jadeyt:
he sounds so nonchalant— collected, unconcerned. it reminds her of all the times he had done similar things when they were children. she could recall all the times she’d seen him lingering at the gate once the bell rang, insisting he wasn’t waiting there— wasn’t walking her home because of anything other than the convenience of them living in the same direction. she slows slightly, falling into pace beside him and offers him a gentle smile. “ well, er— thanks all the same. ” she says sincerely, drawing her jacket a little closer around her frame. eli had always been kind, even as kids, though she knows he simply passes his thoughtfulness off as coincidence. it reminds her a lot of alex, now that she thinks about it— she can see why they’re best friends, both of them sharing similar qualities at times. “ n-no, erm— ” she stammers the second the suggestion leaves him, voice coming out perhaps a little too quickly as her cheeks begin to burn. “ n-no.. it was just— erm, curiosity. that’s all. no one’s said much about seating arrangements— or if we’re all even on the same flight. ” she knew some would be boarding with them, but had yet to ask daejung or jane or anyone else. “ are you.. excited ? ”
––––– the way jade reacted to his innocent question sent alarm bells ringing inside eli’s head. he quirks an eyebrow and lets jade stumble over her words with an amused smile. “curiosity, huh?” he teases, drawing the ‘huh’ out for extra effect. teasing jade is second nature to eli—although he makes sure not to overstep or say anything that would actually upset her. frankly, eli doesn’t exactly know why jade suddenly lost the ability to speak, or why her face had flushed in an instant, but he can make an educated guess. since he’s a good friend, however, he doesn’t push it. it was none of his business, anyway. “doesn’t matter whether i’m sitting one hundred feet away from alex, i’m going to go bother him. maybe the flight crew will let me sit on his lap if i beg for it.” it was mostly a joke—eli’s a thousand percent certain that alex is going to push him off the aircraft if he pulled that stunt. “i mean, i’m excited, yeah... but... not that much? i haven’t even finished packing yet... how ‘bout you? you excited?”
