The Art of Living

[22] Is that a Problem?

When they returned to the others, they were met with a lot of curious looks. Apparently they had been gone together for quite some time so everyone had been starting to wonder where they had been and what they had been doing. Whether there had been another argument. But when Brian and Ellie returned, with smiles on their faces, no one dared to ask what had happened.

All that happened was that Sue gave Ellie some knowing looks, but Ellie just shook her head with a smile. She had definitely followed Sue's advice and had stopped fighting her inner self. And somehow that had ended with her being able to finally treat Brian completely like she would treat any other guy. Almost even as more than that. It was funny, really.

When they went out for dinner, Ellie found herself walking, and then suddenly also sitting next to Brian. She had tried to be around Sue, but Sue was talking to Roger and Pat. Was this on purpose again? She didn't know, but she was almost certain. But she didn't mind being around Brian.

"So can I ask you something?"

She glanced at Brian, and shrugged. Somehow she didn't really mind the wanted to know something about her. Which was odd because she was supposed to mind it. He was trying to get to know her better and she didn't have a problem with that. "Go for it, yeah."

"How come you can play guitar? I didn't think you'd be musical."

Ellie furrowed her eyebrows a little and crossed her arms. She didn't like that question, not at all. There was a reason she hadn't played in years, a reason why he was the only one who knew she could play. But she wasn't going to tell him any of that. She had to try to dodge that question. "You didn't think I'd be musical? How come? Do I give off a non-musical vibe?"

"No, that's not it," he told her, chuckling softly. "I don't know.. You're .. You're quite artistic, Lynn mentioned you did the same arts degree as her, and you study photography, and I just thought that that's it."

She couldn't help but smile at him, despite everything. He was only curious, he didn't want anything bad. "So you're saying a person can only do one creative thing?"

"No, I don't.." He sighed a little and shrugged. "I don't know what my point was," he added and rubbed the back of his neck with a smile. "I guess I was just surprised that you can play guitar. Even though it was a children's song, you played it well."

Ellie chuckled and nodded a little. Somehow he was managing to keep those bad memories from ruining her mood, however he did that. Ellie actually didn't mind talking to him about that. "Thank you, that's actually quite a big compliment coming from someone like you." She was actually genuinely flattered.

"Someone like me? What do you mean?" He looked at me curiously.

"Well.. You're a talented guitarist, so if you say that I'm not all that bad, it's a nice thing to hear." Ellie was smiling at him, and she was happy, but on the inside she was really asking herself what had happened to her. Not so long ago she was freaking out - in the bad way - about his compliments, and now she was thanking him. And it made her happy. And that wasn't even freaking her out.

Brian smiled at her. "Oh, wow, well thank you. And also, thank you again for your help earlier, that made it easier. And I also have this for you, in case someone gives you trouble later. I doubt it, but you never know."

He held something out for Ellie which she took and looked at curiously. It was a laminated piece of paper with Photographer written onto it in bigger letters and a bunch of stuff in smaller writing.

"I know we're nothing like a famous band yet, but maybe someone will ask you why you keep walking around or y'know, so you can just tell them you're our photographer and if they don't believe you, I made you this to show them."