Call It Karma

“You guys will eventually have to speak to each other, you realize this, right?” Elliot finally broke the silence as Madison and Kennedy almost seemed like a pair of five-year-olds with their arms crossed and bottom lips out. They were both being stubborn, waiting for the other to apologize. John sat sleepily on the couch watching the couple argue.

“Whatever, I’m going to bed. Don’t start shouting again, you’ll scare Sophie,” Elliot sighed loudly, rolling her eyes as the looks in both Kennedy and Madison’s eyes softened. It was evident, they realized there were more than two people in the relationship. Madison’s eyes quickly scanned over to the baby monitor on the counter, thinking of Eric.

“I’m sorry,” They both said in unison, neither one sounding completely genuine, but it was a start. Elliot looked at John and tried to telecommunicate with him to give them some privacy and in some odd miracle, he stood up saying ‘goodnight’. Elliot smiled as they walked down the hallway before Elliot stood in front of her door, smiling like a school girl at him.

“So admittedly, not the best ending to our first date,” John joked, running his fingers through his sandy blonde hair, a big smile on his lips. She rested her back on the door frame and smirked at him before furrowing her brow.

“Our first date?” She asked for clarification, a contentment swelling up in her stomach. She tried to maintain her cool, but an excited smile gave her away.

“Well, both because we started over, but we never went on a date when we were together… We sort of just started ‘going out’ and yeah,” John blushed, hoping the fact he brought it up would make him seem too… uncool. Elliot’s smile grew and nodded her head, playing back their relationship in her minds realizing he was right.

“Well, best first date I’ve ever been on,” Elliot admitted quietly, her eyes never leaving his as his head slowly tilted down and his hands cupped her cheeks gently. Elliot closed her eyes and felt his lips on hers, it was soft and chaste, but even her toes were tingling. She expected it to deepen, but instead his lips were gone and she opened her eyes a new rose color tinted her cheeks.

She stayed silent, just studying his face as if they would never see each other again until they finally said goodnight and went to their prospective rooms. Elliot had a giant, nerdy smile on her face that she couldn’t contain as she pulled off her clothes and changed into an old t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts and laid in her bed realizing she couldn’t sleep.

She let her inhibitions go as she stood up and walked across the hallway and knocked lightly on the door. Checking over her shoulder to make sure Kennedy and Madison didn’t see her and Sophie was asleep. John stood in front of her slightly shocked, shirtless and in a pair of plaid pajama pants. “This isn’t what it looks like, I just wanted to talk,” Elliot sputtered quickly entering his room and checking once again for Madison and Kennedy.

“Come on in, I guess,” John chuckled, his voice quiet just like hers. She climbed into his bed and he nervously joined her, both of them unsure of what would happen. “What did you wanna talk about?” John asked.

“I don’t know, I just couldn’t sleep,” Elliot blushed, realizing that she hadn’t even thought about what she was doing at that moment. She laid on her side and turned to face him, “What do you wanna talk about?”

“Are you planning on going back to France?” John answered way too quickly, as if he had been thinking about it and Elliot frowned. She had forgotten that technically, this was a visit. She didn’t have an apartment or a job, she didn’t have a plan at all.

“I don’t know, I don’t think so. I haven’t planned it out, I mean I just graduated then all this happened. I think I’m staying here…” Elliot replied, suddenly feeling very unprepared for life. All of her things were in France, she wasn’t even sure what she was going to do. “I guess, I’ve been procrastinating making a plan because I don’t really want to go into the real world,” She blushed at the realization.

“Stay here, join the real world with me,” John said, much more relaxed as she sank into the pillow, tracing her jaw line with his fingers. Elliot didn’t want to have sex with him, well she did, but not right now. She didn’t want this to go too quickly, because she wanted this relationship to succeed.

“John, I don’t this to go too-” She began before getting cut off.

“Elliot, you said you wanted to talk. We’re just talking,” John said, withdrawing his hand and laying flat on his back and staring at the ceiling. Elliot turned her head into the pillow and bit her lip. They continued small talking for a while, the responses lagging with exhaustion and the questions slower as well. John smiled when he heard Elliot’s soft breathing and her eyes shut, he turned to look at her again.

He thought about all the times he had woken up to that sight and felt complete euphoria. He wrapped his arm around her carefully and as his eyelids grew heavier, he drifted to sleep with a smile on his lips. They were awaken maybe forty-five minutes later by soft sobbing, “Uncle Johnny, Uncle Johnny! I can’t find Aunt Ellie,” Sophie’s soft voice whimpered.

John groaned as he sat up, ruffling his hair sleepily before turning to look at her, he pulled her up onto the bed, “What’s wrong, Soph?” He asked barely able to understand her. Elliot sighed as she sat up in bed, her eyes immediately widened at the fact that she was in John’s bed and Sophie was standing there.

“I couldn’t find you and I had a bad dweam!” Sophie cried, still mumbling as she crawled into the bed hugging Elliot tightly. Elliot felt a pang in her heart as she hugged Sophie even tighter.

“I’m sorry honey, I was here, I’m sorry! Shhh, it’s okay, sweetie,” Elliot cooed, while she looked up at John with a curious look on her face. He just shrugged before he started rubbing Sophie’s back trying to stop her crying. She hummed softly, clutching the small girl tightly to her chest as John looked on with adoring eyes.

“I dweamed that Mommy and Daddy wewe gone and I was all alone,” Sophie stuttered as her tears began to slow and she almost had the hiccups. Elliot and John both frowned, wondering what she meant.

“Oh sweetie, your mom and dad would never leave you and you’ll never be alone. You have them and you have me and Johnny and your baby brother! Hush baby, it’s okay, you won’t be alone,” Elliot whispered comfortingly, Her body rocking awkwardly as Sophie wiped her face on Elliot’s shirt, which she didn’t mind.

“Elle and I will be there for you whenever you need us- whatever, whenever,” John added on, wrapping one arm around Elliot and the other wiping tears from Sophie’s cheeks. Elliot’s stomach flipped as John gently rubbed her back, she looked at him and smiled.

“Exactly sweetie, do you want a glass of milk or something? You have to go to sleep so we can all play tomorrow,” Elliot smiled as Sophie nodded murmuring something, she place Sophie in John’s lap and threw her legs over the side of the bed, wiping her eyes as she stood up. She yawned as she wandered through the blackness finally turning on the kitchen light.

She fumbled through the cabinets looking for one of Sophie’s sippy cups and finally found a Disney Princess cup. She filled it with milk, switching off the light, but this time the light in John’s room as on and she heard him telling Sophie a story about one of his bad dreams. Elliot stood in the doorway as John recalled one nightmare where monsters were chasing him and he would sleep in his parents’ bedroom and the nightmares would go away.

“Here you go, sweetie,” Elliot finally remembered the cup in her hand, she passed it to John before looking at the clock that read 3:45 in bright red numbers. She ran her fingers through her hair again wondering what they had to do tomorrow.

“Can I sleep hewe?” Sophie asked, rubbing her eye drowsily passing the cup to John when she had finished. Elliot blushed realizing she should probably go back to her own bed.

“Sure, Soph, do you wanna get one of your pillows?” He asked and she nodded slowly climbing out of bed and running into her bedroom before returning with a pillow under each arm a giant smile on her lips.

“Okay, goodnight,” Elliot smiled, placing a kiss on the top of the little girl’s head before turning to leave.

“No! Aunt Ellie! You have to stay too!” Sophie called out, slightly panicked as she wiggled into the middle of the bed. Elliot blushed looking at John, as if she was asking for permission, he just patted the empty space of bed beside Sophie. She flicked off the light and laid on the bed as Sophie grabbed both of their hands, clutching them tightly.

She stayed awake for a while, waiting for Sophie to fall asleep and propping her head up with her elbow. Her eyes adjusted to the dark as the moonlight came dancing through the windows, lighting up the room. She realized that John was looking at her and she smiled awkwardly, “Hi,” she whispered softly.

“You’d be a really great mom,” he whispered as if he had been thinking it for a while, she blushed. Honestly, she hadn’t even begun to think about kids. She shrugged realizing that Sophie had put both of their hands together and she muffled her laugh. It was a weird compliment to make, she looked over at him and waited for some sort of explanation.

“You’d be a great dad, too,” Elliot reciprocated, she meant it obviously because she had seem him with Sophie, but it felt like they were talking about something else. She shook off the feeling and started to drift off to sleep, “‘Night Uncle Johnny.”

“‘Night Aunt Ellie,” John laughed, he watched her for a while remembering his dream. The dream that had felt so real and they were both beyond elated. But after all it was only a dream, something so intangible yet tantalizing. He forced his eyes shut and his mind to turn off.

“Found her! Well little girl you gave us quite a scare!” Kennedy called out as the light flipped on startling Elliot up. “And good morning Elliot… in John’s room… with my daughter…” Kennedy added on, tilting his head, clearly unsure of what to think of the situation. Elliot’s cheeks turned a bright pink as she tried look presentable by wiping her eyes and running her fingers through her hair.

“Hi Daddy!” Sophie screamed, clearly being a little kid had its advantages when it comes to energy in the morning. She hopped up and jumped onto Kennedy as he fumbled to catch her and she let out a giddy laugh. Sophie’s laugh was contagious, smiles spreading on everyone’s faces. Madison came into the room, after seeing Elliot, her face mirrored Kennedy’s.

“So… what’s… going on… here?” Madison asked, her voice clearly angry. It was this new mom thing she did, when she got upset in the presence of her children she would talk with her teeth clenched and with a fake smile while her eyes tossed daggers.

“Um, Sophie had a nightmare and she wanted to sleep with both of us,” Elliot spoke, her voice hoarse from how much she had talked last night. She looked Madison right in the eyes, John groaned loudly flipping over after trying to mute the sound with a pillow.

“God, what time is it?” John whined, looking at his cell phone still plugged into the wall. He muttered a swear word realizing it was 7:30 in the morning. His head collapsed back into the pillow, Elliot raised her eyebrow at him wondering where caring Uncle John had gone.

“Yeah and Aunt Ellie got me a glass of milk and Uncle Johnny told me not to be scawed,” Sophie nodded, her hands wrapped around Kennedy’s neck. Both of their shoulders visibly relaxed, Elliot wondered what they even thought had happened. “I’m hungwy, Mommy.”

“Okay, sweet girl, let’s make you some breakfast! Come on, Ken,” Madison ordered with a sweet voice. Kennedy stood in place and mouthed ‘what happened’.

“Nothing happened, she wanted us to both sleep with her,” Elliot laughed after rolling her eyes, tossing a throw pillow from the floor at him before collapsing back into the bed. Kennedy left after Madison had called out for him again and Eric was crying loudly, Elliot missed the silence of the night. The feeling like she and John were the only two people in the world.

“Alone at last,” John whispered excitedly, planting a stealthy kiss on her lips. She blushed as she softly laughed realizing the door was still open, she planted an innocent kiss on his nose before running her fingers through his hair. She had to remind herself they had only had their first date yesterday, but their bodies were familiar and soothing to each other.

“I missed you so much,” Elliot whispered, their faces were so close they could feel each other. She ran his fingers gently down his arm and felt goosebumps follow her touch. Their eyes locked onto each other, like they were searching for each other’s souls. John placed his hand in the small of her back and pulled her close to him so they were actually touching and kissed her forehead.

Elliot closed her eyes and breathed him in, faint tobacco, cologne and him. No one else smelled like him. She rested her head on his bicep as he turned down to look at her. She placed one hand on his cheek and smiled, it didn’t bother her that he hadn’t replied. There was a magnetism between them, pulling each other in and keeping the world out.

He quickly took her hand from his face and placed it over his heart, she felt it beating quickly and forcefully. “This is what you do to me,” John murmured, the vibrations in his voice tickling her ear. “I don’t know why, Elliot Grant, but you’re the only girl who can make my heart race like this. Every second I’m without you, I miss you.”

“Guys! Pancakes and bacon are ready!” Madison shouted from the kitchen, ripping them from their own little world. Elliot frowned, letting her muscles relax, unaware that she had been so tense. She looked at the open door and remembered there were four people about ten feet away and resisted the urge to jump him then and there. Instead, Elliot kissed John before hopping out of bed.

“Come on food, if I remember correctly that’s one of the two things you’d get out of bed for,” Elliot laughed, trying to pull John out of bed. She frowned remembering the other thing, her. John groaned loudly and she pulled again. “John, fine. I’m not saving any for you,” Elliot pouted, dropping his hand and walking towards the kitchen. She yelped as a pair of arms picked her up and a familiar snicker came from behind her.

“You can’t keep me away from food,” John laughed, placing her back on the floor before Madison and Kennedy would see them. He elbowed her gently, she laughed nudging him back as they came out into the kitchen and the aroma of bacon and pancakes filled the air. Elliot felt her stomach growl viciously and she sat down desperate for food.

“I feel like you two are teenagers again, like our teenagers,” Madison laughed setting plates down in front of both of them while looking at Kennedy, who didn’t seem to follow the same train of thought.

“Just like old times, eh?” Kennedy replied slyly.