Chapter 31 - "Life, the universe, and everything."

38.4K 2.5K 675
                                    

The sun had shifted in the sky, its low light announcing the approach of evening by the time Elliot closed the lid of her computer. Every word she had written had felt as if she were crawling through mud and she knew she would delete it the following day. She stood, drawing Beck's attention.

"Are you done?" he asked.

"For the day."

She set her computer on the desk and collected the box of pastries. As she tossed it into the trash, Beck shut his computer and packed it away in his satchel. A troubled frown had appeared halfway through the day on Elliot's forehead and still remained there. She grabbed her purse and headed for the door, all the while Beck watching her with a concerned look. In silence, they descended the stairs and stepped into the world, the clamor of Boston's city streets descending on them. Beck turned to her.

"Want to go to the cafe?" he asked.

Elliot roused herself from her thoughts and met his gaze for a brief second.

"No, I think I'll just go home," she said.

"I'll walk with you halfway then," he said.

"Okay."

They followed their normal route shrouded in a troubled silence, as all of the conversations Beck tried to start either went unheard by Elliot, or were replied to with dead end answers. When they reached the curb halfway between the cafe and Elliot's home, she walked away, too distracted with her thoughts to answer Beck's farewell. For a long moment, Beck stared after her, frowning as he mulled over her current state.

Elliot reached the stairs to her house, but pulled up short when she heard the sound of racing footsteps. She looked back down the sidewalk and found Cece running towards her. Part of Elliot's frown lessened at the sight.

"Cece-"

Cece rushed past her and up the stairs.

"Don't care," Cece yelled, pushing the door open and hurtling inside. "Love you!"

Her voice trailed off as her footsteps hammered on the staircase. Elliot stood stunned for a moment on the sidewalk, then ascended the stone stairs, entering the now quiet house. The sound of the door shutting filled the silence for a moment, before it faded away as well. Sighing, without knowing why, she left her purse in the entryway and headed for the kitchen.

Sunlight glinted off the granite counter tops and dark wooden floor. She moved to the cupboard and pulled out a box of crackers and dug through the refrigerator, retrieving a bag of grapes. Armed with food, she kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the counter, crossing her legs.

The quiet stretched on as she stared at the opposite side of the kitchen and mindlessly ate. The sound of the front door opening brought her back to reality. Footsteps beat out an even rhythm in the hallway and the next second, Milo appeared. He surveyed Elliot sitting on the counter, but made no comment.

"Cece is writing," she said.

Milo moved over to her and jumped up on the counter, his legs dangling off the side.

"I know," he said. "She told me. She also threatened me. She told me if I came over and distracted her that I would not wake up tomorrow morning."

"Well, did you expect her to change since you started dating?"

"Not really, but the kiss before she said the threat was a nice addition."

Elliot nodded but said nothing more. Milo took a cluster of grapes and began to eat them, looking at Elliot.

"Why are we on the counter?" he asked.

"I'm trying to get perspective," she said.

Milo nodded in understanding.

Mr. Write [COMPLETED]Where stories live. Discover now