For A Brief Moment

Chapter 14: A nice thing to do

Cassie and Elijah drove back towards the house, laughing and talking. There was never a moment of silence between the two, which was a complete contrast to their ride to the shops. The sun was setting, leaving the sky in a tie-dye collage of pink, purple and blue. When they stopped at some lights, Cassie turned to look out the window. A small pizzeria stood lonely next to three abandoned shops. It was a nice pizzeria, Cassie had food from there lots of times, and although it didn't look nice, the food was amazing.

"Hey," she snapped her head around to Elijah.

"Hey," he playfully snapped his head over to her, mimicking her actions.

"Do you know what would be a nice thing to do," she shyly said, a smile growing on her face. "What?" He asked.

"Pizza night, for everyone at the house," she explained, turning to the pizzeria. The lights turn green and with no words, Elijah turned the wheel, the car pulling over to the pizzeria's parking lot. When the truck stopped, he finally answered.

"That would be nice, wouldn't it." He turned to look at her, as she smiled over at him. A playful smile grew on her face. He didn't get it until he saw her reach quickly down to her seat belt. He opened his door and ran out, not even bothering to watch his door close. She reached for the handle, but there he was, opening the door, his chest heaving up and down. "Too slow princess," he playfully teased as she looked at him with pursed lips and furrowed eyebrows. She sat in her seat glaring at him before she decided to step out smiling. She couldn't even pretend to be mad at him for long. He closed the door and jogged to catch up to her as she walked to the door of the pizzeria. There was a menu on the door which she examined for a moment, looking at the options. Elijah stood behind her, watching her, it was as if he was afraid to look away from her for even a brief moment, in case she might disappear. She brought happiness into his life, more than she would ever know.

"Two large pizzas should be okay, right?" she questioned as she tilted her head up, it hitting his chest, making him tilt his head down to look at her.

"Yeah," he responded. He extended his arm from behind her, pushing the door in front of them open. Cassie smiled at him, before moving her head forward and taking a step inside. The small bell above the door echoed in the pizzeria, announcing their arrival. A middle-aged man stood at the counter, smiling in their direction as the two hesitantly walked in. He couldn't be any older than 50. "Well, hello there, how can I help you?" He asked in a cheerful voice, which made Cassie grin kindly. 

"Two large cheese pizzas please," Elijah spoke kindly back, as Cassie skipped over to the counter. Her hair flowed gracefully as she did. Both men couldn't help but admire her gracefulness.

Elijah admired her because he could see she was tired. He knew she was physically tired, hell that was clear as day, but emotionally as well. She may not tell anyone, but he could see it, in the way she smiled, in the way she walked. If he looked at her when no one was watching, he saw it. The second someone was watching her though, she put the act back on, the smile, the laugh, the kindness.

"That will be ten dollars and ninety-eight cents then please." The kind man explained. He looked as Cassie pulled money from her jean pocket, looking through the money her parents left her. She pulled out a ten-dollar note, and then a one-dollar note, handing them to the grey-haired man who looked at her softly. She placed the rest of the cashback in her pocket and walked over to the seats in the corner. "Should be ready in about 10 minutes love," he said putting the money into the till and pulling out two cents. He handed it to Elijah as he walked towards Cassie, who was sitting comfortably on the chair, swinging her legs. "Thank you," her voice sounded like a melody as she thanked the man. He walked into the kitchen, turning around once more at the pair in his waiting area. He could see the chemistry between the pair, for all he knew, they were a perfectly happy couple, high school sweethearts, and that made him happy, reminding him of his youth.

Elijah sat beside Cassie, the seats close, their arms grazing each other. He laughed a little to himself before looking at her. There it was, the moment she let down her guard down, her eyes lids drooping, and her smile gone.

"Hey, you, okay?" He asked. He didn't want to push but there were plenty of times when he saw her like this and didn't say anything. Now that it was just them and it felt right, he asked. She turned to him, smiling widely and eyes wide. 

"Yeah of course, why?" She forced. She hated pretending, but she was so used to it, it was normal to her. It was her normal.

"Princess, you don't have to lie to me okay, no judgment here," he held his hands up at the last part, like when the police ask you to show your hands. She giggled softly at this, and looked at her hands, she was messing around with her bandage, it was covered in dust and dirt, with a small patch of scarlet flooding through the layers. "I know," her voice was weaker, laced with drowsiness.

He grabbed her hands softly in his. "You don't have to be happy all the time you know?" she looked away from him, knowing he was right, but knowing and believing are two different things. "Hey, how about when we get back to yours, I'll re-do this for you, Yeah," referring to her bandaged hand. He moved his face to hers, trying to find her eyes. She looked at him. Her mind was still thinking of a response to what he had said before, she could barely process it all. She looked down at their hands, his hands shielding hers. she twisted her body a little, and placed her head on his shoulder, eyes closed, hair falling over her face faintly. "Thank you," she whispered in a tired voice. They sat like that, silently, as they could hear the man in the back clatter about. Elijah would never tell Cassie, but the man peeked his head round a couple of times, looking at the pair; he would give Elijah the look, which told him 'He did a good job finding her.' But Elijah didn't find Cassie, Cassie found Elijah.

After around fifteen minutes the bell rang, making the pair jump a little, having rested their eyes during the wait. It was dark outside now and the lampposts illuminated the streets, creating perfect circles. It was 7:12 in the evening. Cassie saw that Elijah's hands still engulfed hers, but the minute he looked down, he pulled his hands away, shyly. She smiled at him, a tired smile, but a genuine one. She stood up from her chair slowly and walked over to the counter. He handed the boxes over to her, careful not to drop them too soon. "Have a great evening love birds," he chuckled.

"Oh, we're not- "she went to argue but was interrupted by the man,

"Sure little one. Sure." Elijah chuckled behind her, receiving a small glare from her. "Not yet, but one day." He continued. Cassie shook her head as she walked out. It amused her, someone thought she, and Elijah was dating. She had never had a boyfriend before and just the thought of it made her nervous, but this thought, it made her giggle, in a cheerful manner. She reached the truck, opening the back door, and placing the boxes on the seat, beside the grocery bags. She closed the door gently, before opening the passenger's door. She jumped in as did Elijah. It was only a 5-minute drive until they were home. At Cassie's home. Elijah started the engine and the pair sat quietly for a bit.

"Don't overthink what he said," Elijah stated in the quiet, as he drove down the woodland roads again. The trees looked like giants in the night, each with a crazy hairstyle.

"Oh," she sighed. Did Elijah just tell her he didn't like her? Is that what he was trying to say?

"You know unless you want to?" he snickered in a delighted manner. She couldn't help but give in to the built-up giggle she had been holding back. He may have not said it to her, but she got the picture that he too was thinking about it. They were both thinking about each other, and what they would be like with each other.

 Now, isn't that a thought?