she was untouchable.

12 | tell me.

"Are you wearing gloves?" mum looks up and stops what she's doing, a small smile gracing her lips.

"It was Zeke's idea. Well it was Aliana's but Zeke bought them for me. Don't they look beautiful?"

"Y'know I don't think you've worn gloves since you were eight." She admitted, more to herself than me. She looked down for a second deep in thought.

Eight. Right before dad died.

"Some things deserve second chances." I say absently.

"Have you tried them out yet?" She quizzes softly. There had always been a gentleness to my mother. Even when she asked the toughest or the harshest questions, no matter who she was talking too, she was always gentle and considerate.

"No. I'm rather nervous about that." I admit.

"Well no matter the outcome you know I'm always here. And by the looks of things so is Zeke." She stated.

"If you don't mind I'd like to go out with Zeke today. He wants to take me to the skatepark. Apparently no teenager is up this early so there won't be any people."

"That's fine dear." She goes back to her book.

As I'm about to leave I pause staring and her hand as it rest on the counter. I place my own gloved hand on top of hers and sigh a small thank you. Wasn't as hard as I thought. I turn to leave again but not before noticing the award winning smile on my mother's face.

Knocking on the door I step back and wait patiently.

Zeke's mother, Beth, opens the door. Despite her small frame she had enough mischief in her to fill a herd of elephants. Her and mum had started to spend a lot of time together and I had grown quite fond of the gentle woman.

"Hey love, Zekes still changing. You know its usually the girls that take this long, I think he's just nervous for his date." She tells me with a lift of her brow.

"Its not a date mum." Zeke's voice carries down the stairs, and soon after so does he.

"I thought the other day you said you liked-" Beth turns with a smile knowing exactly what's she's doing. Mischief.

"Mum!!" Zeke blurts out. He looked embarrassed. He practically looked out of place, he was always so confident.

"Oh I'm sorry. Have fun on your not date Eloise." Beth said almost as if it was a warning.

"Not a date huh. And I spent all morning trying to look pretty for you."

"You did? Well uh- oh your joking"

"Well not really. I was trying to look nice but I doubt I spent as long as you." I finish with a giggle.

"Oh aha mum was just joking I wasn't- uh no she uh- heh. You do look cute though." He stops fidgeting for give me one of his warm smiles.

"Thank you." I muse quietly.

"You're wearing the gloves."

"Yes I- I touched my mums hand this morning, only for a quick second. It wasnt as hard as I thought it was going to be. Thank you."

The rest of the morning went by faster than I would have liked. I had fun with Zeke. I always had fun when I was with Zeke. We hadn't talked about anything in particular, just anything and everything.

At one point Zeke had even nervously asked if it would be okay to hold my hand. I replied with a hesitate yes though when he laced his fingers through my own all hesitation left me. The skate park was indeed beautiful, and he was right that no teenager would be up this early. The only other people around were early morning joggers.

While I stared of absently at a yoga class Zeke hand started to trace my fingers. It was oddly calming and I became quickly overwhelmed with how far I had come. Zeke was worried at first. Thinking he had done something wrong. I assured him it wasn't and then told him about me as a child. How I wouldn't let anyone near me, even my own mother. How I would scream and cry for hours if anyone got to close and how I had endless panic attacks. I even told him how my father was just as bad if not worse than me. And that before he died I wasn't as bad. That I could hold someone's had. That I could hug someone. How I was normal.

Zeke laughed when I told him I used to be normal, shaking his head he said "You're still normal El. Just a little weird." I laughed at that.

He had even mentioned a party that Aaron and Nick wanted to host. That they needed to figure everything out before they invited me and that they really wanted me to come because that atmosphere was great. But I wasn't supposed to know. They wanted it to be a surprise and that they needed to figure something out for me because of my 'adorable quirk' according to Aaron. Zeke had drilled it into me that I really needed to act surprised when they ask me because he wasn't supposed to spill the beans about it.

We finally talked about working on the touch thing. We were going to try at either his house or mine hopefully once every second day. Zeke thought it was too often and didn't want to push me but I disagreed. I wanted to be able to feel safe in my own skin, and this is the only way that made sense to me.

Right now we were walking back to our houses. We had stopped for coffee and some breakfast at a small dinner across from The Icecream Shop as it was just before lunch not long ago but with a morning full of talking and a belly full of pancakes we had grown tired. We were walking hand in hand- mine still gloved of course -and in a comfortable silence.

"I had a really great time." Zeke hummed. The air was warm but the breeze was cool. He looked so content in this moment. I wish I bought my camera.

"Me too. We should do this again. If you don't mind of course." I asked as I looked up at him hopefully.

"I'd really like that El." He smiled down at me. "Yeah. I'd really like that." He looked forward now, with a toothy grin.