The Sun And The Stars •completed•

Boyfriend

Angela  Kepler wiped the back of her forearm along her glistening forehead. She peeled off her purple rubber gloves and huffed out an exhausted breath, blowing her bangs out of her face. The dishes always seemed to take a lifetime when her parents would visit.

It felt like suffocating sometimes, though she loved her parents and all they'd done for her and her daughter. Especially during these pre-teen years. Audrey was more restless than usual, more challenging. She refused to believe that she was unable to do things unless she tried (and failed) them first. It was a nightmare for Angie, whose entire life purpose had become protecting Audrey. 

She slumped back on to the sofa and sunk in to it, taking a moment to close her eyes while Audrey was still quiet. Her eyes snapped open before they even closed all the way. Audrey was never quiet- something that Angie did adore about her daughter. There wasn't a single thing Audrey couldn't chat about, and sometimes Angie felt a little selfish keeping her all to herself. 

"Audrey." She called out in a sing-song voice, but it simply echoed around the empty house. Angie frowned and stood up, her heart racing faster the longer her daughter remained silent. "Audrey!" She called louder, running up the stairs and bursting into her child's room. 

Dread sunk into her stomach as she shouted out for her daughter, running around the house like a madman, bursting through every closed door. Finally, she made it out onto the back deck, the sky an inky black. Flicking the deck light on, she illuminated their small back yard. And right in the middle of it was Audrey, stretched out, staring at the stars. 

"Don't tell me I'm not allowed to do this anymore either." Audrey muttered, still watching the night sky. Angie let out a relieved sigh and leaned against the sliding door. "You're star gazing?" She asked, trying to sound casual while she calmed down. "Yes." Audrey said, "It seems like the only thing I can do these days."

Angie sighed again and made her way over to her daughter, slowly laying herself down on the grass. "I know it's hard-" 

"Why do I have to be sick? It's not fair." Audrey pouted. 

"I know, honey." Angie closed her eyes and thought back to that awful day. She was only 21, and she was terrified, and after hearing it could be hereditary, she'd screamed at Craig for at least an hour. When the doctors told her it wasn't, Angie had felt guilty, and angry, and Craig had just stood there like the stupid boy he was. 

She'd blamed Craig for a long time. If he hadn't let Audrey play in the rain, if he hadn't left... And when Audrey had started looking for something to blame, Angie knew how heartbreaking it felt when you realized that there is nothing to blame. When you finally see that these things just happen, no reason, no villain, no justice. 

So she let Craig be the villain. She let Audrey direct all of that hate and injustice towards someone, so that she wouldn't have to keep it inside herself. 

"A shooting star!" Audrey's lively gasp suddenly cut through Angie's fog.

"Make a wish." Angie squeezed her daughters arm. Audrey closed her eyes and so did Angie. And they both wished for the exact same thing. 

****

  "Anyway, I'm sort of glad they've got the atomic bomb invented. If there's ever another war, I'm going to sit right the hell on top of it. I'll volunteer for it, I swear to God I will."   

Audrey giggled and Eli looked up. He was leaning with his elbows on the edge of her bed, reading. The nurses were quite taken with Audrey, and had arranged with absolutely no trouble for her things to be brought from the bus station to her room. Of course, she'd lied when she said that Eli's things were hers too. 

She looked a lot better, sitting up and picking at her jello. She'd tried multiple times to give it to Eli, but he refused. "Jello is gross." He'd said, grimacing as she wobbled the green substance in front of his face. "I know! Why do you think I'm trying to pawn it off on you?" 

Audrey was almost happy. Through this horrid turn of events, she'd been awarded another day with Eli. She found herself staring at those bandages on his wrists more often than not, and wondering if there was any way she could still convince him not to go to New York. 

Eli smiled at her laughter, and then returned to his book. Before he could read another word, however, Nurse Hattie brisked into the room, striding forward. Nurse Hattie was intimidating and stern faced, but (like most people) had a soft spot for Audrey. 

"Alright, girly," Nurse Hattie boomed, "You're cleared. You can clock out. Just have to get you unhooked from all this." Audrey beamed out a smile and Nurse Hattie smiled back. She remembered the quiet- and obviously troubled- boy sitting in a chair next to her, and frowned again. "Are you sure there's no one I can call for you?" She asked Audrey quietly. 

Audrey glanced at Eli, who ever-so-subtly rolled his eyes, and grinned wider. "No, Hattie, I'm good. I have Eli." She gestured over to him, and Nurse Hattie frowned deeper, still ignoring him. She cleared her throat. "Well, when you're all disconnected you'll have to get changed..." Nurse Hattie stole a side glance at Eli. 

Eli took the hint, pushing his chair back and taking himself out into the hallway, settling down on the floor with his book. Audrey let out a little laugh as Nurse Hattie took out her iv, obviously proud of herself. "You really don't like him, huh?" 

Nurse Hattie sighed, "He just caused quite a kerfuffle the other day. Seems a little unstable." She looked up into the girls big, sorrowful eyes. "I know he's your boyfriend, but-" 

"Boyfriend?" 

"That's what he told us he was." Nurse Hattie's eyebrows creased at Audrey's surprised expression. Audrey closed her mouth and bit her lip, trying to contain a goofy grin. "Boyfriend," She said quietly, "Yes." 

****

Once Nurse Hattie had left, Audrey pulled on her best dress and quickly combed through her hair. She looked in her compact mirror and smiled. She had assumed that this would be the dress she would wear once she was cured. But, she had a feeling that this day would be just as important. Not too bad for someone just discharged from the hospital. 

She started to walk towards the door, but stopped at Eli's bag. It was open from where he'd grabbed his book. His worn journal sat in plain sight, and Audrey quickly pulled it out, along with his pen. This was their last day. Whatever happened, they would separate. She sat on the bed and opened the book, trying to think of what to write. 

What words of wisdom could she leave with him? Audrey tried to think as she flicked through. When she got to the last page he'd written on, she paused. It was last written in the date they'd spent at the book store. There was only one sentence underneath the date. 

I'm in love with Audrey. 

Audrey ran her fingers over the words and let out a breath that she'd been holding. She squeezed her eyes shut and smiled, a big dorky grin on her face with shocked, happy tears filling up her eyes. She opened her eyes and clutched onto the book, trying to catch all of the words and keep them, as if at any moment, they might flutter away. 

Eli stood up as the door opened, and Audrey emerged. It was ridiculous, how beautiful she was. Her dress was blush pink, smooth, and off the shoulder. She stared up at him with those big, hazel eyes, an indescribable emotion written all over her face. She continued to contradict herself, even now. She seemed terrified and yet completely elated. "Eli." She said in a soft voice. 

"Y- Yeah?" 

"I want you to come home with me."