She sighed. Ellie knew she shouldn’t be surprised that Colt was all she could think about–she’d been replaying the previous night over and over in her mind ever since she left LA.
Ellie straddled Colt in the backseat of her car, his hand drifting under her shirt to caress her side as they kissed. She moaned softly when his touch reached her bra, thumb rubbing across her hardening nipple through the lace.
“Ellie, I–”
“Shh. I don’t want to talk right now.”
Ellie hauled herself to her feet and retrieved her bag from the floor. She tossed it onto the bed and rummaged through it until she found her toiletries. She carried the bag to the bathroom and pulled out her toothbrush, squeezing a glob of white paste onto the bristles. Ellie started to brush her teeth but stopped when she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She reached up and slowly pulled the collar of her shirt down, fully revealing the dark spot he’d left behind.
“Colt…I’m close…” she gasped, fingers wound tight in his hair as his hands gripped her hips, pulling her to the brink with each roll of her hips.
“I’ve got you,” he promised, etching his words onto her skin as he sucked at the skin on her collarbone.
Ellie set down her toothbrush and leaned closer to the mirror, examining the spot more closely. She loved when he did that, marking her as his, leaving behind physical proof that they belonged to one another. But this time, she only felt sad as she gingerly traced the area with her fingertips.
“Don’t…don’t forget about me,” Ellie begged, her voice barely above a whisper as she buried her face against the sweaty skin of his neck, still connected to him. He wrapped his arms more tightly around her, heart still rapid-fire against her chest.
“I’ll forget my own name before that happens,” he said.
Ellie wanted desperately to believe him, but if she’d learned anything over the last year, it was how there were no guarantees in life. Colt had said he’d need to lay low for a while, but how long was a while? A week? A month? A year? More? So much could change in only a few seconds, and that uncomfortable truth was unshakable.
Ellie traced the uneven edges of the mark Colt had left behind. She wished she could keep it forever, a tattoo as a testament to the way they loved each other. But she knew it couldn’t last and, unlike the flowers scrawled along the length of her arm, it would fade.
“Here,” Colt said, wrapping his leather jacket around her.
“What’s this for?” Ellie asked.
“I don’t know when I’ll be able to contact you again, but I want you to take this so you can still feel me in a way.” He blushed. “Is that stupid? That sounded way cooler in my head.”
Ellie smiled and kissed him, closing her eyes against the tears that wanted to fall. “It’s not stupid,” she said, her voice soft against his lips.
“I love you, Ellie Wheeler. More than I’ve ever loved anyone.”
Ellie forced the thoughts of Colt away, still exhausted from all the tears she’d cried when she left LA that morning. She brushed her teeth and finished getting ready for bed, but instead of grabbing the remote, she retrieved something from her bag instead. Ellie pulled out Colt’s jacket and held it to her face, breathing deeply of the scent of him that still clung to the leather. Like the mark on her skin, she knew that smell would fade but for that night, she still had both. They were a poor substitution for Colt, but she would take whatever she could get. Ellie shrugged the jacket on over her shoulders and climbed into bed, safely nestled in a reminder of his love for her.
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