The tension in the waiting room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The staff at the Toronto General Hospital working in this particular wing didn't quite know what to do so they just left Drew and Alli to their…discussion. A few people had gathered nearby to try and figure out what all the commotion was about. The passing orderly shook his head and shuffled them back into their various rooms.

Alli's shrill voice could be heard echoing through the halls. "So this is what I get? This is how I'm treated when I try to do something nice for my boyfriend?! Screw that: I'm done. I can't deal with your bullshit any more. You're bi-polar, Drew. You wouldn't know what you wanted if it walked up to you and smacked you in the face!" Alli was going ballistic. Drew didn't know what to do so he just stood there and took it.

Mr. Torres was almost back at the waiting room when he heard Alli "talking" at the top of her lung capacity. He decided to wait a few wings down, give the doomed lovebirds their space. Maybe Drew's next girlfriend won't be so…dramatic he thought as he walked away again.

"I was so angry after our phone call that I couldn't think. I didn't know how to feel or what to do. Then I calmed down. When you called, I thought about not answering. But you know what? I'm a good person. Even when someone all but completely screws me over: I still give them another chance. Go ahead. Ask me who I'm talking about."

Drew opened his mouth and then closed it again. Alli was staring at him waiting for him to take his guess. He knew he'd be wrong. One of those damned if you do, damned if you don't scenarios. But he also knew he was in for a world of hurt if he didn't say anything. "I don't know. Sav? Your mom?"

Alli smirked. "Wrong and wrong. Clare. Thanks for asking how my night went. Thanks for asking how I'm doing. Thanks for caring about me at all. Really and truly: you're the best."

He couldn't take it anymore. "What do you want from me?! What are you talking about? What happened with Clare now? I thought you guys weren't talking. Apparently I missed something. Please just stop playing games. You're a grown woman: act like it. If you've got something on your mind or something you need to say: say it. I'm done playing around, Alli."

She looked taken aback. She took a breath, collected herself and crossed her arms. She wanted him to be intimidated. "You're done? No no, sweetie, I'm done. I did my best no matter what you threw at me and yet somehow it just wasn't good enough for you. So forget it. I quit. Have fun with whatever. If you see me in the halls: don't talk to me. Delete my number. Erase our texts. Remove any pictures you have of me or us. I plan on pretending that this, that we never happened." She started walking to the elevators. Alli pushed the down button and wiped a single tear off of her cheek. The door opened and she got in and pushed G. As the door was closing, she stuck her foot out. The door stopped mid close. She stuck her head out and yelled "you don't know what you had, Drew. By the time you realize what kind of mistake you've made: it'll be way too late. Have a good life." She moved her foot back into the elevator and the door closed. The last thing she saw was the look of absolute shock on his normally smug or sarcastic face. She smiled and wiped another tear from her cheek.

Now Drew really didn't know what to do. As if today wasn't hard enough already, he thought. When I woke up this morning hoping for a bit of excitement for a change: this wasn't exactly what I had in mind. He was caught between a proverbial rock and a literal hard place. On the one hand: he had an obligation to his parents (to keep his dad company and to occasionally go and calm his mother down).

On the other hand: he wanted to chase after Adam and talk some sense into him. Shake him, scream at him, anything he could think of to try and get some kind of response. Any kind of response, in fact. It was days like this when Drew sometimes questioned whether or not he and Adam were actually related.

Pacing back and forth in the waiting room was starting to make his legs ache. He sat down on a chair in the corner of the room. His dad had gone to get them something to drink and hadn't come back yet. Maybe it's for the best. If he says anything about anything I'll probably just end up making him mad too.

He couldn't decide what to do about his brother. He wanted to chase after him – that much he knew for sure. The decision he had to make was what he was going to do when he caught up to him. If he thinks for a minute that he's going to get away with this he's got another thing coming. Granted, our mother can be more of pain than anyone we know but she one ups them by being just that: our mother. He owes her that respect whether he likes it or not.

A nurse passed him lickety-split quick. He looked up to see where she was going but she was already out of sight. Drew pulled his phone out, unlocked it and sighed. Is a text a waste of time? I suppose it couldn't hurt. He typed up a few short sentences, ended each with a period. There were a few exclamation points here and there and some caps just to get his point across. He hit send without rereading.

He put his phone in his pocket and leaned back in his chair.

On the other other hand: he didn't want Alli to cut him out of her life cold turkey. He had managed to rock the Alli boat so hard he was pretty sure it capsized. I'll probably be lucky if she ever chooses to speak to me again. Why did I push so hard?

Something Ali said popped back into his head and he switched from being concerned for her wellbeing and their relationship to not caring if he ever saw her again.

"I didn't call to break up with you in case you were worried about that." Drew said, trying to sound reassuring to both of them.

"I wasn't worried about that. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind."

That spoiled brat, pain-in-the-ass princess. Who does she think she is?

Drew couldn't make heads or tails of her on a good day. But this? This sudden, totally aggressive, rude, inconsiderate, selfish girl had managed to make his horrible day even worse by ignoring his request that she not show up at the hospital. She wasn't worried about our relationship status? Fine. She shows up right after I specifically tell her not to? Not fine. She can't even see that she's in the wrong here. She probably thinks that I'm the one being ridiculous. I needed her support but not here. When we got home I would have had no problem telling her all about my day and asking her about hers. Why me? Why today? What did I do to deserve all of this crap?

He got up fast and started down the hall. He headed to the elevators and pushed the down button. Maybe there's still time to catch up to her and make her understand he thought. The elevator door opened and Drew didn't move. What am I doing? Mad one minute and chasing after her the next? Something is definitely wrong with me. He walked back to the waiting room and slumped down into the same chair.

His dad walked up to him with a glass of water. "You look like you could use a drink." He tried to hand the glass over to Drew.

Drew looked at it and then looked at his dad. "Unless that's vodka, I don't think it's going to help me right now."

Mr. Torres chuckled and sat down next to his eldest son. "Drew, you can't fix everything. Sometimes it's best to let the chips fall where they may."

"Dad please don't go all cliché one me." Drew said, rolling his eyes. "The relationship Alli and I had had been one of those three steps forward, five steps backward kind of deals. Every time I felt like it was getting better, like we were making progress: one teeny tiny insignificant thing would manage to piss her off so much that she wouldn't speak to me for a week. If it had happened once or twice, it wouldn't be a big deal but it was pretty much once a week. To be honest, I'm not sure how I was able to put up with her bipolarity for as long as I did. In the long run, it's probably better that it ended now as opposed to when we're supposed to graduate. Nothing changes the fact that she was a completely different person when we started. I can't believe I fell into her trap. Again."

"You're young, you've got your whole life ahead of you. Why do you feel like you need to have it all figured out now? So you dated one girl and it didn't work out the way you wanted it to. So what? Are you going to just give up on dating based on one bad experience? That would be like quitting your favorite sport because you didn't get a goal in your first game or quitting school because you didn't get 100% on your first exam. Life isn't all sunshine and roses. Fall down seven times, get up eight. Make good decisions. Weigh all your options. Date girls. See the world. Live your life for you. Love yourself first and foremost so you can be the best version of yourself when it comes time to courting someone else. No one is perfect. Your mother and I don't expect you to have all the answers or make all the right decisions but it wouldn't be a bad idea to get the bad decisions out of the way now so you can focus on the good." His dad sipped on his water and waited patiently for Drew to absorb everything he just said.

Drew was surprised that all of this good advice was coming from his dad. His dad was the stoic, serious type. Family man at heart but mostly only there to remind you to stay strong. He wasn't good with the mushy gushy stuff. That was usually Mrs. Torres' territory. Drew had most of a smile on his face until his mom popped into his head and then he felt down again. "Dad…do you ever think everything will, you know…go back to normal for us? With mom I mean."

Mr. Torres pursed his brow. He wasn't hoping Drew would forget about his mother but he was hoping to save that discussion for another day, another place and another time altogether. "Drew when the time is right and the situation is a lot less volatile, I'll be happy to discuss your mother with you. For the moment, we're talking about you and your life. Don't rush into anything you're not ready for but don't be afraid to take the plunge. Dating is what you make of it. It can be a great experience, a mediocre experience or just plain awful. It's all in your hands. Maybe take a little break, learn a bit more about yourself and then go see what the dating sea has to offer you."

"When did you become mister full of advice, dad?" Drew asked, laughing.

Mr. Torres smiled. "I've always been full of advice. It's just rare that you come to me seeking it."

Drew opened his mouth to reply and then decided against it. He pulled out his phone and stared at the black screen. Nothing from Adam or Alli yet. Adam better respond if he knows what's good for him. Drew felt sad. They were supposed to be a team. "What about Adam? What are we supposed to do about him?" Drew asked quietly.

His dad's eyes grew dark. "That's up to him. You're both old enough to make your own decisions and look after yourselves. Your mother and I are just here to guide you as best we can. If he doesn't want to be here: neither you nor I can force him to be. But I will tell you something that I absolutely need you to keep to yourself Drew."

Drew nodded. "Whatever it is dad, you can trust me."

Mr. Torres sat up straight and looked Drew in the eye. "The relationship your mother and Adam have is…well, complicated. To put it nicely. If we are able to bring your mother home in the next week or so…I think it would be best if Adam stayed away. At a friend's house or something. Your mother kicked him out as you know and that's partly why she's in here now. I think the only way for her to recover is if he's not there to trigger another episode. What do you think, Drew? Does that seem fair to you?"

Drew couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I…" he had no idea how to answer that.

Clare woke with a start. John had messaged her, a few times in fact. Luckily for her, he was smart enough to realize something was up when she didn't answer after the third text. He rang her doorbell around 4. That coupled with the sound of his feet on the front stoop was enough to snap her out of her slumber. She was running around like a chicken with her head cut off.

John couldn't help but laugh. "We're not actually in a rush, are we? Your friends are probably still at the hospital."

Shaking her head and stopping in the middle of the upstairs hallway, Clare suddenly remembered looking at her phone might be a good idea. "No texts or calls yet but I'm sure they will be trying to get a hold of us sooner or later. I have no idea how long Adam can stand being in the same room as his mother so it could be a pretty quick visit."

"They don't have a good relationship?" John asked. Clare stopped for a moment, unsure what she should share with him considering he had been in her life for a New York minute and hadn't even met Adam yet. "Oh I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you. It's not my business at all." John's cheeks flushed red.

"It's not your fault. I'm the one that brought it up. But I probably shouldn't say anything more since it's not my family. You understand, right?" Clare asked. John nodded. "Now if only I could find something to wear." She had torn her closet apart but couldn't seem to find an outfit she liked enough for what she figured was a double date.

"Where are we going again?" John asked.

"We haven't decided actually. I think that's why I'm having such a hard time choosing something to wear. That and I have no clothes."

John laughed. "You have a closet and dresser full to the brim and you're trying to tell me you have no clothes. That's cute."

Clare smiled. "That's a girl for you. Like it or leave me." Her face went white. Did I just say that? Out loud?! Is he going to laugh? Oh please laugh…

John laughed again. "We all have our quirks. That just happens to be an expensive quirk, in my opinion."

Thank goodness he has a sense of humor. Clare breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at her strewn around clothing and finally picked up a v-neck sweater and a pair of dark blue jeans. This will just have to do. He's going to think I'm crazy if I don't pick something soon. She threw the clothes on, brushed her hair and reached for the door. She doubled back, grabbed some mascara, put a little spritz of perfume on her neck and then left her room. Out of sheer habit she almost asked John how she looked but stopped herself short. Okay brain, you're going to have to wake up if tonight is going to go well.

John beamed at her. "You look great."

Clare blushed. "That's very sweet of you." They headed downstairs together. "I don't think we're supposed to meet them for another half hour or so. Did you want to watch some tv?"

He nodded. "Sounds good to me."

They went into the basement, John closed the door behind them. "Comedy? Drama? Netflix? Movie?" Clare suggested.

"Doesn't Netflix usually entail something else?" John asked in a semi-seductive tone. Clare opened her mouth to reply but all that came out was vowels. She wasn't used to being propositioned. John put one finger on his lips. "You've done a lot of talking these past 24 hours. My turn. I think, seeing as how we don't know each other that well yet: we should play strip never have I ever."

Clare was stunned but slightly turned on. "S-strip, uh…"

"You heard me. We take turns asking and answering never have I ever. If our answers matchup: our clothes stay on. Every time they don't: we lose a layer."

"Sounds more like a game to be played while drinking. Also I'm…uh, all for getting to know you but that seems pretty forward for a first date." There. She finally said it out loud and her stomach instantly unknotted itself.

John grinned. "Take a chance, see what happens. I'm a pretty unconventional guy but I'm not here to make you do anything you don't want to do. If you get uncomfortable, we'll stop. Okay?"

Clare nodded. "Would you like anything? Tea or water? Crackers maybe?"

He shook his head and sat on her makeshift bed. "Come sit next to me." He patted the empty spot next to him.

She was getting turned on. What is my life? She wondered. One minute I'm a regular straight-A student and the next I'm going on a date with a cop and playing never had I ever with him in my basement. She sat down. "So who goes first?"

John leaned in really close. "Never have I ever stayed out past curfew."

Clare laughed. "Really? I find that hard to believe."

"I had to start off easy. You probably wouldn't want to answer otherwise." John said, shrugging.

Clare frowned. She didn't appreciate that he thought she was such a square. "Well it happens that I have missed curfew a number of times. How about you?" she asked indignantly.

"I live alone so I don't have curfew." John responded.

"And the whole time you were living at home? You never missed it?"

"Never had one." His answer was curt again.

Clare rolled her eyes, took off her socks and threw them in the corner. "Well good for you. My turn I guess. Never have I ever done drugs."

John smirked and removed his own socks. "Can't become a cop if you're not clean yourself." This time neither of them had to remove any clothing. "Never have I ever cheated on a test."

To the best of her knowledge, Clare had never even attempted to cheat. But the way John was grinning at her, she knew she'd be losing a layer of clothing if she didn't figure out which way to lie. "When was the last time you were even in normal school?"

"Is that a question for the game or a question for me?" John asked.

"The latter." Clare responded.

John shrugged again. "I graduated high school top of my class and uh, didn't need any help to do it either."

Clare smiled. Her sweater was safe for now. "Never have I ever drank until I got sick."

"Now I know you're fibbing. Not about the getting sick part but about the drinking. I know how old you are, remember?" John was smiling.

"You really think anyone actually respects the drinking age? If people want something: they usually find a way to get it."

John leaned in close. "Is that so?" he asked in a low voice. "So if I said I wanted to kiss you, would I get my way?" Clare was lost in his eyes and again, could only manage vowel sounds. John grabbed her chin and kissed her hard. She didn't know what to do with her hands so they were just sortof hovering mid-air. John gently pushed her into the couch cushion and got on top of her. He pulled away. "If you want me to stop, just say so." Clare nodded. She had no intention of getting him to stop. He kissed her right above her chest and slowly moved his mouth up her neck. He put his hands up under her sweater and over her bra, massaging her breasts. She moaned and he smiled. He pulled her sweater up over her head and tossed it on the floor. Her breasts were soft to the touch, her nipples were hard. "This has to come off." He said quietly. She blushed. He slid his arms behind her back and undid her bra, throwing it on top of the already discarded sweater. Clare breathed in swiftly. She wasn't used to being so literally naked. Especially in front of a stranger. But he had some sort of calming effect on her. He didn't make her feel nervous at all. John laid her back on the cushion, took her breasts in his hand and started to massage one nipple with his tongue and the other with his fingers. She let out a low moan. "So you like that? Good." He smiled sweetly and continued what he was doing.

"What…should I be…doing?" she asked breathily between moans. Her whole body was electric.

Her kissed her on the forehead. "Depends what you're comfortable with. Have you ever given a blowjob?" Clare got extremely red. "I'll take that as a no. Don't worry about it." He kissed her on the lips again. "Take your pants off." He got off of her and took his own clothes off slowly. Clare hadn't moved. "Is something wrong?" He asked, standing shirtless with half buttoned pants.

"I just uh…I'm not…"

He sat back on the pullout couch and put his hand on her knee. "If you want to stop we can stop."

Clare shook her head. Of course she knew why she was suddenly getting cold feet. Would he still want her if he knew she was a virgin? "I…" she couldn't do it. She put her head down and started to tear up.

John shook his head. "Clare don't get all sad on me. It's fine. Can we try something else before we have to get dressed and go?" She nodded, still looking at her feet. He got up and walked to the end of the pullout couch. He pulled her by her pant legs until she was flat. He got on top of her, undid her jeans and pushed them and her underwear down to her ankles. He smiled at her and went in for the kill.

Clare arched her back in pleasure and surprise as he licked her clitoris vigorously. "Wha…are you…wow that feels amazing." Clare was breathing very heavily now, no longer in control of her body movements.

John pulled himself away from her to smile at her. He massaged her clit counterclockwise with two fingers to keep her wet. "I'm going to do this until you cum. Don't worry if you've never cum before. I'll know." Before she could say anything, his tongue went back to work.

This is incredible. Out of everything I thought might happen today, this was definitely not on the list. Nobody is going to believe this. His tongue is amazing. How have I gone this long without…her thoughts of bliss were interrupted by the sound of her phone. "That's probably them. I shouldn't…we…" she moaned louder than even she thought possible. He did it. He made her cum. Screw the phone, she thought, they'll call back.

Adam pulled out his phone and dialed Clare's number. It rang a few times and went to voicemail. Odd he thought. We just spoke to her a few hours ago. He left a generic "call me back when you can" message and hung up.

"In one fell swoop: you just became my hero. Remind me not to get on your bad side. Ever." Eli and Adam were walking out of the hospital to Eli's car. "I haven't seen Drew that quiet in…well I don't think he's been that quiet once in his entire life."

"Seems to be a Torres trait." Adam suggested.

Eli arched an eyebrow. "Could be. Or he could have gotten it from your loveable mother. If that's the worst trait that he can claim came from her: he's pretty well off."

"Don't talk about her like that." Adam's voice was cold.

"Just trying to lighten the mood a little bit. Whatever you said seems to have shaken her in a way that has probably been necessary for years now. Kudos."

"Why do I feel like I ripped her still beating heart out of her chest?" Adam asked quietly.

Laughing, Eli grabbed for his hand but Adam pulled out of reach. "Calm down and quit being so dramatic.

Adam stopped walking. "Eli do you think I did the right thing?"

Eli turned around and faced Adam. "For yourself? Absolutely. Sometimes no matter how hard two people try to get along, co-exist, whatever you want to call it: they just can't. It's like it's not meant to be. Oil and water. Fire and ice. You may not always have given it 110% of your effort 24/7 365 but you never gave up either. You giving up now means you've hit your breaking point. There is no shame in that." He couldn't tell if his words were helping or making things ten times worse. He put his hand on Adam's downturned chin and lifted it up gingerly. "Don't be so hard on yourself, ok? You're doing this for your own benefit, no one else's.

"It's hard not to be hard on myself. I'm used to my mothers' attitude towards me. I guess it's rubbed off. Eli…sometimes I don't know how to be myself. I feel like a stranger in my own skin and I'm not just talking about the transition I plan on going through. Sometimes…it seems like everything would just be easier if I wasn't around." Adam looked at the ground, hair falling into his face.

Eli put his hand in Adam's. "Don't ever think that anyone would be better off without you. Anything I say will sound cliché but you really are one in a million. I wouldn't trade you for the world. But at the end of the day, no matter how much positivity I throw at you or Clare or anyone else that cares: you have to care for yourself first. You should be your own best friend. Not your own worst enemy."

Adam was having a really hard time believing that all of this love and affection was simply pouring out of Eli like water from a sieve. He looked up at Eli and kissed him hard. "Thanks Eli." Eli looked at him, slightly unsure of his tone. "I mean it. Thank you. It's been a while since I've felt like I could trust someone, anyone in my life with anything. Your encouragement and the fact that you've stuck by me after finding out…you know. It means a lot more than you'll ever know." Adam half-smiled and Eli kissed him on the forehead.

"Now all we have to do is find a way to get you to remember all of that." They both laughed. "We'd better get going. Gotta go meet Clare and her mystery man."

Eli arched an eyebrow. "Well…" he started.

Adam put his hand over Eli's mouth and laughed. "All ideas following the removal of my hand from your mouth have to involve us keeping our clothes on smarty pants."

"Well you just take the fun out of everything, don't you?" Eli said, smirking. "I guess we could go to the mall, kill some time there. Are there any movies playing that you might be interested in?"

"Zoom in on my empty wallet. I haven't been able to keep down a job with everything going on. Well…more or less because I haven't found anywhere that interests me so I haven't applied anywhere. I keep hoping something will just fall into my lap but so far nothing has."

"Don't worry about it. My idea, therefore I'm paying. And don't bother trying to argue with me because I've already made up my mind."

Again, Adam was at a loss for words. Why is Eli being so nice to me today? "But since she didn't answer, how will we know how much time we have to kill?" He was genuinely concerned about Clare's well-being.

Eli shrugged. "When she's free, she'll contact us. We gave her a general timeframe but there was a chance we might not be able to stick to it. Maybe she and the mystery man found a way to kill time while they waited for news from us. Don't worry about her so much, Adam. Let's go to the mall and we'll try her again once we get there. Alright?"

Adam nodded. He still had this weird feeling in his stomach but for Eli's sake, he tried his best to let it go. "In answer to your previous question, there's nothing in theatres that I really want to see right now. Honestly, I mostly go for the popcorn. That butter is out of this world good.

They both laughed. "We'll see if we can get a bag to share." Eli suggested as he started driving. "I think we should go somewhere close by for dinner, whenever we end up hearing from the others. Did you uh…" Eli stopped talking. Did he really want to get into Adam's complicated family drama right now? After he was finally calm? He could see Adam giving him a confused look. "Are you going to text Drew? Just to tell him you're alright at least."

"Why would I do that? He's not on my side. He can worry himself into oblivion for all I care." Adam couldn't believe that Eli was still trying to talk about this.

"It's just that…well he is your brother after all. And –

"And nothing. If I call: he'll try to guilt me into who knows what and still be worried. If I don't call: he'll worry and eventually get over it. My parents are family too, technically. I'm not crying over a lack of relationship with them. I'm actually excited not to have to deal with my mom's bullshit anymore." Adam's attitude was flippant.

"You'll still have to deal with her at some point. You realize this right?" Eli felt like the conversation was going nowhere but he just couldn't drop it yet.

"I've been thinking about this for a long, long time. I'm going to tell you something but you have to keep it to yourself. Promise." Eli nodded. He couldn't look at Adam because he was still driving. "I'm going to a lawyer as soon as I find out the cost and I'm getting legally emancipated from my parents. My mom kicked me out this week. It wasn't the first time and it won't be the last by a long shot. So may as well get out from under her thumb completely. What do you think?"

Eli couldn't believe his ears. "That's a pretty serious decision."

"That's it? Aren't you excited for me?" Adam was hurt. He thought out of everyone in his life, he would get more support from Eli than that.

"I just…Adam it's your life, alright? Not to sound too cliché but you're going to do what you want and what you think is best for you no matter what I say. So if you've thought about this, weighed your options and this is the best conclusion you can come to: then I support you. I want you to be happy and if this will allow you to be happy then I'll be happy too. Is that better?" Eli asked gently.

Adam smiled. "Sorry to sound like a crybaby. All my life I've felt out of place, ganged up on, just really unloved. This isn't a conventional solution but I feel like it fits this unconventional thing I like to call my life. Would you be willing to come with me when I go?"

Eli nodded. "Of course I'll go with you." He pulled into a parking spot near the food court part of the mall. "Let's go grab a snack. Wanna try Clare again?"

Undoing his seatbelt and jumping out of the car, Adam pulled out his cell and hit redial. Clare's phone went to voicemail again. "Nothing again. I'm not going to leave another message, I'm sure she'll call one of us back." He hung up before Clare's automated message could kick in.

They went into the mall, up the escalator and over to one of the many candy stores. Adam was jonesing for some licorice. As if sensing this, Eli picked up a bag and filled it. He got a box of caramelize popcorn for himself, paid for both things and walked out of the store. Adam, who was a step behind, was a bit confused. Eli handed him the bag and walked over to a nearby bench. "My idea, my treat, remember?"

"But how did you?"

"I'd have to be mostly blind to have not noticed your love for licorice." Eli smirked at him and kissed his cheek. The mall wasn't overly busy but it wasn't dead either.

Adam's phone rang and startled both him and Eli. He pulled it out of his pocket and glared at the screen. It was Drew. Eli peered over his shoulder and gave him a lopsided grin. Adam rolled his eyes. "I'm not answering it. I'm not being guilted into going back to the hospital or anything like that. I'm staying here with you and then we're meeting up with Clare and her friend." The ringing stopped for about 30 seconds and then started up again. Adam was tempted to throw his phone over the railing. He silence the ring and put the phone back in his pocket.

"Why don't I just answer it instead? Say that you left your phone in my car and I was on my way to your place to try to return it to you?" Eli suggested.

"Drew isn't a complete dolt, Eli. He knows me pretty well after all these years."

Eli put his hand on Adam's knee. "Could you at least call him after the movie? You know the next person that is going to get an ear-full is me, right? If he can't get a hold of you, I'm probably the next best option."

"Fine. After the movie but not before. If I wasn't expecting Clare's call: I'd put it on silent right now. I wonder if she's alright. Do you think we should go over to her house?" Adam asked.

"I suppose we could. It isn't like her not to check in." Eli shrugged, threw a bit more popcorn in his mouth and stood up.

Adam closed the licorice bag and stood up as well. "To the Batmobile!"

Eli smirked. "Ha ha. Morty won't appreciate you getting his name wrong, you know."

"Are you really that guy? C'mon. Cars don't have souls." Adam said, laughing.

"I am offended on his behalf. Of course cars have souls. Have a little heart." Eli smiled and nudged Adam gently with shoulder. They left the mall hand in hand.