Belle glanced at the wall clock again. The hands were creeping forward, but the front door remained stubbornly quiet; neither her brother nor Eli's mother had returned. A subtle knot of anxiety tightened in her chest, pulling her gaze back toward the entryway every few minutes.
"You seem restless," Eli noted softly. He leaned over, using a pair of tongs to gently drop a tender slice of beef and some bok choy onto her plate. "Are you waiting for Neon?"
"Y-yeah."
"I did tell you they aren't coming home tonight, didn't I?"
Belle froze, her chopsticks hovering mid-air. He definitely hadn't mentioned that earlier. A sudden wave of heat rushed to her cheeks as the realization settled in. "So... it's just you and me in the house tonight?"
"Uh-huh," Eli replied casually, taking a slow sip of his drink.
(Uh-huh? Just 'uh-huh'?!) Belle screamed internally. (Is he seriously not bothered by this at all?!)
