Again, not a chapter I'm particularly proud of. Still, comments are appreciated. Oh, and as usual, I own nothing. Even the shoes I have on today aren't mine.
Spring became summer, Ellie finished the ninth grade, the red flowers in the window box that Michelle had tried so hard to coerce into growing had wilted up and died, and Tony and Michelle were more serious about each other than ever. Ellie volunteered at the nearby library a few times a week, Michelle worked, and Michelle and Tony spent a significant portion of their non-working time together, although they were conscious to split their "date time" evenly between time together alone and time together with Ellie.
One Wednesday evening, a worn-out Michelle entered her apartment to find Ellie sitting cross-legged on the kitchen counter, reading a book that looked much to big for a girl her size.
Ellie looked up from the book. "Hi!"
"Hey. Do you never sit in normal places?"
"Rarely."
Michelle smiled. Usually, she would have laughed, but she was exhausted. "Cute capris. When did you get those?"
"They're Kerry's. She mailed them."
Michelle squinted. "She mailed jeans?"
Ellie nodded. "I got the mail yesterday; all of your stuff is over there." She signaled to the edge of the counter where a neat stack of envelopes and magazines sat.
Michelle moved over to the pile. "Well she's weird too. But thanks for getting the mail. I guess it's been a while since I did that."
"Michelle?" Ellie queried, slowly shutting her book and setting it down beside her.
Michelle sensed the sudden seriousness in Ellie's voice, set down the mail, and turned to her sister. "Yeah?"
"Have... um, well... do, I guess...or..." Ellie sputtered.
Michelle walked toward Ellie and ran one hand through the dark curls that were beginning to fall in her little sister's face as a result of looking at the floor. "Just say it, Elle..."
Ellie took a breath, looked up, and said quickly, "Do you and Tony sleep together?"
"Come sit with me on the couch."
Ellie, blushing, immediately attempted to take back her question. "I'm sorry- you don't have to tell me if you don't want to!"
"No, no... I've been meaning to talk to you about this for a while anyway. Right now's a great time," Michelle said reassuringly as Ellie slid off of the counter and allowed her sister to guide her to the couch.
Sitting down cross-legged across from Ellie, Michelle said, "No. We don't. Do you know why?"
Ellie slowly shook her head.
"Ellie, I love Tony. And Tony loves me. But we haven't slept together because love and sex aren't the same thing. You can have one without the other." Ellie was silent. "Tony and I have started talking about marriage." Michelle let the words sink in. Slowly, without looking at Michelle, Ellie nodded. "Ellie, I'll probably marry Tony. So the sex will come. But first, we got to know each other and love each other." Michelle glanced up to Ellie, who was looking at the messy coffee table. She put her hand on Ellie's knee. "Don't sell yourself short, okay?" Ellie nodded. "Say it to me, Ellie."
After a moment, Ellie softly repeated, "I won't sell myself short."
Michelle had been making Ellie repeat after her since she was a toddler- Ellie didn't always talk a whole lot on her own, so Michelle would get Ellie to repeat important information to her, like her phone number or address or full name or sisters' full names, over and over again. The words and phrases and numbers stuck, and so did the habit.
"Come here," Michelle said after a moment, pulling Ellie across the couch to her into a tight hug. "I love you so much!"
Ellie looked up to Michelle's face, half-smiled, and said softly, "I love you too."
They sat like that for a moment before Michelle pulled away slightly and said, "Any comments on the possibility of Tony Almeida as a brother-in-law?"
Ellie paused. "Well, if you marry Tony... what happens to me?"
Michelle was almost surprised at the question. "Well, you'd have to get used to seeing a gross boy in the house..." Ellie smiled. "But on the plus side," Michelle said, "you'd get to stop living on take-out!"