Eliot had taken some comfort in the warm body behind him, for a time. Candy wasn't just another person he was dragging along with him. She understood him, understood things he couldn't find words for. She had always been around, a friend of Sam's, even Nate. Eliot had known of her for some time, but he hadn't really paid any attention, until recently. He wasn't sure what changed, but she was there, offering to help with the girls, and what not.
There had been early jokes about filming a home made porn, and thins had grown from there, at a very alarming rate. Eliot thought it was all happening too fast, and at the same time it seemed to be happening just right. It didn't take him long to realise Candy was different, she really did understand him and the things he couldn't say. She had been abused, she recognised the scared little boy inside him, perhaps because she had a scared little girl inside herself.
Eliot didn't know what the future held for their relationship, but he wanted to find out. He'd told Candy not to make him tell her twice, when he needed to be alone. He'd hated to dump her at a gas station, but she'd said she understood, and he'd believed her.
He camped out that night, under the stars. And then in the morning, after a quick dip in a river, he'd climbed back on his bike, and headed toward home. He was greeted by the pungent smells of horses in the barn, and one of his ranch employees waved. Eliot lifted a hand in greeting, then limped his way inside, dragging his bad leg a little more than he wanted to admit.
He went in the kitchen, because that was the closest door to where he parked. He didn't know if Candy was there or not, and for the moment he was assuming she wasn't.