Ass(ets)

butter me up

James and Ella spent the first day of the bank holiday weekend confined to the house.

They watched far too much trashy TV.

"What did you pick?"
"This show where this guy has 4 wives. That's illegal right? So I don't know how they're broadcasting it."
"America?"
"America."

They ate far too much food.

"If I put melted butter and salt and cinnamon on the popcorn is that too unhealthy?"
"Is butter a carb?"
"Stop quoting mean girls."
"Cinnamon is basically ground tree bark so technically it's healthy."
"You make it sound so appetising..."

Ella loved James' company and he loved hers but she was cautious of not becoming entirely dependent on him. Your whole world couldn't be comprised of one person. Her home may have been wherever James was, but she knew she couldn't stay there forever. When they were together it was as if she had blinkers on. She shields herself from the outside and focuses purely on him. Her parents had warned her not to get distracted by boys, but this was far more than a distraction. This was a fixation.

So on Sunday she made sure they left the nest they had created for themselves. They go to a coffee shop where they argue over the degree of hotness of the barista. Ella hums Taylor the latte boy throughout James' debate that he is most certainly more attractive than the Brazilian beauty behind the coffee filter. Ella did agree but wouldn't tell James so citing that she would be "biased" and she didn't want to "inflate his ego".

They spend the morning drawing the other patrons on the coffee shop napkins. They were of varying degrees quality wise, but it was fun all the same.

James asks Ella to draw him next. It would just be a sketch. It would just be marked lines on a white flimsy napkin. But it feels too personal and Ella isn't sure why. Perhaps drawing him would be drawing a reflection of herself and everything she felt. Ella isn't sure if she can handle that yet.

So she makes a pretence at keeping her "great masterpiece" a secret while she feigns drawing him. Under the cover of the propped open menu Ella smiles humorously at her new idea.

She laughs as James eagerly awaits the big reveal. "Ahem, drum roll please." James obliges with a light tapping against the table. Ella turns the napkin towards him with a great flourish.

She has doodled a stick man captioned James (just in case he didn't recognise himself).

Ella begins an analysis "You see here the artist gave you a large head to represent your big ego. Mmm and the wonky arm shows that... um the viewer understands that the path of life curves also."

"Of course. How deep and conceptual of you." James looks over the napkin with mock thoughtfulness. Looking straight into her eyes James smiles widely and says "I'll keep this forever." Upon closer inspection James exclaims "Ella! Why have you drawn a dick on my forehead? I thought it was just a rogue eyebrow."

"Because art." Is Ella's only response.

John W. walks into the café and Ella waves him over. He brings a chair around to their table and sinks into it.

"Fancy bumping into you two. I haven't seen you guys together together and it's nice. You look happy."

"I am." Ella says truthfully smiling up at John.

"What are you up to the rest of the bank holiday?" James asks John.

"I was going to invite you guys and some others round to mine tonight, but my sister is being such a bore. She's called dibs on the house for some sort of sleepover and I do not want to be around screaming children tonight."

"We could throw something at mine actually. It's such a relief having Monday off school it seems a waste not to do something tonight." James says.

Ella smiles that James is finally being a little more social post-Noah. She latches onto the idea and nods to James giving her approval for the plan.

"Since we don't have school tomorrow we could throw a party rather than just a little gathering." Ella slips in with an air of fake casualness. She's in the mood for something loud, fun and most certainly messy.

"I don't mind. Just send out a mass text." James agrees.

Ella grins widely.

John remarks jokingly "You're just happy it's not at your house so you're not stuck on clean up duty."

"You've caught on to my manipulative ways. Let's go shopping now for drinks for tonight then?"

"You're making me third wheel so I can carry stuff aren't you?" John groans.

"Well it's not for your personality." James says with a wink and begins to head out the shop.

John catches hold of Ella's arm for a second "So, are you inviting Noah tonight?"