Meetup on Erie

[Byron]

Even more blushing – she didn’t even try anymore to suppress it, as it was hopeless -, Elena turned her head towards him. She must have probably looked completely silly, smiling the whole time like some random retard, but in the end, it was simply the way she was feeling right now. Nobody was around who could annoy her, only John, and he for sure wasn’t an annoying prick, just the opposite. “Thanks”, she said, as she didn’t know what else to say about his compliment. Her blushing was enough in her opinion to clearly tell John what she thought. “Oh … and, I’m neither vegetarian nor vegan. I love meat, you know?”

As John filled the two glasses, Elena instantly went for the glass of orange juice. After waiting for him to grab the other one, she raised hers. “Cheers! On some nice and relaxing hours!” As she put her glass down again after she had taken a small sip, she went through the range of food John had prepared. Once again, she was fascinated of how much he had thought about this meeting. It kind of was a compliment in itself, she thought. In fact, it had been a long time since somebody had shown such an emphasis on making her feel comfortable. She would enjoy every single bit of this, as long as it still lasted.

Finally, she made a decision and grabbed one of the sandwiches, one of which she thought would taste the best. Before beginning to eat though, she looked at John again. This time not so full of joy than the last ones. In fact, she looked at him rather concerned. It wasn’t because of him, but rather because of what he asked her, as it brought the thoughts back that had tormented her for a while already. Thoughts about the disaster in Pennsylvania. Thoughts about her friend Nick. Thoughts about how much she thought she had screwed up in the course of only one day.

Having to sort her mind, she stared at him for a moment, not knowing what to say. “Uhm … well. I … I don’t know really. The last days have been kinda hard for me to be honest.”