Crazy but Sweet, Sweet but Crazy

9: the other reason

"No. I just don't like them."

"Then mind if we swap? I'm allergic to peanuts. Unless you want to kiss me back to life."

With a sigh, I swapped our plates.

The meal proceeded for a few minutes with no conversation. Only the sound of utensils clicking filled the thickening, stiflingly silent dining hall.

Finally, I broke the silence, clearing my throat. "You don't have to call your family? Tell them that you're...out?"

His voice, his face, were all back to like how they were when we were in the car alone, on our way to my house. His face without expression, his voice cold and clipped. "No."

I nodded, awkwardly. "Okay."

"Seems like you have two pairs of parents. Your mum. Your dad. And then two others who're also like your mum and dad. Ian. Sonia."

"...Yeah." I chewed, consciously trying to taste the salmon. "...You're not going to try find your biological father?"

"No." I wasn't sure if I was imagining it, but Elliot's tone sounded even icier.

"If you find your mum, then. Are you going to go live with her? Just ditch the Lockwoods?"

"I'll think about it then. Don't know how it feels like to live with family, so I'm not sure." Elliot thoughtfully sipped his water, and glanced at me. "How does it feel?"

"How does what feel?"

"Living with your family, in the same house."

"Don't you?"

Elliot looked down at his emptied plate, and smiled a little. "Yeah. I guess. I do."

I remembered the way Elliot had been, the first time I'd seen him. Beaten up to a pulp, wearing shoes from different pairs. Shifting in my seat, I cleared my throat.

"...It's nice. Have breakfast with them, talk about all sorts of things- small, trivial things like the latest celebrity gossip, what's for dinner, what happened in school, at work. After a long day, come back, sit down for dinner, watch a show together, talk about how the day was like."

At least, that's how it used to be, before everything changed three years ago.

"Sounds nice," said Elliot off-handedly, putting down his utensils. "So. There was an ex boyfriend that you even brought to your house that Sonia didn't let into your room."

It seemed he was good at many things, but wasn't as proficient at changing the topic subtly. Family clearly wasn't a comfortable topic for him.

Cursing myself inwardly for bringing up my ex, I wiped my mouth with a napkin. "Yes. He was a genuinely sweet guy. Very handsome, good at basketball. Genuine."

"I'm good at tennis. I'm the president of the tennis club." Elliot's light brown eyes seemed almost translucent under the bright table lights.

He patted himself on the shoulder, grinning. "I'm also good with violins. I'm in the school orchestra band. Also very handsome. Genuine, whenever you want me to be."

"Awesome, but none of my business," I muttered.

Elliot chuckled, and so naturally as if this was his home, collected our two empty plates, and put them in the basin. "So how did your first day of school as Elliot Lockwood's girlfriend go?"

"Marvelous. I thought the stares of girls were drilling holes into my brain."

"They weren't drilling literal holes because you're my girlfriend."