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City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

Despite the old-fashioned notion, the sincerity in Tyler's voice when he said it made Ele melt. He really was a gentleman, and she adored that about him. Smiling at him, Ele nodded,

"And you are. You've given me so much support and pulled me out of that awful place I've been stuck in, not to mention the fact that you put me up in an amazing resort even before letting me almost move into your house. Providing for someone isn't only what you can give them physically, but how you take care of them mentally and emotionally as well. You are amazing at all of it, and I want to give you as much as you have given me."

Leaning forward on the cart, Ele winked and teased,

"I'll not delve into the fact that I am quite a feminist who doesn't need a man to care for her, because I like that you take care of me. But I want to take care of you too, I want to contribute to the 'us'."

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

"I don't have to, but I want to contribute."

She said, putting her things in the cart then standing on the far end of the cart while Tyler pushed,

"If this is a thing,"

Ele motioned between her and Tyler with one hand,

"It's a 'we' and 'us' now, not just a 'you' or 'me'."

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

"There are a few things,"

She said, going to pick out some oranges.

"Want to go half and half on the price?"

Ele asked, selecting the best oranges before moving on to grapes.

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

Ele only nodded in response, going quiet again as she got out of the truck and went to Tyler's side. This time though, she took his hand while they walked into the store.

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

"You're probably right..."

Her voice trailed off as he continued to drive, and Ele's attention went back to thinking of a response to her mother, she didn't let go of Tyler's hand though. The connection felt good and grounding,

"Should I respond?"

She finally asked as they pulled into the parking lot.

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

"She wants to see me again."

Squeezing Tyler's hand, Ele was thankful for his calm demeanor,

"She said she wants to apologize in person."

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

"Mmhmm..."

The reply came a little delayed as Ele stared out the window, and started to bite her thumbnail. Finally, about halfway to town, Ele turned to Tyler,

"My mom messaged me."

She said simply.

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

Picking up a few other things, Ele grabbed her airbrush kit and took that out to the truck first, then followed it with her carry on and art things. Hauling herself into the truck, Ele buckled up again, her expression distant as she looked out the window. Absently she bit her lip as she thought about the words she had seen on the screen.

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

Scrolling through her phone, Ele slouched in her seat as they drove, barely looking up from the messages when they pulled up. Opening her door, Ele didn't take her eyes off the message she was reading,

"Hmm? Whatever you want, babe."

She said absently, dropping down from the truck and going inside. Only once she was in did Ele stop looking at her phone long enough to shove a few outfits and pajamas into her carry on as well as toiletries. As an after thought, Ele also grabbed her sketchbook and pencils, as well as the airbrush kit so she could practice more in the garage.

Putting everything by the front door, Ele went to her room and changed into a clean pair of shorts and t-shirt, leaving her dirty things in a laundry pile.

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

Rolling her eyes, Ele sighed and laid on the floor for another moment before pushing herself to her feet and going inside and grabbing her phone. Her stomach dropped when she saw more notifications on it, but she knew she would need to look at them at some point.

Getting into the car, Ele took a deep breath and started looking at her messages. Some were from Kate, which she answered right away, but when she looked at her social media, Ele's fears were realized, her mother had messaged her multiple times through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.