❝she was their autumn moon, brilliant and beautiful, guiding their way though the dark...❞
❝... and they were all of the stars in her night sky - glowing constellations,
forming a map that lead her
...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
ELI IS STILL OVER THE MOON AS SHE DRIVES THE THREE OF THEM TO HER HOUSE. As soon as they piled into Ol' Red, Leah reached over the center console and planted her hand firmly on Eli's thigh, squeezing it lightly and smiling at the younger girl. Eli blushed and stammered and found it hard to concentrate on the road.
Paul sits in the backseat, arms crossed and dark eyes stormy as he glares out the window.
"So..." Eli says, reaching to turn down the radio, "what do you think of my friends?"
It's silent for a moment too long, and Eli bites her lip and frets.
Paul grunts from the backseat, and Leah turns over her shoulder to glare at him. "Yeah," he says, before muttering, "handsy, though."
Eli fights a smile, feeling that same warmth from earlier. "They're my family," she says firmly. "It's not like that with any of them - I've known them forever, and we're all like siblings." Paul's scowl doesn't lessen, and her tone softens as she catches his eyes in the rearview mirror. "It's you guys I want," she says. Leah squeezes her thigh reassuringly. "Only you. You and..."
She trails off, hesitating.
"And Jared," Paul says.
Eli's face crumples slightly. "And Jared," she whispers.
Paul leans forward in the back seat and slowly brings his hand up, knuckles brushing her cheek, a ghost of a touch. "I'm sorry little one," he says, voice hoarse. "I know it's not like that. It's just..."
