Love, Eliot

Stacey's Mom

When I brought myself to message Eliot back the next morning, I expected a snarky comment about my radio silence. We rarely went long stretches of time without contact, something I had begun to rely on. But, instead of asking where I'd been, he acted like I never left.

Maybe he figured I found more important things to do.

He was wrong but I humored the idea.

"Big day?" he asked.

I didn't bother closing out of our conversation thread. We always talked in the morning with little interruption because Drew was in class and my roommate worked earlier than any normal human should.

"Not really," I typed out, "Just going out with some friends." Theater friends but he couldn't know that.

"Without me?"

My heart thrummed in my chest as I responded, "You can come." There was a pause before the dots popped up and let me know he was busy coming up with an excuse.

"Nah."

I rolled my eyes at him and his dodging. In all the time since we started talking, well, typing, the possibility of meeting up never failed to make my stomach churn.

I didn't know how I would react if he actually agreed.

But I wanted to try.

"You're right. It's karaoke and we wouldn't want you to embarrass yourself." Hopefully, I wouldn't embarrass myself by screeching in front of all my competition for the musical.

"I'm the king of karaoke."

The number of times I'd heard that statement before sitting through a painful performance was staggering. "Sure you are."

"So, any particular reason you ignored me yesterday?"

I blinked at his question. I shouldn't have been surprised. "Sorry, class."

"All day?"

It wasn't like I could tell him about Drew and cold pizza, the stubborn doorknob, and the way I might have him up with someone I had to see every day.

No matter how much I wanted to.

"No."

"I figured." My fingers hovered over the keyboard as I tried to figure out something to say but he beat me to it, "Everything okay?"

Was he, worried? I reconsidered our need-to-know deal but decided that it meant too much to him to disregard.

"I was just being stubborn." I decided to be honest. Lying would somehow come back as bad karma and I'd end up failing Biology.

"I see."

"Yeah."

"I guess we'll have to do something about that then."

"Like what?"

"Are you alone?" He knew I was.

"Yes."

Did I know we'd end up sexting before noon? No. Was I going to do anything to stop it? Absolutely not.

"Rub yourself, slowly." I didn't have time to take a breath before another message came in, "Only over your panties."

Dammit.

I glanced at my bedroom's open door despite knowing no one would be back until late. It'll be fine, I told myself.