~A Once and Again Series~
The Way We Were
Chapter 21//One Compliments the Other
Lily looked up as she heard footsteps in the hall. Jake was coming towards her. Jake caught the look on her face and checked his watch. "I'm not late, am I?"
"No, you're early, which is good. There's something I wanted to talk to you about," Lily said.
Jake sighed, and nodded. He followed her to the bench at the end of the hall, near the mediator's office. They sat uneasily on the hard seat, and looked at each other. "Is this about the restaurant?" Jake asked finally.
"No," Lily snapped. Jake frowned at her show of anger and looked away.
[[Lily - I swear all he thinks about is the restaurant some times...]]
"Is this something that we should talk about in there?" Jake asked, nodding towards the mediator's door.
Lily shook her head, taking on a gentler tone of voice. "It's about Grace."
"Grace?" Jake asked, concerned. "What about Grace? She was fine yesterday."
Lily looked him over studying him. "Yeah, she certainly was fine, when Rick and I found her and Eli alone in an empty apartment.... in his bedroom!" Lily lowered her voice as she whispered the last part.
Jake smiled, "Is this what this is about? Grace and Eli?"
"Yes."
"Lil," Jake began, "They just wanted a quiet place to practice. I met Eli, and he seemed like a nice guy."
"He is a nice guy," Lily agreed.
"Then what's the problem?" Jake asked. "Oh... wait, I get it..."
Lily looked over at him. "Get what?"
Jake nodded, smiling superiorly. "You don't Grace to be with Eli because he's Rick's son, and that would make things hard on YOU."
[[Jake - I swear, all she thinks about is herself sometimes...]]
"That's not true!" Lily argued, although that had been the case when Lily first began to wonder if Grace and Eli were getting close.
"Then, what's wrong with Grace spending time with him?"
Lily leaned back. "...It's not like that Jake... she's only 14."
"Grace is a mature 14. She knows what's right and wrong. She doesn't need us watching her every move," Jake reminded her.
"So, you're saying nothing would happen?" Lily questioned, "You're saying that you would let your 14 year old daughter be alone with a 16 year old boy in his bedroom?"
Jake blinked.
[[Jake - Lily and I complimented each other as parents. She would be the one with the rules, and I got to be the cool one... she hated it.]]
[[Lily - I always had to be twice as much a parent, to make up for Jake's lack... And, the kids didn't see that. They just saw him as being the fun one, the cool one, while I was just... the mom.]]
"I trust Grace," Jake said. He stood up, looking down at his wife. "Besides I thought you said Eli was a nice guy."
Lily was silent. She stood up and followed Jake into the mediator's office.
* * *
Rick paused outside the jewelry store. He looked around, almost guiltily as he considered going inside. He moved towards the window display, where a couple large diamond rings stood out from the collection of fine jewelry. Rick swallowed hard, glancing around, and looked back at the rings.
[[Rick - I've only been with Lily, for what... three... four months now. But, everything just feels right. We feel right. *deep breath*]]
Rick entered the store.
[[Rick - I don't even know if she'll say yes. I know she loves me, but.... She's still technically married. *This statement throws him, as he ponders over it, frowning*]]
Rick left the store just as quickly as he entered.
* * *
"Eli! Hi!" Grace called over the loud music.
Eli looked up from his guitar and flashed her a smile, but continued on playing the song the band was rehearsing. Grace turned around, glancing at Jessie, who nodded at her to continue down the stairs. Grace did and she and Jessie sat down on a couch in front of the practicing band.
After the song ended, Eli set down his guitar. He came over to Grace, sitting down on the arm of the couch, next to where she sat. "So, did you like it?"
"Yeah," Grace said smiling. "You guys are really good."
"Thanks," Eli turned and pointed at the drummer, "That's Markie." He pointed at the bass player, "That's John." And he pointed at the other guitar player, "That's Turk."
"Hi!" Grace said to them.
The members of the band nodded at her existence.
"Are those your socks?" Eli said, out of no where.
"What?" Grace laughed.
Eli moved down to the floor and lifted the bottom of her pant leg just a bit. Grace's multi-colored socks were displayed. "Colorful," Eli commented, grinning up at her.
"Stop!" Grace giggled and she pushed at Eli's hand.
Eli grabbed her ankles, and yanked them, so she slid down further on the couch. "Eli!" Grace complained. She tried kicking at him, but Eli was holding onto her legs tight.
Jessie watched the two of them, with a small, slightly sad smile.
[[Jessie - I don't know if I'll ever find... love. I just.. *shrugs, shakes head*.. just don't know if there's a right somebody out there for me... it's a nice thought to have though... that everyone has a soul mate, just waiting for them out there somewhere... but knowing MY luck, my soul mate is in China or something...]]
"Eli, don't!" Grace cried as Eli untied her shoes and then proceeded to tie them together in one big knot. Eli just looked up at her with a mischievous smile, and Grace couldn't keep a smile off her own face.
"You know, I think you can tell a lot about someone based on their socks," Eli commented, putting a serious look on his face.
"Oh, yeah, and what do mine say about me?" Grace asked, playing along.
"Um, let's see... that you're wild, crazy, and all about having a good time," Eli said, raising his eyebrows.
Grace laughed. "What do your socks say about you?" She asked.
Eli lifted the leg of his pants, showing off a pair of white socks. "That I'm innocent, pure, and all about going to school, and studying and that garbage."
"Uh, huh," Grace said, smiling. She lifted her feet off the ground and tried to move them apart, but Eli's knots held her shoes together.
Eli smiled, shrugged, and took her feet in his lap and began to undo the damage.
"Oh, you're all here," Karen said, coming down the stairs. Eli quickly pushed Grace's feet off his lap and stood up.
"Yeah, sorry, mom. I should have asked if we could practice here first." Eli said, walking over to the stairs. "But you weren't here, and we were really in need of someplace to play."
"Oh, no, it's okay, Eli," Karen said, reassuring him. "Just don't be too loud."
Jessie smiled at her mom, "Hi mom."
"Did you do your homework?" Karen asked of Jessie.
Jessie nodded. Grace snuck a glance over at Eli's mom, catching Karen when she was looking over at her. "I'm Grace," Grace said quickly.
"Hi. I'm Eli's mom..." Karen trailed off as the name rang bells in her head. "You're Lily's Grace?"
"Yes, she is," Eli said quickly. "We'll, uh, try to keep it down."
Karen hesitantly went up the stairs, shutting the basement door behind her.
* * *
"Did you want something to drink?" Jessie called to Grace, over the band's music.
Grace nodded, and Jessie stood up to go get some sodas, but Grace grabbed her arm lightly. "I think I'll come up with you!"
Jessie nodded, and once they got to the top of the stairs, they could actually hear each other talk normally.
"I have to go to the bathroom," Grace explained, for why she joined Jessie on her excursion upstairs. "I didn't want to shout that though..." Grace laughed, and Jessie joined in.
[[Jessie - *smiles, pauses and then her forehead crinkles up* Have you ever really disliked someone... and then realized that they're not that bad?.... and you wonder why you hated... I mean, disliked them.. in the first place...]]
"It's the second door on the left," Jessie directed her. Grace went down the hall, and Jessie went to the fridge for the drinks. Her mom was at the table reading the newspaper.
"So, you did your French homework?" Karen questioned of her.
"Yeah, I did it yesterday," Jessie said, opening the fridge.
"Hmmm," Karen said, and Jessie pulled out a couple of sodas. "So this Grace is..."
"Mom!" Jessie cried, looking at her mother. Jessie lowered her voice to a whisper, not wanting Grace to overhear, "She's in the bathroom."
"Oh." Karen said. She set down the newspaper, and moved closer to her daughter. "So, you like her?"
Jessie shrugged, "She's nice."
"Is she... are they dating?" Karen asked.
Jessie shook her head, "Not yet."
"Not yet?" Karen echoed, feeling an ache in her stomach. She didn't know how she felt about Eli getting serious with the daughter of the woman her husband was dating. It just seemed weird... "Isn't that a little odd?" Karen found herself saying out loud. "With your dad dating..." Karen cut off her words as they heard the bathroom door opening.
Jessie gathered up the sodas in her arms, she looked over at her mother briefly. "It's not odd... it's cool."
Jessie left the kitchen, running into Grace, and they went down to the basement. In the kitchen, Karen looked confused and a bit worried.
* * *
The band paused after the finished playing through their newest song. Eli looked towards the stairs, where Grace and Jessie had just gone up.
"Relax, boy, she'll be back," Turk said, elbowing Eli.
Eli blinked, looking over at his friend, "Huh?"
Turk smiled knowingly at Markie and John.
"What?" Eli demanded, glaring at his friends.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Eli's attention was drawn to the girl coming down them. He smiled as Grace's pretty face came into view, and then he realized what his friends had been jabbering him about... Grace. He looked away from Grace quickly, turning to the other guys. "How about we run through 'Everyone Goes'?"
But the guys had seen the sodas Jessie was bringing down for him, and they voted for a break. Eli went over joined them, sitting on one of the two couches that joined at a ninety degree angle. Grace, Jessie, and Turk sat on the other one. Grace looked up, and Eli knew she was probably wondering why he wasn't sitting in the empty spot next to her.
[[Eli - I don't know if I'm ready for this... this THING between me and Grace, just keeps growing, and I think that... soon it'll be too big to ignore anymore. But maybe I'm wrong... maybe she really does just want to be friends... *looks at his hands* I mean, she said that our kiss meant nothing... so why would she have changed her mind?]]
Grace drank her soda, listening to the conversation going on between Turk and Jessie. She glanced over at Eli, who seemed a little distracted. She didn't understand why he suddenly withdrew into his shell...
[[Grace - I don't get it. I thought he liked me. I thought I was growing on him... that he changed his mind about thinking our kiss was meaningless. And suddenly he changes, and he retreats back into himself... and I wonder if I even made an impact on him... even a small dent? Does he not... like me? Does he just want to be friends? Is that what this has all been?.... just friendship?]]
* * *
The Way We Were
Chapter 21//One Compliments the Other
Lily looked up as she heard footsteps in the hall. Jake was coming towards her. Jake caught the look on her face and checked his watch. "I'm not late, am I?"
"No, you're early, which is good. There's something I wanted to talk to you about," Lily said.
Jake sighed, and nodded. He followed her to the bench at the end of the hall, near the mediator's office. They sat uneasily on the hard seat, and looked at each other. "Is this about the restaurant?" Jake asked finally.
"No," Lily snapped. Jake frowned at her show of anger and looked away.
[[Lily - I swear all he thinks about is the restaurant some times...]]
"Is this something that we should talk about in there?" Jake asked, nodding towards the mediator's door.
Lily shook her head, taking on a gentler tone of voice. "It's about Grace."
"Grace?" Jake asked, concerned. "What about Grace? She was fine yesterday."
Lily looked him over studying him. "Yeah, she certainly was fine, when Rick and I found her and Eli alone in an empty apartment.... in his bedroom!" Lily lowered her voice as she whispered the last part.
Jake smiled, "Is this what this is about? Grace and Eli?"
"Yes."
"Lil," Jake began, "They just wanted a quiet place to practice. I met Eli, and he seemed like a nice guy."
"He is a nice guy," Lily agreed.
"Then what's the problem?" Jake asked. "Oh... wait, I get it..."
Lily looked over at him. "Get what?"
Jake nodded, smiling superiorly. "You don't Grace to be with Eli because he's Rick's son, and that would make things hard on YOU."
[[Jake - I swear, all she thinks about is herself sometimes...]]
"That's not true!" Lily argued, although that had been the case when Lily first began to wonder if Grace and Eli were getting close.
"Then, what's wrong with Grace spending time with him?"
Lily leaned back. "...It's not like that Jake... she's only 14."
"Grace is a mature 14. She knows what's right and wrong. She doesn't need us watching her every move," Jake reminded her.
"So, you're saying nothing would happen?" Lily questioned, "You're saying that you would let your 14 year old daughter be alone with a 16 year old boy in his bedroom?"
Jake blinked.
[[Jake - Lily and I complimented each other as parents. She would be the one with the rules, and I got to be the cool one... she hated it.]]
[[Lily - I always had to be twice as much a parent, to make up for Jake's lack... And, the kids didn't see that. They just saw him as being the fun one, the cool one, while I was just... the mom.]]
"I trust Grace," Jake said. He stood up, looking down at his wife. "Besides I thought you said Eli was a nice guy."
Lily was silent. She stood up and followed Jake into the mediator's office.
* * *
Rick paused outside the jewelry store. He looked around, almost guiltily as he considered going inside. He moved towards the window display, where a couple large diamond rings stood out from the collection of fine jewelry. Rick swallowed hard, glancing around, and looked back at the rings.
[[Rick - I've only been with Lily, for what... three... four months now. But, everything just feels right. We feel right. *deep breath*]]
Rick entered the store.
[[Rick - I don't even know if she'll say yes. I know she loves me, but.... She's still technically married. *This statement throws him, as he ponders over it, frowning*]]
Rick left the store just as quickly as he entered.
* * *
"Eli! Hi!" Grace called over the loud music.
Eli looked up from his guitar and flashed her a smile, but continued on playing the song the band was rehearsing. Grace turned around, glancing at Jessie, who nodded at her to continue down the stairs. Grace did and she and Jessie sat down on a couch in front of the practicing band.
After the song ended, Eli set down his guitar. He came over to Grace, sitting down on the arm of the couch, next to where she sat. "So, did you like it?"
"Yeah," Grace said smiling. "You guys are really good."
"Thanks," Eli turned and pointed at the drummer, "That's Markie." He pointed at the bass player, "That's John." And he pointed at the other guitar player, "That's Turk."
"Hi!" Grace said to them.
The members of the band nodded at her existence.
"Are those your socks?" Eli said, out of no where.
"What?" Grace laughed.
Eli moved down to the floor and lifted the bottom of her pant leg just a bit. Grace's multi-colored socks were displayed. "Colorful," Eli commented, grinning up at her.
"Stop!" Grace giggled and she pushed at Eli's hand.
Eli grabbed her ankles, and yanked them, so she slid down further on the couch. "Eli!" Grace complained. She tried kicking at him, but Eli was holding onto her legs tight.
Jessie watched the two of them, with a small, slightly sad smile.
[[Jessie - I don't know if I'll ever find... love. I just.. *shrugs, shakes head*.. just don't know if there's a right somebody out there for me... it's a nice thought to have though... that everyone has a soul mate, just waiting for them out there somewhere... but knowing MY luck, my soul mate is in China or something...]]
"Eli, don't!" Grace cried as Eli untied her shoes and then proceeded to tie them together in one big knot. Eli just looked up at her with a mischievous smile, and Grace couldn't keep a smile off her own face.
"You know, I think you can tell a lot about someone based on their socks," Eli commented, putting a serious look on his face.
"Oh, yeah, and what do mine say about me?" Grace asked, playing along.
"Um, let's see... that you're wild, crazy, and all about having a good time," Eli said, raising his eyebrows.
Grace laughed. "What do your socks say about you?" She asked.
Eli lifted the leg of his pants, showing off a pair of white socks. "That I'm innocent, pure, and all about going to school, and studying and that garbage."
"Uh, huh," Grace said, smiling. She lifted her feet off the ground and tried to move them apart, but Eli's knots held her shoes together.
Eli smiled, shrugged, and took her feet in his lap and began to undo the damage.
"Oh, you're all here," Karen said, coming down the stairs. Eli quickly pushed Grace's feet off his lap and stood up.
"Yeah, sorry, mom. I should have asked if we could practice here first." Eli said, walking over to the stairs. "But you weren't here, and we were really in need of someplace to play."
"Oh, no, it's okay, Eli," Karen said, reassuring him. "Just don't be too loud."
Jessie smiled at her mom, "Hi mom."
"Did you do your homework?" Karen asked of Jessie.
Jessie nodded. Grace snuck a glance over at Eli's mom, catching Karen when she was looking over at her. "I'm Grace," Grace said quickly.
"Hi. I'm Eli's mom..." Karen trailed off as the name rang bells in her head. "You're Lily's Grace?"
"Yes, she is," Eli said quickly. "We'll, uh, try to keep it down."
Karen hesitantly went up the stairs, shutting the basement door behind her.
* * *
"Did you want something to drink?" Jessie called to Grace, over the band's music.
Grace nodded, and Jessie stood up to go get some sodas, but Grace grabbed her arm lightly. "I think I'll come up with you!"
Jessie nodded, and once they got to the top of the stairs, they could actually hear each other talk normally.
"I have to go to the bathroom," Grace explained, for why she joined Jessie on her excursion upstairs. "I didn't want to shout that though..." Grace laughed, and Jessie joined in.
[[Jessie - *smiles, pauses and then her forehead crinkles up* Have you ever really disliked someone... and then realized that they're not that bad?.... and you wonder why you hated... I mean, disliked them.. in the first place...]]
"It's the second door on the left," Jessie directed her. Grace went down the hall, and Jessie went to the fridge for the drinks. Her mom was at the table reading the newspaper.
"So, you did your French homework?" Karen questioned of her.
"Yeah, I did it yesterday," Jessie said, opening the fridge.
"Hmmm," Karen said, and Jessie pulled out a couple of sodas. "So this Grace is..."
"Mom!" Jessie cried, looking at her mother. Jessie lowered her voice to a whisper, not wanting Grace to overhear, "She's in the bathroom."
"Oh." Karen said. She set down the newspaper, and moved closer to her daughter. "So, you like her?"
Jessie shrugged, "She's nice."
"Is she... are they dating?" Karen asked.
Jessie shook her head, "Not yet."
"Not yet?" Karen echoed, feeling an ache in her stomach. She didn't know how she felt about Eli getting serious with the daughter of the woman her husband was dating. It just seemed weird... "Isn't that a little odd?" Karen found herself saying out loud. "With your dad dating..." Karen cut off her words as they heard the bathroom door opening.
Jessie gathered up the sodas in her arms, she looked over at her mother briefly. "It's not odd... it's cool."
Jessie left the kitchen, running into Grace, and they went down to the basement. In the kitchen, Karen looked confused and a bit worried.
* * *
The band paused after the finished playing through their newest song. Eli looked towards the stairs, where Grace and Jessie had just gone up.
"Relax, boy, she'll be back," Turk said, elbowing Eli.
Eli blinked, looking over at his friend, "Huh?"
Turk smiled knowingly at Markie and John.
"What?" Eli demanded, glaring at his friends.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Eli's attention was drawn to the girl coming down them. He smiled as Grace's pretty face came into view, and then he realized what his friends had been jabbering him about... Grace. He looked away from Grace quickly, turning to the other guys. "How about we run through 'Everyone Goes'?"
But the guys had seen the sodas Jessie was bringing down for him, and they voted for a break. Eli went over joined them, sitting on one of the two couches that joined at a ninety degree angle. Grace, Jessie, and Turk sat on the other one. Grace looked up, and Eli knew she was probably wondering why he wasn't sitting in the empty spot next to her.
[[Eli - I don't know if I'm ready for this... this THING between me and Grace, just keeps growing, and I think that... soon it'll be too big to ignore anymore. But maybe I'm wrong... maybe she really does just want to be friends... *looks at his hands* I mean, she said that our kiss meant nothing... so why would she have changed her mind?]]
Grace drank her soda, listening to the conversation going on between Turk and Jessie. She glanced over at Eli, who seemed a little distracted. She didn't understand why he suddenly withdrew into his shell...
[[Grace - I don't get it. I thought he liked me. I thought I was growing on him... that he changed his mind about thinking our kiss was meaningless. And suddenly he changes, and he retreats back into himself... and I wonder if I even made an impact on him... even a small dent? Does he not... like me? Does he just want to be friends? Is that what this has all been?.... just friendship?]]
* * *
