Housemates

Chapter 120 [Final One for Now]

Ellie thought for a while, and then stood up. She brushed down her skirt, and looked around the room, and said, “I need a piece of paper.”

“Paper?”

“Yep. Like nice paper.”

Mia seemed confused. “Like, what, to make a list?”

“A list?”

“Yeah, like a for and against list.”

Ellie looked at her for a moment. “No, you dickhead,” she said. “Like a nice piece of paper. Do you have any?”

“Writing paper?”

“Any paper. Fancy wrapping paper if you have it.”

Mia pointed to the wardrobe. “Up the top.”

Ellie went and looked. Mia waved to the left side, and Ellie found the paper she meant. A rolled up tube of sheets of gift-wrap paper, the kind of delicately coloured handmade paper that for some reason Ellie imagined Mia would like.

“Like that?” Mia said.

Ellie nodded. That kind of paper was about perfect. It was made in squares, and already cut to size, and ready for her to fold.

She took the tube down, and unrolled it, and took out a single reddish sheet. It was textured, slightly rough on her fingers, a deep burgundy crimson. She rolled the rest of the paper up, and slid it under the bed, just to get it out the way. She wiped her hands on her skirt, in case they were still damp. She knelt on the floor, and thought, trying to remember, and then began to fold the red sheet.

Mia watched. She didn’t ask, or interrupt, or even seem to get bored. She sat on the floor, and leaned against the door, and watched Ellie folding.

It took a few minutes. It was tricky without a ruler, and with the wrong kind of paper. It was tricky because Ellie hadn’t done this in a while.

She folded, and did her best, and in a few moments she had a flower.

A rose, almost, if the paper petals had been curled properly. She didn’t have scissors to do the curling, but it still looked like a flower.

She slid over to Mia. She knelt in front of Mia.

“So I know you don’t do romance,” she said.

“Nope.”

“But I do,” Ellie said, and held out the paper flower on her cupped hands.

Mia smiled. She took the flower, hesitantly. She looked at Ellie, and then the flower, and Ellie knelt where she was, waiting.

“So I might want to,” Ellie said. “Do some romance.”

Mia looked up.

“Don’t get scared,” Ellie said. “Don’t run away.”

Mia didn’t answer.

“Don’t,” Ellie said. “Please. This isn’t nearly as bad as you think.”

“Okay,” Mia said, reluctantly.

“You don’t, but I might want to, and I get how it’s a thing for you.”

“Yeah.”

“You explained that to me. You were really clear.”

“I was,” Mia said.

“But we’re friends. So maybe I could say my thing too.”

Mia slowly nodded.

“I might want romance,” Ellie said. “With you. I might want a relationship.”