Page 24 of Eleanor & Grey
She blushed, but she tried to keep me from noticing her reddening cheeks. She turned away from me a bit, and it was fucking adorable.
“Oh, cool,” she said. “I’ve never really had coffee, though.”
“What?! And you call yourself a bookworm?” I laughed. “I haven’t really drunk coffee either, but we can learn what our favorites are.”
She smiled, and that was fucking adorable too.
I loved it when she smiled, and I meanreallysmiled, showing me all her braces. Her real smiles meant she wasn’t sad for a moment, and that was good. It was so important in life to have a few moments when you weren’t really sad.
We headed to the coffee shop a few blocks away. After we walked in, we tried almost all their specialty drinks.
I wondered if Eleanor noticed my eye twitching from the caffeine high I was experiencing.
Though she probably missed it, because she was busy being really talkative. Maybe that was what happened to her when she had caffeine—she became less shy.
I learned that I liked mochas. Eleanor was more specific about her likes, though: two sugars, one pump of vanilla, extra cream.
After we found our beverages of choice, we stopped talking so much because we were both too busy drinking coffee and reading books. Every now and then, though, she’d glance my way and smile, making me smile back.
Her smile was really growing on me. I could get used to seeing it once a week.
After a few hours, we made the walk back to her place. I loved how she hugged the books against her chest as if she was cradling babies.
“You know what I didn’t think about over the past few hours?” she asked as we reached her front porch.
“What’s that?”
“Cancer.”
I grinned.
Good.
* * *
We started seeing each other more and more, and if we weren’t seeing each other, we were talking on AOL Messenger. I’d tell her my favorite kung fu films, and she’d toss me her favorite novels. Then we’d do the homework of watching the films or reading the books, and we’d report back to each other with our thoughts.
When she’d babysit Molly, she’d first walk to my house, where I’d be sitting on my front porch, waiting for her arrival. Then I’d escort her three houses down, cross the street with her, and walk her to Molly’s. Then as I walked back to my place, I’d think about her smile.
I’d think about her laugh, and her favorite cardigans, and how she’d light up when she talked about a good book. I’d think about how her smile looked more like a frown whenever I asked for an update on her mom. I’d think about the things that made her happiest. I’d think about the things that made her sad.
Everything.
I’d think about it all.
I kept making lists of different things we could do together. Different ways to keep her mind busy. Different ways to have her around me.
Eleanor was beginning to be my first thought in the morning and the last thought before my head hit the pillow at night.
I didn’t know it was possible...
I didn’t know how quickly your heart could begin beating for someone who had been nothing but a stranger a few weeks before.
7Eleanor
Finally I decided to show Greyson the dragonflies. We met in the parking lot of Laurie Lake, and when he arrived, I swore he was more handsome than ever before. He was just wearing a white T-shirt and dark jeans, but to me, he looked amazing.
“Hey.” I smiled.
