With that he stormed out of the room, slamming the door hard behind him. He wasn't sure if his words made any sense, but at that moment, he didn't care. All he knew was that he wanted to make it clear to her that he wasn't happy.
He let out a deep sigh when he reached his bedroom. He'd hang out here for a few minutes and compose himself, so none of his guests would see him acting like a neanderthal. But what was wrong with him? He had no right to be this upset. And what was wrong with Ryan making a move on her?
You're just jealous because you know they could have a shot at a real relationship, unlike you and Meredith.
Jealous?
Gritting his teeth, Eli examined his reflection in the mirror. He closed his eyes and cracked his neck, hoping to relieve some of the tension he was feeling.
He opened his eyes after a few moments, then sighed.
Yes, he was jealous.
Chapter Fourteen
Meredith found herself at yet another charity fundraiser. This time, they were in Seattle. And this time, she was Elijah's date, not just a replacement for someone in his entourage.
She'd grudgingly accepted his invitation even though she was still offended by their last encounter. He'd dragged her away like a caveman, then kissed her against her will – she ignored the voice in the back of her head slyly whispering that kissing Elijah was exactly what she'd wanted – and then he'd had the nerve to accuse her of flirting with his brother, when she'd just been trying to be friendly.
But he genuinely seemed remorseful, and he'd begged her for the chance to apologize and make things up to her. She wanted to give him a chance to redeem himself, she supposed.
“Good evening Elijah,” said a middle-aged woman as she shook hands with him. She eyed Meredith curiously.
“It's good to see you, Marge,” Elijah replied with a smile.
“And who might this beautiful woman be?” Marge asked, referring to her.
Meredith swallowed. Here was the moment of truth. She wasn't sure how he'd planned on introducing her to the people at tonight's event.
“This is Meredith Fields. She’s my date,” Elijah replied proudly, looking at her like she was the most beautiful person in the room.
She felt immensely flattered.
But she also felt a chilly gaze from across the room, like someone was dragging the point of a dagger down her spine. And she wasn’t far from the mark.. Across the room, Sosie was watching them, looking evidently displeased with the way Elijah had brought her to the party.
“Date?” Marge asked suspiciously. “Or dating?”
Elijah only chuckled and shook his head politely, shrugging off the question.
Meredith took her seat at the table closest to the stage as Elijah began his speech. It was the same speech she'd heard several times throughout the campaign, but his charisma still made everything seem fresh. His poise and authority were undeniable.
As expected from a president-to-be.
After the speech and a short, obviously heated conversation with a fuming Sosie, and even though Meredith was hardly able to take her eyes off of him, Elijah was still able to sneak up on her.
“How was it?” Elijah whispered..
They chatted with donors for about an hour until Elijah gripped her wrist, sneaking their way out of the ballroom.
“What are you doing?” she hissed, looking around to make sure nobody was watching them. Despite her reservations, she felt a thrill of excitement to be sneaking around with Eli.
“Taking you somewhere quiet and lovely. Or maybe just taking someone lovely somewhere quiet.”
Following his lead, they went upstairs and ended up in the balcony. Meredith gasped as she looked at the breathtaking view of the city. The lights looked like stars glittering on land.
Did that make any sense? She didn’t know. All she knew was that she had never found the dark all that beautiful until now.
They shared a comfortable silence as for a couple of minutes until she decided not to waste the opportunity to get to know him better now that they were alone with a million glittering lights.
“Aside from becoming president, what are your goals in life?” she asked, looking gazing out across the city. “Ten years from now, where do you see yourself?”
She expected a polished, yet generic response for such a trite question. When he didn't answer her, she tilted her head to look at his face. His expression was not what she'd expected. Eli looked surprised.
“What is it?” she said, and his expression softened.
He gave her a sad smile, then shrugged.
“No one's ever asked me that before,” he explained.
“I was just curious,” she said quietly, looking back out across the city. She hadn't meant to make him sad. After a moment he cleared his throat.
“I guess... I don't know where I see myself,” he admitted reluctantly. “Right now, it's hard to see beyond the presidency. Hell, it's hard to see past November third.”
“Sure, that's understandable. But what about before you decided to run for president? You really didn't have anything in mind?” she asked. Maybe if she rephrased the question she'd get a better answer.
He grinned.
“Off the record?” he asked.
“If you want, sure.”
“I'd just gotten out of the Navy when I started thinking about running for office. I had a very specific idea of what I thought the ideal presidential candidate should be. Single,” he said with a wry smile, “was not part of that equation. So I dated several women who each would have been the perfect political partner. Even got close to proposing to one of them – Rachel. But I asked myself, 'Why am I marrying her?' Just like the others, she didn't make me happy. She just made me a stronger candidate.
Meredith laughed as Elijah’s expression shifted from confusion, to relief and maybe – if she was right – a bit of regret.
“So what happened?” she prompted, curious about what had happened between him and Rachel.
“I pulled back, got some much-needed perspective. I realized I wanted to earn the presidency through my own merits, not because I was part of some glitzy power couple. And I guess I realized marriage is a serious commitment. And I just wasn't that serious about Rachel, or any of the other women I'd dated.”
His last sentence made her smile wider than it probably should have. But still, she was pleased to confirm he'd rather be single than to marry for personal gain, and not love.
“Your turn, Meredith. Where do you see yourself ten years from now?” he asked.
“I thought I had things all figured out,” she said. “But now I'm not so sure,” she said with a frown.
“Oh? Do tell, Miss Fields,” Eli said, and she rolled her eyes.
“I guess I always thought I'd have a job at a top fashion magazine, and then maybe I'd get married for money, not for love. My parents' friends have a son who's my age.”
Eli raised a brow, not the least bit shocked.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I mean… my mom’s friends ask me when I’m going to settle down and stuff like that, or when I'm going to get my ‘MRS’ degree.”.
She was expecting Elijah to at least smile but he didn’t. Instead, his jaws clenched and his muscles tensed. She was not even sure if it was right to feel happy about it.