Elijah's POV

a/n: please comment and vote! keeps me motivated.

Eli sat in the back with Carter while Porter drove them to NJ.

She had discreetly kept her hand close to his the whole ride and slowly inched it closer to his.

Watching her do it was kind of funny so Eli just grabbed her hand and held it the entire time.

Porter made eye contact with Eli in the car mirror and raised his eyebrows but stayed silent for once in his life.

*****

They checked in as soon as they arrived. Della and Carter were sharing a room but Eli got a room on his own because Porter was spending the night with his bandmates.

Eli helped carry Carter's bag to her room, ignoring Porter's teasing, and then went across the hallway to his own room.

His room had one large bed in the middle and he laid on it until Porter texted him to get ready.

He threw on a grey hoodie under a black Nike windbreaker and black jeans, leaving his room right as Carter was leaving hers.

She was wearing a short blue dress with tights under and Eli's stupid fucking head just wanted to do unspeakable things to her in those tights.

"You're gonna get cold," he directed at her.

"I know, these are Della's clothes," she sighed.

"Where is Del?" He walked ahead of her.

"She said she went to meet Porter before his show or something. Do you want to go together?"

He shrugged and led the way with his eyes on Google Maps to the place Porter was playing at.

When they got there, it was more crowded than he expected. He pushed his way past the people trying to make it to the front.

He turned around, expecting Carter to be right behind him but her short ass wasn't making it through as easily in the crowd.

He sighed and turned back, looping his hand through hers gently and pulling her along with him in the crowd.

He tried to ignore the warm feeling in his stomach with her fingers between his.

When they finally got to the front, Porter was just about to start his set. Eli could spot Della in the backstage corner with a lollipop in her mouth as her eyes trailed behind Porter.

(guys sorry i hate describing music lol so just imagine a live show here and that's it)

Once Porter finished the last song, the crowd yelled again and Eli clapped hard for his friend.

He looked beside him to see if Carter was having a good time but he noticed that she had her arms around her stomach and her eyes downcast.

He leaned his head down and spoke into her ear; "You good?"

She looked up in surprise and nodded at him, her lips turning up in the fakest smile ever and Eli frowned.

He took her arm off of her stomach and held it in his own, squeezing it and analyzing the crowd for the easiest way out.

There was an opening that lead straight to the girls' bathroom and Eli shoved the people in front of him to take them there.

He gently pushed her inside with his hand on her lower back, following in and locking the door behind him.

"I'm sorry," she said immediately.

He looked down at her apologetic green eyes.

"It's fine. You have nothing to apologize for," he answered.

"I just get nervous around a lot of people crowding me like that sometimes. It was fine the first few songs but it just felt like the world started caving in on me," she shuddered. "You can go back, I'll wait here until people start to leave."

He shook his head before she was even done speaking.

"I'll stay here with you."

"You sure?" She asked.

He rolled his eyes, "I already walked into the girls' bathroom, I'm in too deep either way." 

She giggled slightly. 

He walked over to the counter near the sink, pulling out some of the sanitary wipes on the wall and wiping it down before leaning back on it and patting the place next to him. 

Carter hoisted herself up next to him, planting her ass firmly next to him so he could see her outline in the dim lighting.

She was close enough so he could feel her body heat. She turned at a 90-degree angle, crossing her legs and facing him with his head turned towards her.

He bent forward slightly and Carter noticed a gold gleam on his neck. She was almost his height as she was sitting on the counter and he was leaning back on it.

"What's that?" She asked curiously.

He glanced down, frowning, "It's just a necklace."

"Can I see?"

He normally would've said no, but he pulled it out from underneath his hoodie, showing her the little pendant necklace. It was just a simple circle with the number "1712" carved into the front elegantly. 

"It's beautiful," she whispered, subconsciously leaning towards him as she spoke. Her hand reached out to touch it but. Eli shoved it back inside his sweater before she could. 

They sat in silence for a minute listening to the slightly muted music until Carter spoke.

"So what's your favorite color?"

"Don't have one," he shrugged.

"Of course you do, everyone does."

"Not me."

"Yes, you do," She insisted. 

God, she was so fucking persistent.

"No, I don't."

"Just tell me what color you like the most," she said again.

"Green," he blurted without even thinking. 

She smiled, "Mine's purple. Or blue."

He nodded, still thinking back to his words. He didn't even know green was his favorite color. 

He ran his fingers through his hair before she spoke again.

"I like when you hold my hand," Carter said. "I like how your hand fits in mine."

Elijah literally wanted to die, that was so fucking cute, what the fuck was he supposed to say?

"I like holding your hand too," He admitted, "You're always warm."

"You're cold," she said. "And kind of hard. But not on the inside. You're warm and soft inside."

He mulled that over in his head; he'd never been described the way Carter talked about him. 

"There's something in your hair," she said and he glanced at her. "Bend down for a second."

He obeyed, bending his head downwards and closer to her. She reached her hand up into his hair, pulling her fingers through his strands. 

"Your hair is so soft," she muttered as Eli looked down at her face. 

She pulled her fingers through his hair a few times then and Eli knew there was nothing ever in his hair; she just wanted to touch it.

When she drew her hand back, Eli grabbed her hand, keeping it in his hair. It felt so good.

He leaned closer to her and she pushed both her hands into his soft hair, pulling him towards her with his blond locks tangled in her fingers.

That escalated quickly.

Her lips were so fucking close to his and they looked so plump and soft and pink. 

"Just kiss me," she blurted out. 

He grinned, and their lips just barely touched when there was banging on the bathroom door. 

Carter jumped and Eli almost screamed with frustration. He hadn't even noticed the music outside had stopped. He grumbled in frustration, walking to the door as Carter hopped off the counter and followed him. He opened it to an entire line of people waiting to go in after the music had finished. 

The girl at the door flushed seeing a tall male-passing figure stare harshly at her from inside the girls' bathroom.

"Sorry," she squeaked. 

He ignored her, grabbing Carter's hand and dragging her out of the space with him in front of everyone. 

They walked back, hand in hand, to where they were staying. Eli dropped Carter to her door across his hallway, saying hi to Della who had already gotten back before them and walking to his room.

************

HI SORRY here's a new chapter just in time for COVID getting bad again! dropping next chapter in a few hours