Life As I Know It (Completed)

Chapter Sixteen - Make Up or Break Up? (P2)

           "Ellie," a small voice yelled. I looked around to see Drew's little cousin, Sayer, hurtling towards me. "I haven't seen you in a long time!" He pouted, putting his small arms around my legs in an attempt to hug me.

           "It's only been two days Sawyer."  I laughed and, picking him up, I placed him on my hip. I smiled at him, listening to him describe what he'd been doing the past day in excessive detail and about just how much his tummy hurt him when he was sick. All the while, I tried to ignore the pair of eyes burning into me as soon as Sayer had yelled my name and alerted everyone to my presence.

           He was rather heavy and after a while, my arms had begun to ache. I put him down and he ran off to play with the rest of the kids, leaving me with no other method to procrastinate with.

          I walked hesitantly to where Drew was.

           "Hey guys," I said, timidly.

           "Hi." Loki nodded at me. He had one hand in his front pocket and the other was holding a beer bottle. I didn't know him very well, but I could tell something was a little off with the way he spoke to me.

           "Ellie," Nick said, solemnly. A far cry from how he usually acted. "Ooh, a pogo stick!" he cried, running off towards the kids. I guess it wasn't that far off. Or maybe it was just his way of escaping the awkward tension.

          Drew still hadn't said anything. He just stared at me, intently and quietly.

           "Well... I'm gonna go... yeah," Loki trailed off, and excused himself.

           And then there were two.

          I didn't look to see where Loki went; I was too intent on Drew. But I could see him following Loki's retreating form with a little desperation in his eyes. This was the first time I'd really had an opportunity to talk to him, since the kiss.  I thought about it now. The way his lips felt. How it had felt with his body on top of mine. The way his tongue had... I needed to focus. I needed to explain what Drew had seen yesterday.

           "So..." I trailed off, trying to gather my thoughts. "I uh... I..." Oh god, this was harder than I'd thought it would be. I looked at him and could see that he felt as uncomfortable and tense as I did. 

           "You don't have to say anything," Drew blurted out. I could see he was trying to maintain his composure, but his neck and the tips of his ears were turning red. And even in the awkward situation we were in, I still found it adorable.

           "I do," I insisted. "I wanted to talk to you about...uh..." Where to start? The kiss or Jason? Gosh, I couldn't even look at him. Evidently he felt the same way, now that Loki and Nick were gone. When I quickly glanced up to look at him, he was staring at the ground.

           "Yeah...?" he asked, hesitantly. He looked up just as I did. Our eyes met for a split second, before we both dropped them again. I heard a distant guffaw and realised that we were still surrounded by his family. Everyone was busy with their own thing. Talking and laughing. The only ones paying us any attention were Nick and Loki. They quickly looked away when I noticed them staring at us.

           "Let's go up to your room," I suggested.

          He didn't look like that was a good idea. "I don't think-"

           "Please?" I pleaded. "I really need to talk to you." I bit my lip. Would he hear me out?

           "Fine." He nodded, resignedly. We walked indoors and headed upstairs, away from everyone else. The noise from the back garden faded the further into the house we walked, and the silence between us was painfully loud. "So, what did you want to say?" he asked, finally looking at me head-on for the first time since Loki and Nick made a disappearing act. I headed towards his desk and pulled out the chair there, sitting down. I thought it'd be safer than sitting on the bed. My legs felt incredibly weak.