A Moment with Her

We need to talk

Elias had stepped away to take pictures around the creek. Ripley was so involved in her drawing that she didn't even hear the footsteps behind her until she felt a light brush against her neck.

Ripley jumped and turned her whole body around only to see Elias holding a small makeshift bouquet with her picture that he had taken earlier attached to it.

Watching his lopsided grin, she took the bouquet in amused curiosity; "I'm sorry for hurting your feelings. Sometimes I forget that not everyone thinks or feels like me". He said with shame in his voice.

"I forgive you". She then looked down at her picture. It was pretty, she thought, 'very aesthetic'.

"Here you should keep it for when you miss the sound of my voice," She said teasingly as she gave back the picture. Elia wanted to protest, but she looked so sincere and so he responds with; 

"I'll keep that in mind".

Elias crouched around the pond to see if his camera could pick up any details.

"Hey Elia, check it out," she said excitedly.

Ripley helps up her sketchpad and showed him the drawing of the creek. It was a lot different from what he expected instead of a sketched style drawing she drew it as a cartoon with a giant man erupting from the middle of the water.

"Who's that?" He asked.

"That my dear sir is your cartoon counterpart. Can't you see the waviness of his hair?" She said proudly.

"You drew me?"

Elias said surprised.

"Yeah, why? You don't like it?"

"No, it's just ... I never had anyone draw me before". Ripley smiled at him and ripped the page from her book and handed it to him.

"Arent you breaking some type of artist law by doing that?"

"I won't tell If you don't". She smirked.

"Deal" and he took the page from her hand.

_________

Ripley was on her way to pulling into Elias's home. It was a large estate with huge glass windows and a stone driveway.

"You have a beautiful home, Elias".

"Thank you". He said bashfully. 

As Elias was getting out something bubbled in his chest, it could have been courage or it could have been dread but he turned around and asked her; "Do you want to come in? I mean, like to use the bathroom or get a drink of water? It's been a few hours since we left school". Ripley thought about it and then nodded in agreement.

"Won't your Mom be mad?"

"My mom doesn't come home on Fridays until midnight".

"Oh wow, you must get lonely".

"I don't mind it".

Ripley founded it ironic that despite the differences they shared, they also had a lot of similarities.

Elia opened his house and showed her in. 

Ripley was amazed everything was huge and made out of glass and marble inside his house.

"What does your mom do?"

"She's a Judge".

"Wow, that's so badass," She said impressed.

Elias laughed He supposes he never saw it that way; but now that he thought about it. Yeah, his mom was a badass.

"So where's the bathroom?" she asked.

"Down the hall"

"Okay, thanks!"

When Ripley left, Elia hurried to the kitchen and used the microwave as a makeshift mirror to fix his hair. 

What was he doing? He thought. She's just a friend, that's all. Elias grips his cane tightly and a sigh of frustration came over him again because no matter what he did he's never going to be the same again.

"Hey, you okay?"

Elias jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Uh, yeah, I was just wondering if I wanted anything to eat how about you?"

"What do you have?"

Elias opened the door, and it was packed. His mom must have gone shopping yesterday before coming home from work.

"You want some grilled cheese?"

"Oh, that's too much, I can't ask that of you".

"No Ripley, I'm offering. Do you want grilled cheese?" He asked again.

"Um, sure" she responded shyly.

Elias noticed that Ripley's shyness was like a wave. It comes and goes all while being dependent on the wind. Ripley did not like asking for things that much he knew. There have already been a few times where he's just had to give her things because she would be too shy to ask for any of it herself.

Elias began throwing ingredients down on top of the marbled counter. She watched him with fascination as he moved his way through the kitchen she found it attractive and began to wonder how it would be if he did this regularly; but as quick as that thought came she quickly shut it out. 

It was safe to say he liked her, that bouquet was a definite slap to the face but there was still the whole Jason and Sarh thing. 

If the tables were turned wouldn't she want him to tell her if people were going around calling her a murderer? Maybe?

Elias finished making their sandwiches and placed both onto separate plates before handing one to her.

Ripley picked it up and took a big bite. When she pulled back; stringy cheese followed her and refused to relent she nodded her head.

"So what's the verdict?"

"Probably the best-grilled cheese I've ever had in my life".

"That good?"

"The best".

They chuckled and then Elia pulled out a small T.V screen attached to the kitchen wall.

"We can watch something here while we eat" and that's what they did as they ate on the kitchen counter.

Afterward, they began talking about movies and eventually made their way into the living room watching a cheesy scary movie on low volume so that they could mock the dialogue and laughed at the character's decisions. 

The mood was nice. The energy was calm this was perhaps the most talkative she's ever seen him and she wished they could just stay that way forever but a deep nagging feeling set at the pit of her stomach. Was she being a bad friend by not telling him about the things she's been hearing? Or did she want to bask in her own selfish desires just a little bit longer? Then what about Yadiel's advice?

"Hey, are you okay? You look worried Is it about the project?"

Ripley would have smiled if her stomach hadn't twisted in a thousand Knotts.

"Elias I have to tell you something".