The Art of Living

[33] A Paradoxon

Ellie only looked at him before she averted her eyes again after she realised what she just said. She liked guitarists. And quite obviously, he was a guitarist. "Oh.. uhm... well.." She could feel her cheeks grow warmer as she tried to find the right words to say. "They tend to be quite handsome.."

"Handsome.. So is it just George Harrison and Keith Richards who you find so attractive?" Brian asked with a smile on his face, crossing his legs.

Ellie laughed softly and shook her head, slightly amused by his question. He was being adorable again, but she couldn't get herself to look at him because she didn't know if she could handle meeting his eyes. What she could handle was telling him the truth. "You know it's not, come on.. you're at the top of that list." She knew she was blushing and she tried to hide her face behind her hair. She absolutely loved what was happening between them, this playful teasing was something that was new to her, something that made her really happy.

"I can't believe you really think I'm good looking.." He shook his head a little and ran his hand through his hair.

Taking a deep breath, Ellie finally gathered enough courage to glance at him when she finished her pizza and leaned back against the couch. She was trying to seem casual even though her stomach was fluttering with excitement. It wasn't a secret that she found him attractive, but talking about it and trying to seem cool was harder than it sounded. "Why not? You are.." She crossed her arms before she smiled at him, only for a moment.

"You keep saying that, but.. okay, don't judge me, but usually it's only my.. my mum who tells me that I look good.." Brian's voice got quieter towards the end of the sentence, and he rubbed the back of his neck, obviously slightly embarrassed.

Ellie smiled widely and reached for his hand that was resting on the back of the couch. "Your mum? That's so cute," she giggled and gently brushed her fingers over the back of his hand, loving the way these gentle touches made her feel.

"It's... slightly embarrassing. You know how mums can be, and she's.. very much like that. Very caring. I love her so much." Brian smiled timidly and looked at the back of the couch, where Ellie was gently caressing his hand with her fingers.

He was such a cutie. Ellie placed her empty plate on the coffee table and smiled at him, leaning back on the couch again. "I can imagine. She sounds like she's wonderful. You must have gotten your sweetness from someone. I bet she's a great woman."

"She really is, yeah." Brian nodded and smiled at her before finally took her hand in his.

Finally. Ellie smiled widely. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to seem as unaffected as possible. Because really it affected her a lot, in a way that she loved. Brian was holding her hand and that was all she needed in that moment.

"She would love to meet you some time."

"Meet me?" Ellie asked surprised and looked at him, tearing her eyes away from their hands. "Let me get this right. You want me to meet your mum?"

Brian held her hand gently and rubbed the back of it with his thumb gently. He was looking at Ellie now, trying to read her expression. "Some time, eventually, don't panic, it's just if you want to. It's up to you. There's no pressure or anything .. sorry, I didn't want to scare you, I shouldn't have suggested that, you really don't have to do that."

Ellie took a deep breath. "It's okay.. It's okay. Sorry.. that was just a little unexpected. I didn't expect that." Carefully she held his hand a little more firmly. "If you want me to, I'd be honoured to meet your mum some time.." She couldn't quite believe that she was actually saying those words. She was agreeing to meet Brian's parents, and they.. they weren't even really something. Yet.