The Coffee Spill |Demi Lovato|

Chapter 38

Written 2015
Revised April 2021

*Ellie's POV*
"Demetria, are you still peeling the potatoes? The water has been boiling for almost ten minutes." Diana complains. Demi is halfway though peeling the potatoes at the kitchen island. With each stroke, she misses a strip of potato skin, having to go over the same spot multiple times. I swear she's peeling half the potato off just trying to get rid of the skin.

"Mom, leave me alone. It's not easy." Demi insists. Madison grabs the extra peeler from the counter and a potato, peeling it, making it look effortless and smooth. She is finished in half the time it's been taking Demi.  "Show off." Demi says, sticking her tongue out at Madison.

I'm sitting at the kitchen island. I swear watching the Lovato - De La Garza family interact is like watching a soap opera. From what I can tell, dinner tonight consists of ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and butternut squash.

"Ellie, where are your parents?" Madison asks me, catching me off guard. I swallow the lump in the back of my throat. The kitchen is silent. No one is looking at me, but everyone is silently waiting for a response.

"They don't live in Los Angeles." I say simply, hoping Madison will drop the subject.

Four months into our relationship and I have still yet to open up about my family to Demi. Thankfully, she is not one to pry in my life. The only exception being her sudden interest in Isabella. Now that I think of it, Demi hasn't even asked me about my parents. And this is my second time meeting hers. Surely she must be curious. And if she wasn't, she sure is now.

"Where do they live? Why couldn't they catch a plane like us?" Maddie follows up. I feel beads of sweat form on my forehead, a hot flash taking over my body. Maddie's questions are putting me in an uncomfortable situation, unable to make up lies on the spot. Demi can sense the unease Maddie's questions are bringing me.

"Plane tickets sell out very quickly during the holidays, kiddo." Demi interjects, saving me from coming up with a lie. "Come on, help me with the last few potatoes." She nudges Maddie, rolling two potatoes in her direction.

Demi, Dallas and Diana are too invested in cooking Christmas dinner to notice me sneak away from the kitchen. I make my way upstairs to Demi's room, shutting her door behind me. I pace back and forth in her bedroom, slightly tapping the back of my hand against my phone screen.

My heart begins to race at the thought of calling my mom. I haven't spoken to her in two years at least. Surely she's had to have seen me in the media. Photos of Demi and I at the beach, at dinner, and even kissing have made it to ever news anchor the last month. I take a seat at the edge of Demi's bed, letting my feet dangle slightly off. I take a deep breathe before clicking on her contact, putting my phone to my ear. It's ringing.

"Hello." The voice on the other end says. I'm silent for a second. Part of me was hoping she wouldn't answer.

"H-Hi, mom." I say.

"I thought I told you to never call me, Eleanor." I cringe at the use of my full name.

"Yes, but today is Christmas. I thought I would wish you a merry Christmas." I say softly.

"I don't care if today's the day Jesus flies down on a purple unicorn. Please, don't call here again." She says before hanging up the phone, leaving me in silence. I lift the phone from my cheek, watching a tear roll down my face and land right on her contact name. I wipe it away before locking my phone. I lay back on Demi's bed, bringing my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them in fetal position. I muster all the power in the world to not shed any more tears. With my pale complexion, It would take hours for the redness in my face to dissipate if I bursted into a crying fit.

I hear Demi's bedroom door creak open. I sit up frantically, hoping Demi doesn't ask any questions. Who am I kidding, she's Demi. Of course she's going to ask questions. She takes a seat next to me on the bed. "Are you okay, baby?" She asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I say, giving her a toothless smile.

"Were you crying?" She asks, caressing my cheek with her thumb.

I shake my head no. "I'm just a little tired." I say, hoping Demi will drop the subject. I can tell by the look on her face she does not buy my lame excuse. But she decides not to pry any further. Instead she embraces me in a much needed hug. "Come on, dinner's ready." She says, letting go.

I clear my throat. "I'll be down in a minute." I say, pointing to Demi's en-suite. Demi nods her head before making her way downstairs. I splash cold water on my face and touch up my makeup before accompanying everyone downstairs.

There is one chair vacant when I enter the dining room. The seat next to Demi. Of course. I sit down, placing the napkin on my lap. I feel Demi's hand lay on my knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. I place my hand over hers, letting it rest there for a while.

Demi and her family spend most of Dinner reminiscing on childhood Christmas stories, filling the room with laughter. I try to keep up with each story, laughing along, but my mind is somewhere else during almost all of dinner.

It's been a little over a month since Demi found Isabella. She asked me more times than I can count if I wanted to visit her or write her a letter. Time and time again I declined, getting more and more frustrated the more Demi asked. One day she just stopped, realizing I was never going to change my mind. However, part of me wish she never stopped pushing me. If she asked just one last time, maybe Isabella would know there' someone out there that cares about her.

I tried to push these feelings aside for the past few weeks. With Demi's album release and tour underway and my new job, I tried to focus on our future. However, after the very short and one sided conversation I had with my mother, I feel a need to reconnect with her. I don't want her to grow up thinking she isn't loved nor accepted.

Demi notices my inattentiveness as I've been moving around the mashed potatoes on my plate for the last few minutes. She nudges my arm, bringing me back to reality. I look around, everyone's plate is empty, except for mine that looks like it hasn't been touched. I shovel a large fork full of mashed potatoes into my mouth, almost wincing at the coldness of them.

"How about pie?" Demi asks, pushing her chair back enough to stand up. "Ellie will you help?" She asks, holding her hand out for me to take. I swallow the potatoes before following her into the kitchen.