Broken Sunlights

Chapter Twelve

Neal still had his arm around Eli to comfort her when they got to Neal's house. Adam, Neal's father, turned around in his seat.

"Well, kiddos, were here," Adam said.

Neal put his phone away and opened the car door, getting out before waiting for Eli to follow him.

Neal's house was a one-story house, when they got inside the layout was obvious. Kitchen in the corner, living room to the left of the front door, bathroom down the hall and bedrooms down the hall and to the right.

"Welcome to my home," Neal said. "Here let me get your bag."

Neal slung Eli's backpack over his shoulder. Eli followed him past the kitchen where a lady in her late thirties was making some dinner.

"Who are you?" The lady asks gesturing to Eli.

"'Mom, this is Eli, She's my friend from English." Neal introduced.

"Eli, it's so nice to meet you, I'm Maria." The lady said.

Eli smiled, "It's nice to meet you too, Maria."

Neal walked towards his room; Eli followed. He opened the door to reveal the room was painted crimson, with AC/DC posters on one wall and Tampa Bay baseball posters on the other.

He closed the door behind them, Eli only saw the room from what she saw from video chat. Which was just the red blank crimson wall.

"Wow," Eli said. "I'm impressed."

She looked around as Neal put her backpack on the bed. Admiring the old baseball pictures that lingered on the dresser. Eli picked up one and looked at it for a while.

"I was six," Neal said as he snapped Eli out of her thoughts.

"What?" Eli asks.

Neal gestures to the picture in Eli's hand, "I was six in that photo." He said.

Eli smiles, putting the photo back and looking around some more. She laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Why did you invite me here?" Eli asks.

"Because I wanted to hang out, and I needed an excuse," Neal said.

She sat up, holding one of his pillows. Eli wondered if it was because he broke up with his girlfriend. She just got out of the mental facility and didn't think she was ready for a relationship just yet.

"Did you want to hang out because you broke up with your ex?" Eli asked.

She didn't know whether to rummage through her bag and finish whatever homework she hasn't done yet or sit there and stare at Neal.

"No, and I am not ready for another relationship. That girl broke my heart, so I have some healing I need to do first." Neal explains, "My parents have been wanting to meet you."

~
Eli raised an eyebrow; she was confused as to why his parents were wanting to meet her. It wasn't like she was their son's secret girlfriend or anything.

Neal looked up from his phone to see Eli's expression on her face, he put his phone on his desk and sighed, "I didn't tell them that you were my girlfriend. You just text me a lot, and you're my partner in English." he explains. "This must be the most awkward thing in your life, and I think it's cool if you want to bail."

She shook her head, "No, it's fine. It was just confusing at first." Eli said. "But shouldn't we keep ourselves busy until it's time for dinner?"

Because their first-ever conversation included that Neal was adopted at a young age, and call his adoptive parents, mom, and dad, things seem normal over here.