Never Far Away (The Never #2)(16)

**You’re going to get tired of hearing from me.**



**I’m pretty sure that’s not possible. Talk to you later, Porter.**



**Sweet dreams, Ella.**





Chapter Five


Porter


Porter knocked on Ella’s door right at nine am Saturday morning, as promised. He waited a minute and when she didn’t come to the door he knocked again. Finally, her heard footsteps coming from inside her apartment and then the door opened. There stood Ella, hair falling crazily around her face with soft lines of sleep still fresh on her cheek, obviously just waking up. His eyes wandered down from her face and when he saw that she was wearing his tee-shirt; he couldn’t help the strong and immediate possessive feelings that came over him.

He was immediately inundated with images of Ella in his room wearing that shirt after their first night together and then again the night before she left. That shirt went home with her to remind her of him and all this time she’d been wearing it not even knowing it was his or where it came from. He wasn’t sure if he was comforted by the idea of her wearing his shirt unknowingly, or if it bothered him.

“I’m so sorry, Porter. I overslept. I promise I will be ready to go soon. Come on in.” She looked down at herself and he saw when she realized she was just wearing a tee-shirt, as she pulled down on the hem trying to cover what she could.

“It’s fine. I can wait in my car if you want.”

“Don’t be silly. Come in. I will be quick.”

Porter walked into her apartment and looked around at her space. Even though he knew she had shared this apartment with Kyle, it was seeping with signs that Ella dwelled there. Poster sized prints of vintage Vogue covers adorned her living room walls. There was a mannequin used for clothing design in the corner with long strands of different colored pearls around the would-be neck. The entire apartment was decorated in shades of cream and pale pink. It was a drastic contrast to Porter’s own decorating style, but it radiated ‘Ella’ and made him smile.

He heard the shower come on in her bathroom, and he tried to find something to occupy his thoughts so that his mind didn’t wander to Ella in the shower with hot water cascading down her body.

Along the wall there were pictures hanging in varied heights and he took some time to peruse them. Most of them were pictures of Ella with her family, a lot of them taken many years ago. One picture featured Ella, looking to be under ten years old, holding a baby wrapped in a pink blanket. He assumed the baby was Megan. Ella had two blonde braids coming down the sides of her face, and her eyes were the same piercing blue he had come to rely on.

Another picture looked to be taken at a wedding and Ella was in a stunning black dress, smiling in the way that made his heart thump harder, only behind her, with his arms wrapped around her middle, was Kyle. They both looked spectacularly happy and the sight of her hands covering his, with their fingers linked, tore at his heart. He wasn’t accustomed to feeling jealous. He knew this was an old picture that perhaps she just hadn’t gotten around to removing from her wall, but it still bothered him that Kyle was in her apartment, while he was still trying to break back in to her heart.

He heard the shower turn off and got out of the hallway because the last thing he needed was to see Ella traipsing around her apartment wrapped in a towel. He had plenty of self-control, but wasn’t a masochist.

He wandered back into her living room and sat on her plush cream colored couch with small pink pillows.

“I’m so sorry again, Porter. I will hurry,” she called from the back of the apartment.

“Ella, really, it’s no big deal. No rush. The trail will still be there no matter what time we leave. I packed us a lunch. I figured we would get hungry and I thought we could have a picnic.” Porter smiled at the memory of the only other picnic they had together. His mind was flashing images of Ella straddling him under a sleeping bag on the beach.

“That sounds great. Thanks.” Ella came down the hallway and he took in her appearance. She was wearing shorts again, this time some purple athletic shorts, with a black, form-fitting tank top. She had a towel wrapped like a twisty cone on top of her head, keeping her hair up. She sat down next to him on the couch to put on her shoes, her thigh brushing up against his, her closeness never far from his mind.

“I’ve never been on this trail before. I’m excited. Thank you for inviting me.”

“You’ve never been to Multnomah Falls? It’s one of the most popular tourist attractions within fifty miles of Portland. How can you call yourself a Portlander and not go there?”

“Hey, I never said I hadn’t been there. I have been there many times, but I have never hiked the trail. When I was younger, I was always afraid to go to the top because of the old legend about the Native American couple who fell from the top. Then, when I was old enough to realize that I was being silly, I just never made it back. The falls are beautiful though.”

“Well, it’s not a really difficult hike, but the views are spectacular.”

“Just let me dry my hair and we can go.”

She walked back to the bathroom and he heard the buzzing of her blow-dryer. A few minutes later she appeared, fresh-faced and looked ready to go.

The June sun was out in full force and even though it was bright enough for sunglasses and sunblock, it was early enough that there was still a chilly bite in the air. They started their hike and were currently weaving through throngs of people, trying to make it past the popular viewing point that didn’t require any real hiking, just a place for people to come and admire the majestic waterfall, and feel the cool mist of the water as it crashed onto the rocks below.