Eli took Clare's hand and led her into his house. "Come on," he urged. "I gotta show you something," Try as he might, he couldn't hide the smirk tugging at his lips. Clare looked happily bemused. "Gimme a hint," she begged, closing the door behind her with her free hand. She'd been wondering about his "surprise" all day since he'd mentioned it in English. He shook his head, enjoying the suspense. It's been about 4 months since Clare found out about Eli's...problem. And since then, every Tuesday and Thursday, Eli's been going to therapy to get over his hoarding issues.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, Clare had insisted on going with him. Not into the actual session, but she would drive there with him, wait in the car for an hour, and then ride home with him. He would always tell her he could handle it and that she didn't need to go, and she would always answer, "I want to go." And she did. Clare told him she'd help him through it, and she was definitely going to keep her promise. He'd been her rock through her parent's divorce, and now she would be his. She'd wait in the hearse, doing homework or something, and liked being there to comfort him when he got out of his sessions. Eli always looked so ashamed when he walked out of the office.
It was rough, and she knew that. She knew he struggled so greatly at the simplest things. His hands would be shoved into the pockets of his black skinny jeans, and he would walk with his eyes on the ground, slightly hunched over, his hair falling into his face. He'd left the office teary-eyed a few times, something Clare absolutely hated to see. But, she understood that Julia's death had really been hard on him, and that hoarding was his response to it. And some days, he'd look scared as he left, worried that maybe he'd never get better. That for the rest of his life, he'd be coping with the aftermath of Julia's passing. Then he'd see Clare, sitting in the passenger's seat of his hearse, smiling and waving, and he would just feel...okay. He'd feel hopeful again that he could really get better. Eli's face would light up, as if he'd just realized she was there, and he'd hurry to the car. They'd share a long, passionate kiss, and then she'd ask how the session was, and he'd always answered with a short, "Fine."
"Clarabelle!" Mr. Goldsworthy, er, the Bullfrog greeted. "It's Clare," she corrected politely, still smiling. He could never remember her name, and her and Eli had been dating for so long now. "Sorry doll. Was at the radio station since 3," he
said his usual excuse in his raspy voice. "Dad…me and Clare are going upstairs," Eli announced. A surprised smile played on Bullfrog's lips. Clare raised her eyebrows at him. Upstairs? They usually hung out in the basement, since Clare didn't want to make Eli uncomfortable by going into his room. Not that there was much room, really. Sure, he was in therapy for his hoarding, but she didn't know what his progress was. Clare didn't press for details. She figured she'd just avoid the subject out of respect for him. If he wanted to talk about it, of course she'd be there to listen.
But all day, Eli seemed jumpy, almost giddy with excitement. "What's the big surprise?" Clare begged to know. Eli smirked. "Come and see," Clare followed him up the stairs and into the hall to his bedroom. She remembered standing there nearly 4 months ago, trying to break into his room with Adam. "No lock?" she asked, gesturing to the door. He shook his head smugly. "That's not all," he grinned, placing
his hand on the doorknob. Eli paused for a moment to gauge Clare's reaction, and then he pushed the door open slowly, walked in, and then turned to Clare to see her expression. Clare's jaw dropped in a smile.
The room was...clean. It actually looked normal. A neat array of posters covered the walls, a desk sat in the corner, his bed sat in another corner, and there was a rug on the floor. There was no clutter; no piles of junk everywhere, as there had been 4 months ago. "Eli," Clare grinned, walking over to his spot in the middle of the room. He smirked proudly. "Like it?" he asked. Clare nodded. He reached out and took her hands in his, something she'd done to comfort him when he had first revealed his problem to her.
"I couldn't have done it without you, Clare," he admitted. She smiled softly. "I told you I wouldn't stop believing in you," she whispered. He looked into her clear blue eyes with his dark green ones. "I know I've told you this from the beginning, but you really did give me hope that I could change," Eli looked at her, more grateful than she could ever imagine. "And you did," she continued, smiling. Clare was more proud of Eli than he could ever know. He'd changed. He'd gotten over his issues. And she helped him. A shot of happiness passed through her. She helped him- she really did. Eli leaned down slowly and pressed his lips to Clare's. They kissed for a long moment, and when they pulled apart, Eli's eyes lit up.
"Oh, I forgot," He hurried over to his desk, opened a drawer (which, by the way, was neat, organized, and only contained things he needed: pencils, pens, his rings, iPod, headphones, etc.), pulled something out of it, and then headed back over to Clare. "I believe this is yours," he said, placing it in her palm. It was the watch. Clare gasped happily, examining it. It was the one that had belonged to Clare's father, the one she'd given to him. Clare had wanted it back during the fight that led her to find out the truth about him, but then decided that she wanted him to have it. "Eli-" she started to object and hand it back to him, but he took her hand lightly and moved it towards her. "I want you to have it," he answered. She smiled at him with all her heart.
"And," he said, taking her hands again and leading her to the bed. They both sat on it, now that it wasn't cluttered with Eli's stuff. "There's still the matter of that stay at Hotel Eli I promised," he smirked. Clare blushed, remembering how upset she was that Eli didn't want her to stay the night at his house. "Anytime the hotel has a vacancy," she responded. He made a face. "The hotel's always opened for it's one and only guest," he retorted. "Wow," Clare grinned. He leaned over and kissed her again. There was hope now- the past, complicated and troubled- was behind them. Clare and Eli could finally be what they wanted to be, without worry of his mental issues. They had possibilities, they had dreams, they had no doubt now. When they parted, she had a goofy smile on her face. She'd slid the watch onto her thin wrist, pleased that it belonged to her again. Eli was overwhelmed with happiness and relief. He felt like he'd just climbed Mount Everest or something. This was a huge accomplishment. And he couldn't have done it without Clare's faith in him, without her unfaltering optimism, without her being in his life. He leaned over to her, his cool breath blowing into her ear, and whispered, "Thanks for believing in me."