e v a n
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"Alright class, we are beginning a group project today!" Mr. Willis, our History teacher, announces. "But, I will be choosing your partner." The classroom is filled with groans; it rarely goes well for students when teachers say that they're choosing the groups.
"Alright, starting off, Evan McCay, you will be with... Elliot Pandora." Mr. Willis says, moving onto to the next group.
Elliot and I aren't friends, per say; I mean, he doesn't hate my guts, but I'm certainly not on his friend radar. I'm considered the "popular" guy of the class, not to say that Elliot isn't popular— he's pretty well know, but our friend groups don't intersect.
Elliot comes over to my desk, grabbing a chair and pulling it with him.
"You wanna start it tonight?" I ask him. "You can come over?"
He nods. "Sure... I have to run home after school before I come though."
"Okay, I'll send you directions,"
"Okay, now that you're all in your groups, I want you to chose a historical event— from any time period — and do a PowerPoint— or Google Slides, whatever it is that you kids use these days," Mr. Willis says, waving a hand through the air.
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When I get home, I tell Mom that Elliot is coming over and then I rush upstairs to quickly clean up my room.
Elliot and I have been in the same class since second grade; we've always been friendly with each other, but we never would've classed each other as "friends".
I don't really know when it happened, but at some point, I started to like him. Just a little "faraway crush", or it was until Mr. Willis put us together for a school project.
My bedroom door opens, and Elliot walks in, his hair ruffled.
"It's really windy out there!" He says, closing the door behind him.
"Is it?" I ask. I open the curtain and look out the window, seeing that the sky looks like it's about to pour buckets, and the trees waving wildly in the wind.
"You didn't have to come tonight. I didn't know the weather was going to be bad—" I start, but Mom barrels into my room without knocking.
"Elliot, it looks like you might be staying here for the night... it's about to snow and ice tons..." she says. "Your mom just texted me and told me to tel you to stay put."
"Oh, I forgot you and Mom worked together..." Elliot says. "Okay... Evan, would I be able to borrow some clothes?"
I nod. "Of course!"
After Mom leaves my room, I look at Elliot.
"Well, should we at least try to get some work done?" I ask him.
"I wouldn't plan on it!" Mom shouts as she walks down the stairs. "The Internet's out."
I sigh. "Of course it is." I look at Elliot. "Well, what do you want to do now?"
He shrugs. "We could watch a movie? The power isn't out."
❄️
I turn my TV on, but neither of us actually end up watching the TV. Every time I look over at Elliot, he's typing something on his phone.
I sigh, laying back on my bed to stretch and then sit back up. Elliot turns to look at me right as the power turns off. I hear my niece, Aurelia, who's 2, scream from downstairs and Mom groan.
Luckily (if you can call it that), there's still light outside so it's not completely dark in my room or in the house.
Elliot and I go downstairs; Aurelia is crying hysterically and grabbing onto Elliot's leg. He bends over, picking her up and carrying her across the living room floor to the back window, pointing outside where the snow is falling.
"Look!" He says sweetly. "What is that?"
Aurelia whimpers, chewing on her finger. I walk over to where they're standing, running my fingers through her tiny blonde curls.
"Aurelia, look outside!" I say, pointing. "What is that?"
She only cries harder, crying out, "Mommy!"
She leans her head on Elliot's shoulder, still crying.
"I'm sorry—" I begin.
Elliot looks at me. "Don't be, I love babies!"
I smile, more to myself than at him, and try tickling Aurelia's side.
My older sister, Emilia, Aurelia's mom, is 20 but she and Aurelia still live with us.
It's been about thirty minutes and the power is still off; Emilia is trying to her best to get home and Elliot is now sitting on the couch with Aurelia asleep in his arms. They're both adorable, and I'm picturing a future with Elliot where we're married and have kids of our own.
❄️
Emilia is finally home, telling us that the roads are icing up quickly. The power comes back on, and Mom makes some spaghetti for dinner.
After we've eaten, Elliot and I go back up the stairs to my room where I hand him some clothes to wear.
"Your niece is super cute," he tells me, smiling.
"I know, I love her so much!" I say.
"Her name is so unique, too! What does it mean?"
"So her full name is Aurelia Rose; Aurelia means 'golden' and Rose just means flower, so her name translates to 'Golden flower'."
"That's really unique, and pretty!"
Elliot and I are sitting on my bed, both scrolling through our phones; I look over at him, watching him as he's focused on whatever it is that he's doing.
He looks up, catching me. "What?" He says, laughing a little.
"Nothing," I say softly. "Just watching you..."
"Why? Cause you like me?"
I freeze, blush creeping up my neck.
He leans in, grabbing my face. "I knew it!" He says before his lips press against mine.
He gets on his knees in the bed, pulling me closer to him and pushing me back against the pillows, climbing on my lap and straddling me. His lips press hard against mine, one of his hands on my face, and the other resting against my neck on my shoulder.
I open my mouth against his when he licks my bottom lip, nipping with his teeth, and slipping his tongue in my mouth.
He pulls away slowly, pulling away and kissing my neck. He looks at me, meeting my eyes.
"I know we've never really been friends, but I've liked you for a really long time, and I want to try this." He says.
I smile at him. "I think we could work together," I say softly, looking up at him. "I want to try this, too,"
He smiles, leaning down and kissing me again.
2/10/21
