Joe loved Saturday mornings, because Ella stayed over on Friday nights and it was the one morning she didn't need to rush off. Even if they did something lame by Caleb standards like school work, they were together. Things were finally going right. Caleb was back spending time with Gaby and was a happy yet moody teenager. He began researching art schools and other colleges where he could study graphic design and illustration. His grades were good and all his teachers, at least the ones Joe spoke to, only had praise for him.
The only thing he wished would change was Ella's reluctance to move forward with informing her family he was back. He wanted to let the whole world know they belonged together. Although the shadow of hurt still passed over her occasionally, she was his El again, especially when they were together.
He did have new guilt niggling in the back of his head, because he was keeping someone else's secret and it was becoming harder and harder. Just the night before, Ella was upset because she received a text from her sister asking if she wanted to go out.
"Why are Ava and Tony making plans without me? It's seven o'clock and they are just asking me to go!"
"You should go if you want to."
"I don't want to. I'd rather be here with you, but Tony is my best friend, not Ava's. He should be out with his mystery girl."
It took all the resolve Joe had not to say something to Ella. Ella might be Tony's best friend, but Ava was his girlfriend. With Ella's possessiveness, Joe was afraid she would feel hurt when she found out. Joe also had a theory he was to blame for Ella's need to have Tony to herself. Her relationship with Tony was something she could cling to as she suffered from the broken heart. It gave her control in her otherwise turbulent life. His job was to support her when she found out about her sister.
The night before Ella told Ava she was out with work friends and their evening continued, but in the morning her phone rang again.
"It's Ava."
Joe listened to the one-sided conversation.
"I'm out... doing some errands... Lunch?... Yeah, I can meet you... I was out late... You did? How about tonight? Alright, I'll see you at noon."
She looked at Joe. "I'm going to have lunch with her. She drove by my apartment last night thinking she could sleep over, but I wasn't home. Then she drove by this morning. Doesn't she know how to pick up the phone?"
"Do you think she's checking up on you?"
"Why would she?"
"Maybe you should just tell her at lunch."
"I can't she'll be angry. You don't understand the time she spent with me and my tears. She came home almost every weekend and spent hours on the phone with me in between. She'll never understand."
"We can't keep us a secret forever. We can't move on until you tell your family."
"I know, I know, but it has only been a couple of months."
"A couple of months, but a year and a half too late." Joe felt angry but not with Ella as much as himself. "Just think about it."
"Okay." She kissed him. "I'll shower at home."
He watched as she left and ended their perfect morning.
Ella walked into Christa's art room and was greeted by her friend. She had been out to dinner with Tony the night before and he mentioned seeing Christa with Dylan.
Tony had said, "She gave me a weird smile when I mentioned you were making friends at school."
The weird smile caused Ella concern. She wanted to find out what Christa may have said.
She said, "I heard you saw Tony recently."
"Yeah, Dylan was working late, so I brought him something to eat."
"What did you say to him?"
"Nothing. He just mentioned your new friends and I may have smiled, because I'm not blind. I know you're friendly with your former colleague." Christa empathized the word colleague.
"Did you mention him to Tony?" Ella asked, abruptly.
"No, because I'm your friend and you have said nothing to me. What's the big deal, if you're friends with the English teacher?"
Ella frowned. "Because if my family finds out..."
"Why would they care?"
Ella sighed. "My father hates him. They all do."
"Why would anyone hate Joe Walch?"
"Because he broke my heart." She looked at her cuticles.
"What do you mean?"
"We were practically engaged when his mother got sick. He went back home and ended up marrying his high school sweetheart. It was a huge mistake and didn't last, but his dying mother influenced his decision. Meanwhile, I was left broken and my family had to watch me suffer and try to console me."
"And you don't hate him?" Christa asked, in disbelief.
"I tried, but I never could. I loved him too much. I still do."
Christa said, "I knew you two spent time together, but are you really together?" Ella nodded. "And your family doesn't know?"
"When they find out it needs to come from me, not some rumor."
Christa couldn't respond, because students were at the door and classes were about to start.
A few days later, Ella's phone rang and she ignored it. She didn't want to talk to her sister. She and Joe hadn't had any time, since she cut their Saturday morning short, and it was Thursday. Caleb had finally gone to his room to text Gaby under the guise of doing homework.
An hour later, Joe said, "You should call Ava back. You can tell her and I'll be here to hold your hand."
"I'll call her, but I'm not telling her." She looked at the clock it was ten and wondered if it was too late to call.
"Hi Ava, did I wake you?"
"No, I was just getting ready for bed. So now you're too busy to answer your phone."
"Sorry, I was..." She thought and remembered Tony had a date so she continued, "... out with Tony tonight." She looked at Joe who was shaking his head.
"Oh, you were. Did you have fun?"
"It was nice. You know we're best friends." Joe continued shaking his head and walked into the bathroom. "I have a gig on Saturday, do you want to come?"
Ava said, "Yeah, maybe. I'll let you know, but I need to get some sleep now."
After she hung up, she asked Joe, "What were you trying to say?"
"You shouldn't use Tony for your excuse."
Ella said, "It's safe. He had a date with his mystery girl."
"They're friends too. I could tell the night she saw me. She probably knows he was on a date."
"Everyone likes Ava. She's sweet, but I'm the one he comes to see perform and he goes to dinner with every week."
Ella confidently thought Joe didn't know what he was talking about.
It surprised Joe when Ella texted him to ask if she could come over. It was Tuesday so she had been having dinner with Tony.
"What's wrong?" Joe asked as he met her in the stairwell.
"Nothing... I don't know..." She answered ambiguously.
"Did something happen at dinner?"
"I'm not sure if I ever told you, but Tony came to Maine on a temporary assignment."
"Oh El, is he leaving?"
"No, in fact, he applied for a new position so he can stay."
"That's good right?" Ella should be happy.
"Yeah, but he said it was because of his girlfriend. He could never leave her. He has always said she wasn't ready to meet me, but tonight it sounded like she didn't even know about me. I wonder if he thinks she'd be jealous or something. I want him to be happy. I really do, but something isn't right with this girl. I don't even think I know her name. Oh my God, maybe she's not a girl at all and Tony is..."
"No!" Joe exclaimed without thinking. Taking a deep breath to gather his thoughts. "Maybe he's concerned you aren't emotionally ready to see him in a close relationship."
"But he never even met you. He wasn't even here for the worst of it."
"Yeah, but others were." Joe was tired of secrets his and Ella's, as well as Tony's. When Ella asked who he meant, he replied, "Ava for one."
"What does Ava have to do with any of this?" Ella said, exasperatedly.
"Listen El, I know the last thing you and I need are secrets, but I know something. The problem is it isn't my secret."
"Joe." She pleaded. "Tell me what's going on. You're making me nervous."
"Come here." He cocooned her and kissed her forehead before he continued. "Do you remember the night Ava saw me?" She nodded. "Well, from where I was sitting I could see her the whole time and they were together."
"I know that they were sitting together. They both came to see me!" Ella sounded annoyed.
"No, El. I mean together as in arm on shoulder and holding hands."
"What? Are you telling me my sister is his mystery girlfriend?" Joe nodded and waited for the explosion. "You knew and you didn't tell me?"
"El, I wanted to, but there has to be a reason why Ava doesn't want you to know. Just like you don't..."
"But our situation is different. I feel like they've been making a fool out of me."
"I think she was protecting you. Remember she thinks you're still hurting from me. El, you can't confront her, because she'll know I told you. Unless you want her to know we talk."
"I'm not talking to her. I don't want to talk about it anymore."
Joe wanted to say he was sorry, but he knew Ella enough she wanted to stew over it on her own. When she had something to say, he would know.
Instead, he said, "Come on it's late. I'll hold you until you fall asleep."
Ella was angry and hurt over her sister's secret. She didn't know who she was upset with most Ava, Tony or Joe. Joe had the good sense to give her space. He definitely looked disappointed when she told him she was going home on Friday.
Caleb was in Joe's classroom. "Hey dumbass, what'd ya do to screw it up this time."
Joe looked sad, but she just needed space. She had been ignoring both Ava and Tony all week too. She found it very easy to fall back into being the victim. It was comfortable to wallow in her own sorrow. She shouldn't shut Joe out, because she loved him. He was part of the emotional turmoil she was feeling for her sister and her best friend. They were the three most important people in her life short of her parents, and they kept a secret from her.
She sat in sweats with a pint of ice cream and a spoon when there was a knock on her door. She ignored it, but Ava yelled, "Open up Ella I know you're in there."