“Shea?” Jodi asked, “Who’s that?”

“No one,” Elli answered, stuffing a piece of sushi in her mouth.

“Liar!” Trice basically screamed again, causing everyone to giggle as Harper grinned at Elli.

“You might as well tell em, El, it’s been almost two weeks!”

“Two weeks?” Jodi asked “What the hell has been going on for two weeks that I don’t know about?!”

Everyone was staring at Elli. Her heart was slamming against her chest and she felt like sweat was dripping down her back. Could she tell them about Shea? She wasn’t even sure if this thing with Shea would still be going on after today. She hadn’t been with anyone since Justin; they all knew that and Elli knew they would blow this out of the water.

“Um,” Elli stuttered as Harper shook her head, laughing.

“Just say it, Elli. It’s no big deal.”

No big deal? Really?! Elli was starting to wonder why she was friends with Harper.

“Yeah, just tell us,” Trice cooed, while Walter just nodded.

For being two guys who were in love, they sure did look alike. They were both blonde and had big brown eyes, but Trice was skinny and narrow-faced while Walter was huge. Not muscular huge like Shea, but just fat huge. Jodi and Derrick were complete opposites. Jodi was white, with long blonde hair and huge blue eyes. She was very skinny and pretty, while Derrick was a huge, massive black man that could probably kill Elli with his bare hands, but he was a sweet guy. These were her people, her best friends.

“Well, I’m kinda seeing someone,” she heard herself say. The room went eerily quiet.

“What do you mean, kinda seeing someone?” Jodi asked, breaking the silence. Elli looked up to the faces of her friends, her support system. Some had shocked faces while others grinned with happiness pouring out of their pores. These people loved her, and she knew it; she would never question it.

“Okay, I’m dating someone.”

A few people gasped while the others just grinned.

“But it’s not worth talking about.”

“What do you mean not worth talking about?” Trice asked, his hands moving with every word, “A man is always worth talking about, especially if he is taking our baby girl out.”

Elli’s cheeks turned red as she moved her food around.

“It’s no big deal,” she said shyly.

“What’s his name? Shea?” Walter asked. Elli nodded.

“That’s a nice…sexy name. Where did y’all meet?” Trice added. Elli looked up, everyone was zoning in on her.

“At a photo shoot.” Everyone nodded and smiled.

“What’s he like?” Trice asked again. Elli’s face broke out in a smile as she blushed. She couldn’t believe she was talking about Shea to her friends. Even with the events from that day on her mind, she couldn’t help the words that poured out of her about Shea.

“He’s amazing. Totally nice. He has a niece and nephew that he adores, he has brought me lunch all week, he takes me out, and he is just amazing. We spent the afternoon together, where he cooked and-,” she gushed out, smiling, but then she stopped when she almost blurted out how the afternoon ended.

“And?” Jodi asked.

“And, then I turned stupid and ran out of his house crying, and I doubt I’ll ever see him again,” she said in a rush. When she looked up again she said, “That’s why this was not worth talking about, because even though Shea is amazing and I would want nothing more to see where this is going, I just don’t think I’ll ever be able to face him again.”

“What on good God’s green earth happened!?” Jodi demanded, “Because any man that makes you smile like that, Eleanor, is a man worth keeping.”

“Yeah, so tell us what happened, and let us be the judge!” Trice added.

“Yeah,” Harper said, “he’s great Elli, what could have happened?”

Elli looked at Walter and Derrick; they sat quietly, eating as they listened very intently. She looked at Jodi, Trice, and Harper, than took a deep breath.

“Well, we started making out-“

“Ooh, was it good?” Trice cooed with a grin. Elli laughed.

“Amazing,” Elli said with a grin, than looked down at her food, “but then it got hot, like he was on top of me and I felt everything.”

“Ooh, was that good?” Jodi cooed this time. Elli rolled her eyes as Derrick glared at Jodi.

“Words don’t describe how that felt.” Elli said before going on, “But then his hands went under my shirt and I-" Elli stopped, not able to admit that she ran like a scared little girl.

“Ran like a scared little girl? Elli, come on,” Harper exclaimed in disgust. If anyone knew Elli, it was Harper.

“Why!?”

Elli just got up, taking her plate to the kitchen; she dropped it in the sink, running the water as she tried to get her breathing under control. She wished she could ask everyone to leave, but knew that was rude. Plus, in a way she didn’t want to. She loved them all, even with their prying questions. They had a right to know, they were her best friends. Maybe talking about it would be good for her, especially with the guys’, mainly Derrick’s, point of view. She turned the water off before going back in the dining room where everyone was sitting. She stood behind her chair, looking at her friends.

“I ran because the thought of him seeing my stretch marks or feeling the fat on my tummy almost made me puke. I can’t do it. He’s so gorgeous, so amazing, and I’m not. I’m not skinny or super duper pretty. I’m kinda squishy, and not what he is used to.”