A Timeless Place

Chapter 29

"First we feel. Then we fall."
- James Joyce

"So your birthday's in a month, right?" Eli asked Jordan. They had both taken the bench seats and Wes and I sat on the ground in front of them. Kevin was leaning against the wall on our right and Jan sat on the edge of the fountain. "Seventeenth of September?"

"Yup," Jordan shifted slightly from his spot, beaming that Eli remembered his birthday. I internally laughed at the pure cuteness of his affection.

"And all the plans are almost done," Wes grinned, taking a bite from his burger.

"Should I be worried?" I looked from a grinning Wes to a beaming Jordan. And their smiles told me yes, you should be very worried. About your house, especially.

"Absolutely not," Wes tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, rubbing his thumb against my cheek. "Don't worry, it'll be kept a surprise till the day."

"Yup, now I'm definitely worried," I nodded, leaning into his warm palm.

"Yuck," Eli mocked vomited. "At least now all the gay rumours will be cleared."

I jumped in surprise, looking around us in case there was anyone within view. Wes cleared his throat, drawing his hand back.

"So, um, the play's in three weeks," Wes diverted the topic. "How did you want to go about it?" 

Jan and Kevin started up a conversation on the Literature club at school. I didn't even know there was one. Jan was trying to convince Kevin to join, much to his protest that he was a cool jock who 'apparently' didn't read literature in his free time. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't good at hiding his eagerness in Lit class.

"Well since the dialogue is pretty much the chorus and then Medea and Aegeus' encounter we could split it up. Jordan and I could work on the chorus and Wes and Kitty can do their parts since it's all independent," Eli said thoughtfully. "Plus, that means I get to spend as little time around you two making lovey dovey faces at each other." She looked at Wes and I accusingly.

"Jealous, Elizabeth?" Wes smirked at her, sliding an arm around my shoulders. I laughed, subtly shrugging his arm off.

Just then the bell rang and we all got up to make our way to Chemistry class.

"So why don't you come over to my place sometime on the weekends so we could work on the play?" Jordan looked at Eli, a hint of longing in his eyes, lobbing the remains of his lunch into the bin.

"Sure," Eli nodded. I could tell there was a hint of excitement in her eyes hidden by her hair as she reached to brush her skirt when she stood up.

Wes and I discreetly high fived each other behind her back. He held onto my hand, gently squeezing it between us as we stood up to go. I smiled at him, brushing the back of his palm with my thumb before letting it go. Our hands fell limply between us just as his brows crinkled together.

"What's up?" Wes pulled the handbrake to his car, parking outside my house.

"What do you mean?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "The car roof?"

"Har har, very funny," he said sarcastically. "I mean what's going on Kitty?"

"Nothing?" my hand inched towards the door handle. But when I turned to him, his expression made me sigh and slump against the car seat.

"Why were you avoiding being seen with me at school?"