Until I Found You

Chapter 4

Asher follows me, Eli, and my mother into the kitchen, taking this as an opportunity to bond with his captain as our mom leaves the room to watch some TV.

"So, Eli, how's school been going" Asher asks awkwardly watching Eli bite into a pretzel. "It's Elijah and fine" he states blandly before turning to me. Wait so is it Eli or Elijah? Why is this man so confusing. 

"You ready?" he asks me before getting up out of his seat. "I think?" I say still in shock about him being here randomly in my kitchen. He then heads off to my room in which I follow.

Once we got upstairs, I began to question him "what are you exactly doing here?" I ask. "I told you, I'm here to work on the project" he states blandly getting his laptop out. "Ok but we didn't discuss this so what you just decided to come by my house and hope I was home or something?" I say smugly. "I guess so, no offense but you really aren't involved in anything, so I figured you'd be here" he says shrugging while looking back at his computer. 

"Why are you against me so much anyway" he says looking back up at me. "I'm not against you! I just don't understand you" I say defensively. "Have you even tried to learn about me enough to make that judgment" he claps back raising his eyebrows. "Well, no, but you have to admit you aren't the easiest to get to know. Like downstairs you told Asher to call you Elijah, but you corrected me when I called you that yesterday! So, what is it Eli or Elijah." I say getting annoyed at his sudden defensive nature. 

He shrugs yet again "You can call me Eli and he can't, that's it, not that difficult." He states giving me no clue what he's talking about. "But why?" I ask now more curious than anything. "It doesn't matter why, I'm telling you to call me Eli, you should respect that" he states argumentatively before looking back at his computer. I sigh before getting mine out because I really can't argue with that even if I find the logic idiotic.

We hadn't worked five minutes before Eli looks up at me again "How come you don't come to any social events?" he asks closing the lid of his computer. "I don't know, they aren't fun" I say blandly looking back at my own computer, hoping he will do the same. He reaches over and shuts the lid of my computer looking at me. 

"Ok fine, you have my attention, what is it" I say looking back at him. "How do you know they aren't fun if you've never been" he asks with a curious look in his eye. "What are you keeping tabs on me or something?" I laugh before hearing a chuckle out of Eli. 

"No, but I have noticed it I guess" he admits before looking around the room. He reaches over and grabs a picture that's on my bedside table of me and my brother when we were younger.

"Asher goes to all the party's and stuff, why don't you join him?" he asks again before returning the picture to its spot. "Asher would never allow me to show up with him to a party" I laugh before quickly cutting it off after looking at the serious expression on Eli's face.

"Is he ashamed of you or something?" he asks with an emotion I couldn't quite read on his face. "No, he just, I don't know, he just doesn't think it would look good on him if we were seen together, I mean I get it, we are pretty different, I would drag him down" I say now picking at my nails anxiously. 

"that's fucked up, how would you be bringing him down" he argues defensively. I shrug "I'm not Mr. Popular like you, don't know if you've noticed but it's not great for us who don't sit at your stupid little table. He's worked hard to earn that spot there and I refuse to mess that up for him. If I have to act like I don't know him, I will" I argue defending my brother.

"it's not always easy being popular you know" he states looking down at his own hands. I laugh before looking at him "are you serious? Are you really going to sit here and act like you have it hard at that school? Everyone loves you, you have literally every girl you could ever want, and you think you have it hard?" I shake my head before looking back at him.