Elspeth

[nola_buckybarnes]

Joel spent a couple hours wandering around campus and the surrounding area, practicing being normal. It turned out not to be so hard—now he just needed to be a little more deliberate about it. Keep the walk casual, nondescript, not look alert and on edge. Got it.

Once he felt more confident, he ran his appointed errands and took the familiar walk to Elspeth's apartment. He was holding out his bounty, a large milkshake, when the front door opened for him.

"Your favorite," he said, holding out the cup. "Except I don't actually know your favorite, so I guessed. Surprises are fun, right?"

Comments

[nola_eleanor]

"Hey." Honestly, he was pulling off pretending to be normal better than Elspeth was. She'd brushed her hair so she didn't look like a complete mess, but she was still a little worried that her misery sweats--very different from the comfy but cute loungewear she stuck to when she had company--were going to send him running for the hills, regardless of the fact that he'd said he didn't mind keeping her company in her bad mood.

Not that her mood could stay entirely bad when confronted with a cute boy with a milkshake. "Pretty much any flavor of milkshake is better than no milkshake at all, right?"