"I wanted to talk to you about something else too." I mumble as the milk boils. Tara and Teagan have gone out for a walk and they promised to come back with goods. So, now it's just Elliot and I. This is my chance to talk to her about Tara and Jaxx.
"Sup?" She asks from her seat at the breakfast bar. She took off her jersey jacket and is left in just a black muscle t-shirt and black jeans now.
"Is Jaxx dating someone? Or even seeing someone?" I ask, turning around to face her. She tenses up and looks at me with narrowed eyes. Jealousy flashes through her features and I can't help but feel a little smug about it, "Don't be so jealous, Fernsbury. I am asking for a friend."
"Oh! Uh…" She trails off, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, "No. Not that I know of."
"I am not interested in them. I mean you said you'd fight, so I am counting on that." I wink at her before turning away to shut off the stove. I remove the pan and pour the milk in two cups, "But Tara likes them. A lot actually."
"Are you serious?!" She yells so loud, my eardrums threaten to burst. Before I know it, she has turned me around and is staring down at me with excited and wide eyes. She looks like an anime character. There's a sparkle in her eyes that I have seen for the first time since today morning. Big time period, I know.
"I mean… yeah… Her face looked like I told her her puppy died when I told her that Jaxx said nothing about her today at lunch." I say, staring at her with even wider eyes if it's possible.
"We need to set them up. Jaxx has had a crush on her since middle school. They couldn't stop talking about her all the way till lunch break. They played it cool in the lunch break because I threatened them that I will tell Tara if they didn't shut up." Elliot says, her hands moving from my shoulders to my palms. I am very aware of all her movements and I am pretty sure that it was an unconscious move but I can't help but marvel at how soft her hands feel in mine.
"Well… seems like we have to set them up then." I grin at her.
"Oh hundred percent. But how do we do it?" Her forehead scrunches up cutely, making me chuckle.
"How about you call your friends over? We can play truth or dare or something like that…" I suggest, raising an eyebrow. She snorts.
"That is so high school." I roll my eyes at her.
"You have a better idea?" She looks off in the space for a few seconds before shaking her head with a stupid grin.
"Nope." She pops the 'p'. I giggle at her cuteness.
"Go call people." I say, removing my hands from hers. They feel cold all of a sudden.
"Okay… I am going to ask them to get beer too." She says, turning away from me.
"Yes. You do that, peasant." I say, slapping her butt. She squeals before turning around and glaring playfully at me.
"No petting!" I burst out laughing as she disappeared up the stairs.
"So, Tara… Truth or Dare?" Elliot asks. It's been a while since everyone got here. Elliot's core group consists of Jaxx, Audrey and Sean. Audrey is the head cheerleader and a sweet girl. She can come off as an utter airhead but she is really smart and very kind and polite. Her boyfriend, Sean, is the head of the science club and on the Soccer team of the school.
"Dare." She says with a smirk. I can't help the evil grin that spreads across my face. Elliot winks at me and I grin back. We are sitting across from each other and Tara and Teagan are on each side of me. Sean sits besides Tara and then Elliot, Jaxx and Audrey.
"I dare you to do Seven Minutes in Heaven with my mate, Jaxx here."
"What the fuck, asshat?!" Jaxx yells, pushing Elliot a little as she cackles her head off. I see Tara's face fall a little.
"It's okay if you don't want to…" She trails off, her voice so small and timid that I want to give her a hug. Her eyes get teary and I wrap an arm around her shoulders.
"I don't." They say rudely, while glaring at Elliot who has sobered up and stared at Tara's reaction. Elliot stares back at them with a glare of her own. The iciness of it makes a shiver run down my spine.
"Stop being a douchebag, J. We are not in Elementary anymore." She snaps before getting up and walking to the front door, "I am going for a walk." Jaxx turns to Tara and their eyes soften a little as they stare at each other.
"I… I'll be right back." I get up to follow Elliot out the door. I see her a few feet down the sidewalk. "Wait up!" She turns back and stops when she sees that it's me.
"Hey…"
"Why did you leave?" I ask as we start walking. The night is pretty. It's dark and quiet but there aren't any stars in the sky. The pollution doesn't let them be visible.
"They always pull such bullshit. They fall for people and get scared of love and hurt the person. It's stupid." She shakes her head, her hands shoved in her pockets.
"For me, love is the scariest thing of all. The person leaves in the end and leaves you a mess. It's not worth it."
"You don't believe in love?" She asks, stopping in her tracks. She sounds surprised.
"Nope." I pop the 'p' and turn to look at her. I can't see her features but I can tell that she mostly has pity in her eyes. Everyone I have told this to has looked at me with pity and sadness. As if they think I have lost something very important.
Frankly, I think love's a waste of time and energy. Why give everything to a person just to have your heart ripped out.
"Why?" There's curiosity in her voice that makes me stop. No one has asked me this question before. They always just try to console me and tell me what a poor thing I am.
"I think it's a waste of time." I tell her truthfully.
"But you still want to set Jaxx and Tara up?" She sounds like she is trying to make sense of it all.
"I don't believe in love. Doesn't mean I will stop other people from it. I mean have you seen how Jaxx and Tara look at each other? I don't think they would ever hurt each other. They are like perfect book ship." I explain as I kick a rock around.
"So, you don't think anyone can look at you or treat you that way?" I nod at her question. She chuckles and looks down at me with a small smile. Her eyes look almost golden. My breath hitches at the intense look in her eyes, "I think that love is the most beautiful thing in the world. It might be hard, yes but that's the beauty of it. I mean yes, heartbreaks are bad but everything has a good and a bad side. Plus it's all a journey to reach the one who was meant for you."
"You believe in soulmates?" I raise an eyebrow at her, not letting her intense stare affect me more than it already is. There are like a dozen butterflies fluttering in my belly.
She nods before turning around to walk back to my place.
"I think they exist in books and Wattpad stories. Too good to be true." I mumble as we start our short walk back.
"I volunteer at the senior home in the city. Why don't you come with me tomorrow after school? I have to show you something." Elliot asks me as we stand outside my door. Everyone had left by the time we got back and Teagan and Tara had disappeared into her room.
"If you are going to show me something that you think will restore my faith in love, don't bother." I say, crossing my arms over my chest. There it is. The thing where people try to prove me wrong.
She chuckles, climbing on her motorcycle. She starts the engine and turns to me.
"I want to show you why I believe in love and soulmates. I don't wish to change your opinion." She leans in and kisses my cheek softly. "Sleep tight, Mystery Girl. I'll see you tomorrow."
I stare after her in stunned silence before turning around to go in.
'What have I gotten myself into?'