kiss me beneath the milky twilight
☆☆☆
'I'm gonna go round Kyra's place before we head off.' Josh said, looking over at Eli. 'Martha will be there.'
They were heading back to Dublin in the afternoon, the four of them packed up their things this morning and headed to Eli's where they'd catch a cab to the airport later on. The four of them were ahead of schedule for once, but for reasons that josh and Eli turned a blind eye to. They wanted time to see the girls.
Ryan and Rob did too, they'd become good friends with the three girls they'd met at the pub that night, who happened to be Martha Hendrix best friends. The seven of them got on like a house on fire, a friendship that would remain forever, hopefully.
'Why don't we all go?' Ryan suggested, seeing the awkward expression in eli's face, knowing he'd just shake it off and say it was fine, only to later sit moping around because he didn't say goodbye to Martha.
The two of them spent a lot of time together, and whilst they were both convinced it was strictly platonic, Eli watched as she spoke to Ryan, how she listened to Rob's bad jokes and it wasn't the same. Maybe it was him, he thought,maybe he's the one making it awkward, or maybe she likes him too.
He had plenty of time to let her know though, and he did. There were countless opportunities for him to kiss her, and he so desperately wanted to. He isn't a confrontational person though, nerves tend to get the better of him and when you're a hopeless romantic with a crippling fear of rejection and social awkwardness, things don't tend to go the way you'd want.
'Just kiss her, or something.' Rob said to Eli on the walk to Kyra's. 'You're not even gonna see her for...however long.'
'I know,' Eli nodded, rolling his eyes, sick of their advice yet knowing they meant well.
Kyra opened the door, surprised to see all four of the, standing there. When she opened the door revealing the crowd, Simone and Martha peered round the corner curiously. Simone gave her a subtle nudge and wandered over to say hi as they came in for a flying visit before their flight home.
Ryan gave Martha a hug first, Rob following suit as Eli lingered behind feeling ever so slightly out of place. Simone noticed and struck up conversation though, suddenly he was less out of place, and more slightly saddened to be leaving the people he had grown to love like family.
Kyra flicked on the kettle, Josh hovering next to her in her kitchen with his arm around her. He'd miss her, there was no doubt about it. They were sweet, two people that deserved all the happiness they could get from one another.
Strategically everyone sat done in a way that Eli and Martha wound up together. They all knew that was the plan, a gentle nudge to get the two of them to face whatever was going on between them before they're separated for some time and it's all forgotten about.
'Gig announcement tonight.' Ryan smiled. 'Tickets on Friday, yous buying?'
'The cheek.' Martha chuckled, obviously her friends would be invited as her guests as she's the opener.
'Only going to see our Martha.' Simone said. 'You guys are just-'
'A hot bonus?' Rob asked, to which everybody just burst out laughing.
The conversation turned into the discussion of the gig which was happening in two months time. Everybody was excited for it, to be up on stage again, and for Martha, she'd get to play new music. Although the one thing she couldn't stop thinking about was Eli. Would it be two months until their paths cross again?
She finished her cup of tea, the habit of sipping away when the conversation gets quiet to trick your mind into not feeling awkward. Eli did the same, and so Martha picked up their empty cups to take through into Martha's kitchen. Part of her was hoping Eli would follow her, they'd get a second alone away from everyone else.
He knew the second she stood up that it was a silent invitation to follow her, and he didn't hesitate in doing so.
'You gonna miss us?' He asked cheekily, to which she turned from the kitchen sink and folded her arms.
'You wish.' She chuckled. 'You?'
'I will, you know.' He said, 'I feel like we all got dead close.'
'Yeah, but you're only going to Dublin so, who knows,' Martha shrugged, 'you're not that far away.'
'True.' He smiled, and the two of them caught eyes with the same mirrored look on their faces. Eli stepped closer to her, Martha still with her back to the sink. 'You should come to Dublin, at some point.'
'Yeah I will, in two months time.' She said jokingly, to which he let out a breathy laugh.
'I'm serious, I'd like you to come.' He said, 'can show you all the best places there where I grew up. There's a pub you'd like, kinda grundgey and I dunno, reminds me of you a bit.'
'Yeah?'
'Yeah,' he nodded, standing right in front of her.
She looked up at him with a smile that gave him butterflies. If there was a moment for the one thing they've been thinking about to happen, this would be it. When he plucked up the courage to place a hand on her cheek, she felt her entire world pause for a moment.
He was beautiful. His smile, his annoyingly perfect facial structure and the eyes that feel like they look right through her. Martha felt like melting into the floor at his touch, unbeknownst to her, he felt the same.
Eli had admired her for a while, getting to know her only made his heart grow fonder and now he was questioning everything. Was this the girl who had changed everything inside his mind?
'Why'd you make me nervous?' He asked through a little laugh.
Martha just laughed back, stepping up onto her toes for a second as she closed the gap between them. The tension was killing her and if this was all a big misinterpretation of hers, at least he was off to dublin anyway. It wasn't though, Eli kissed her back, holding her face in place when she tried to pull away.
When they pulled apart, they never said a word, they didn't have to. Both of them found themselves falling into one another's arms, his held her against her chest with her arms loosely hung around his waist.
'You're kinda dramatic, you know,' She chuckled, stepping back a little. 'D'you not have a flat in london? Not like you're moving back home forever is it?'
'Alright, well now I'm embarrassed.' He said through a smile. 'You're right though, I'll see you soon.'
'Did you just want an excuse to kiss me?' Martha teased him.
'I hate you.' He said, giving her a playful shove.
The pair wandered back through to join everyone. The guys wear leaving shortly to head to the airport, they had to get their things from Eli's. For a while though, they sat there in Kyra's flat laughing about things that weren't funny, whilst Eli and Martha felt like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.
Eventually it was time for them to go, after an hour of sitting there sharing secrets and jokes with one another. They were bound to return to London soon, especially since Ryan and Eli had flats there, but they didn't know when and they were sad to be leaving the friend they'd made behind for a little while.
Josh gave Kyra a kiss in front of everyone, gaining a natural reaction from everybody as they gushed about how sweet the pair of them were. Everyone swung arms round one another, and shared 'see you soon's and 'keep in touch's not knowing whether the seven of them would all be together again until the gig in dublin.
'Right, I'll see you soon, trouble.' Eli smiled, giving Martha a hug.
'Give her a kiss.' Rob shouted from the door jokingly, although the two of them just laughed and shared a kiss in front of the others, gaining smiles and a cheer as the two of them gave middle fingers back to their friends.
'Safe flight guys,' Martha smiled, Eli's arm still lingering around her shoulders as the others headed for the door.
'Bye kiddos,' Ryan said, walking out the door.
'See ya,' Eli mumbled, pressing another kiss to her forehead as he followed his friends out the door.
Once Kyra's front door shut, the three girls looked at each other and practically dived at Martha, squawking and laughing about her kiss with Eli as her poor face went red. Although she was just as excited as they were, so it wound up that the three of them were standing jumping up and down about the beginning of some romance like they would've done years ago.
The definition of being a teenager at heart.
***
@Joshjenkinson added to their story!
Rob's dad was picking them all up from the airport, and somehow all four of them managed to squash into the car, with Rob taking the front seat so he could control the music. Naturally, he played Martha Hendrix, an ode to Eli, but purely to wind him up.
They were catching his dad up on all the latest from London, he seemed well intrigued and Eli had to let them tell his story on his behalf. Naturally, Rob left out all the important parts, and skipped to the fact Eli was a wimp and only plucked up the courage to kiss her right before he was leaving, even then, Martha had to make the first move.
When Eli was dropped off, it was just his mum who was home, her and the dog. It was good to see her, he'd been in London pretty much the whole time since they've been back from Portugal, so this time spent in Dublin before their one off gig was necessary. Nothing had changed since he'd been away.
His mum flicked the kettle on, and Eli sat down on the couch with the dog. Martha was the first person he thought of when he sat there, so he took out his phone to send her a picture.
Elijahhewson
Elijahhewson
My billie.
Marthahndrixxx
You never said you had a dog!!!
He's so cute awwww
Elijahhewson
He is a she.
marthahendrixxx
My bad sorry billie
She's so cute omg
Elijahhewson
Never said that about me...
Marthahendrixxx
Well you don't look like that do you?
'What are you smiling at?' His mum asked him, bringing him over a cup of tea. 'Who are you texting?'
'Martha' Eli smiled, biting the inside of his cheek as if it would help the way his mother can see right through him. 'She's opening our gig coming up.'
'Is she now?' His mum smirked. 'That's why you're smiling at your phone?'
'Yes.'
'You posted a picture of her on your instagram, no?' His mum said, to which Eli shot her a confused look. His mum didn't follow him.'Eve showed me.'
'We're just friends.' Eli chuckled.
'Alight, if you say so.'
@inhalerdublin added to their story!
@marthahendrixx added to their story!
@ryanmcmahon added to their story!
@marthahendrixxx
aww ive never seen this!!
@ryanmcmahon
eli hates it
tbf he looks rough
@marthahendrixxx
HAHA
he does
@marthahendrixxx added to their story!
@elijahhewson
everyone on our twitter
is going crazy for u rn
@marthahendrixxx
hehehe
thats so crazy
i am smiling sm rn
im so excited
@elijahhewson
u look cute
@marthahendrixxx
such a flirt
@inhalerfan1:
martha hendrix opening for inhaler is insane btw
> @inhaler1234dublin: !!!! the group pic omg shes so hot
> @inhalerfan3525: buying tickets for martha only.
> @inhalerhonestface: i swear its just bc shes dating eli tho
>> @marthahendfan: bffr theyre just friends...misogyny isnt a good look