Chapter 15 ~ Calissa and her contemplations
Elijah awoke to the soft sunlight filtered through his blinds. He looked to his right and noticed that the pillow was still depressed, Calissa had left his bed no more than five minutes ago. She had gone quietly, so he wondered what had woken him up. Then, he knew.
“Jesus Calissa, I ask you to move in with me because I love you and you spend the night in Elijah’s bed? What the hell is that all about?” Elijah groaned and rolled over. ‘Fuck, I so do not need this right now.’ He thought to himself.
“Shhh…Orli, you’ll wake him up.” Calissa’s voice was soft and pleading. He heard footsteps come down the hallway and Orlando’s voice grew louder.
“OH NO!! Wouldn’t want to do that, now would we?” He threw the door to Elijah’s room open, Calissa on his heels with a worried look painted across her face. Elijah propped himself up on his arms and looked blearily at the two of them. Suddenly, Eva was there. She pushed her way into the room and threw open the blinds, a sunny smile decorating her features. She stood next to the bed.
“Good morning everyone!! How are ya’ll?” Where on earth had this sociable person come from?
“Satan, why are you so cheery this morning?” Elijah glanced up at her, his eyes still recovering from the shock of the sunlight. A grin was plastered on her face, but her eyes flashed as she spoke out of the side of her mouth, so that Orlando and Calissa could not hear her.
“I’m saving your ass in case you didn’t notice. Orlando is ready to kill you and someone had to change the subject.” She turned to Orlando and Calissa, still as happy as a kid at 5 a.m. on Christmas morning.
“Do you guys want some breakfast? My treat, I went out and got some doughnuts from across the street.” She brushed past them again. When no one followed, she turned and pulled Callie and Orlando away from the door, leaving Elijah stunned in his bed.
Breakfast went by smoothly, Orlando seemed to have forgotten why he was so angry only moments before, but Calissa still threw anxious glances his way every once in a while. Eva remained the cheery person that she had appeared as and Elijah stayed quiet, like a child that had just been reprimanded by his father. Calissa noticed the camera around Eva’s neck and when she asked about it, all she got was a mischievous wink and an order to help clear the table.
“Eva, I don’t know what to do. Elijah says he loves me…but you knew that already, didn’t you?” She turned, distress etched in her face, a soapy plate in her hand, only to meet the flash of the camera.
“Yes, I knew. I wish I could help you with this honey, I really do, but you know I can’t. This is your choice, no matter what. I think I can trust you to choose the right one though.”
Calissa spent the rest of the day avoiding everyone except Eva. Eva was the only person she would talk to. If she wasn’t talking, she was curled up in a chair, her blanket wrapped around her knees, cherry coke in hand, oblivious to the world around her. She remained that way, even when Orlando, Eva, and Elijah said they were going out. They didn’t say where, and she didn’t ask. Maybe Eva would just figure the whole thing out for her…
~*~
He watched as she struck the last note gently and her shoulders dropped. The bow rested in her hand, her eyes were closed, she was soaking in the sound.
“I didn’t know you played.” She jumped at the sound of his thick accent slicing the air.
“Orlando.” It was acknowledgment of his presence. “I haven’t played in years, not since I told my mom that I was moving to California. It’s a way for me to escape. If there is so much going on that I just can’t concentrate…or don’t want to.” They both heard the distinct click of a camera in the background, but ignored it. Eva had been snapping pictures of the three of them all day long.
“What’s going on baby? Do you want to talk about it?” He moved towards her as she lay the cello in its case.
“No, I really don’t.” Short. Clipped. End of conversation.
She still didn’t know what to do. She had no clue. She loved both of them, if that was possible. Or at least, she thought she knew both of them. The week passed slowly for her. She still refused to talk to anyone except Eva. Orlando had to leave in a few days. She had to choose now. She was going to send some of her stuff with him if she intended to go, then she would wait until Eva had to go back to New York, then she would fly to London, and start all over…again.
She wasn’t the only one confused. Orlando noticed that something was wrong with her, but he couldn’t get her to talk about it. She refused to even be in the same room with him, unless they were eating. He told himself that it was just nerves combined with her way of saying goodbye to Los Angeles…surely she would go with him?
In fact, the only person who seemed to remain unaffected by all of this was Eva. She came and went as she pleased, talking in hushed tones with Calissa and remaining her satirical self with Elijah and Orlando. Often she had the camera around her neck, or they would notice charcoal stains on her hands, paint on her jeans. No one knew what she was working on upstairs. Finally, three days before Orlando was scheduled to leave, Elijah couldn’t take it anymore. He swallowed his pride and decided that he must speak with Eva. Only she could help him with all these mixed up emotions, maybe she could give him a little insight on what Calissa was planning on doing. He went up to her apartment, steeling himself against the verbal abuse that was sure to come. Her face appeared, or rather, her eye. The chain on the lock prevented the door from opening any further.
“Can we talk?” He waited for it….
“About what?” It never came.
“Just open the door.” She removed the chain, and opened the door wide enough for her head to fit. He sighed, exasperated, and pushed his way into her apartment. His eyes widened at the sight that met his eyes…they knew she was an artist, but no one knew that she was doing all this….
