Beautiful Symphony

Chapter 22

I squeezed his hand tightly in mine as we approached his house. It was blue with a white border, with two white rocking chairs on the front porch to match.

As we walked up the steps to the front door, my heart started pounding.

"Elliot." He turned to me, with concern written on his face. "I don't know if I can do this."

"No, no, of course you can, Ari! You're great. They'll love you. " He assured me, holding both of my hands in his. "Okay?"

I knew how badly he wanted this, and I couldn't let myself take it away from him. I just nodded, and he gave me a quick smile before opening the door and gesturing for me to come inside.

The inside was filled with colorful furniture and pictures on every wall. There was a scent of lavender and fresh air that set a homey atmosphere.

"Come on," He nodded his head towards what I assumed was the kitchen. I cautiously made my way inside, inspecting each and every inch of the place.

On one side of the room, there was a round table with four chairs and aqua dining-ware. On the other side was the kitchen, where Elliot's mother stood, preparing something over the stovetop.

She didn't hear us come in, and Elliot made a throat clearing noise, causing her gaze to shift towards us.

"Oh! Hi, guys! Give me a few minutes, and I'll join you." She said with a smile, one I knew all too well. Well, now I know where he got that grin.

Elliot led me back into the living room, where we sat on a bright red couch. I looked around, taking note of all the decor and personal touches.

"Mom really likes color, if you couldn't tell." He laughed.

"I like it." I replied, causing him to smile.

I thought back to my summer home, which was all shades of dark and dreary, with seventies style furniture. His house was definitely the more cheerful of the two.

Crystal was planning on redecorating, but that obviously wasn't going to happen anytime soon. My heart sank at the memory of what Dad said. I don't want to leave.

After a few more minutes, Elliot's mother called us back into the kitchen. He pulled a chair out for me by the window, and sat down next to me.

Anna came bounding down the stairs, wearing a dress covered in a sunflower pattern. She swung into the kitchen and plopped into the chair on my other side.

"Hi! I'm Anna. I spilled ice cream on you. Remember?" She said, bouncing in her seat.

"Yes, I remember." I said with a small laugh. I had almost forgotten about that. At the time, I wished I would've been anywhere else to avoid that, but right then I was glad. I wouldn't have met Elliot officially otherwise.

Elliot's mother brought plates over to the table, each with a delicious meal on top.

"I made my special lemon chicken, with some roasted potatoes and salad. Is that alright with you, darling?" She asked me, with a sweet smile.

I nodded, and she went back to the kitchen to get drinks. When she returned, she sat in the chair across from mine.

"I'm Lucy, by the way."

"Ariette."

We dug into our meals, making light conversation. Lucy had dirty blonde hair that was in a low ponytail, and striking blue eyes. Despite the difference in eye and hair color, she and Elliot resembled each other.

Anna had the same blonde hair as her mother, but with the same brown eyes as Elliot. She was an energetic little girl, bursting with imagination.

"Oh my gosh! I love your bracelet!" Anna exclaimed, pulling my wrist closer for her to see. I was wearing the "charm" bracelet Elliot had bought me.

"My, that is lovely." Lucy added.

I glanced at Elliot, who was grinning. "Thank you. Your brother is the one who picked it out, you know."

"What?" Anna's head snapped towards him. "No way! Why don't you ever buy me anything pretty?"

He raised his fork and said, "Because you put mustard in my cupcake. And you poured glitter on me while I was asleep. Oh, and let's not forget the time with the chicken."

She shrank back into her chair and crossed her arms. "That's true, I guess. I am a prank genius."

We all laughed. I loved this family already.

"Okay," I spoke up. "What happened with the chicken?"

*****

After lunch, we played Monopoly in the living room. Anna won, which led to an over-excited victory dance. Elliot pretended to flip the table. I just sat and enjoyed the show.

"Oh," Lucy sighed, looking at her watch. "It's getting close to dinner time. I suppose I'd better clean up. Anna, put up the game for me."

With a groan, Anna put the paper money and playing pieces back into the box.

  "Are you gonna stay for dinner, Ariette?" She asked.

  "I might." I smiled at her, and looked up at Elliot.

  "Come on, I'll show you upstairs." He said, leading me towards the staircase. Lucy's room was on one end of the hall, next to Anna's. Elliot's was on the other side.

  "And here we have the coolest room in the whole house." He said, with an announcer-like voice. His room had grey walls, with several music posters and maps on the walls.

  He had a desk, littered with stray papers and a globe. The room was messy, but it suited him.

  "Sorry, it's a mess. You can sit wherever." He said, kicking a few shirts into a corner. I sat on the bed, my eyes roaming around the room.

  He kept fidgeting with things, as if everything was out of place. He noticed my glance and exhaled. "Sorry, I'm just nervous. I've never had a girl over before. I didn't know if I should've cleaned or anything." He scratched the back of his neck, his face flustered.

  I instantly blushed, remembering that being in a boys room was a big deal. I knew that he wouldn't do anything I didn't want to, but my heart was still unsteady. I just flopped onto the bed, stretching my arms out.

  "It's alright. I like it in here." I reassured.

  He let out a sigh of relief and landed next to me on the bed.

  "So, what do you wanna do?" He asked, tossing a bouncy ball into the air and catching it again.

  "Actually," I positioned myself towards him. "We.. I need to talk to you."

  "Okay." He said, looking back at me. "What's up?"

  Here we go.