Little Bit of Truth

Awkward did not begin to cover the situation at hand. Here she was, barefoot, in someone’s backyard, someone that she barely knew with a man’s arm around her waist while his face had a smirk on it that Eliza had an uncontrollable urge to slap off. The man’s mother seemed to be beaming which only made Eliza all the more uncomfortable while his siblings merely looked at her, inquisitive and thoughtful.

“Leave the poor girl alone Noah. You only met her because you bumped into her this morning.” Eliza heard Ed say. She sighed in relief.

“Father, you should have let me continue the charade for a bit longer.” Noah protested.

“If it continued for another moment, Eliza here would have been at your throat for making her so uncomfortable.” Ed said giving Noah a knowing smile.

Eliza shook herself from Noah’s grip and made a face.

“I don’t think there’s enough sanitizer in the world to rid me of your germs.”

“Doll, we’re not in year 2, stop being so immature.” Noah said.

“Noah, stop talking to me or so help me God, I will hit you so hard that it’ll knock the accent out of you.”

“Father, this bird is threatening me. You hear that, right?”

Ed ignored the arguing pair and turned to his remaining family’s questioning looks.

“Eliza moved here from the States this week. I took her to her hotel the day she arrived at Heathrow. Today, Noah bumped into her and knocked the cake over and then proceeded to blame her. She was nice enough to bring a new one but Noah seems to be forgetting his manners.” Ed quickly explained.

“I did not bump into her! She ran into me!” Noah protested. It seemed that protests and exclamations would be the dominant forms of communication between Noah and Eliza in the course of their … relationship, if you will.

“You most certainly did bump into me and please, he would forget his manners if he had any to begin with.” Eliza retorted.

After what seemed like hours of arguing when it was actually mere moments, Luke grabbed Noah and Ivy took Eliza into the house.

“I’m Ivy. You seem to get along quite well with my brother.” The blonde girl said with a smirk.

“What can I say? He brings out the best in me.” Eliza answered sarcastically.

“I like you, for an American you’re quite alright.”

“For Noah’s sister, you’re quite alright.” Eliza said.

It seemed, at that moment, that London was a good idea. She was here a week and she had already found a family that welcomed her. Rose was quite kind to Eliza, assuring her that she was accustomed to Noah’s antics, and Luke was the silent type, the kind that rarely spoke but when they did, it was sheer brilliance. Ivy was the girl friend that had been absent from Eliza’s life for the past twenty years. Ed was a jolly man and Eliza’s heart warmed at the idea of sheer strangers inviting her into their house and their lives. Even while living in Pine Creek, the town she had spent six months in, she had only made friends with Nicholas and that was by sheer chance.

London was like a horizon for Eliza. People often spend their lives staring off into horizons, hoping to somehow reach that tip, that sliver of the horizon. The horizon was the one entity that all sought and few got, it was their happiness. It seemed twenty-year old Eliza Marie Barnes had her horizon at the tips of her fingertips. So close, yet so far. Eliza shook her head from such stupid thoughts as Rose blew out the candles on her cake. This was her first week in London, getting attached was the last thing she needed or wanted. Following that get-together, Eliza promised Ivy a shopping trip and Rose a night over for dinner and left.

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A week later, Eliza had fallen into a routine. She would head to work in the morning for she had been given the dreaded morning shift and open the book shop. She would deal with rude customers, lost customers, confused customers and the occasional window-shopper, although window shopping in a book store was incomprehensible for Eliza. Thankfully, she steered clear of the coffee-serving portion of the store, she had no patience for indecisive people.

It was on a slow Saturday afternoon that Noah came into Strand Bookstore to pick up Ivy’s order. Apparently, books were not all the same. He was here to pick up “a leather-bound copy of Pride and Prejudice” Ivy had told him. Why she needed a leather-bound copy when she already had a paperback copy was beyond Noah but he knew better than to question Ivy.

He went to the cash register to ask for the order only to be greeted by a feisty brunette knocked out at the register.

“Oy twat, wake up and do your job. I’m here to pick up an order.” Noah screamed, not being able to control himself from irritating Eliza. He knew it was quite elementary of him, but he enjoyed getting a rise out of her.

Eliza glared at the grinning dark-haired buffoon but kept her tongue. She knew better than to yell at a customer, regardless of how annoying they were.

“Name?” She asked in an indifferent tone.

“Ivy Evansson.” Noah answered her.

Eliza went into the backroom, picked up the book and brought it back to the front.

“Is that all twat?” She asked Noah.

“Yes dearest Eliza. Also, Mum wants you to come over for dinner tonight. She’s probably going to have Ivy ring you but since I’m here and I’m oh so considerate I thought I’d give you a heads up. You’ll need time to fix that … that entire appearance of yours.” He said before quickly walking out of the shop.

Eliza burned holes into Noah’s retreating figure. Something about him made her guts churn and it wasn’t in a lovey dovey or nervous manner either.

True to his word, Eliza did receive a call from Ivy informing her of dinner. Eliza secretly smiled, now she had an excuse to wear a dress.