P h o t o #31 - Trust
~Elliot's POV~
Impulses. I know for a fact that we all have them, residing in the deepest crevices of our brains, waiting to resurface after being suppressed. Of course, I also know that some of us have more than others, yet we all equally fight to keep them under wraps from time to time when they finally do slip through their locks.
Unfortunately for me, I fell under the category of the more impulsive. Even more unfortunately, mine had gotten the better of me this time.
That being said, this could perfectly explain why I, Elliot Jonathan Beau, was benevolently caressing Emma Leigh's hands within my own.
And yet it didn't. Not entirely, that is. It didn't explain why I would even have such an impulse in the first place. It didn't justify why the only thing I could focus on was the coldness of her hands, nor did it give reason to why I wanted to do everything I could to warm them up.
My eyes searched the dark tile of the kitchen, hoping some kind of answer would pop out of its faint light accents. What was I doing? How could I so easily reach out to her like that? Why did I feel as though I never wanted this moment, with our hands clasped together, to end?
I involuntarily looked up, thinking that if my gaze would leave its current direction then these rapid questions that I had yet to figure out reasonable answers to would end. Bad idea #1.
Her eyes bored into mine. Dark, dark brown that could easily be mistaken for black in the dim night sky only lit by the stars above caged behind two thick lenses. A stare full of confusion, yet understanding, softness. Full of heat, yet flinched ever so slightly when a gust of frosty wind found its way through the door I had stopped her from closing. Her hair, the darkest I'd ever seen it, flowing in long ebony locks in response to the small pockets of air, its curls more evident in the brisk cold. A pink flush tinged her cheeks as goosebumps puckered her white flesh.
"Y-Your singing," I began lamely, feeling as though I had to say something, anything, to somehow keep our contact from disconnecting
I watched as the wind ceased, causing the time around us to tick once more. Without warning, the distance between us grew. It only took a small tug from her to get her hands released from mine. I hadn't realized that my hands had grown cold as well.
Bad idea #2.
A wrong choice a words. I mentally cursed myself for thinking that that would be a good topic to start off on. By just using context clues I could understand that she had no intention of being seen out on the back deck whatsoever. She wouldn't have slipped out and lied about where she was heading, a blatant lie I had heard clearly as I made my way with the still unconscious Connor still in my arms up the stairs.
Her hands now free, she used them to close the door that I had stopped her from closing moments before. She winced as the last pocket of night air hit her with full force, making her shudder in her thin black t-shirt and dark blue, plaid-patterned sweatpants. Light pink fuzzy socks curled around her retreating feet.
Suddenly she was past me, stopping not to far from where I stood, her back acing mine.
"We should head back." She stated, her voice solemn.
I whirled around, watching with pained eyes as she walked in the direction of the kitchen's exit. Not being able to find my words, I followed her small figure.
Her back to me said it all. She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to even address the fact that I had heard her. That weak, withdrawing frame of her's held so much emotion then. Yet, even though I knew this, I was still unable to fathom why she was acting this way.
Who was she singing for? Why did she react the way she did to my arrival? Why had she pushed away my touch?
Just who was Emma Leighs?
Events from earlier hit me unexpectedly. How selfless she acted, even though it was her birthday. Her handling Connor so well, as if she had had a child of her own before. Her punishing him, then holding him close, her hands never loosing their gentle touch through either motions. Me, comforting her through what I could only define as a mild panic attack. My hand against her trembling back, the soft cotton of her plain shirt feeling numb against my jittery finger tips. Her eyes, sparkling a bright shade of brown at the sight of what I had put together for her, a small party I called to be set up that I hadn't even a second thought about since I couldn't shake the guilt of not getting her a gift, or not being able to shake the anger I felt for not even knowing what she would want. Her beaming smile at the sight of it, and how that smile reined true on her face until end of the night.
Something roiled within me. My breath became more quick paced, my lungs burning at the suddenness of the sudden excessive quantity of air my body demanded to keep up with my rapid heart.
I tugged at the jacket I wore, feeling a surge of heat through me. As I began pulled at the sleeves to remove my coat, we both inescapably taking the same route to our mutual destination, finally rounded the corner to the living room.
I almost ran into Emma at the abruptness of her stop. My voice suddenly found and ready to ask her the reason for her sudden halt, with only the flicker of my eyes, I found the answer myself.
Cooper stood in the doorway, his hands resting in his baggy red sweat pant's pockets as he stopped in front of us mid-step. An uncomfortable look crossed his face once he registered us entering together, and suddenly I became conscious of how suspicious we looked.
I took a second to peek over his shoulder, noticing the movie still audibly playing on the flatscreen against the wall and how Kayla, Jonas, and even Parker who sat upright in a recliner, we're all fast asleep. I would've laughed if it wasn't for the circumstances I were in at the time, my friend's were the best, but their sleeping faces were just awful.
"Friends." I had called them that. The thought surprised me to no end. Just a few months ago, I guess the only way I could put it was that we were simply all having a falling out. We weren't speaking as much to each other, and surely I knew we were all hoping that senior year would be past us in a flash so we wouldn't have to painstakingly go through it while forcing ourselves to act different in front of everyone. 'Now...' I thought as I looked down at Emma, who stood still in front of me, 'I'm not too sure we'd feel the same way.'
Emma seemed to have noticed the state our friends were in now as she peeked past Cooper as well. The hands I had just held before suddenly grabbed at the large shirt she wore. I heard her suck in a breath, and with one swift motion, she turned so she would be partially facing us both.
"Could I...talk to you both?"
I swallowed hard. I couldn't pinpoint exactly what she would want to speak with us about, since many events had happened that had still went on without an explanation. My hands went to my hair, pushing stray stands away from my eyes so I could take in this view entirely.
Cooper's eyes were wide, but astonishment was barely even registered in them. He knew just as much as I did that this was inevitable. Somehow, knowing that Cooper understood surprised me a bit. I really didn't give him enough credit, even though he acted quite child-like, he was still older than me even if it was only by a few months.
We both nodded in unison. Emma breathed a small sigh of relief, then motioned for us to sit down on the love seat couch in the small sun room that branched off of the living room. Cooper and I sat side to side, facing the large recliner Emma had taken a seat in.
Silence ensued. The movie that still played within the living room not far from us quietly echoed through the house. The ticking of a clock mixed in with the minimal sound.
My eyes, as well as Cooper's, never left Emma. We both waited for any sign of movement. When the time finally came, and her lips began to part, Cooper decided to save her the breath.
"Emma," His voice was low, showing no trace of his usual cheerful tone, "I'm...not too sure what happened that night. All I remember was the look you gave me, crying and out of breath, and I sorta...lost it for a second." He looked in my direction, and I gave him a sympathetic look.
That night, I understood what he was feeling. I didn't hold it against him for misunderstanding, either. Cooper was a good guy, and I knew he wouldn't do something like that unless he had a reason to.
Cooper looked back at Emma and went on, "But that's because I care about you Emma. I...understand what you want from us." My eyes widened as he stopped again.
It was as if I was seeing Cooper in a new light now. I hadn't even thought he could figure out all of this himself. I truly had to give him more credit. I couldn't believe I had thought he wouldn't be able to figure any of this out. He wasn't an idiot, after all.
"We'll keep this a secret, okay?" It was me speaking now, taking over where Cooper left off, "We won't...tell anyone about what happened. We'll forget about it."
I couldn't stop the slight desolation I felt slip into my words. I understood why I was so upset, even if I tried denying it, it wouldn't change how I felt. I obviously considered Emma special to me, but how it all started, I wouldn't be able to pinpoint. I know I let her get close to me, something I never let anyone besides Cooper, Parker, and Jonas do, and now I was attached to her. This was something new to me, since we never let a girl from our school get under our skin. We were always cautious when it came to this, but somehow we slipped up along the way. I knew Cooper and the others understood all the same.
I finally got it. I was dejected because I didn't want her to feel as though we'd do such a thing to her. I wanted her to trust us. I wanted her to confide in us. Jut the mere thought of it sent a wave of embarrassment my way. I couldn't believe how easily I was yanked off of our four year plan.
I swallowed hard, knowing that Cooper must be feeling the same as well. I looked over at where he sat to my left, registering the deep frown etched into his face. He had to be feeling nothing but execrable, especially since he held feelings for Emma.
A sick feeling in my gut took flight once I thought this. It seemed, somehow, I had become even more upset. I would've groaned out loud if it wasn't for the setting I was in at the time.
"No."
After what seemed like hours, the frozen air that surrounded us finally shattered with one single syllable. Two sets of perplexed gazes were directed towards the girl in front of them.
She looked even thinner against the large, dark leathered chair she sat in. Her knees were brought up to her face, her sock-covered feet overlapped one another. Boney arms wrapped around equally skinny legs. Her hair fell in long waves around her.
"I don't want that." Dark eyes stared at us, never leaving, never blinking, "Not at all. I know I can trust both of you. I know you won't do anything to me on purpose. I know that." She paused, then lifted her head from behind her knees, showing us that even in the darkness, her face could still be seen flushed, "Give me some time. I promise to tell you what's going on. Just...please give me some time."
She abruptly stood up from where she sat, shortened the distance between us with a short, brisk walk, then quickly threw her arms around both of our necks, her head in between.
"Thank you for caring about me. Thank you." The thin, weak arms I had seen many times before felt as if they had immense strength as they held Cooper and I. Both of us froze up under her unexpected touch, too stunned to even process what was happening. The heat of her breath tickling the back of my neck gave me an array of goosebumps, and I fought to hold back the shiver that begged to run down my back. I didn't know what to do in this type of situation, it almost felt as if I was a child experiencing his mother cry in front of him for the first time. I couldn't move, even though my arms ached to wrap around her small frame, to pull her close and make her understand that she could lean on us in her times of need.
And then it was over. Without either of us making a move, Emma drew back. The heat I had felt before ceased, and all I could feel was disappointment that I was unable to reciprocate.
She brushed at her bangs with her finger tips, looking down past us and at the hard wood floor below. "Um, well, I-I'll be heading off to bed now, so...g-good night."
After her awkward statement and even more awkward exit, Cooper and I were left alone. The silence that had hung in the room before our conversation reared its ugly head once again, and I was unable to muster up the courage to speak out against it.
"You're right, Elliot." I turned my head to the left, facing a boy with a straightforward look I had never seen before and hearing a voice filled with an emotion I had yet to decipher.
"I do like Emma."
***
~Emma's POV~
Morning light brushed against my eyelids, waking me up to an orange hue. My eyes flinched behind their covers.
"Oh, looks like she's waking up!"
Okay. That was new. My eyes shot open, immediately meeting ones of a diluted auburn color. Eyes I had never seen before. I scrambled upwards from where I lay, utterly baffled.
"Oh my! Look how pretty you are!"
A young looking woman smiled a red-lipped beam. Her dark hair fell in chunky curls down to her shoulders, and her neck was adorned in many fashionable chains. Her clothes were just a step below fashionista, more leaning towards comfortability.
I checked my surroundings. I was still in the Appollo's living room, sprawled out on one of their many couches. Everyone else was still in a deep sleep, all in various states of dishevelment. Kayla snored away on the couch next to me.
"Janet, that's really impolite of you, you know. She was sleeping." A tall, muscular man that I had only just taken notice of standing behind her as he gently held an infant in his arms, called out. His hair and eyes matched a light sandy brown. A color I knew all to well.
The snoring that rumbled quietly in the back round of this interesting conversation stopped. I watched as Kayla rose up from her slumber with an unladylike yawn and a long stretch.
"Hm.." She began, "Who's talking so loudly-" Her sentence ended abruptly once her eyes, the same color as the ones of the people I had yet to be introduced to, fell on the sight in front of her.
With eyes wide and a large smile, she yelled out happily, "Mom!! Dad!!"
My jaw almost hit the floor as her loud voice echoed throughout the house, startling everyone in the room awake. Once everyone got their wits about themselves, though, every person in the room's face lit up like a Christmas tree. My eyes widened as excitement took over the house. It didn't take long for the sound of footsteps thumping down the steps to ring out either as Connor found his way towards his parents.
We all watched, now thoroughly awake and standing, as each and every member of the Appollo family engulfed each other into a huge bear hug. Even Kae giggled in delight, now woken up herself, and grabbed at her mother and father's shirts with her small hands.
Almost instantly, one by one, everyone was pulled into the hug. It wasn't until I was the last one left, watching as they ruffled each other's hair and pulled at each other all while trying to speak to each other, when I was flooded with the previous nights events once my eyes locked on Cooper and Elliot in front of me.
My face heated up at the memory of my putting my arms around Elliot and Cooper. Ecstasy spread through me when I remembered their concern for me, their concerned voices still echoed in my head. I honestly couldn't recall the last time someone my age gave a damn about me.
I was only given a short amount of time to remember my bold actions from the night before. It was before I even knew it, after watching an emotional reunion for the Appollo's and the three boys who weren't a part of the family by blood yet seemed like they were already considered a member, that two hands stretched out in my direction.
Cooper on the left, who's face was slightly pink and eyes were inviting, held out his right hand. Elliot on the right, who's face held a bit of awkwardness yet had eyes of softness and acceptance, held out his left hand.
Without hesitation, I grabbed onto both hands offered to me, and was swiftly pulled into everyone by two strong arms. Laughter bubbled and mixed as we held onto each other. I felt a dopey grin crease my face at the light atmosphere that swirled around us. To think I would be invited into something that looked so sacred such as what I could only tell was a emotional reunion.
What made me the most delighted was the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Appollo seemed to accept me as soon as they laid eyes on me. I knew they wouldn't be like most adults I knew, cynical and unkind, I could tell just by the way their children were. I was even graced with a hearty pat on the head from Mr. Appollo and a laugh as Mrs. Appollo began to fix my hair with her painted finger nails. It was as if as soon as I had made eye contact with them, I was considered a part of their family.
No questions asked.
Silently, as the merrymaking continued before me, I crossed my fingers and wished with every fiber of my being that this moment would last forever.
***
This chapter was written quickly, so sorry if there's any errors. I'll clean those up later.
Finally we get to meet the Appollo parents! Are you surprised that they're just like they're kids? Heh...probably not...
Anyways, thanks for reading!