As soon as Elliott opened the door Ruthie was in his arms, lunging into his thin frame and nearly knocking him over. His arms came around her with enthusiasm as her momentum spun them around. 

She kept her legs bent at the knees as they kissed, making a happy humming sound as she locked her arms around his neck.

Finally.

"Finally," Elliott murmured, echoing her thoughts.

"I know, right?" she agreed with a soft laugh.

Elliott was obviously happy, two spots of color on his normally pale cheeks, eyes bright. 

"So, you going to show me around or what?" Ruthie asked, looking around the apartment.

"Show you around? Are you joking? This is it," Elliott responded, lowering her to the ground. "What you see is it, it's tiny."

And it was. A curtained area hid a bed and dresser, and one wall had a sink and stove, with a sofa and table against another wall. And even though Elliott had opened the windows, it was obvious that the place had been closed up for a long time. It smelled very musty and stale. Ruthie flipped a light switch on and off, but nothing happened, so there was no electricity, either.

"Very cozy," Ruthie said with a grin, turning back to Elliott. "Still, we're alone, which is all that matters."

"I'm surprised by that, actually," Elliott answered, taking her in his arms again as he walked backward so they were sitting on the couch. "I was first surprised your dads let you come without one of them, then I was surprised your pop didn't fly out when we found out about Brett being here, and I'm now shocked beyond belief that he's not on his way after what happened on the bridge."

Ruthie rolled her eyes. "You know my family so well. It took all of my powers of persuasion to keep Pop from getting on a plane a while ago. Only telling him that Brett was actually in custody convinced him. 

"But whatever, I'm here now, and ready for all this--" she gestured toward the bed, "--so let's get to it, shall we?" And she leaned in and kissed Elliott with considerable energy.

"You know, you're still just fifteen," he murmured into her neck.

"Yeah, but I'm much closer to sixteen than I used to be," Ruthie answered, arching her body into his, making him groan at the contact.

His hands stole up under her shirt, where they found her soft breasts, as he pressed her back into the couch. Finally he just picked her up and carried her to the bed, where he laid her down before crawling in next to her.

Ruthie began working her way down his body but Elliott stopped her.

"No, I'm going to go off like a rocket if your mouth gets anywhere near me right now, so let's save that particular activity for another day, hm?" he suggested with a lopsided grin as he looked down at her.

Ruthie laughed and nodded her agreement, pulling her shirt off moments later.

"Oh lord, Ruthie, look how lovely you are," Elliott whispered, running his fingers lightly down her ribcage as he gazed at her.

"Stop, stop, that tickles," she protested, wiggling under his touch.

"You do spoil everything," he complained, unsnapping her jeans and peeling them down. He loved this part of her body, the beautiful, hourglass shape of her waist and hips. He could smell the faint, feminine fragrance of her as well, and knew that he'd find her wet with her arousal if her were to touch her.

"How did you know this was why I wanted you to come here? Hm?" he asked as he nuzzled the warm hollow between her breasts. His hand clasped her waist and held her to him.

"I guess great minds just think alike," she answered with a happy shrug.

"Oops, best get these in a handy place," Elliott said, leaning over to the drawer in the bedside table.

"Hey, I got condoms, in my bag," Ruthie said at nearly the same instant.

Each heard the other's words and laughed.

"Speaking of great minds," Ruthie said with a  laugh. "I guess we can use yours, since they're closer."

"Sounds like a plan, Jelly Bean," he answered happily.

He leaned a little farther as he searched the drawer. "Maybe I put them in on the other side? Can't seem to find them. Hullo, what's this?"

"Hmm? What?" Ruthie lifted her head, trying to see what Elliott was talking about.

Elliott shifted completely off her body as he grabbed whatever was in the drawer.

"Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh shit."

"Elliott? What's wrong?" Ruthie sat up in alarm.

"Nothing's wrong. Look."

He held out what was in his hand.

A passport. A credit card.

"Is the passport yours?" she asked.

He nodded.

"But the passport is American? You're British." Ruthie couldn't keep the confusion from her voice.

"My mum was an American citizen, and you Yanks are very free with your citizenship," Elliott explained with a smile. "I've always had dual citizenship, I just never used my American passport.

"If this credit card still works, I can go back to England, don't you see?" Elliott crowed. "I can go to the audition."

"But you're not eighteen quite yet," Ruthie said, hoping she didn't sound as hopeful as she felt.

"But the date on this passport's always been off," Elliott explained. "Because it got printed the European way?"

Ruthie held her tongue while Elliott looked up flights on his phone.

Ten minutes later it was done. 

Elliott looked at Ruthie, his look of happiness morphing to one of cautious worry.

"Oh god, I'm sorry, Jelly Bean," he began. 

"You're leaving me," Ruthie said.

"Of course I'm not leaving you," Elliott retorted, more angrily than he intended. "I just can't miss this audition, surely you can understand that?" He reached for her hand. "Please tell me you understand that, Jelly Bean--"

"Stop," Ruthie interrupted. "You're flying to another continent to plan how you're going to spend your summer with your beautiful ex-girlfriend, so don't sit there and 'Jelly Bean' me, just don't!

"What about your grandparents?" she asked. "This will kill them."

Elliott gave her a scathing look. "Please. They're idiots, I know you think so too. Don't sit there and suddenly pretend you care about them. They've been holding me hostage in that backwater town all year, hoping to bring me to Jesus or whatever."

Ruthie bit her lips together and huffed out a breath through her nose. "Well, I'm sorry you've had to slum it all year in that backwater, so glad you're finally escaping all of us uncultured swine, Elliott."

"Ruthie, please don't be this way, please? Can't you please be happy for me? I'd be happy for you if the situation were reversed, you know I would." Elliott again made a grab for her hand, and again she pulled it out of reach, swiping at her tears after.

"Well, so sorry I'm not as mature as you, then, Elliott," she replied. "Sorry I can't just send you off with a smile and a wave back to the arms of your beautiful ex and your wonderful, perfect life before you knew me in your exciting hometown or whatever--"

"God, you can be such an infant sometimes!" Elliott exploded. "Why does it have to be like this?" He leaned forward, willing her to understand. "First, this has nothing to do with Daphne, she and I are over, completely and totally over, I swear it!" He lowered his voice. "This is about work, about my career, about what I want to do with my life, you know that."

Ruthie suddenly felt very vulnerable and naked in just her underwear, and she yanked her shirt on over head, then pulled her pants on, quickly snapping the snap and pulling the zip. She knew she looked disheveled and awful, but she was beyond caring.

She shook her head. "NO. This is about you hanging out with me because there was nothing better to do, but leaving the first chance you get to go back to what you really want." She rose and went to the door. "So fucking go, then. But you'd better hurry, because I'm going back to the hotel right now, and I'm telling Ms. Pomerantz where you are and what you're doing!"

Elliott stared at her from where he sat, aghast. "You wouldn't!"

"Watch me," Ruthie answered grimly, her hand on the knob. 

"How can you say you love me and say something like that?" Elliott asked.

"How can you say you love me and leave me like this?" Ruthie responded evenly.

Just then, Elliott's phone pinged with an incoming notification.

"That'll be my Uber," he said unnecessarily.

Ruthie looked at him from her place at the door, and her face crumpled into tears once more. She sank down on the wall next to the door, her face in her hands. "God, Elliott, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I'm being such a bitch, but I don't want you to go, please, please don't go!"

Elliott came and put his arms around her.

"I can see how this would be a bit difficult," he commiserated. 

Ruthie could only nod for a moment before she found her voice. "I thought we were finally--finally going to make love," she explained. "I wanted that so much, to be close to you, then, suddenly, we're not, and not only are we not, but you're leaving!" Her last words were practically a wail.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but this is just something I have to do. I hope you understand." Elliott smoothed Ruthie's hair away from her face before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Please, please tell me you understand?"

He opened the door. "This is just something I have to do," he repeated. "Talk to you soon."

Then he stepped through, and he was gone.