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This is exactly why Daniel tended to avoid these types of parties. Loud, thumping music, that was still somehow drowned out by the sound of chatter, deafened him as he weaved through the crowd of people he didn’t recognise. He wouldn’t have even considered coming if Lauren hadn’t asked him personally. Apparently, her roommates, friends, boyfriend was throwing some house party and Lauren refused to go alone, gently berating Daniel into going with her.
Rowan and Rebecca decided to sit this one out in favour of their weekly karaoke night, leaving Daniel desperately searching for Lauren in the unfamiliar house alone. Well, not entirely alone. Eleanor breezed along next to him, walking straight through people and giggling at the shiver it caused. If Daniel didn’t know better, she’d look like just another party goer, in her long green skirt and crocheted tank top, long brown waves flowing down over her shoulders. She turned to grin at Daniel, leaning on his shoulder to get closer and speak in his ear to be heard against the noise.
“Come on loser, loosen up a little, you’re at a party.” Daniel gave her a slight glare, which only made Ella’s grin widen, as she started dancing a bit.
“I’m not a loser. There’s just a lot going on and I’m trying to find Lauren.” She rolled her eyes at him.
“Of course, let’s go then.”
Eventually, they managed to find Lauren, laughing and surrounded by a group of guys and girls who were hanging off her every word. Daniel couldn’t blame them really. In that long, tight, black dress with thin straps, her dark hair slightly curled and swept over her shoulder, she was an absolute vision. Everywhere they went someone always seemed to fall a little bit in love with her. Daniel didn’t love it, but he could understand it. She was beautiful, there was no denying it.
But if he was being honest with himself, he preferred when she was less composed. When she was invested in a theory, or yelling at him during an argument, or sulking in the seat next to him while they drove in her car. She was so uniquely frustrating, and so undeniably gorgeous that his head couldn’t stop spinning around her. Except for when he feels a gentle hand on his arm and turns to see Eleanors inquisitive face.
“Hey, we found her, aren’t you going to head over?”
Oh Eleanor. There was an almost unattainable attractiveness surrounding Lauren’s presence that nearly drove Daniel mad, and the only cure for it seemed to be the consistency of Eleanor. She simply knew him, like no one ever had, could read his every thought, every move of his body and know exactly how he was feeling or what he was thinking. She made him smile when he needed to, laugh when he didn’t want to, cry when he refused to. Ella, his rock, his person, his best friend. But she was dead. And as of yet, there was nothing he could do about it. So, he forced a smile, nodding at her, before making his way over to Lauren.
Now, Daniel knew he could boast of some good looks himself, so the crowd gladly accepted him into their circle of conversation, intrigued by the presence of a new attractive stranger. Lauren spotted him immediately, beaming wickedly before walking right up to him.
“Damn Davenport, I was starting to think you weren’t showing up.” She teased.
“Please, I always keep my word.” He replied easily, taking her hand and placing a mockingly formal kiss on it. “Although you don’t seem to be lacking company in my absence.”
“Whatever,” she laughed loudly, “lets go get some air, it’s getting stuffy in here anyway.” Daniel nodded in agreement, and continued to hold her hand, leading her through the party. Well, in truth, Eleanor was holding his other hand and leading him through the party, which was slightly amusing, as she was not used to having to dodge people while walking, making her attempt all the funnier to watch. Daniel laughed a bit as they neared the garden of the house.
“What’s so funny?” Lauren asked.
“Just Eleanor,” he said lightly. “She was trying to help lead us out of the party.”
“Right.” Daniel felt his hand being dropped by Lauren. “Actually, I was hoping to talk to you alone. Do you think you could arrange that?”
The implication in her words was obvious, and Daniel felt Ella’s hand grasp his tighter.
“Uh, yeah, just give me a second.”
Lauren nodded before moving away, finding a slightly secluded seat near the other end of the garden. She’d never asked that of him before. To intentionally leave Eleanor out of a conversation. It was strange, and a little concerning. Was something wrong with her? He thought he better ask Eleanor to stay back just in case. He turned to speak to her, but she saw the look on his face before he could say anything, and she dropped his hand. Daniel couldn’t place the way her face dropped slightly too.
“It’s fine Daniel, go talk to her.” She said kindly, even if her smile didn’t fully reach her eyes. Daniel, although concerned about her, nodded and headed to Lauren. Whatever was happening with Eleanor would have to wait for a moment, while he found out what was wrong.
He walked over, sitting down softly and waiting for Lauren to start speaking. Where he would normally banter, Daniel felt at a loss, the air filled with a serious tension that worried him. He moved closer and gently placed his hand on hers.
“Are you alright?” he questioned. “I’m here if you need me.” Lauren surprised him by laughing.
“It would be better if I didn’t need you.” She admitted. “It would make my life a lot easier.”
“What do you mean?” Daniel continued, completely oblivious.
Lauren turned to face him, her eyes searching his for something, and Daniel unknowing of what she wanted, tried to keep his eyes as open as he knew how. Lauren’s mouth slowly formed a smile.
“I feel like we talk a lot. I’ve been talking all night,” she started slowly. “And I end up talking around in circles, with myself and with others, about theories, about my thoughts and feelings, and always falling just short of the point that I really want to make. Maybe I’m tired of talking about what I’m feeling. Maybe instead of worrying or planning, I should just do something about it.”
Daniel could see a resolve in Laurens eyes he couldn’t place, and before he could question it, she grabbed his face firmly and kissed him.
At first, he didn’t react. Couldn’t react. He certainly wasn’t upset at what was happening, simply shocked it was happening at all. Before he could overthink it, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer, using one hand to raise her legs off the ground and put them over his lap to bring her even further into his space. Lauren’s hands moved from his face to his neck, pulling him as her lips moved against his, allowing him to taste the sweet rosé on her lips. His fingers gripped harder at her waist to stop his hands from trailing down her body, still vaguely aware of the very public place they were in. He didn’t want this to stop, even if he wasn’t willing to think about what it all meant yet.
Interrupting his thoughts, he felt a strange, but slightly familiar feeling running down his spine. Before he could concentrate on doing anything about it, he found himself taking a back seat in his brain as Eleanor took control of his body. When this had happened before, he had still had some semblance of control, and after the first, (accidental), time, some say in when she did it too. But he didn’t have time to resist, and could only watch helplessly, as Eleanor shoved Lauren off him.
“Are you okay?” Lauren asked worriedly. “I’m sorry if that was abrupt but I thought you-” Daniel heard Eleanor interrupt in his voice.
“I’m sorry Lauren, I can’t do this right now, I have to go.” Eleanor scrambled up off the seat, going to back away.
“Daniel, let’s just talk about this.” Lauren insisted, getting upset.
“No, Lauren, I’m leaving.” Eleanor said firmly, before dashing off back into the house and back out the front door as fast as she could, bumping into everyone along the way, unused to being so solid. Daniel desperately made a bid for control of his body, to go back and apologise to Lauren, to comfort her in her confusion and explain it wasn’t him. But for once, Eleanors hold was too strong, and he couldn’t do anything, until they made it back to his apartment, and Ella, exhausted, left his body, falling to the floor in front of him, unable to stay upright. What she had done had drained her immensely.
“What the hell Ella?” Daniel shouted, gaining back control of his voice. “You can’t do that to me without warning, it’s not okay!” Ella looked up sadly, tears that couldn’t be shed, welling up in her eyes.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to,” she explained. “I walked over to see if you were done and I saw what was happening and then before I knew it, I was being sucked into your body and I couldn’t get out, so I panicked, and just got us out of there before I messed something up.”
“You did mess something up! What must Lauren be thinking?” Eleanor scoffed a little.
“I’m sure she can find someone else to make out with.”
“That’s not the point Ella! You can’t mess with my life like that. You don’t get to control me!” As Daniel grew angrier, Eleanor’s tears faded, and her own anger formed in turn, picking herself up to face him.
“You think I want to be here messing up your life? It’s not like I can just leave! It’s not like I can shut off my link to you when you want to stick your tongue down some girl’s throat.”
“Lauren is not some girl!” Daniel was fuming now. “She’s my friend, and she deserved better than that.”
“I’m your friend!” Eleanor yelled back.
“I can have more than one friend!”
“Not like that! Not when I have to watch across the room knowing that I’m in love with you!”
Daniel stopped and felt his anger melt into shock.
“What?” Ella, staired at him, realisation spreading across her expression.
“You… didn’t know?” she looked like she could almost laugh. “I knew you were a bit oblivious, but this is a whole other level.”
Daniel could hardly believe what he was hearing. This was too much for one night. This was too much for the rest of his life. Worried about losing his footing he slowly moved over and sank onto the couch, giving himself a minute before forcing himself to look back up at Eleanor.
“Ella I…” a pause. “I’m sorry.” She smiled sadly at him, the longing and hurt in her eyes never being so clear to Daniel as they were right now.
“It’s okay darling,” she said. “I’m not upset that you don’t return my feelings, but it’s just hard to see you with someone else for the first time. It was selfish of me to interject, even if it was unintentional.”
“Who said I don’t have feelings?” Daniel blurted out, shocking them both. He slowly reaches out to hold Eleanors hand in his. “How could I not?” he whispered.
Eleanor couldn’t keep the surprise off her face as she stepped a bit closer.
“I just thought that with Lauren…” she trailed off. Daniel sighed, looking away briefly.
“It’s confusing. Lauren is my friend, and I care about her and she’s…”
“Alive.” Ella added.
“Yeah,” Daniel admitted guiltily. “But Eleanor, I love you. You are everything to me and I will do anything to help you. But it feels like we’re doomed. I still can’t find a way to bring you back. Which means I might only be able to send you on to…” he couldn’t finish his sentence, but they both knew what he meant.
“I know,” Eleanor said, stepping so close that their knees were touching. “I know that in the long run, this can’t work. That Lauren would be better for you. Your relationship would be better, healthier, you could grow old together, lean on each other in a way we can’t.” she paused, looking deep into his eyes, her hand reaching out softly to touch his check, Daniel leaning into her palm. “But can we just forget about that right now? Can’t we be normal for one night? I’m a normal girl and you’re a normal boy, and we can just be normally in love this one time? I think I could be happy with that.”
Daniel couldn’t pull away from the look in her eyes. She was right, after all. Practically, they didn’t make sense. She was a ghost, who only had him, and he was alive, and couldn’t be with her in his day-to-day life. And he cared about Lauren, he truly did. She was everything he wanted.
But she wasn’t Eleanor, and she was all he really wanted. He gently pulled Ella forward to sit on his lap, her knees hitting the soft cushion of the couch on either side of him as he gently held her, his hand moving to cup her face as well.
“Eleanor Langley, I would be yours forever if I could,” he whispered lovingly. “I can do normal for one night.”
Eleanor seemed to laugh and cry at the same time, launching forward to hug Daniel tightly as she whispered a thank you into his ear. Moving back again, they stared at each other again, almost too nervous to move, until Daniel leant up and kissed her. He was sure that kissing her should feel cold, or unusual, but it was anything but. It was soft and warm, and perfect, in a way that made him want to kiss her forever. Eleanor leaned further into him, kissing back with every feeling she had, and the desperation and the love between them filled Daniel with such an aching feeling that all he could do was try and tame it by kissing her further and holding her closer.
Tomorrow he would call Lauren and explain what happened. Tell her that Eleanor accidentally possessed him, claim that they couldn’t get her possession out of his mind that night, and tell her that it wouldn’t happen again. They could talk and see what would happen next and continue with their friendship and maybe even more. But for the first time, and probably the last time, he had Eleanor in his arms, and she was all that mattered until morning.