Unlike the other boys, Nate knew her well enough to understand what she meant by home.  Not a day had gone by in their friendship when he hadn't been envious of the relationship she had with her father. He could still remember how proud she looked when explaining how much her dad had sacrificed for her. The ginormous grin on her face as she laughed about all the things they used to do together. Before frowning and turning the mood on its side as she quietly mumbled about how much she missed him. The only time she ever travelled back home to see him was in the longer holidays such as Christmas and over the summer. And it was from this knowledge that he knew something vital about Eleanor and how she was feeling right now. It didn't matter where she was. Home would always be where she was with the person she loved. And she loved no one more than her father.

He knew that she wanted - no - needed to be with him right now. She had fallen into the kind of state that only a parent could pull her out of. So lost in her own emotions that only the person who brought her up could set her back on the right path. But her father wasn't here right now, unfortunately, and, even worse, there was no way she could possibly confide in him about this without further exposing their secret. So he thought about what Eleanor's dad would do, although he had never actually met him, and decided that she could probably do with a hug. Along with maybe some words of reassurance. Even if they were just empty promises. 

Moving round to the other side of the counter, he cautiously approached the still sobbing Eleanor. Out of the corner of his eye, he could faintly see Flynn and Liam mouthing things at him such as, "what the hell are you doing?" and, "you'll just make it worse." Which were all fair comments, really, as neither of the boys really had any experience with comforting people, especially women. They were more of the sit and watch while someone cried type, hopeless and containing no knowledge of what to say or do. And Nate would usually do the same but...but this was Eleanor. He had to at least try something.

He wrapped one arm around her, rocking her gently from side to side in an attempt to gain her attention. "Eleanor," he murmured softly, grasping her a little tighter when her body continued to shake beneath his fingertips. Causing his own hands to tremble along with her. "Ellie," he tried coaxing her in with a familiar nickname, cooing slightly in his withering scheme to try and get her to snap out of whatever state she was in. He wasn't quite sure what was going through her head right now, but he knew that it needed to stop. "It's okay, princess," he used the name that he knew her father called her, hoping for it to bring her some sense of comfort, "it'll all be alright." He began to gently rub her shoulder, smiling ever so slightly when her sobs quietened to small hiccups. "You'll be alright, Ellie, but you're tired now. Exhausted, even and you need some rest. Why don't you just stay here for the night so that you can get some sleep right away? I'll phone the school and let them know where you are. Just...just stay the night, okay? Get some rest."

Eleanor had mainly stopped shaking now, voice clogged up with tears as she tilted her watery gaze up to look at him. "O...okay."

Nate nodded, smiling now as he guided her back onto her feet. One arm still secured around her shoulders, almost as if he was afraid she might fall without support. "Alright then, Liam can you please make sure Eleanor finds her way back to her room? And Flynn, stay here for a minute. I need to ask you a few questions about what just happened."

Liam scowled, slightly disappointed at having a delay in the pressing information before promptly realising that he was being incredibly selfish. It wasn't like they wouldn't tell him when he got back and, besides, it seemed as if Eleanor needed someone right now. Eleanor...Eleanor. God damn it, Eleanor. He had no clue how to act around her anymore. He had built a relationship off of insults and situations where they had the ability to tease and ridicule each other. But now...now he had hugged her and...and comforted her and - damn it. The hug had been on reflex. He had no idea where it had come from, or what it even meant to either of them. What the hell was he meant to do now? He was usually so good at planning things out. Hell, he had planned out their whole relationship without her even knowing it. But now...now it was different. He had never pictured a situation where she would be as frightened and confused as this. As upset. How was he meant to act in this kind of situation? Damn. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by the presence of a hard nudge delivered by Flynn, who was seated next to him at the counter. The blonde had seen his friend's scowl transform into a familiar, shell-shocked expression. It was the same look he had worn upon first meeting Eleanor. He knew exactly what Liam was thinking.  "Calm down, dude," he hissed in his ear just quiet enough for Nate and Eleanor not to hear, "you're walking her up to her room, not taking her out to dinner. You'll be fine. Just let her know that someone's there for her, she probably feels really alone right now."

Liam let out a sigh, nodding once as he felt his whole body relieve itself of tension. Flynn was right. He was blowing things out of proportion. Eleanor just needed someone to get her back to her room. No big deal. He didn't even have to talk to her. He could go to bed straight afterwards and have a long, hard think about how the hell he was meant to act around her now. He had no idea where this nervousness had suddenly come from. He had always been okay with the role of a secret admirer but now...now that Luke had found her anyway...he actually had a shot at this and it was...terrifying.

Eleanor's world was still a little bit fragmented, the last remaining tear in her right eye causing the world to have a sort of kaleidoscope effect. She had to blink away the last shield of pain to see Liam. Standing there. Giving her a small smile as he waited for her to follow him. A little thought nagged at the back of her head, whispering that it was more than a little weird to have Liam being nice to her. But she was too tired to act on it. So she delicately removed Nate's arm from around her shoulders and spun to face him, hoping to see something on his dark features that gave her some sort of hint. That even though he had kept something from her, he was still the same person that she had always known him to be.

"I'll see you in the morning, Ellie."

She acknowledged him with the small movement of her head, keeping her eyes rooted on his face as she searched for something in his expression that could give away what he was thinking. The shifting ground beneath her feet had stopped moving but it wasn't in the same arrangement as before. Leaving her confused and a little bit disorientated. But at least she had the state of mind to think now. Along with her natural urge to fix anything that was broken. "We'll talk in the morning, yeah?" She stood directly in front of him, having to tilt her head up slightly to meet his eyes. The inky shadow his hair provided made them seem a little brighter than usual.

A small smile tugged up at his lips. "Of course."

Eleanor felt a little bit of her usual spark flare back up inside of her at the sight of the upturn of his lips, the rare occurrence only reserved for people that he cared about perhaps making her believe that everything would be okay. Because...this was Nate. The guy who had been her friend for years. There was a difference between hiding something and lying. She was about to find out which one was worse. "And you better tell me what the hell is going on in the morning, or else I'll have no choice but to remove the part of your body that enables you to have children."

Nate chuckled, the sound almost relieved as he saw some of her violent humour return. She was going to be okay. "Aye aye captain," he mock saluted, suddenly turning his face stoic of all emotion in a military-like manner. Although he couldn't help but feel his lips twitch a little when this earned him a small giggle and punch on the arm. 

He watched as she followed Liam out of the kitchen, giving her a nod to confirm hell knows what when she turned back round to look at him one last time. He was still smiling. It was only after she turned the corner that Flynn began wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, piercing glinting in the overhead light as he did so. And Nate could swear he knew what he was going to say before he said it. "Dude, you are so whipped." And, for the first time, Nate didn't even try to object, just knowingly nodded his head with the same smile that had yet to fade.

|

The couple walked in silence, navigating the dark house with nothing but a few glances to ensure that the other was still there. Footsteps muffled as they transitioned from polished wood to carpet. Amplified as they once again struck the wooden panels situated at the back of the large house. Just outside Eleanor's newly assigned room. A slight halt as he pushed open the door. Breathing somewhat in sync as the door let out a groan of protest at being opened after so many years of being unused. This had once been Bronwyn's room, the calming blue of the walls shadowed by the howling darkness outside. Liam could still remember her running around the room with a paint brush at the age of fifteen, laughing and giggling as she somehow managed to induce herself in on a paint war with his older brother. 

The room was lifeless now. 

He remembered his shock upon Nate announcing that Eleanor would be staying in this room only a few hours ago. The door had remained firmly shut for at least four years straight, the wood of the object becoming accustomed to the contact between itself and the frame that contained it. It wasn't really a surprise that it creaked more than the rest of the doors in the house, although they all did make their fair share of complaints at being moved from one position to the next. But it was to be expected. It was an old house, after all. 

There was a small balcony on the other side of the room, the door leading open to it tall and thin as it showcased the twinkling of the stars outside. It was a reasonably clear night, and the drawn curtains of all the other windows refused to showcase the sight. But, for some reason, the curtains caging in that terrace had never been closed. Left hanging open like a frame exhibiting a work of art in a museum. He could almost picture the moment he had walked into this room, the curtains billowing in the faint wind as laughter escaped from what appeared to be the empty night. Only to squint a little more closely at the image and see two shadowy figures perched on the very edge of the balcony, seated on the railing as one rested their head on the shoulder of the other. Blacked out by the lack of light. Almost blending into the darkness. Bronwyn and Luke had been so in love back then, it was almost shocking at how quickly that craved emotion could transform into something darker. 

Liam flicked on the light switch.

And the blue of the walls was blinding once more. Just as it had been the first time he'd seen it. The whole room was a breathing metaphor. The colour of a bright, blue sky apart from one small stripe in the right corner, the little bit that Luke had been able to get his hands on. When he had mixed the colour a little too dark for Bronwyn's liking. 

Eleanor walked over and seated herself on the bed, leaving Liam lost in his thoughts as he leaned against the doorframe. Images were continuously flashing through his head, the four walls of the bedroom containing so much more than empty space. It was stuffed to the brim with memories, both full of joy and pain. But more joy. So much joy that it was physically painful to stand there and observe the too bright colour of the walls. Still standing. Still that stunning slice of sky that perfectly resembled the girl who lived in it. The girl that was now gone, the walls mocking all that once was and all that never could be. It was no wonder Nate had shut this door and, then, thinking back to the girl who sat in this room now, he could see exactly why he had opened it again. Eleanor had the same amount of colour as Bronwyn, pigments rolling off her tongue in the same kind of way that Bronwyn had always managed to master. And, while she was far from the colour of blue, it wouldn't hurt for the walls to see a touch of fiery red. 

Eleanor brought life to the house just as Bronwyn had.

And, it was for that reason, that Liam didn't move to close the curtains covering the balcony. Because Bronwyn had never closed them either and, something was telling him that Eleanor wouldn't want to shut the sky out either. There was something similar in the two girls. And it was that they much preferred to let the light in than shut it out. 

"Did you know?" Eleanor's quiet voice pulled him from his contemplation, gaze torn away from the walls to look at her figure seated on the bed. She had tucked her long hair behind her ears, the several piercings in her lobes twinkling more so than the stars waiting just outside the window. Her expression was thoughtful, eyebrows pulled together in confusion as her lips pressed together in what appeared to be concentration. Then her eyes met his. And he was once again struck by how each iris somehow managed to catch all the colours at once. "Did you know about Brendan?" Her voice cracked as she said his name, and he couldn't help but move towards her. Sitting next to her on the bed so that there were a fair few inches between them.

He contemplated being in her shoes. What she would want to hear from him. But then he thought over it again, and decided that this was Eleanor. Blunt. Fiery. And valued trust and friendship more than anything else. She wouldn't care what the answer was, as long as it was the truth. He let out a sigh at this revelation. Knowing that she probably wouldn't like it, but sensing that it was probably best to be honest all the same. "Yeah," he said the word as he exhaled the breath he had been holding in, making it sound more like a whisper in the wind than anything. He ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I knew. We all did."

Eleanor nodded, feeling her shoulders slump at the admission. Casting her gaze down to the floor. "Oh." She wasn't entirely sure why that made the whole situation worse. But, somehow, it did. It didn't even seem believable to her. That someone could actually be Death? It seemed...impossible. And for someone she knew to be that kind of...that kind of whatever the hell it was and then...on top of that...for...for other people to know. Hell, for someone to have the capability to see the future. It was insane. It made her feel small and insignificant, like she had been living in a bubble her whole life, floating up and up and up, looking towards the sky the entire time. Only for it to pop and have her tumbling down towards a universe that she no longer recognised. 

Liam seemed to sense the impending feeling of hopelessness that was creeping back up on her once more, because she felt the bed shift when he moved a little closer to her. He picked up her tanned hand in his pale one and held it up so it was directly between them. The sudden action made her wide eyes snap towards him, only to find him smiling at her warmly and his eyes looking darker than ever. "Don't feel bad about it, Skittles." For the first time, the nickname made her smile a little. A little sense of familiarity in a bizarre situation. "Think about it like your hand," he gave hers a little squeeze as he mentioned it, "you see the skin on the outside, you know it's there. And you've been told stories about the bones and blood that are inside of it but...you've never actually seen them. Not unless you accidentally cut into your skin and draw that blood out. But...you've always known the blood is there. You always knew there was something beneath the skin. I guess...in this situation...you might have guessed there was something a little amiss with Brendan because, let's face it, he's a really, really weird guy," she laughed a little at his sour expression at the description of her ex-boyfriend, "you just never really cut deeper into the skin to discover what was underneath." He set her hand back down into the shrinking space between them, rolling his shoulders back and portraying something close to a wince. "Sorry, that was a really crappy analogy. I probably just confused you even more."

Eleanor shook her head with a laugh, although agreeing that the analogy might not have been the best she had ever heard. "Meh...it was alright," she shrugged, unable to wipe the smile from her lips as she took in the sight of his cheeks that were slowly turning a deep tinge of red. "It's the thought that counts though."

Liam nodded, standing up and rubbing the back of his neck in what appeared to be a little bit of embarrassment. "Yeah...out of the three of us it's Flynn who tends to have a way with words."

Eleanor laughed again, reminded of all the times she had seen Flynn weaving his words into yet another girl's head. "I'm sure all the girls he's gone out with will agree."

Now it was his turn to laugh, stopping in his pathway to exit the room as he saw the mentioned blonde boy standing in the hallway, eyebrow raised with his arms crossed over his chest as he made no attempt to hide that he had probably been eavesdropping in on their whole conversation. Liam only smirked at his confident expression, turning back to Eleanor and bidding her with the words, "well, Flynn always was the one out of us who read the most romance novels so I guess it makes sense," which resulted in a shoe being hurled at his face and a certain blue-eyed glare. "Farewell, Eleanor, see you in the morning." And with that, he turned to face the blonde boy grinning like a cheshire cat. But it wasn't for the reason Liam thought. Oh no, Flynn just couldn't wait for Liam to realise that Nate was falling for the exact same girl. 

_

Oh my goodness, revision is killing me in ways you wouldn't understand. It's writing smushy chapters like these that really gets my mood up. Hope you're all doing okay and are enjoying the book so far! I'm trying to come up with a new and adapted updating schedule, as it's a bit all over the place at the moment. My guess is it will probably be along the lines of Fridays and Mondays or something like that but we'll see! Until then, stay awesome <3