8. Elliot #2
“Both suit, you fine, Elliot.” Dad says as he joins us.
The cooked lasagna looks amazing. Fattening and amazing. Dad’s even toasted some garlic bread and put a hunk of parmesan on the table to grate over the food.
I let him serve me a huge slice of lasagna before loading my plate with green beans and asparagus.
“Scout, don’t you want any greens?” Mom asks when Scout bypasses the veggies for more garlic bread.
“Asparagus makes your pee smell funny.”
And your jizz taste gross. But I don’t need to worry about that right now.
Maybe Eli should avoid it if he’s planning on getting blown by Cute Bookstore Guy.
Fuck, I hate the thought of Elliot being with a guy like that.
What is wrong with me? It’s none of my business.
We kissed, we shouldn’t have, end of story.
So why can’t I stop staring at him while he eats?
Why am I being such a fucking creep when I promised him that I can take no for an answer?
“She’s right,” I say.
Everyone looks at me. Shit, was I too late with that reply? “About the asparagus.”
Scout rolls her eyes. Does she hate me talking even when I agree with her?
“Can we please stop talking about … pee … at the dinner table?” Mom picks her wine glass up with a sigh and everyone falls silent. She turns to Eli.
“So, tell me about this bookstore boy.”
I clench my jaw and keep my eyes on the food in front of me. I have no right to be jealous.
“It’s not a big deal,” Elliot says.
“It is,” Scout argues. “This guy’s really hot.”
Fuck this guy. Woah, where did that come from?
“What does he look like?” Mom asks .
As much as I wish they weren’t talking about this, my ears prick up.
“He’s tallish, shaggy, dark hair. Blue eyes? Eli, has he got blue eyes or green eyes?”
“I’m not sure.”
My lips quirk. I keep my head down.
“Anyway, he’s hot, and he has good taste in music.”
Why don’t you date him, then?
“How do you know he has good taste in music?” Mom asks.
“He’s always wearing band tees. He had a Talking Heads tour shirt on once.”
“He sounds like a pretentious douche.” I glance up, as shocked by the words that just came out of my mouth as everyone staring at me.
Elliot quickly glances down at his plate and resumes eating.
“You don’t even know him,” Scout scoffs. “Are you seriously jealous that we’re talking about someone else? Attention whore.”
I shrug. “Why would I be jealous? I just meant …” Fuck, what did you mean? “I know guys like that from college. They tend to be pretentious.”
Scout rolls her eyes. “Just because someone likes music without a pumping bass and reads actual books, does not make them pretentious.”
I swallow. “You’re right. I apologize.”
“Whatever.”
Mom’s an expert at changing the subject and steering conversation out of awkward sinkholes. We spend the rest of dinner talking about the most inoffensive topics Mom can think of .
When Scout finishes eating, she pushes her chair back with a loud scrape and stands up.
“Where are you going?” Mom asks.
“Upstairs.”
“I thought we could all do something nice together tonight.”
Scout glares at me. “Like what? I’m not playing Monopoly with him.” She deepens the glare. “He cheats.”
I instinctively flash her an obnoxious grin.
“Not Monopoly,” Mom cuts in quickly. “Maybe we could go to the movies? It’s been ages since we all saw a movie together.”
Scout looks like she’s about to refuse when Dad cuts in.
“That vampire one you wanted to see is out.”
At his voice, Scout softens. She’s always been a secret daddy’s girl.
“Eli?” Mom probes.
His eyebrows shoot up. Am I the only one who sees how uncomfortable he is?
“Sure. I mean, whatever Scout wants to do.”
“You get a choice, too,” Mom says.
“Fine,” Scout cuts in before Elliot can melt into the floor from embarrassment. “We’ll go, but there’d better be popcorn.”
“I’ll see what we can do.” Dad chuckles.
I hop into Dad’s car with Mom while Scout and Eli take the VW. They’ve been bickering for the past ten minutes about how safe Scout’s hunk of crap is and whether they should try and convince her to start driving an SUV. I zone out of the conversation until they mention Eli .
“What do you think this bookstore guy’s like?” Mom asks.
“I don’t know. He sounds harmless enough, though.” He frowns.
Is Dad as protective over Elliot as he is Scout?
Mom hums. “Elliot’s a handsome boy.”
It’s fucking weird hearing my parents call Elliot ‘handsome.’
“Stop it,” I say, trying to keep my voice light. “You’re being weird.”
Mom spins around to look at me. “How are we being weird? We’re just complimenting him.”
“I know, but he’d die of embarrassment if he could hear you right now.”
Mom tuts and turns back around. “He’s too modest.”
She’s quiet for a minute and I relax, thinking—hoping—she’s dropped the subject. But then she carries on, “I used to hope he and Scout would fall for each other.”
Dad laughs.
“He’s gay,” I remind her.
“I know that. It was just an idea.”
We get to the theatre before Scout, of course.
“I hope she hasn’t broken down,” Mom says as she scans the parking lot for a powder blue hunk of crap.
“She’ll be fine,” Dad assures her. He puts his hand on her waist and gently leads her across the parking lot.
We're at the concession stand getting popcorn when Scout and Eli finally arrive.
“Got your tickets,” Dad says. “And it’s Coke for Scout and Sprite for Eli, right?”
Eli’s eyes light up. Why? Because my dad remembered what drink he likes ?
Once we’re all set with our snacks and drinks, we make our way to the screen and find out seats.
Scout pushes past me to get to the seat next to the wall and pulls Elliot in behind her, leaving me squashed between Elliot and Mom.
That’s fine. I’ve sat next to Elliot at the movies tons of times. No reason why it has to be different now. Except the fact I know what his lips taste like now. Shut up.
We’re a little early and the lights are still up, the screen dark. It’s so quiet, I can hear Scout and Eli whispering. I can’t hear exactly what they’re saying, but the sound of Elliot’s whispers draws me in.
I don’t realize how zoned out I am, my eyelids getting heavy, my gaze becoming unfocussed, until the lights go down and the screen flashes on.
I try to ignore how close Elliot’s leg is to mine while the trailers play.
It’s all horror movie trailers. Scout keeps grabbing Eli’s arm and laughing at herself every time she reacts to a jump scare.
After ignoring him through two or three previews, I can’t take it anymore and let my gaze linger toward where he’s siting.
I catch him laughing, my chest lurching at the sight.
The screen illuminating his face in his glasses.
I’d forgotten what he looks like when he laughs—really laughs.
He closes his eyes, scrunches his nose and shows a little flash of upper tooth. It’s so fucking pretty.
When the movie starts, I try to focus on that instead. It doesn’t help that it’s weirdly sexual for a movie about an ugly vampire.
I’m actually grateful for how immature Scout is during sex scenes. Her snorts of laughter dispel the awkward tension.
I ration my glances at Eli. His laughter drawing them in and breaking my resolve. Every time I look over, he’s laughing. Dimples popping, the dark irises of his eyes shining.
Why does he have to be so fucking beautiful? There’s no way I can look at him the way Scout does—like a brother or a platonic best friend.
I’m irrationally jealous of how tactile she gets to be with him without anyone batting an eye.
She’s practically sitting in his lap during a scary part of the movie and no one cares.
She’s just allowed to touch him like that.
And Elliot looks totally at ease. He keeps eating popcorn while Scout grabs his arm and buries her face in his neck. His fucking neck.
She snorts Coke out of her nose during a particularly weird sex scene. I glance at Mom and find her hiding her face in embarrassment.
Once the set-up is over and the plot gets into the nitty gritty, Scout starts fidgeting like she always does.
“I’m going to the bathroom,” she says, climbing over Eli before stepping on my foot on her way past.
Now she’s gone, despite the fact my parents are sitting next to me, it feels like me and Eli are alone.
I stare at his hand on the armrest. How easy would it be to touch it? My fingers twitch in an effort to get closer. To stroke the exposed sliver of pale wrist.
I’m admiring a vein in his forearm, not realizing I’m practically drooling until I look up and find him watching me.
The second our eyes meet, he lets out a little gasp and looks away.
I swallow and rearrange myself, my pants getting uncomfortably tight.
When I move my leg, it brushes against Eli’s.
He doesn’t move. So, I don’t move. I keep my knee pressed against his.
Adding pressure so subtly only he’d be able to tell .
When I allow myself another glance at his face, he’s biting his lip and definitely not focusing on the screen.
Scout comes back. The spell is broken. Eli moves his leg so our knees aren’t touching anymore and I feel the loss all through the rest of the movie.