Dancing in the Rain | ✓

Chapter 20: In the Realm of Monsters

The next day Avery left home for Christmas with a promise to call Eli every single day of them being apart. When he returned home from the airport, he already missed his girlfriend. Since being around Sophia was still as awkward as ever Eli found himself feeling extremely lonely quite often.

Classes were over for the time being so Eli didn't even had that to keep his mind at least remotely occupied. He tried practicing various dance moves for both dance classes with Mrs. Hudson and for the competition. They had only a little less than a month to prepare so Eli was starting to get nervous even though he was positive that with Avery they would do amazing.

He was so bored that at some point he even started training his vocal chords in order to make his singing a little less unbearable. He didn't really see any progress but at least he was trying and that had to count for something.

Sophia did start talking to him but it was clear that they both felt very uncomfortable and awkward around each other. Eli wanted it to go back to the way they were before but he was losing faith that it was possible. Sophia was obviously also trying to make it all work but she wouldn't hug Eli or even sit close to him when they were watching movies together.

Eli knew that it was for the best but he still missed being in close friendship with her. He hoped that maybe spending Christmas together would change something but he wasn't really confident about it. The thought of seeing his older brother was pushed to the back of his mind as he didn't want to think about it.

The day of their flight however Eli started feeling like he was about to face the most intimidating of his fears and that knowledge made his stomach hurl in pain. He couldn't force himself to eat anything and his whole body seemed to be shaking with painful anticipation. He kept checking if he had everything packed in his suitcase, taking dozens of things out and putting them back in just to give himself something to do.

"Are you ready?" Sophia called from the living room area while Eli was still busy inspecting his suitcase.

He finally decided that everything was ready to go, so he left his bedroom. "Yep." He answered spotting Sophia in the kitchen making herself a sandwich. The girl seemed completely ready to go as well, dressed in her Christmas sweater with an adorable reindeer on it. "Nice sweater." Eli complimented sitting down on the sofa seeing as they still had time before leaving.

Sophie glanced down at her piece of clothing and smiled slightly looking back at Eli. "Thanks. I got it for my birthday. It's warm but more importantly: extremely comfy."

Eli nodded his head, unable to find a way to continue their conversation without it becoming unbearably awkward. "That's a good gift. Very practical." Eli said which made Sophia chuckle a bit.

Her good mood seemed to vanish quickly though, as she apparently noticed the frown on Eli's face. She walked over to him and sat down on the sofa joining her hands together, something she did only when she felt uncomfortable. "I don't want it to be weird." She said finally, barely looking at Eli. "I know it's kind of unavoidable now but I just want this Christmas to be all about joy and friendship."

Eli sighed. "I'm not the one acting all weird."

Sophia ducked her head and took a deep breath. "I know." She admitted. "I know it's my fault but I just needed time to think everything through." She said reminding Eli of their previous conversation. "Now that I know where I stand I feel much calmer and confident, so I really want to be there for you when you face your brother."

"Thank you." Eli said even though he wanted to forget about it and pretend that it wasn't going to happen. "I really hope it will get easier for you." He smiled slightly, not really feeling like addressing her feelings once again.