Harrison Avenue // H.S.

Ted Has a Big Head

[Ellison]

The wooden door in front of me flies open and my eyes meet another pair blinking back at me. It isn't who I was hoping to see on the other side of the door though and judging by his face I'm not who he was hoping to see either. Instead of my curly haired boy smiling back at me like I was imagining, it's the orange haired, freckly one who loves to act as though I'm always an inconvenience.

"Elle," Ted huffs out, saying my name with a dry tone. He leans into the door frame, blocking the entrance into the apartment and continues to blink at me slowly.

"Ted," I say his name with the same tone, trying to mimic his scrunched up face. He doesn't seem to appreciate the gesture though, sighing out again as he changes his expression from the one I'm currently copying. "Is Harry here?"

Ted is Harry's roommate. He's tall, lanky and always acts annoyed when I'm around. In some way he reminds me a lot of myself, which makes me love him and creeps me out at the same time. I've decided that he doesn't hate me as much as he likes to pretend to. In fact, I think he actually enjoys having me around, he's just trying to cover it up by being extremely facetious about everything I do.

"If I had a quarter for every time I've had to open this door to see you on the other side, asking that same question," he says sarcastically. "Well, I'd have $17.25."

"You've kept track?"

"Course I have," he snorts like it should be obvious. "Sixty-nine times I've answered this door for you. You know, you could just call Harry and tell him when you're here. That way I don't have to be your official door greeter. I do have better things to do."

"But Ted," I lean toward the wall, holding myself up with my hand against it. "Then we'd miss out on all these lovely conversations. I think the two of us have become buds... wouldn't want to jeopardize that now, would we?" I smile, trying to be as convincing as I possibly can. "I think we've gotten the hang of this by now. I knock on the door, you answer with some snarky remark, I ask if Harry's here, you tell me I should use my phone for once and I tell you every time that I'm old fashioned and like a bit of surprise... then you let me in and everything in the world is as it should be."

"Not sure if buds is the right word," he squints his eyes more, shaking his head.

"Harry's here right?" I ask again since Ted never officially my question the first time.

I talked to Harry earlier in the day and he said he would be here. But knowing him and the million and two things he occupies his time with, you can never just assume. We made plans though and if anything I'm late on my arrival here, so I'm anticipating a nod from Ted.

Harry moved in with Ted about two weeks after his arrival in the city. I told him he could stay with me as long as he wanted, which was for selfish reasons just as much as it was out of friendliness. He stayed for those two weeks and overall it was really good for us. But I could tell from the start that he was looking for somewhere else to call home. It wasn't because he didn't want to live with me, or be with me or anything like that. He just wanted to approach this entire thing in a somewhat normal way. Plus I think he was scared I would do something dramatic again, which I honestly can't blame him for.

Even with our separate living quarters we see each other every day. It doesn't seem to make much of a difference in a lot of ways because I'm either at his or he's at mine. It's gotten to the point where I can't even get a decent night sleep unless he's in the bed next to me. I'm already far too used to his quiet snores and his bad habit of stealing all of the blankets. And while it's a rare occasion, I find it nearly impossible to get any sleep unless I'm fighting Harry for some warmth by snuggling into him.