As Long As You're Mine

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

Elle

I crept back into the house, silently closing the door behind me, and praying that not a soul would hear the faint sound of the hinges creaking. Tiptoeing, I went over to the stairs, and contemplated whether or not walking up them would wake Nick or John. My feet slowly began to mutely ascend up the steps.

      When I reached the top, I was in awe that I had made it and nothing had happened. I stepped into the hall, and went down to my room, opening the door ever so slightly, just enough to could squeeze myself in. After passing the doorframe of my room, I didn’t dare turn a light on, scared that the increase in brightness might wake Nick.

      I carefully walked over to my bed, and threw my duffle on the far end of the mattress. Without a second thought, I hoped onto my bed, and collapsed. I was so tired. As I lay on the cloud-like surface, I could recreate the entire evening perfectly in my mind. From the way he opened the door, to how I put on his over-sized T-shirt and boxers. It was perfect.

      Closing my eyes, I found myself becoming even deeper apart of the memories that had been made only hours before. The kisses we shared and the conversations we had were fully vivid in my mind. Such delicate recollections that I didn’t want to lose. I wanted to recapture the night, and relive it again, and again.

      A smile made its way across my face as I continued to think about all we had done. He was perfect. It’s strange that a boy can have such a positive effect on one’s mental sanity, and yet also has the ability to completely tear the heart out piece by depressed piece.

      As I ruminated over the events, my stomach began to growl. I hadn’t eaten in close to twelve hours. I needed nourishment. It didn’t matter how tired I was or how comfy the bed was; I was hungry.

      Grudgingly, I lifted myself off my bed, and got to my feet. My legs moved past the door, and down the hallway until they cautiously stumbled down the stairs. When I moved to the flat floor, I zeroed in on the kitchen, and approached the fridge. After reaching the desired target, I opened it up to a horrific sight: bareness. There was nothing within.

      Frantically, I looked in the freezer below, and the sight was the same. It too was empty. I had been gone less than twenty-four hours, and in the process our food supply had somehow vanished. I knew I should’ve gotten a babysitter for Nick and John…

      I walked over to the pantry, and peered inside to view a vacancy much like I had seen in the two other cases. Lowering my standards, I went back over to the fridge and opened it again, hoping that food had magically accumulated in the past minute. There was, yet again, no food.

      “John! Nick!” I yelled, alarmed. Footsteps stomped on both the downstairs stairs and the ones upstairs. Within minutes, both appeared in front of me.

      “Elle, it’s the morning. What the fuck is up?” John questioned, rubbing his eyes. As I took in his appearance, I could just barely stifle a laugh. He was wearing a pair of navy sweatpants with pink hearts all over them. The hearts had words in the center that I couldn’t make out. They were… interesting.

      “Nice sweats, Johnny,” I commented as seriously as I could.

      “What?” he said, slightly dazed. “Oh. Kara got them for me. She has a matching pair in pink.”

      “What do they say?” I questioned.

      “On mine it says, ‘I have the best girlfriend in the word’, and on hers it says, ‘I have the best boyfriend in the world.”