AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Helen comes over to me as Mads steals treats from the kitchen. “How are you two?”
“So good,” I breathe, tears brewing in my eyes. “So good,” I repeat.
Helen clasps my face in her small hands and smiles up at me.
Mads comes back in. “Mom, back off my man,” She jokes and hearing her say ‘my man’ makes me want to curl up in a fetal position and cry. Mads walks over holding a small ball of chocolate filled with peanut butter. “Try this, Elliot.”
She feeds it to me and I chew slowly, already loving her family’s buckeye recipe. “So good,” I tell her with a smile.
In the last two weeks, we’ve made more new memories.
We took a couple’s cooking class which turned out really well; we learned how to make chicken florentine and we loved it. We tried another new food—Thai this time—and it went much better than the pig intestines. We saw a Broadway show, which was incredible. We both hated to admit that we lived as close as we did to New York City and had never gone to see a show before.
We haven’t slept in the same bed since my nightmare. We haven’t hugged since after our fight. We haven’t kissed since October. Sometimes she would squeeze my arm affectionately or swat me playfully. I lived for those brief moments of contact.
As much as I missed our physical relationship, and I really did, I was more than happy to have my best friend back.
I was working during the week, full time again. Mads was shadowing her class’s substitute teacher three days a week, trying to prepare to go back full-time soon. She studied her curriculum non-stop and was getting ready to take her teaching re-certification test.
On weekends we went on dates and during the week we found new movies and shows to watch.
Tonight, we decide to watch the ‘Saw’ movies. All of them.
Neither of us are a fan of horror movies, something I reminded Mads of, so I’m not entirely sure why Mads insisted on a movie marathon of the Saw movies. She had been watching through her fingers before switching to hiding under the blanket, and now she is watching through the camera on her phone despite my teasing.
“Mads! You’re not even watching!” I say laughing and she shushes me. She is terrified but still can’t look away.
Something gruesome happens in the movies and she lets out a comical shriek. “No…no…that’s too far…I don’t think I can finish this,” She exclaims, ducking under the blanket completely.
“I’m turning it off,” I decide and she half-heartedly protests. “Mads there are plenty of movie marathons that we can watch, actually watch, that won’t scar us for life.”
She sighs. “You’re right.” I click to go back to the TV home-screen. “I think I need some of The Office to make me feel better.”
“Good idea.” I find her favorite show and put on a random episode and we both relax . After a few minutes I notice that she islooking at me. “You okay?”
She looks down, nervous. I immediately get worried. “Can you…rub my feet?” She murmurs. I almost don’t hear her, she speaks so softly. I smile as my heart warms.
“Hell yeah, give ‘em to me.” She smiles and turns so her feet are propped up on my lap. I pull her fuzzy socks off and start to rub her feet.
She moans then quickly covers her mouth. I look at her, eyebrows raised, amused. “I don’t know where that sound came from.” She giggles behind her palm, her cheeks pink.
“It came from your ‘sole’.” I tap the sole of her foot with my finger. She playfully kicks me, and I tickle the bottom of her foot. She jerks away, laughing.
“You’re quite the jokester,” She finally says, putting her feet back in my lap and laying back on the pillow.
“You brought out a side of me I never knew I had,” I muse and she smiles softly.
“Yeah…I don’t remember this side of you in high school,” She laughs.
“I don’t think I smiled once in high school,” I admit.
“Not even on picture day?” She asks and I laugh.
“Definitely not.”
“Not even for your past girlfriends?” She mocks. We had the awkward “exes” talk about a week ago. She was curious after learning about Lucas. It was just as difficult and awkward as it was the first time, especially retelling the story about Will. But, like the first time, she was understanding and not judgmental at all. God, I love her.
“You’re my first ever girlfriend,” I remind her.
