Elle and Hugo

Epilogue

By the end of October, Hugo and Eleanor were closer than ever. If she wasn't with Wesley (who had been taking her out almost every weekend at this point), she was with Hugo doing homework, eating food, playing video games, or just talking. She helped him organize all of his schoolwork and he helped her plan actual recreation time into her schedule. She taught him how to use a planner, and he taught her how to deviate from the rules and play secret levels in video games. She taught him to have more serious conversations, and he taught her how to open up about what she was feeling. Sometimes he would make her angry just so she would tell him that she was angry.

Hugo thought that the most important thing he taught her was about modern music.

"I'm not going to like it," she insisted, still very aware that she was using contractions.

"You know, there's this thing called blind trust and I think it would really suit you."

She rolled her eyes, setting her book down to glare at him. "Fine. You can try, but I am not making you any promises."

Hugo grinned, pulling out his earbuds and scrolling through his playlist for something she might like. "Have you ever heard of The Fray?" he asked, his finger already hovering over the play button on his phone.

"Of course I have not! That was a stupid question and you know it."

"They were really popular in the 2000s. I would describe their music as soft rock."

"Rock..?"

"Soft rock! Are you ready?"

Eleanor rolled her eyes again. "Fine, yes. I'm ready."

A second later "How to Save a Life" by The Fray was playing through his phone speaker. Eleanor laid back on his bed, closing her eyes and trying to let the music sink into her. The actual music was a bit overwhelming, so she tried to focus on the words. By the end of the song she was crying.

"So... Did you like it?" Hugo asked, his wide grin appearing over her face.

She laughed through her tears, pushing him away from her. "No, I'm crying because my ears hurt," she teased. "Do they have more songs?"

Hugo scoffed. "Do they have more songs..." he repeated under his breath as he cued up a playlist. They sat in his room and just listened to music until Wesley got back from practice.

"What is going on here?" he chuckled, watching Eleanor furiously try to wipe away her tears.

"Hugo showed me The Fray..." she mumbled, climbing off of the bed and wrapping her arms around his waist. She rested her head on his chest, still trying to hold back tears.

"Jeez, man. I think you broke her. She never touches me when I'm all sweaty after practice," Wesley said, dropping his bag on the floor and wrapping his arms securely around her.

Hugo grinned. "All in a day's work."

********

Ever since that day, The Fray was all Eleanor listened to, and she listened to them all of the time. It wasn't long before she knew the words to most of the songs and mouthed them while she did school work. One day her and Wesley were walking hand in hand at a park. She had one earbud in while they talked and she was quietly humming along under her breath.

"Have you ever sung before?" he asked her randomly while they strolled.

"Have I ever sung before?" She paused to think about that. "I guess not. None of the music I ever listened to had words."