Chapter 25

"Oh, I knew it!" Audrey cheered, exhilarated, "I knew you'd fall in love with the Once-ler. I just knew it!"

Ted gaped at the booming interruption, but made not a word. Audrey was on her feet, palms tight together by her right cheek and sparkles in her eyes. She had jumped up the second the story had led into that kiss. Even after it had been quickly dismissed, she was still upright and excited. It hadn't brought her back down like Ted had been expecting it to. As soon as he had realized it was a dream, he had started dreading the let down Audrey was going to feel. She had been too caught up in the idea of romance to hear the whimsy in Grammy's voice. The unrealness of it all.

"Oh, pfff! I wasn't in love with him," Grammy quickly denied with a light sense of stubbornness, a pale blush illuminating her face, "It was only a dream!"

Audrey's eyes squinted, "Oh my, are you still shy about it even now?! That is just so cute!"

Ted could only continue to gape.

"N-no!" Grammy stammered, looking away all flustered. Ted looked at her carefully. It was easier than ever to imagine that seventeen-year-old Norma growing up to be his grandmother. Stubborn and defiant. In denial and naïve. But he had never really seen this side of her before. This didn't feel normal. This didn't feel right.

Audrey said nothing. She smiled proudly at Grammy with her all-knowing eyes. The older woman stared back with uneasiness, but as soon as it was there it was gone. Grammy's face melted suddenly into a stern and straight expression.

"Love is more complicated than that, Audrey," she said in a slow whisper, "If it could be decided by only a dream, my, the world would be a much happier and easier place to be."

"But-" Audrey began.

"Love grows just like the trees. But without the proper care..." Grammy stared solemnly, "it'll only wilt."

ooooo

By Wednesday afternoon, everything had become normal again. Or so Norma had tried to make it appear. Once-ler had tried asking questions, but just like her telephone the day before, there weren't any answers for him. She smiled awkwardly. She stared at her feet. She changed the topic. She did everything in her power to keep off the subject. He quickly realized that whatever had kept her away from him the day before, she planned to keep to herself today.

"You're not mad at me, right?" Once-ler questioned uncomfortably while seated on his bed. Norma looked over to him, shifting her eyes from her knitting fingers to his blue gaze. She seemed shocked to hear such a question. She shook her head slowly.

"No... why would I be?" Norma asked back, blinking in confusion. She was trying to act as natural as possible. What had gone on the last two days had been nothing Once-ler needed to know about. She didn't want Once-ler to know about it. Imagine the freak he'd think she was if he knew she had dreamt of him in such a way? Their friendship would be over for sure, and that was the very last thing that she wanted to happen. She cherished their friendship. More than she even realized.

The two of them were knitting again. It had been Norma's idea this time. Once-ler had been quick to suggest that they play around with his guitar and make some music, but she had denied it. She wanted to knit, she had told him. She wanted to get better, she had insisted. Really, she only wanted not to have to sing. She was feeling too many things to sing. There were simply too many love songs floating around in her head, dying to escape. So she knitted, waiting for them to cease.

"You're not usually this quiet," Once-ler commented, "Usually you're actually quite loud."

"So?!" Norma blurted out uneasily, eyes pinched to her knitting.

"So?" Once-ler looked into Norma with a careful stare, "That's your queue to start talking."

Norma looked up again and saw the upset in his face. A frown dug deep into the corners of his mouth and his eyes were full of uncertainty. She wanted to be able to tell him right then. She wanted to grab a hold of him and scream everything at the very top of her lungs. Everyone in the neighbourhood would have heard if he hadn't lived out in the middle of nowhere. But imagine how his face would change if she uttered even a word of their make-believe kiss. All because of what? Because he complimented her hair? It was silly. It was immature. It was a dream. Just a dream.

"Is it starting to look right at all?" Norma chirped, lifting up her thneed-to-be to Once-ler's face. His expression changed quickly to surprise and he snatched the thneed away. He kept his gaze on her. He knew her well enough to know when she was acting. It didn't happen often, but when it did it stung deep in his circulatory system. Like a pulsing pain traveling his entire being. It brought on fear, most of all. It made him afraid that it had finally dawned on Norma. That finally, after the many months they had spent together getting into mischief and what not, she had realized she didn't want to be his friend anymore. How heartbreaking would it be to slink back into his old life of having no one? Being alone. Just him and his dream. Him and his thneed.

"Norma..." he began slowly, but then the words were lost. What could he say that she could understand?

"Once-ler, come on now! You have no reason to worry," Norma cooed as she knitted. Her knitting was still a little loose, but she was working on tightening it up. She was getting better, that was for sure. If nothing else, she could say that.

Once-ler watched Norma, unconvinced. Sometimes it seemed that she believed him to be naïve. He was smarter than that though. If his life had taught him anything, it was how to tell if someone was lying. He had been lied to a lot. By his family. By his peers. Even his teachers had faked smiles and kind words when it was needed. At this point in his life, it didn't even hurt anymore. Not from anyone...

"R-really..." she whispered with a soft and uncertain stutter.

Except from her. Oh, it hurt more than anything coming from her. It hurt more than tripping and skinning your palms and knees against the cement. It hurt more than spilling a fresh cup of tea onto your lap and earning first degree burns. It even hurt more than being left behind in a big and empty house for Spring Break.

"Can't we change the topic?" her voice was still low and slow.

Once-ler's eyebrows furrowed, "No."

"But aren't there so many other things we could talk about?"

"No."

Norma could feel Once-ler eyes burning holes into her skin, leaving her feeling like Swiss cheese. It wasn't a pleasent feeling. The guilt was overwhelming. She felt her eyes wander cautiously to Once-ler's guitar. It was propped delicately against his desk, where Once-ler had placed it when she had rejected it earlier. She had wanted nothing to do with it, but now it looked like a savior. The simplest way out.

"Won't you give me just a minute..." Norma whispered in a quiet melody. She turned away in the swivel chair and grabbed hold of the instrument. It was cold in her hands. It seemed to tremble, or was that her own grasp?

She cleared her throat, "...before jumping to all your conclusions..."

Once the guitar was on her lap, she began to strum a few half-hearted chipper chords. They vibrated alone as her mind scavenged for the words that she wanted, while burying away the ones that she didn't. As she covered them with metaphorical soil, they fought their way back up like the undead. These zombie feelings that she had been trying to kill were strong... much stronger than her.

The notes changed abruptly, slowing down, "It's just a little more complicated... than that..."

"Norma, what are you doing?" Once-ler had been slow to address the sudden change to her choice of communication. He had heard her soft voice and it had paralyzed him. Not for the beauty of it - not to say it wasn't beautiful - but for its abruptness. He had watched her fight with herself as she pulled his guitar upon her lap, and sang out a few more lines. She had a uncomfortable look on her face as she tried initiate eye contact and hold onto it. He waited.

"I don't even remember sleeping," she sang, ignoring Once-ler's questioning stare, "And then suddenly I woke up. But somehow somewhere in between..."

A long pause filled the air with nothing but her shallow breaths. Once-ler looked on, becoming more confused than anything else.

"...you stole a kiss from me..."

A/N: I realize it's been a really long time, and I'm really sorry. School started and my life has changed pretty drastically over the past two months. I am going to finish this fanfic, but probably not at the quick pace I was in the beginning. This chapter is really short because I technically meant to write more to it, but I thought I'd post it up like this to remind my readers that I still exist. Awkward cliffhanger. Trying to get back on track with the actual story. Blarg. Thank you for being such amazing readers!