Imagining Us

Chapter 6

Her eyes found his. "It's both actually. Elizabeth is my actual name. Esi is a middle name." A smile threatened its way across his face and he leaned slightly over the table separating them. He murmured in that low voice that she couldn't forget.

"Elizabeth. How fitting."

The conversation lulled and Esi noticed that they just stood there—the two of them, since Mrs. C conveniently disappeared.
"Are you going to eat with them or..." He nodded to the left where the group of women huddled in the corner. She looked across and could see the women huddled together looking between her and Porte.

Esi quirked an eyebrow upwards at him. "Or?"

"Or...would you like to sit with me?"

"Hmmm...and give them something to tease me about?" She tilted her head up towards him and could see the uncertainty in his eyes.
She smiled. "Sure. Why not..." He breathed out the tiniest sigh of relief, waited for her to grab her food and walked her to a seat in the western corner of the hall.
~~~~
While maneuvering between the tables, Esi greeted a few of her reading club students who were apparently also a part of the arts and crafts group.
They sat down at the four seater table, and she saw him move to sit next to her then decide at the last minute to sit in an opposite chair. She looked at him questioningly.

"Sorry," he jerked his head over his shoulder. "I was trying not to give them anything else to talk about.

"Hmmm...they're harmless. It's just the teasing that I know will come after" They began to eat in silence which was somewhat comfortable. The only issue was the fact that Esi was slightly self-conscious as she ate. That feeling when you're eating with someone and you have to make sure that the food actually goes into your mouth. That there are  no crumbs falling or lingering on your face. You had to make sure that you squeezed the juice box at the right place so that no excess squirts out.

It was tedious.

"You're quite popular with all the kids." Porte's voice broke her out of her reverie.

She snorted. "I wouldn't say popular and...some of them are in my reading group." She shrugged. "They're great kids."

"Still...they obviously like you and that says a lot about you as a person and the impact you have on them." He said matter of factly.  His statement has unnerved her. That word 'impact'. Yes, she enjoyed helping out with the kids, but she wasn't someone that should be a role model for them, especially with her past decisions.

The sandwich was halfway to her mouth when she put it down.

The chatter of the kids around them faded away as she focused on him.

"How do you..." She chewed on her bottom lip as she tried to determine the right words. "This is the second time that you've done that. Why talk as if you know me—you did it in the bookstore that day too."

She rambled on.

"Because I could say the same about you."

At that, she leaned back in her chair and met his gaze challengingly. "I saw you in the classroom with them. You had their full, undivided attention. They were enraptured by you. I would say that there's something about you that draws them in, that makes them want to listen. I've heard Mrs. C say how much they look forward to these classes. Clearly, you have an impact on them. You're probably a better role model than me."

Porte's body stiffened considerably and his eyes took on the coldness that Esi remembered at the end of their conversation in the bookstore. "I hope that they don't...don't look up to me. I enjoy helping out here and trying to do some good. But I..." he let out a sharp breath. "I'm not someone that those wonderful kids should have as a role model. There's something...not right with..." His words trailed off and he mumbled an apology under his breath.

There was something in Esi's heart—in her spirit— that hurt at the look on his face.

What could he have done that was that bad? There was a part of her that wanted to be wary, yet her gut was telling her to stay.
But, she'd been wrong before.

The atmosphere grew a little tense and she deemed a subject change necessary.

Esi cleared her throat. "So...what are you studying?" Her question broke him out of his reverie, but he still had that pensive look on his face.
She clarified, "At uni...what's your major?"

"It's architecture."

"Really? That's not what I expected to hear."

He leaned back in his chair , studying her. She noticed that his face was more relaxed than before. That haunted look was well removed.

"What'd you think my major was?"

She deadpanned, "You were wearing Louboutin's in a bookstore. Plus.....tailored pants and a fitted shirt. You looked like one of those investment banking boys, you know. Quite...ostentatious."
"Why did I think that you were going to use the word pretentious?"
She gasped. "I was not. Although...I don't know you that well yet, so that's something I'll be looking out for."
He looked at her with a ridiculous smile that lit up his whole face, and deep within the crevices of Esi's still-healing heart, she had never seen anything more beautiful.

She broke eye contact with him. "Why are you smiling like that?"

Porte leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. "Smiling like what?"

She gestured to his face.

"Oh..this is just me being happy that we're going to see each other again."

Esi mused over his statement. The word 'see' had so many implications, and it made her pause.

"I wonder why you would assume that."

"Well, you just said that you don't know me well yet. From my limited knowledge of the English language," He started off quite smugly. '' That word implies some future time."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Hmmm."

And he laughed.

A full belly clutching laugh, and she couldn't help the smile that overcame her face.

A/N
Hello everyone! I really appreciate the fact that you've checked out my story. It means a lot to me.
This one has been a long time coming and is extremely dear to my heart.

Please vote if you liked it, follow me to be updated on the many books that I have planned(currently writing a horror , a fantasy and finishing SMMB), and make sure to add Imagining Us to your library.

Also, please help in sharing this story!

Thank you so much!

Evie x