CHAPTER 2
My clock woke me up, screaming for me to get my butt out of bed and start the new day. Pulling a shirt over my head and pulling on athletic shorts, I shuffled into the kitchen to start some wake-up coffee. But I realized I had forgotten to buy coffee when Ian and Anthony had taken me to the store. Sighing, I went back into my room to stare at my face and decide what I wanted to do with it before I went out to buy some coffee. Whilst tugging my hairbrush through my hair, sighing at how my red highlights were starting to fade, my phone buzzed. I picked up, still groggy, and read the text. If was from my boyfriend, Ev.
"Hey sweetie, things are nearly finished up here, my flight is in a few days!" I sighed happily, remembering how whenever we met after being apart for a while, he would hug me in a way that made me lose my breath… and not because he was squeezing it out of me. I tapped a quick reply and sent the message wooshing to Vermont. I then turned my attention back to the girl staring at me from the mirror, tugging at the end of her well-worn triforce shirt. I shrugged and pulled my Uggs on my feet, then shuffled into the bathroom to swipe on some concealer and mascara. Grabbing my purse, I left the house and went to my rental in the driveway. I had set my alarm for 10, and it was too sunny already. I fumbled with the keys as I blinked sleep out of my eyes, and I heard a "Hey, Elizabeth!" I looked up to see Ian coming from the mailboxes that I've seen in so many videos. He was smiling at me, and his adorable face just made me grin back even more genuinely. He was too sweet to be grumpy with, even though it was too bright and early.
"Hey Ian, whatcha doing up at this ungodly hour?" I teased him. I added, "Also, call me Eliza. " He winked and then shrugged, waving a few envelopes in the air. "I wanted to get the bills done before filming tomorrow, so why not get a head start?" I laughed as it really sank in- I lived next to Smosh. I would be next-door to them when they made their videos. It took all my self-control to not jump and squeal. Instead I nodded with a "Oh, cool… Is Anthony still sleeping?" I couldn't help but adding. Ian grinned impishly, his blue eyes sparkling.
"Yup, he's a lazy butt. There's no helping it, though… He has some things in his room that could easily be used for dire purposes if I try to get him up too early." I giggled, and glanced at their house, imagining Anthony snoozing inside with his Pikachu. I giggled again at the image.
After and awkward silence, Ian moved towards his house. "Well, I'll let you get back to whatever you're doing, then." He said with a wave. Laughing, I said "I was only going to go to Starbucks and get some coffee. Do you want to come?" I couldn't stop the words from coming. I bit my lip, thinking Ian would give me a weird look. He seemed fine with it, though. "Nah, I'm not a coffee drinker." He said, shrugging. "Oh, ok. Well, bye!" I said, trying to skate over the awkwardness. Ian smiled and waved as I got in the car and started the engine. As I pulled out, I watched him go in the house, sighing ever so slightly. Then I remembered Ev and berated myself for my intense fangirl love for Smosh… It had threatened our relationship once, and I didn't want it to happen again, not even living next to them. I distracted myself from the mixed thoughts by trying to figure out a way to a nearby Starbucks. I ended up using my phone, which I snorted at myself for, because it proved how technologically dependent I can be. But I arrived home happy with some ground coffee and a Chai Tea Latte.
A few days later, I was standing at the airport, waiting for Ev to arrive. I know his plane had arrived, but he was still making his way through the terminal. I crossed my legs, staring at my phone, willing the doodle to jump higher and higher. When I died, I resumed scanning the crowd for him. I eventually saw his tall form and his swept blonde hair emerge through the crowd. I saw him looking for me, so I stayed still until his eyes met mine. There was an unspoken connection, and we walked towards each other, smiling like idiots. As we neared, we broke into a simultaneous run and flew into each other's arms, laughing. His kind green eyes looked into mine, and he kissed me, softly and sweetly. I kissed him back for a few seconds, and then rested my head on his chest. "I missed you." I whispered. I he kissed the top of my head and smelled my hair, sighing. "I missed you too, Ms. Eliza." He said in a British accent, referencing Pride and Prejudice. I giggled and took his hand, squeezing it. We walked to get his bags, talking and holding hands all the while, and we drove home, happy to be in each other's company once again.
As we arrived home, he nodded at the house approvingly with a smile. I got out of the car and went to the trunk to get his bags. I felt his arm slip around my waist and he kissed my neck. I giggled and turned my head towards him to give his a peck on the lips. Just then, the moment was made awkward by a voice I had mainly heard from my computer.
"Hey Eliza, do you wanna- Oh, erm, hello." Anthony stuttered. I looked over to see Ian and Anthony standing at the end of the driveway. Ian shifted his weight a bit, obviously embarrassed. Ev breathed in sharply and his arm fell from around my waist. I looked up, fearing I already knew what this was about. His jaw was set, his eyes focused on Ian and Anthony. I knew he recognized them from the old posters on my wall, from the fight we had about them. When I looked back to Ian and Anthony, I was surprised. Ian was staring at the ground, biting his lip, whereas Anthony had straightened up and had his deep brown eyes focused on Ev. The tension between them was evident, and I was afraid of what they were trying to signal to each other. I cleared my throat, breaking the stone cold silence.
"Hey guys." I said. "Ian, Anthony, meet my boyfriend, Ev. He just flew in from Vermont." Ian glanced at the big duffel bags sullenly, and Anthony snorted.
"What kind of a name is Ev? For Evangeline?" he said derisively. I was about to answer when Ev stepped in front of me, almost protectively.
"It's short for Evan, but my sister was in fact named Evangeline. We called her Evan and me Ev. It's been that way forever, even though she died in a car accident 4 years ago." His voice was cold and icy, accusatory. I flinched, knowing how much it hurt for him to talk about his little sister. Ian swept his fingers through his hair, flinching also, and Anthony took a half step back. "Oh, sorry. I didn't know." He said, voice wavering the tiniest bit. I stepped between the guys, holding my hands up.
"Would you guys relax? Ev, Anthony didn't know, and Anthony, I would rather you not treat my boyfriend that way." Both guys looked down, embarrassed at my chastisement, but I ignored that. "Now, what were you asking Anthony?"
Anthony looked up, cheeks a little flushed with embarrassment. It was cute, and I hated myself for thinking so. "We wanted to know if you wanted to be in an Ian is Bored, or Lunchtime with Smosh sometime." He said. His voice was smaller than usual, and I felt bad for the situation, even though I really had no control over it.
"Sure, that would be fun!" I said, trying to remain mature. Of course the fangirl got the better of me a bit and I was grinning foolishly, glad that only ian and Anthony could see it. I didn't want to worry Ev. Ian looked up, eyes shining.
"You mean it? We'd love our audience to meet our new cool neighbor." He said, but quickly looked back at the ground. Ev must be furious, but I pushed the thought away and gave Ian and Anthony each a quick hug. The duo relaxed, but I was absolutely positive now that I had pissed Ev off.
"Of course I mean it. Text me when you know what you want me to do." I said, smiling at them. They grinned back at me as I shooed them away, and I swore I saw Ian do a mini fist-pump. But I still had Ev to face about this.