Crazy but Sweet, Sweet but Crazy

56: confessions

"Did I do something wrong?" Elliot asked, bending down to meet Clare at eye level.

His gut feeling told him that she'd been avoiding eye contact with him all Monday morning.

When they locked eyes and she looked away, showing him a forced, tight smile with a shake of her head, he was convinced he was right.

"No. I'm just a bit tired."

With unprecedented swiftness, Clare started conversation about their latest essay assignment with Ester, as soon as the latter came over to their table with her lunch tray.

She didn't want to talk to him now. That was clear.

Giving him a what-did-you-do look, Noah elbowed him.

"Wrong move, child. Wrong move. You never ask a girl 'What's wrong?'. You figure out the answer yourself after agonizing over it, and you repent. Very sincerely. With all your heart and wallet."

"Wallet?"

"Gotta buy the flowers and teddy bear and chocolate and...what else?"

"Repeat that line to Bianca and she'll really believe that she's your first girlfriend," grinned Elliot, distractedly glancing at Clare's face.

She was smiling, but not at him. At something Ester said. A pang of jealousy hit him. It was unbelievable how childish he could get. "Other than the girl you dated in grade school for one month."

Picking out the broccoli from his pasta, Noah snickered.

"My, my. You're about to bore a hole into her face. Never saw you so anxious before."

"She said she's just tired," mumbled Elliot in a whisper.

"You actually believe that? You really don't know anything about girls-"

"You must be very proud that you know girls very well." Standing behind them with her lunch tray, Bianca said, frostily.

Shaking his head hard, Noah protested, "Bi, I really only need to know one girl. You know that."

"Mm-hmm."

Pulling the empty chair next to Noah closer to Clare instead, Bianca put down her tray, scoffing.

Elliot smiled, picking up his fork, as Noah shot him a look of SOS.

"Wrong move, child. Wrong move."

~ * ~

A large bouquet of flowers, in breadth and height enough to cover the entirety of Elliot's face.

It took me a while to realize my jaw was slack. I clamped my mouth shut.

Sitting in his car after school had ended, Elliot had suggested we grab lunch from In-N-Out Burger.

Minutes later, he'd returned with our lunch, and a bouquet of flowers of a size closer to that of a bush rather than a bouquet.

"What...is this?"

"To make you feel better. Oh-" The proud, hopeful eyes were filled with open disappointment not long after they'd scanned my face. "You don't like flowers."

"I- I do!" Taking the bouquet from him, I laughed. "I- um, love them. Thank you."

This one wouldn't fit into the vase at home. Where had he even gotten this enormous bouquet?

"You're a bad liar," Elliot noted with an amused smirk, tapping on the tip of my nose playfully with his finger. "What would make you feel better? Chocolate? A teddy bear?"