“Elli, wait!” She turned, with an exasperated look on her face.

“What, Shea?” Elli asked.

He could tell she was pissed, but she brought this upon herself. If she would have listened to him a long time ago, then he wouldn’t have to resort to damaging property to get her attention. So excuse him if he didn’t give two shits if she was pissed. He had something to say, damn it.

“I love you!” Shea blurted out, even though that wasn’t what he wanted to say, not yet at least. Everyone around them ‘awed’ at the same time, and his eyes fell shut. Damn it, he had this all planned. He was ready for this, he knew what he wanted to say, so why wasn’t it coming back to him? “I just love you Elli, so much. I’ve missed you so much these past two months. I’ve tried so hard to get you to listen to me, because I know you still love me, Elli. I know. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have come to the ball last night-”

“Lot of good that did me, seeing you with your new girlfriend and all.”

Some people around her gasped, while others said ‘oooo’. God, how Shea wished they could be doing this somewhere private.

“She isn’t my girlfriend, her name is Alexi Lynn. Damon asked her to go with me since I didn’t want to go alone.”

Elli rolled her eyes, “Whatever.”

“No, not whatever. I can’t be with anyone else, I’ve tried. I won’t lie to you, you know that. I have tried to be with other women, and I can’t.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better, Shea? Knowing that you have been with other women?”

“I said I haven’t! And you’re with some dude right now!”

“He’s my assistant, you idiot! Come on! Unlike some people, I don’t even have the desire to be with anyone else!”

“I was trying to get over you! And it didn’t work!” he yelled. Shea then took a deep breath in before saying, “I was meant to walk on this earth with only you. I was meant to give only you every piece of me. I don’t want anyone but you. I love you. I had this whole speech, baby. I did, but as I’m looking into your beautiful green eyes, I can’t think of anything but the fact that I love you.”

Elli shook her head, looking down at the floor before looking up at him, “Shea, I used to believe those things, because I felt the same way you do, but you made a fool of me. When I saw you with Victoria, it felt like a knife going into my heart. You know I’m self conscious, and seeing you kiss her, my sister, my extremely beautiful skinny sister! How am I supposed to move on from that?”

“I didn’t kiss her! She kissed me, I don’t want her. I want you.” Elli rolled her eyes, looking towards the ice as he went on, “You know what, for five years you were with a ball-less son of a bitch that was terrible to you, and you believed every single wrong thing he put in that pretty little head of yours. Then you went six years believing those things, not trusting anyone, and then I come along. I have done nothing but love you to the fullest of my abilities. I have never cheated on you, I have never lied to you, I have been completely and utterly devoted to you and only you.” Elli looked over to him, looking deep in his eyes as he went on, “But you can’t believe me when I say that your sister set me up. That I didn’t want her then, and I don’t want her now. I want you, and only you. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, but baby, believe me. Please.”

Elli’s eyes filled with tears as she looked down at him. He closed his eyes, willing himself not to fall to his knees and beg, because the way she was looking at him, it wasn’t looking as if it was going to go the way Shea wanted it to. Which would be, Elli leaping into his arms and them skating off the ice, wrapped in each other arms.

“I saw you,” Elli said so quietly Shea almost missed it.

“She set me up, baby. I promise you. Ask anyone, I love you.”

Elli blinked once, causing a large tear to run over her cheek. He begged her with his eyes for her to come to him. He just needed her lips to touch his, she would know then, she had to.

“If you don’t want him, honey, I’ll take him,” someone said, but Elli and Shea didn’t look anywhere but at each other. When she took a step forward, his heart jumped into his throat. She believed him!

But when she turned abruptly and took off up the stairs, he felt like Grace had kicked him all over again.

People were yelling at Elli to go back as she ran up the stairs into the lobby of the arena. Running in three inch heels was a feat, but Elli was bound and determined as she ran towards Papa’s box. Of course, she had forgotten her purse, but luckily the security guard that was guarding the floor of Papa’s box was the same guy she had brought some brownies to the week before.

When Elli entered the box, her whole family looked at her from where they all were basically leaning out of the box, probably trying to see what was going on down on the ice.

“Eleanor, what in God’s name was Adler doing?” Papa asked as he came towards her.

“Darlin’, are you okay?” Michael asked, following behind Bryan.

“Crazy fool of a man, could have killed my baby girl.” Olivia said, as everyone came towards Elli, but she didn’t want anything to do with any of them.

When her eyes fell on Victoria, who was sitting at the bar picking at the hot dog that was in front of her, rage filled Elli from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. Victoria looked up and her eyes went wide. It was the first time in months they had seen each other, and all the hurt and pain from the last two months came full force at Elli, and she was ready for the much needed confrontation that was about to happen between them. Every step Elli took, Victoria’s eyes got wider as she moved out of the chair, going behind it.