Waking up in Julie's arms was something Elise never wanted to get used to.

Her eyes floated open before Julie's phone could signal eight o'clock, she had a few minutes of silence before the pair would have to tear themselves from the toasty sheets and prepare for the school day ahead. Elise didn't move, she kept her arms wrapped around the other's torso and her head nearly buried in her shampooed hair.

Julie got her phone back the day after Elise had snuck over. Still, she was glad for her own impatience; if she had simply waited the extra few hours they would probably still be miles away from the conversation they oh-so needed to have. Since then, they'd had three sleepovers – including the current one. Especially recently, Elise tried to stay out of her own house as much as possible. About three nights a week she used to be found taking over Payton's bed. She was sure they didn't exactly miss it, but Elise still made time to hang out with them when she wasn't recreating cliché romance tropes with Julie. She still ranted to the them over facetime and at lunch. Though, it was odd. The two of them never talked about that stuff before.

Family dinner the day prior was less than ideal, giving Elise yet another problem to avoid. Carrie was trying; they both were. But this sort of thing couldn't be rushed, Elise found it best to pace their interactions; she could only the salt of it all in small doses.

The last fight had cut deep. Elise stormed out when her twin took a dig at Julie, her jealousy making itself evident in one fatal blow. Ray seemed to understand when she arrived at the Molina household halfway to tears. At least it was a compromise; she didn't even have to lie to have quality time with her secret girlfriend. She really did dread her own house.

She pushed the memories out of her mind and filled her conscious thoughts with only the girls beside her.

The gap between Elise's stall from reality slowly closed, soon Julie was tossing and reaching to shut off her device as quickly as she could. Elise laughed quietly at the way her hair blanketed her face when she sat up. Obviously not quiet enough, because in a few seconds Julie reeled back to hit her lightly in the head with a pillow. Elise didn't fight back, just wrapped her arms around the girl to playfully restrain her and place and gentle kiss on her neck.

This did much to stop Julie, with a soft smile she turned her head to meet the other's lips. 

The curly-haired girl leaned back into Elise's arms, who kept her arms loosely circling her torso and her chin resting on her shoulder.

"Good morning," she whispered. 

"Morning" Julie responded, her smile evident in her voice. The two basked in the gentle silence that followed. Julie's hand ghosted over Elise's knuckles - still discolored and bruised from her night spent in the locker room - and somehow, the bitter taste the memories left in her mouth faded. She hadn't thought about it since then, ignoring it was always her go to solution; that meant the pain never faded. It meant that it only bubbled under the surface.

They both knew the value of a moment - how each was fleeting, and how they could not stop time even if they wanted to. In a day, everything could change, even if seemingly nothing had changed. Right now would last forever, right up until it didn't. Elise planned to live in this forever for as long as she could. 

Especially if, at some point soon, she might not be able to hold Julie like this at all. Her hand would slip right the other's, and she would be locked in her own isolation forever. But she wouldn't tell Julie that, not yet. Maybe it was selfish, or maybe she was sparing her. Either way, Elise didn't have the energy for a moral battle.

Every day it was a little harder to push these thoughts into the back of her mind. With her fading growing worse (just yesterday, she had a spell where she couldn't touch anything for half an hour,) it was becoming evident that ignoring this particular problem would kill her. She hadn't seen Willie since the hill, she was convinced that seeing his face again would be the thing to end it all. The fear of whatever news he had to bring.

Julie let out an elongated breath. "We should probably get a move on soon. Before my dad comes to check on us."

Elise nodded solemnly, holding the other for one last moment - savoring it - before returning her arms back to her sides. Julie climbed out of bed but Elise made no effort to move, watching as the other attempted to run her fingers through her curls angrily in the mirror. The way her face scrunched up in frustration made the other smile.

She then began sorting through her closet, pulling at the rainbow of fabrics hanging in front of her and raising the pants draped over her left arm to compare colors. She lingered on one for a second, the colors in pastel blocks - green on one sleeve, blue on the other, and pink in the middle.

"I've never seen that one before. It's cute." Elise smiled when she noticed Julie's own, and the Latina girl nodded slightly. She pulled it off the hanger and found her belt, setting the combination on top of the bed sheets and holding her hands out to the girl watching her.

Ellie groaned, sighing as dramatically as she could before connecting their fingers and letting the other pull her off the bed. When she was finally standing, immediately attacked with a quick peck on the lips before Julie turned - not catching the flustered smile on Elise's face (she was slightly embarrassed about the way she still got butterflies every single time.)

Julie rifled through her drawers for a second before pulling out a muted blue jacket, throwing it back to Elise who managed to catch it with her left hand before examining the fabric. 

"You can wear that today, if you want. I know you didn't pack anything last night." She was right, all she did between the fight and Julie's was grab her backpack, longboard, and set off into dusk.

She smiled, quickly replacing her shirt with the hoodie and relishing the way the other's smell wafted from it. It was a ball of comfort; as soft as Julie's cheek. It felt like she could disappear inside; It was a hiding place that she had no intention of returning.

Elise slipped into the restroom for a moment, watching her reflection in the mirror as if it were about to scoff at her - the makeup smudged down her face and the tangles trapping her hair. She looked exactly the way she'd been feeling the past week or so, she wished that cleaning herself up would unclutter her mind as well.

She exited when she'd finally managed to scrub all of it off her face, a few of the nests in her hair still remained but she looked much more presentable now than she had upon entering the room. It took a few seconds to tear her eyes from the person in the mirror, a girl that she did not know - that she wished she could know - but was convinced would never really be her. 

When she walked into the hallway, Julie was waiting for her already. And the storm stopped again.

The sight that greeted the couple downstairs was interesting, to say the very least.

Ray was preparing a morning meal when they found him stood behind the kitchen counter. Reggie watched eagerly beside him. He threw around comments, speaking to Julie's father, and paused as if awaiting a response that each of them knew would never come. Elise tried not to laugh as her and the other girl exchanged a glance. 

What surprised Elise was the song the man was humming: Finally Free. She smiled.

"This is... new," Julie said as she approached the odd pair.

"Yeah, I felt like cooking the two of you some breakfast." 

Elise knew that was not what she meant. Reggie too, apparently. He let out a laugh and leaned into the counter. "He thought you were talking to him!"

Elise gave him a look that was the embodiment of what are you doing?  He waved her off with a hand. "Me and Julie's dad are friends now. It's a little... strange, but it works-"

"After our conversation the other day, Julie, I got to thinking." Reggie threw his hands into the air in offence at the way he was cut off. Elise felt sorry for him, almost. Being a ghost was probably so lonely - especially for a boy that acted like a lost puppy half the time. "I know I might have cost you a big opportunity with that manager, and I'm really sorry about that. I want to make it up to you."

"No, dad, you don't have to. I shouldn't have snuck out."

As much as Elise wanted to hear what he was about to say, she felt as though she had to chip in as well. "And we're good! We can get there on our own if we need to."

Reggie looked annoyed, blowing out a breath and sighing. "Just let the man talk, he's been stressing about this all week! Plus, I want to be famous."

Elise nearly rolled her eyes.

"I know I know, I just really want to show you how happy I am for you." Elise's eyes narrowed – maybe it was paranoia or maybe he really was implying something else as well. "I want to do something to show my support."

Elise laughed briefly, leaning her elbows onto the counter. "Where are you going with this, Mr. M?"

He chuckled at her muted enthusiasm as he continued. "Well, I called in some favors and I booked you a local gig."

Julie's eyes lit up and Elise's mouth dropped open. "No way."

"Best. Dad. Ever!" Reggie said, pumping his fists with a wide smile.

"Oh my gosh, where? Did you call your friend from Drakes?"

Ray's face scrunched. "Not quite." He let the girls wallow in the suspense a moment. "I called Flynn, and she's gonna help us throw a party. Here. Tonight."

Elise couldn't help but smile. This kind of help was, well, different from the kind she would ever get from her dad. Ray understood that she wanted to make it still on her own - that she had what it took. And she knew it to, they would make it one way or another. 

"That's awesome!" Elise shifted her gaze to Julie, who was nothing less than skeptical. Her eyes were narrowed, her head tilted to the side as if she were trying to figure out weather or not her father was being serious.

"So," She held out the syllable, exaggerating the bobbing of her head. "You booked us a gig at our house?"

"Oh, come on, Jules!" Elise straightened her body and placed her hands on Julie's shoulders, staring into her eyes as she playfully shook her back and forth. "This is exciting!"

"Well..." The girl turned her gaze to give Reggie the most discreet death glare she could muster. "Maybe I was early with the 'Best Dad Ever' award."

"All right, Julie. Just Hear me out:" Ray threw his hands up in surrender. "You invite some of your friends over, you play with your band, and I'll get some colleagues to put you on film. That way, you have something professional for your YouTube."

Julie nodded, a small smile appearing on her lips after a few seconds spent in her mind. Elise loved the way her eyes lit up, the way her shoulders relaxed and how she subconsciously fiddled with her curls. "You'd do that for me?"

"Yeah. Of course." 

"Back to 'best dad ever.' I'll go tell the guys." Reggie nodded to the girls and turned briefly to the man completely unaware of his presence. "Have a good day at work, Ray."

The man remained obliviously stirring his coffee. "It's cool. You don't have to answer." Elise cocked and eyebrow and Reggie shrugged in response before poofing away.

"Well, what are you kids waiting for? Eat up, before it gets cold." They didn't have to be told twice. The two began piling bacon and eggs pancakes onto their plates with little regard for proportions, Elise ate it all within a minute, as her dinner had been cut short the previous night. Julie was still working on her eggs by the time she went for seconds.

Ray shuffled for his keys, lifting up a few envelopes on a table in the foyer before finally finding them hidden underneath, "Have a great day, girls."

"You too!" Elise shouted in the middle of laughing at Julie, who had syrup smeared on her nose. 

"Oh, and Elise?" Ray stalled in the doorway, turning back toward the kitchen. She shifted to face him, a nervous smile playing on her lips. "I know you're having some... complications, at home right now. I want you to feel comfortable here. You're family, okay?"

She hesitated before nodding, the smile on her face more solemn and sad than before. It wasn't that his words hurt; it wasn't that she didn't like what he said. But somehow, the walls she'd built around herself faltered for just a minute. She did feel comfortable, enough to let herself tell the truth.

He left without another word.

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