The Price of Forgetting

Chapter 4

Matthew and I decided to keep the change in our relationship a secret for the time being. Our parents, aunts and uncles, and Grandmother had all fussed over everything we did, practically since we'd both been born, so we weren't quite ready to have them know about this yet. And it was sort of fun having such a big secret with Matthew.

After we returned to Matthew's house at the end of the day, we headed over to Grandmother's for a big family dinner. On the one hand, I was glad. Grandmother's house wasn't very big, so everyone had to really squeeze in to fit at the table. This meant that Matthew and I could sit really close and no one thought it was strange. On the other hand, having everyone so tightly packed around us made me nervous. I felt sure someone would see something in the way we behaved, and then everyone would know. And it seemed more and more likely as Matthew became more bold.

At first, he kept "accidentally" bumping my arm with his. Then he began rubbing his foot against mine. After a while, we progressed to holding hands under the table. Initially, we just held on to each other and tried not to smile, but before long, we were fighting for dominance with our thumbs. After Matthew had thoroughly beaten me at that, we fought a similar battle with our feet. It was so hard not to laugh. I slipped a few times, earning a few curious glances, but thankfully it wasn't unusual for Matthew and I to have our own jokes that no one else understood, so they thought nothing of it. When Matthew started tickling my palm, though, I nearly had a fit, trying to stay quiet. I covered my mouth with my free hand and bit the inside of my cheek while I tried to pull my hand away. Knowing how ticklish I was, Matthew covered a laugh by coughing, and relentlessly continued to torture me.

"Ella, Sweetie, are you feeling alright?" Grandmother asked, startling me.

Matthew stopped tickling my hand, but I couldn't speak right away or I'd burst out laughing. Instead I nodded and gave a quiet, "Mmm hmm."

Grandmother watched me curiously. "You're all flushed. Are you sure?"

Buying some time by clearing my throat, I nodded again. "Yes, I'm fine." Still it was hard not to laugh. Especially since I knew Matthew was ready to crack up too.Mama looked at me curiously. "Ella, why don't you start clearing the table? I think everyone's finished."

"Okay, Mama." I hopped up and began collecting plates, studiously keeping my eyes away from Matthew.

"I'll help." Jesse jumped up and began collecting plates too. I might have been glad for the help if I didn't know his motivation. Under any other circumstance, he wouldn't be caught dead doing kitchen chores.

"It's fine, Jesse," I tried. "I can do it."

"But it'll be easier with more hands, right?" He ignored me and continued to clear the table.

Matthew fake coughed again and I frowned at him before I noticed a few other amused expressions across the table.

Ugh. And it was all my own fault. Grabbing whatever I could carry, I moved to the kitchen with Jesse not far behind. I hoped that if I moved quickly enough, I might be able to get on an off rhythm with him so that he would be leaving the kitchen as I was coming in and vice versa, but it never happened. He, annoyingly, kept perfect pace with me, and by the time I was ready to wash the dishes, he was right there, ready to dry.

"You really don't have to help me," I said. "You should go relax."

Jesse shrugged. "It's fine. Besides, I know where everything goes and I won't need a ladder."

He was trying to be nice so I held back my eye roll. I knew where everything went too.

As Jesse and I worked together, and he kept clumsily trying to flirt, I found myself wishing that Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Michael were more than just an honorary aunt and uncle. Mama and Papa weren't actually related to them or to Aunt Kiera and Uncle William, or even to Grandmother. We all considered each other family, but we didn't share the same blood. The up side was that I wasn't related to Matthew. The down side was that I wasn't related to Jesse either.