Chapter 6 By the time Nora finally ended her phone call and stepped back into the living room , Claire was still there . She sat with Elliot , talking about something . The moment Nora walked in , Elliot still looked a little upset . But after a moment of hesitation , he brought up the contact name again . " Have you finished talking with your best friend ? You really shouldn't save someone under a think ? " name like that on your phone . It's a bit much , don't you Nora shot him a look of genuine surprise , not expecting him to still be hung up on that . She simply nodded , not bothering to clarify whether she was answering his first question or the second - or maybe both . Elliot seemed to take her nod as agreement , and his mood finally eased a little . Claire , on the other hand , was watching every flicker of emotion on his face , and her expression . shifted along with his . She honestly hadn't thought Elliot would care about Nora this way . In her mind , he was supposed to be totally indifferent toward her . " It's still early , " Claire suddenly said with a bright , practiced smile . " Nora , Elliot , why don't I treat you both to dinner and a movie tonight ? I just want to thank you guys for putting up with me lately . " Nora saw right through it . Claire's invitation was just an excuse to show off how close she was to Elliot and how caring and attentive he could be with her . inking of this , Nora shook her head . She had no interest in playing along with Claire's childish show - off . Besides , she needed to get back to her hometown soon , and there was still a lot she had . to take care of . But of course , Claire wasn't going to let her bow out that easily . When Nora declined , Claire's eyes immediately filled with tears as she turned to Elliot , putting on a pitiful act . " Elliot , do you think Nora's still mad at me ? I know I was out of line recently and did some crazy things . She has every right to be upset . This is all my fault … " As she spoke , her voice got more and more trembly , and her eyes turned red Elliot immediately looked pained and gave Nora a silent look of disapproval , as if blaming her for making things difficult . Nora let out a long sigh . She could tell that if she insisted on saying no , Claire would probably burst into tears and put on a full - blown scene . Then , she'd end up looking like the cold - hearted . villain in the story . In the end , she got dragged out the door with the two of them . Chapter 6 It was around dinnertime , anyway , so the three of them went to a seafood restaurant that Claire had picked . After they got settled in a private booth , Nora cast a long look at Elliot . He avoided her eyes and turned to Claire , who was looking at the menu . His gaze softened without him even realizing it . Elliot had every reason to feel uneasy . He knew perfectly well that Nora was allergic to seafood , yet he still brought her to this restaurant just because Claire wanted to eat here . When the food arrived , Nora sat with nothing but a glass of water in front of her , while Claire happily dug into a plate of shrimp that Elliot had carefully peeled for her . Claire looked over at Nora and asked , " Nora , are you really not going to try any ? The seafood here is amazing . " Nora couldn't help but let out a mocking laugh . She was about to reply when Elliot quickly changed the subject , dropping another plate of shrimp in front of Claire , who squealed in delight and immediately forgot about her earlier question . After dinner , Claire dragged them both to the movie theater . She browsed through the movie . options for a while before choosing a horror film . It wasn't until Nora sat down in the farthest seat by the aisle that she realized exactly what Claire was up to . From the very first jumpscare , Claire kept reacting dramatically . She accidentally grabbed Elliot's drink , then clutched his arm every time something scary came on screen , softly whining about how frightened she was . Eventually , she left her seat and slipped right into Elliot's arms . For a second , Elliot looked startled and almost pulled away . But when he saw the tears in her eyes and thought of Jonathan , he gave in and let her stay there . Just then , he glanced up and met Nora's eyes . She had seen everything , but her expression remained calm . " Nory … " Elliot tried calling her by her nickname , something he almost never did . He was just about to explain , but she turned her head away , focusing on the screen , as if she hadn't seen a thing . The explanation got stuck in Elliot's throat , leaving him awkward and uneasy , b another small yelp from Claire quickly drew his attention back . He pushed down the strange feeling in his chest . and gently comforted her . Hearing his soft , reassuring voice , Nora couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh .