Sweet Illusions

"I don't need no ring, no I don't need anything, but you and me 'cause in your company I feel happy- oh so happy and complete." Elliot sang as she poured a cup of coffee into her cup. She pulled her hair up into a pony tail, humming to herself before she turned to see Kennedy standing behind her. "Jesus, you scared the crap out of me," she gasped.

"Sorry, you seem happy, what exactly happened this weekend? You kinda disappeared," Kennedy said, pouring himself a cup of coffee before standing across from her leaning on the ivory kitchen counter. Her heart stopped remembering the evening.

"Uh, John and I just went somewhere to talk and watch the fireworks," Elliot shrugged, feeling an involuntary blush creep on her cheeks before she stalled time before sipping her coffee. She adjusted her loose tank top that draped over her protruding collar bones, she felt light. Every step she took felt like she was floating.

"Now is talk and watch the fireworks code for something or did you actually do it?" Kennedy asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Elliot let out a laugh before shaking her head, she stared vacantly, wondering what that would even be code for 'watch the fireworks'. She looked up and Kennedy's eyes were wide with an expectant stare.

"No, it's not code for anything, so if Madison sent you out here to give me a yet another warning, you don't have to worry about it. You may continue the sex-capades with my best friend, and before you ask how I know, these walls are pretty thin," Elliot scoffed and she smiled, tilting her head. Kennedy ruffled his hair uncomfortably, resulting in an awkward silence between the two of them. Well, Elliot wasn't feeling awkward, but she could tell Kennedy was.

"Look, Maddie just wanted me to look out for you and make sure you didn't fall for John," Kennedy said after clearing his throat, he crossed his arms leaning back as if he was standing down. Elliot smiled, she was grateful for them, it was nice to have friends standing behind you no matter what.

"And I appreciate it and I promise I won't, but I'm going to call Jared to see if you and Madison can get alone time," Elliot laughed, grabbing her phone and coffee cup before turning to walk out the front door. "Be safe, kiddos!" Elliot called out before closing the door, seeing Kennedy's middle finger extended into the living room. She smiled, pulling down her plaid boxer shorts and dialed Jared's number.

"Hey Elle, what's up?" Jared answered after two rings.

"Hey, so I've been sexiled, can I come over?" Elliot asked, the cement under her feet had been roasting in the sun and was burning her feet. She muttered indiscernibly as she started walking down the stairs towards Jared and John's apartment not waiting for an answer.

"Uh, yeah, we're having breakfast and we are not decently dressed, but come on over!" Jared let out a laugh, before dragging out the word 'over' festively. She smiled right as she came up to their apartment and knocked on the door, hearing the knock double over through the phone. "Is that you?" Jared asked.

"Yeah, it's me. Open up, I'm in my pajamas and the neighbors are staring at me," Elliot said in a faux-whine, she knocked again in a tune. Elliot smiled as the door swung open and revealed two guys with bed head and clad only in boxers. "Finally, the old lady across the way is totally judging me," Elliot pushed into the apartment, softly giggling.

"Pajama party!" Jared called out in a flamboyant voice, closing the door and returning into their messy box-filled kitchen. "Oh, do I smell French Vanilla? Why, thank you for bringing us coffee, too!" Jared said in a sarcastic voice, leaning over and whiffing her half-filled mug.

"Why, yes it is French Vanilla and I have it because I actually unpacked my coffee maker instead of just leaving it a box marked 'Kitchen Shit'," Elliot laughed, reading a box titled 'kitchen shit' stacked atop of several other brown boxes.

"Hey don't hate the box, can I just have a sip?" John muttered, his eyes still heavy from sleep and envy in his eyes as they traced the Frosty the Snowman mug in her hands. She held it away from his reaching arm, almost hugging it protectively. "Please, please, please?" John jutted out his bottom lip and opened his eyes wide.

"Ugh, fine, only because you're probably not going to stop bothering me till you get your way," Elliot smiled, holding out the mug to him. He took a sip gratefully before passing it back, their eyes locked and a blush on their cheeks. John and Elliot both felt their pulses racing in their veins, the secret both of them, the moment they snuck away still fresh on their minds.

"God, could y'all please just start dating and save everyone else the trouble," Jared groaned out, pouring a bowl of Coco Puffs into a bowl and grabbing milk out of the fridge and Elliot turned to face the redhead with a playful smile.

"Mmm, maybe if you share your cereal and milk, I'll trade you for coffee. You'd have to go at your own risk though, I barely got any sleep with the noises they were making," Elliot shuddered, her eyes growing vacant as she feigned trauma. She figured a barter would deter the awkward moment that would've probably followed Jared's comment.

"Oh, damn, there's always a catch! Well, you can have some of my Coco Puffs, but John is very protective of his Fruity Pebbles," Jared said in a matter-of-factly tone, his voice muffled by the cereal in his mouth.

"Bummer, Fruity Pebbles are my favorite," Elliot dragged out, sighing loudly before her eyes crossed the kitchen to meet John's. She gave him a sweet smile, concealing the fact her heart skipped a beat. There was something electric between them, something that made her forget to remember that this was just a game.

"You can have some Fruity Pebbles," John smiled, as he walked out of the kitchen he brushed past her, his fingers extended and caressed the bare skin on her thigh. She lost her breath and followed him out with her eyes before shaking off the moment and pouring herself a bowl of Fruity Pebbles.

"I know something you don't know," Jared sang, in a hushed voice. Elliot immediately assumed it had something to do with John, otherwise he wouldn't be mumbling.

"Oh yeah? Wanna tell me?" Elliot asked, crossing her ankles as she sat up on the kitchen counter. It was strange being in the same apartment model that was completely different from the girly, decorated apartment she lived in. She looked back to Jared and saw a thoroughly entertained look on his face. "Jared, so help me God, if you're gonna withhold information-" Elliot began to threaten as she pointed the silver spoon at him.

"John likes you, and he's gonna ask you out soon," Jared interrupted as if he was a fourteen-year-old girl letting out a big piece of gossip and waited for her reaction. Honestly she didn't know how to react, but as she looked at the Fruity Pebbles, and smiled. "I don't know what you did to him, but I like the change," Jared tagged on quietly before John walked back into the kitchen and saw both of them staring at him.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing," Jared and Elliot said in unison, before looking at each other and laughing. She just put another spoonful in her mouth to avoid saying anything. Boys were resilient and just changed the subject to movies they wanted to see or something like that, but Elliot was preoccupied with the battle going on in her mind.

"Elle, Elle, Elle, Elllliiioottttt," She heard Jared singing her name annoyingly trying to capture her attention until she looked over with a raised eyebrow and mouthed 'what', taking a cool sip of her coffee. "Dude, you were zoning hardcore, I was about to have John call the ambulance in case you were in a coma or something," Jared laughed, taking a giant bite of his Coco Puffs, which he had simply poured into a giant salad bowl and was eating it with a serving spoon. She was shocked, at how he ate what seemed like a whole box worth.

"Not in a coma, although I am running low on coffee and if I don't get my regular caffeine intake I will be," Elliot played off with a smile on her lips, jutting out her bottom lip at the minor setback at hand. Jared simply shook his head as John came out fully dressed in skinny jeans and a white v-neck over a pair of white vans.

"So the new shoes, yes or no?" John asked, posing in modelesque stances, pouting out his lips trying to seem sexual and Elliot couldn't help but laugh. The more John and Elliot opened up to each other the more they likable qualities they found in each other.

"Oh totally fabulous girl, you work those shoes," Elliot flapped her hand in an obnoxious valley girl accent, trying to hold back giggles that were tightening her abs. She loved being seeing this side of him, the goofy and weird side that was congruous with hers. Jared looked at the pair interacting and laughed smugly, like an all knowing love guru who saw this coming and wanted to say 'I told you so'.

"Better ask her soon, girl like that doesn't stay on the market too long," Jared whispered to John, but not as quietly as he thought since Elliot's face reddened as if she was twelve again. She pretended not to hear it and went along putting her empty cereal bowl in the sink and tried to keep herself busy.

"So what are your plans for today?" Elliot asked, changing the subject completely once Jared had retreated to his room.

"Hanging out with you, if that works for you?" John stated with a raised inflection at the end, making it sound like a question. Elliot would normally give him shit for that, but it was too sweet for her to ruin.

"That works perfectly for me," She smiled.

"Perfect."

In reality she knew better, this situation was far from perfect.