I nod slowly and rise out of the chair. Someone please tell me why I joined this band? “Hendrix would also like a legit Hendrix song if you have one.” I walk out of her office and back into the studio. Everyone looks hopeful when I walk back in, but I hold up my hands and shake my head.
22
Eleanora
By the time I get back to the apartment, it’s well after dinner. Kellie’s sitting on the couch, fast forwarding through some show she recorded. She doesn’t turn as I walk in or say hi, and for some reason, this upsets me. I know we’re only roommates and have lived together for a while now, and this is definitely something neither of us did in school, but today I need her to acknowledge me, to give me pity.
I plop down next to her with the heaviest sigh I can manage, and make sure to emit a loud groan.
“He still hasn’t called?”
“Nope.” The p is popped as if I’m a middle schooler smarting off to her parents.
“Well, at least you didn’t give him what he was after.”
“I know.”
Kellie leans forward and pushes the white take-out cartons toward me. “It’s still warm. If I had known you were coming back, I would’ve ordered double.”
“I should’ve called.” Reaching for the food, I grab the unused chopsticks, break them apart and dig into the noodles.
Kellie pauses the show she’s watching and turns to me. “You don’t have to call when you’re not here, Eleanora. We’re roommates. That doesn’t mean we have to check in with each other. I’m sorry if I made you feel that way with my earlier comment.”
The tears are instant. I hate them. I drop the carton into my lap and cover my face. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I was having so much fun and it’s like the air is leaking out of my balloon and I can’t…” I hiccup and sob harder.
Kellie’s laughing. “Are you seriously saying your life’s a balloon? You’re a piece of latex rubber that can pop, deflate, be full of hot hair, and look like a… well I’m not even naming that body part.”
I half choke, laugh, gag. I don’t know what I’m doing. “No. Maybe? I don’t know. It seemed like the smartest thing to say. Like my sail has no wind or whatever. I’m frustrated.”
“Girl, you have a crush and have been let down. It happens. It’s why I won’t date until that one guy comes along.”
“Rhett,” I blurt out. She blushes and turns away from me. Kellie reaches for the remote, but my hand comes down on top of hers.
“I went to the park today. It was beautiful, peaceful and hectic. There were so many people there I couldn’t think. I dropped my phone and completely shattered the screen so even if I wanted to call you, I couldn’t. It took two hours for the guy in one of the strip m
alls to replace the glass. He kept stopping to talk on his phone, and I could tell they weren’t customers.” I take a deep breath. “Anyway, what I’m saying is, I spoke to Rhett today, and well I think he likes you too, but he won’t act on any feelings because of me.”
I slide my hand over hers and squeeze. “I think that if you like Rhett and he likes you, well you both should explore a relationship. I’ll still love you no matter what. Definitely you more than him, but you know what I mean.”
Kellie laughs, sort of. She looks everywhere but at me, until she finally launches herself into me, pushing me onto the couch in a massive hug.
“Can’t breathe,” I whisper-groan. She releases her hold and helps me sit up.
“You are the best person I have ever known, Eleanora. I’m madly in love with your brother.”
“Good. He’ll be here in a couple of days to help me drive home.”
Her eyes go wide. “You’re leaving?”
I nod and fight back the next wave of tears. “It’s time. I realized today that I’m homesick. I haven’t been back there in a few years and I miss the trees, the cooking and believe it or not the humidity.”
The back of her hand presses to my forehead as if she’s my mother checking for a fever. “Are you feeling okay? No one misses humidity.”
I finally crack a smile. “I know. It’s hard to explain. I just miss being there.”
“And Roy. Do you miss him?”
“Oh hell no. That’s over. I told him as such. He can believe me if he wants, or not. We’re done.”