Chapter 6: Old Feelings

"Ok, am I the only one here who thinks that Frodo and Sam are totally into each other? I mean, come on!" Adam exclaimed, lifting his hands towards the television screen as if exhibiting proof.

"Would you stop?" Eli shot back playfully, throwing popcorn at Adam. "Why must you question their sexuality? They have more important things to do than each other." Eli couldn't help but smirk.

"Oh, wow guys, real mature," Clare said, rolling her eyes. The three of them were sprawled on the floor, popcorn scattered all over the floor. Eli had his arm around Clare as she nuzzled into his chest, barely paying attention to the movie. She was too concentrated on listening to his heartbeat. The contraption that gave this boy life. The contraption that loved her back.

"And, I gotta say. Elijah Wood is the man," Eli added, tossing popcorn into his mouth.

Adam scoffed. "You're just saying that cause you two have the same name."

"Do you want the entire bowl of popcorn dumped on you?" Eli threatened, raising his eyebrows.

"Why don't I just, refill that. Keep you from doing something compunctious," Clare cut in, unwrapping herself from Eli and grabbing the bowl from him. "Be back soon," she winked.

"Don't take too long," Eli said, pouting teasingly. Adam proceeded to make gagging sounds. "For Adam's sake," Eli added. "You know how he suffers from prolonged popcorn withdrawal."

Clare was laughing to herself as she entered the kitchen, pulling another bag of popcorn out of the cupboard. She placed the bag in the microwave and waited for the popcorn to stop popping. In the midst of all the popping, Clare could have sworn she heard a knock on the door, but thought she was hearing things. The microwave finally beeped, and she carefully pulled the steaming hot bag out and poured its contents into the bowl. What she came upon in the living room made her nearly drop the bowl. Eli was standing in front of the opened door, fists tightened. KC stood there awkwardly, until he saw Clare through the doorway.

"Hey, Clare," he stammered, looking around Eli.

"Hey, KC," Clare said, before Eli had time to open his mouth. "I'm glad you came. Why don't you come in!" she offered, motioning towards the living room. KC nodded and entered the house, of which he was quite familiar with. He missed this place. Clare and KC would often hang out here to do homework or have movie nights. And now she was doing it with another guy, KC thought as he plopped down on the couch.

Eli didn't budge from where he was standing. His stance would make someone assume that there was a plank nailed to his back. He glared at KC, and then shifted his confused and angry eyes towards Clare.

"Uh, Clare. Can we talk in the kitchen?" Eli asked, trying to maintain his composure.

"Sure," Clare murmured, terrified to make eye contact with him. She turned around and headed to the kitchen, not waiting for Eli to catch up with her.

"So much for hypothetical," Eli shot, not even halfway through the door. "What is that jerk doing here?" he asked, eyes scanning Clare's for an answer.

All Clare could do was leave her mouth gaping open. Why was he here? Clare didn't even know the answer to that question.

"I…..well, I uh….," Clare took a deep breath. She couldn't panic. If she did, Eli would be suspicious of something that wasn't true. "I invited him to join us."

"Well, clearly," Eli said, hands shoved in his pocket. "Now that we're done stating the obvious, why did you invite him"?

Clare's shoulders fell. "Well, I don't know. After he knocked me down, I noticed that something was wrong with him. And then we just…got to talking, and I invited him over. And now, he's here." A bit of courage shot through Clare, enticing her to look straight into Eli's beautiful eyes.

"I just don't understand how you could be nice to that dirt bag," Eli said, his hand on his forehead.

"Please, don't call him that Eli. I've forgiven him. So should you. I mean, we didn't even know each other when it happened, so why are you angry?" Clare asked, her face hot with anger.

We didn't even know each other? What does that have to do with anything?" he spat. "That doesn't make his actions less unacceptable."

"Look," Clare tried to reason. "I don't want drama." Suddenly, Alli's warnings popped into her head. "I just wanted to be a good person. He needs someone to support him right now. I don't know why, but I know that he does. And I have forgiven him. End of story. Please, understand," Clare pleaded, placing her hands on Eli's crossed arms.

Eli slowly nodded his head in surrender. "Fine," he said tersely.

"Thank you," Clare said meekly, planting a kiss on his cheek. As she placed her hand on his jaw, it felt stiff, and if he was clenching his teeth. "You ok?" she asked, snaking her arms around his waist.

An apathetic expression was plastered on Eli's face. "Yeah, I guess."

"It's just a movie. And after that, he's gone," Clare assured him.

"Ok," Eli breathed. He leaned down, giving her an apologetic kiss. It felt a little desperate to Clare, as if he was trying to hold on to her heart, afraid that Clare would change her mind about him. She smiled up at him, as if to tell him that there was nothing to worry about.

The two walked into the living room, and the sight of KC caused her to catch her breath. What is happening, Clare panicked. I should have absolutely no difficulty breathing when around KC, she told herself.

"So…" Clare said, sitting on the couch between KC and Eli. "You've seen this movie?" she asked KC.

Well, yeah. It's probably one of the greatest films ever. Although, Star Wars totally beats it. Remember when we watched all six movies on one night?" KC asked, laughing at the flashback.

"Yeah," Clare answered, remembering the night clearly. "We were probably up until 2 am," she chuckled. She felt Eli tense up next to her.

Reminiscing about the past that she shared with KC made Clare feel unsure of herself. Were her feelings for KC completely diminished? They never had closure, so maybe she didn't let go of him completely. Now that KC was back in Clare's life, she grew confused. Suddenly, it felt odd when Eli put his arm around her in front of KC. What was happening to her?

How do you like it so far? Am I taking the story in the right direction, or do you guys think that Clare and KC's feelings are coming back too quickly? Comment please =)