Can You Not?

Chapter 17

Norah told Ellis everything as soon as she got home. He came over and they hung out on her roof, despite the chill in the air. She told him all the details of the confrontation with her mother and what happened after. Listening was definitely one of his best skills. Throughout her entire monologue, he only nodded to aknowledge what she was saying, not saying anything. When she was done, he was quiet for an additional few seconds, forming a response.

"It's good, right?" he asked. "I mean, now that what you feel is in the open, you'll have an opportunity to work on it. Has your dad made an appointment with a therapist yet?"

"No, but he'll probably do it somewhere in the week."

"That's good. Talking to someone outside of everything will put everything into perspective."

"You're technically someone outside of my family conflicts."

"Not really," he said. "I'm very biased."

"Right. How could I forgot?"

He leaned into her, his eyelids lowered slightly and his voice became husky. "Would you like me to remind you?"

"Very much," she whispered back.

His lips touched hers, igniting a flame that burned warmly inside both of them. Norah pulled away before things could intensify. She looked at him and then away, shaking her head she laughed quietly.

"What is it?" he asked. 

“This is too much of a cliché.”

“What?”

“This whole falling in love with the boy next door thing.”

Ellis grinned wickedly. “Are you saying that you’re in love with me?”

“No,” Norah said immediately.

“Too bad," said Ellis. "Because I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you.”

Her heart skipped a beat, but she didn't show it. “And how do you figure that?”

"Well,” he started. “Whenever I’m not with you, you’re all I can think about and when I am with you, all I want to do is make you laugh or kiss you. As far as what I've seen in movies and heard from other people, that's what being in love is.” He into her eyes. "I'm in love with you, Norah."

Feeling her face flush, she could only stare at him. "I don't know how to respond to that," she said honestly.

"You don't have to," he told her. "Not yet."

"It's home free until Christmas," Jena said at school the next week.

It was true. There were a few tests to get out of the way and a few assignments to hand in, then it would be Christmas. A little over a month and the calender year would be over. That only meant more school work and time to waste. Or not really waste. Norah would be spending all that waste-able time working on Buttons. She said this to Jena.

"I, as one of your biggest fans, am not opposed to the idea of you being locked in your room and spending all your time on the comic."

"I need to eat too, you know."

"I'll bring you food."

"What about sleep and bathroom breaks?

"You're on your own with that." 

They laughed and made their way to homeroom when the bell rang. As they sat down, Jena's face caught the light in a way that turned her face into a silhouette. Norah realized how different she looked. She identified the small changes in her friend's appearance. Jena's short brown hair was long enough now that it curled into the back of her neck. The hair at her temples were also long enough now for her to tuck behind her ears. The pixie cut she used to rock was out of shape. Her face also seemed brighter when the silhouette broke. She suddenly realized ow much she missed Jena, not really having seen her all year with her own problems and Colleen's breakdown.