Hello again. I felt like writing today, so I did! This will be an early update (well, early for a procrastinator…) so, I am thoroughly excited. Anywho, I feel this is a topic I need to bring up—I mentioned this briefly in last chapter's authors not, but to expand on it; wherever this story ends up going plot wise, it will have to come to an end eventually, yes? So, when it does, I want to know from YOU whether you want me to start a new story (if so, submit ideas!), continue on my short 'One Last Chance', to continue on 'Lover of the Light', or to just stop writing all together (kidding!... I hope). But, I feel like I have a decent to seemingly decent amount of people reading, so feedback is appreciated. Thank you and I just wanted to say, I do not own Degrassi.
OH! And, I feel this chapter is a winner. Hope you enjoy :)
"Mom, I'm going out real quick before I head to Clare's for dinner, alright?" Eli shouted from down the stairs as he slipped on a coat.
He was rubbing his hands together almost violently, the friction making his arms tingle. Though it was not even that cold outside, it seemed to sooth him— distract him.
Suddenly, a click of heels violently smacking against the floor was the only thing he could hear—Cece was running down the stairs, and when she came to a stop in front of Eli, her eyes were wide.
"No, not alright! You have," she looked over at the clock, "a little over an hour and a half until you meet Clare's parents; you need to get ready! You need to impress—I picked out a suit for yo-"
Eli waved his hand nonchalantly, dismissing the subject. "I'll be home in a half an hour at the latest. And… no suit."
"Oh, you're wearing that suit."
"I'm leaving now," mumbled Eli, scoffing.
"Do you have your phone with you?" questioned Cece, and Eli knew had a feeling that it would take him a half an hour just to get out of the house.
"Yes, mother dearest." deadpanned Eli, turning the handle on the door.
"Oh fine," huffed Cece. "Where are you going anyway?"
Eli smirked amusedly, turning back to glance at his mother. "Let's just say… I'm meeting the one person who is the best at giving me girl advice."
XXX
"You're meeting her parents?" snorted Adam, a bit of his iced tea spewing out of his nose and onto the table.
Eli looked around the Dot hastily, embarrassed of Adam's outburst; the last thing he needed was to draw attention.
Adam swallowed his drink, quickly gobbling up some fries as he stared at Eli.
"Don't laugh, I did suggest it…" groaned Eli, his cheeks a bit pink at Adam's reaction.
"Wait, you suggested it? I don't follow… Why do you want to meet them?"
"Thought it may be fun…" murmured Eli, turning his head away quickly.
Adam, however, caught onto this quickly. "Smooth; very convincing to a total stranger, but what is the real reason?" he said.
Eli rubbed his temples, sucking in a breath than blowing out dramatically. "I just thought… that if I met her parents… I don't know—we would actually get together. Or something."
Adam seemed pensive. "Does she know that?"
"Um… not exactly; she thinks that I want to meet them because she knows more about me than I her." Smiled Eli guiltily, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Mr. Goldsworthy… tsk tsk! Is this manipulation I sense?" teased Adam, and Eli tensed, his heart seemingly stopping. He wondered if she actually thought that; I mean, he didn't at all intend for this to be some manipulative scheme in order to win Clare over… but maybe… it looked that way to everyone else?
"Eli, I was… kidding. You don't have to blow it up." Chimed Adam, who had quickly noticed the mortified look etched upon Eli's face.
"I- sorry. Just a little tired," laughed Eli sheepishly.
"You nervous?" Asked Adam sincerely, and Eli's walls fell down violently.
"I don't know why I should be—I mean, I was the one who had suggested it in the first place… why should I be nervous? I should be happy, this means our relationship is progressing, and we are finally getting closer to her, and if her parents like me, that's like the best thing that could possibly happen tonight right? Does that mean that she'll like me more? Whoa- wait… what if they don't like me? What if they think that I'm… I'm bad for her. What would Clare do? Oh, man… she would freak ou-"
"Eli!" squealed Adam, cutting Eli off. "Ranting on with the 'what ifs' will not change anything! You are you, Eli, and if you actually have confidence in yourself, and oh dear, I am going to sound like a women's gossip magazine, you will achieve what you want," finished Adam, his face red.
"You're right," stated Eli bluntly. If he wanted to impress Clare's parents... he would just be himself. Of course, meeting anyone's parents you may have to enhance or decrease a few details… but, he would certainly try to make Clare's parent's accept him, and give him the approval to be with their daughter… in future situations.
"Aren't I always," winked Adam. Checking his watch, his eyes bulged—"Eli! It's 5:30!"
Shit.
He had an hour before he needed to meet at Clare's house. Cece was going to freak.
Eli rapidly searched for his wallet, throwing a dollar bill for the tip haphazardly, darting out of the door.
XXX
She was brushing his hair. His mother had him sitting in front of her vanity, and she was brushing his hair. Her brush smelled like shampoo, and Eli knew he was going to walk into the Edward's house smelling like his mother.
"He deserves this," Cece had snapped to Bullfrog.
When Eli had walked through the door, Cece's usually calm demeanor was completely out of character; she was in a rage, and Eli knew something bad was coming. Though Cece didn't use punishment like grounding and taking things away, she often used revenge like tactics.
Now, his mother was hastily brushing his locks, tugging harshly on the knots, ignoring Eli's whines.
She stopped brushing, and told Eli to stand up. He was currently wearing the dress shirt, which was unbuttoned and had one side tucked into his dress pants.
Cece had just retrieved the blazer jacket and his tie from her closet, and set them on the bed as she helped him button up his top.
"So," she started, beginning to button the bottom button, "how are you feeling? Nervous?"
Eli was slowly tucking in his shirt as she buttoned, responding with, "I feel like I'm going to vomit."
Cece laughed, "Go on, and tell me what you're thinking."
Eli slowly, fixed the shirt, adjusting the collar.
"It's just, I care about her so much, and I know that her parents mean a lot to her… I don't want to mess it up… like, what if I say the wrong thing—the parents hate me; and she hates me because the parents hate me! I just… it's a lot of pressure."
Cece went to grab the tie, and Eli took a peek in the mirror; as much as he didn't want to admit it, his hair looked awesome, and he wanted to smirk thinking about Clare's comment on it, "What's with the hair all done up, drag queen?"
She put her arms behind his head, placing the tie around his neck, and Eli adjusted the collar up, making the tie fall into place.
"Don't you think… that maybe Clare was thinking the same thing when she met us?"
Cece began tying the tie, and Eli lifted his neck to give her space.
"It's not exactly the same thing," chuckled Eli.
"And why is that?" questioned Cece, silently cursing as she incorrectly knotted the tie, and Eli helped her untie it to begin again.
"Because you and dad aren't exactly… like her parents. At all."
"How so?"
"Well, taking in the consideration that they are strict, Christian parents who raise their kids by teaching them things about the world and people that make them naïve, and you guys are… who you are; I'd say you guys were pretty different."
Cece bit her lip, pondering as she carefully tied the tie again, Eli making sure he gave her plenty of room, staying still.
"Still," she began, "she was meeting the guy that she like's parents… it's pretty nerve-wracking."
Eli was suddenly very inquisitive, and as Cece carefully pulled the knot towards the collar, he asked, "Mom… did Bullfrog's parents not like you?" put Eli gently.
"Well, it's not that they didn't like me… they just didn't approve of us together. But you know Bullfrog, took caution to the wind and told them that he didn't need their approval to date me… and I didn't need theirs either. Of course… you aren't your father…. So please do not pull that tactic." Winked Cece, reminiscing.
"So, do you think that Clare was as nervous as I am now?" mumbled Eli, feeling suddenly very vulnerable.
"Probably. Here, what is something that you are most scared of tonight?" said Cece, pushing Eli's hair out of his eyes, and adjusting his outfit.
"That… they'll judge me. And Clare will start to believe what they say… because they're her parents." Admitted Eli skittishly.
"There. I bet you that when Clare met us, she was thinking everything like that… slut, whore, skank… you name it. Because girls think like that."
"Alright mom. You're right. You are always right." He sighed.
"I know," smiled Cece cheekily, grabbing a lint roller and rolling it on his suit.
"Tell me about Clare," she said suddenly, and Eli felt his face go red.
"Well, she's smart. Most of our conversations actually consist of books..." he trailed off, noticing that his mother was looking at him fondly.
"She's… spunky. And she's fun… cares too much about what people think, you know? But she'll do anything to be right. It's one of the many reasons why we butt heads." The tenderness was clearly displayed on his face, features softening, and unknowingly using that voice. That mesmerized voice… where they get real quiet, and it's almost as if they are reminiscing every situation that they had encountered. A small, sweet smile was etched upon his face as his lips kept moving, but Cece thought that this young love was adorable.
"-and she's beautiful… you know? I feel like, whenever I look at her… my heart stops. When she looks at me—I can, I can feel my face just go red. She's the only person that makes me want to… to scream and sing. Maybe simultaneously! I don't know… but…" Cece took the lint roller and placed it on the vanity.
"I don't think you've ever been this cute. I love in-love Eli."
Still dreamily smiling, Eli had no response.
She placed on his jacket as he slid his arms through, and Eli smiled sincerely at his mother.
"There," sighed Cece, "You're all ready."
She stepped back, taking in Eli's full form. Eli groaned when he saw her eyes water as she 'awed', yelling for Bullfrog who was downstairs.
"You look so cute! Look at him—they are going to love you!" sang Cece as she danced happily, and Bullfrog rolled his eyes.
"Okay, okay. I need to go now." Whined Eli, and after 5 minutes of convincing Cece to stop taking pictures of him, he headed out the door.
XXX
He had probably flattened his pants down one hundred times, and as he slowly approached Clare's door, his legs were wobbly.
Eli tried to remind himself about his talk with Adam, and how he had nothing to worry about, but nothing seemed to calm the nerves.
He adjusted his tie, reaching up to knock the door.
The door swung open immediately to reveal a bright eyed, flustered Clare.
"You're here," she breathed, smiling genuinely up at him, and he grabbed her hand to try to stop himself from falling over.
"I'm here." Grinned Eli, and Clare laughed.
"I- uh, come in. My dad is changing and my mom is cooking."
When Eli finally got a look at Clare, his entire body went hot, and he couldn't believe how beautiful she looked.
She wasn't even wearing anything fancy. Just a headband, her normal amount of a makeup, which is a smidge, and a small flowing navy summer dress.
Maybe it was the way she was smiling… it was like, she was glowing. He wondered if things were going well with her parents.
Clare turned back to look at him, and Eli, sweating with wide eyes, managed to choke out, "You look… beautiful, Clare. I- yeah. Stunning really."
To say her face was red was an understatement.
"Thank you." She twirled the edge of her dress between her fingers until Eli grabbed her hand, using his other to pull her close by the waist.
He didn't know why, but he had the sudden urge to kiss her, and considering her parents were out of sight, he figured that this was as good a time as ever.
His nose brushed against her cheek, his hands resting on her lower back.
"You look great too. I cannot believe that my Eli Goldsworthy is wearing a suit."
When the word 'my' was said, his lips were on hers. His kisses were slow, and soft, pulling her body closer to his with each. Clare was shaking in his embrace, her hands placed on his upper back, right near his shoulder blades.
Both of their faces were on fire, and Eli felt it was one of the tenderest moments they had spent together.
"Ahem."
Eli and Clare pulled away quickly; Eli's back hitting the wall quickly as Clare fixed her dress continuously.
Randall Edwards was descending from the stairs, hands in the pockets of his slacks, a scowl on his face as he looked between the two guilty teens.
"Hey, hi dad! This, um- this is Eli." Clare introduced awkwardly, and Eli knew that she was probably extremely embarrassed, as was he.
"Hello, Eli." Randall greeted dully, and Clare glared at him.
"Good evening, Mr. Edwards," grinned Eli.
The three stood, all diagonal to each other.
Clare cleared her throat. "Let's head to the kitchen… shall we?"
Eli nodded, and gestured for her and Randall to go first.
Clare quickly grabbed onto Eli's clammy palm, and she smiled when she felt it trembling, obviously amused.
XXX
"So, Eli—Clare tells me you two are English partners?"
Plates were full with chicken parmesan and spinach, Eli sitting across from Randall, and Clare sitting next to Eli and across from Helen.
"That is correct," he smiled at Clare's mother, "she is one of the smartest, even though she's younger. Honestly, I don't know where my writing would be without her editing." Laughed Eli, and the rest of the table followed suit.
"Have you met Eli's parents, Clare?" questioned Randall.
"Yes, my friend Adam, Eli and I were hanging out at Eli's house when they came home. We ended up having dinner together."
Helen grinned towards Eli, "Well, I think we should arrange another get together with them. Wouldn't that be great, Clare?"
Grabbing Eli's hand, she said, "I think that is a great idea."
"So you were alone with two boys in a house?"
All three heads turned to Randall, who had a sincere curious yet suspicious look on his face.
"They're just my friends, dad."
She gave Eli's hand a reassuring squeeze, making him feel at ease.
"Well, my fatherly instincts tell me otherwise. Helen they were kissing when I walked down the stairs."
Helen glanced at Clare, smiling mischievously and winking.
"They like each other dear."
Eli looked over at Clare, and Clare followed suit.
And there it was. That look in his eyes that made her want to fly, to run up and kiss him until his lips fall off.
Randall just nodded towards Eli. "Okay, but no funny business."
Eli stuttered nervously, "I- uh- absolutely not. Sir."
"You hurt her…"
"And I will personally beat my own tush."
"That won't be necessary," chimed Clare, and Eli's eyes softened as he looked at her.
"I like you, Eli." Helen stated, and Randall nodded in agreement, lifting huge weights off of Eli's fragile shoulders.
Eli smiled eagerly at Clare, and she touched his arm tenderly, obviously pleased.
XXX
"I believe that went rather well," said Eli, kissing Clare's cheek for the umpteenth time.
They were currently lying in the back of Morty, both on their sides as Eli draped his arm delicately on her side.
Eli always marveled at how intimate the position was; they sat this way when they read to each other, when they edited work, when they were upset about whatever they had gone through—he felt closer to her in that way.
"Eh…" Clare trailed smugly, and Eli kissed the smirk off of her face.
He pulled away, and she put her hand on his cheek, her thumb tracing back and forth soothingly.
"I've been thinking…" Clare started, and Eli feels anxious suddenly.
"Yes?"
"I feel like we've been skipping around this, and I'm tired of it. I think that we should be together. Because I like you. A lot."
"Spoken with confidence, Edwards. I like it!" Eli chimed, and he smiled at her, pulling her close by her waist.
Their noses nuzzled, and Eli felt so sappy, but it didn't matter.
When Clare kissed him, he felt whole, as cheesy and cliché as it sounded.
Her lips were soft, and it made him dizzy. It was almost like even in her most confident moment, she could still be so shy when it came to kissing him, and Eli found that adorable. She didn't usually show signs of vulnerability or weakness, but when she did, Eli felt infinitely closer to her.
And when she pulled away, her face bright red, eyes bluer than ever, and lips slightly swollen, it gave Eli some sort of pride seeing the joy in her eyes.
"Want to hear something cheesy?" Clare mused, her face still close to his.
"Sure," Eli grinned.
"Now, it's true, but I just feel so cheesy and cliché saying it."
"Clare. Spit it out."
"Are you sure you won't j-"
"Clare!"
"I'm falling for you."
WOOP WOOP. Yep, I did just end that right there. Um, so I think this was good? It was freaking long, but good, and please forgive me, I love reading fluff, but I can NOT write it, and my kissing scenes are awkward. But, review, enjoy, and thank you for the feedback from last chapter, you beautiful people.
