white lips, pale face; n.s.

→ eleven | 12:38 a.m. (pt 1)

noah cameron schnapp

the night of the winter banquet. i longed to see eleanor, although i'd seen her everyday this week and after school sometimes. we kissed last week; best moment of my life. but it hadn't been established that she was girlfriend now. as i combed my hair back and put on my tuxedo's jacket, i thought about what she would be wearing. she gave me hints though but i still couldn't think of what she would look like. she insisted on coming here so we could go to the event together. she would meet my parents today, since i have to go with them. i walked out of my room completely ready from head to toe. "noah! you look stunning!" my mother said making sure her french twist hair style was in place. "what a handsome young man you're growing into." my dad said coming from the opposite direction. i smiled largely. us all together, this was paradise. "i can't wait to meet emma!" my mom said. "eleanor." i told her. that's what annoys me though, she doesn't know anything sometimes. there was a knock on the door. i jogged to open it. i swung it open and there was eleanor. her dress was maroon, long and flowing. the top had lace and the skirt was long, it touched the ground. beautiful. "hi." she said. "hey." i said moving so she could come in.

we sat in the limo approaching the gala, my parents left before us as they had to be there first. it was evening, the sun had already set. her head was on my shoulder as we drove up. the flashing lights of the camera's startled her. "cameras?" she said sitting up. "yeah, it's a pretty big event, a lot of important people will be here." i said. "ready?" i asked her. "absolutely." she smiled at me. our driver came around and opened the door for us. i slid out first then helped eleanor out of the car. she elegantly held onto my arm as we walked through the line of photos and into the building. "name?" asked the lady who would escort us to our table. "noah schnapp and eleanor brooks." i said. "pleasure to seat you mr. schnapp and ms. brooks." she said as we sat down. "is it too overwhelming? we can leave if you'd like." i said nervously. eleanor was looking around taking it all in. all the people, all the ball gowns, the tables with many adults at them. "no, it's fascinating. i've never been to something like this." she smiled. "glad you like it, ella." i smiled. our table started to fill up as i saw millie sit down across the room with her parents. "mills is here." i whispered to eleanor. she lifted her head looking for her. she leaned over to me, "can we go say hi?" she said quietly. the two of us excused ourselves. we pushed in our chairs and headed over to her. "millie!" we slightly whispered. she looked over and got up with excitement. "hey!" she said giving us each a hug. i went and shook her fathers hand and gave her mother a hug as millie introduced eleanor to them. "so how's the happy couple?!" millie said as we stood in circle. eleanor and i looked at each other, confused. "c'mon i know you guys are a thing. it's obvious." she said. we laughed. "not yet." i said to millie winking. we headed back to our seats as my mother and father stepped up to the podium. we sat back down, eleanor held my hand under the table. "welcome to the 2018 schnapp industries banquet. we thank you all for coming to celebrate the end of this amazing year although it is not yet over." my mother said. she kept talking as my attention faded away, throwing in a few jokes as i heard the crowd laugh. "best wishes to all of you, especially my son noah and his stunning date, eleanor." my father said nodding as they ended their commencement speech. conversation began to rise as the volume became louder. eleanor looked over to me, blushing. i smiled at her. "you do look stunning." i said still smiling. "so do you." she said fixing a piece of my hair. soon our dinner was served. chicken marsala for me and rigatoni a la vodka for ella. thankfully there's no actual alcohol in it. i was about to burst when i finished. we engaged in small conversations at our table with people that i recognized but had no clue who they were. about the small things, school, sports, future goals, etc. i knew this place like the back of my hand, every single square inch. i wanted to escape and by the look of boredom in eleanor's eyes, i knew she wanted to, too. i taped her leg and she looked at me. i gestured my head for her to follow me. i was going to take her to the balcony roof that looks over the city. we walked up the stairs and i opened the door for her. it was just us and the sounds of the city, nobody else but us. it was like being in the castle again, but instead we were much higher in the air and far more dressed up. we stood and silence looking at the view. i looked over, admiring her. the way her brown hair fell on her shoulders and the way she perfectly did her makeup. she looked over to me, staring into my hazel eyes. we were closer than we were in the park, barely even five inches between us. silence filling the air. i took a deep breath. "eleanor, will you be my girlfriend?" i asked with my heart racing.