Chapter Fifteen
ADDISON
Everly and Asim return the next day, pulling into the driveway mid-morning so I don’t get a chance to go to Roasted as I normally would.
Moose is ecstatic, losing his mind as he spins in circles and barks.
Everly laughs at his enthusiastic greeting.
Melodious and beautiful, it lights up her whole face as she bends down to pet him.
Moose pounces on her, knocking her back into Asim’s legs.
He scolds Moose, then scoops his hands under my sister’s arms and easily sets her back on her feet. She tips her face up for a quick kiss before stepping past Moose and folding me into her arms.
I’m still not sure about our dynamic. I know we both played a part in the distance between us, until I showed up with no warning last December for the holiday party she hosts every year.
I cringe internally. That wasn’t my finest moment—making a spur of the moment decision to attend after breaking up with Sabrina simply because I didn’t want to be alone for Christmas—but it seems to be working out okay now.
At least it’s brought us back together.
“How was your trip?” I ask.
Everly squeals and holds up her left hand, where a new, glittering ring adorns her finger. A bright, colorless diamond, sparkling in the morning sun.
“OH MY GOD!” I shriek and launch myself at her, torn between snatching her hand and giving her another hug. I settle on some combination of both, one arm around her neck and the other grasping her hand for a closer look.
“ASIM!” I turn to him and my eyes feel like they’re exploding from my head. “This is the most perfect ring I have ever seen in my entire life.”
Everly throws her head back in laughter and Asim’s eyes sparkle as his whole body seems to puff up in satisfaction. He remembers a few moments later that I had been speaking to him, and he gives himself a little shake as he tears his focus from his future wife and back to me.
“Thank you, I think she’s quite pleased,” he says, his accent drawing out the vowels.
“Pleased?” Everly scoffs, lightly slapping his chest. “I freaking love it and you know it, but if you’ve forgotten, I’m happy to remind you.”
His eyes sparkle as hers dance with mischief and I don’t want to know any more.
“Okay!” I say, clapping my hands. “You need help unpacking?”
I turn to the car, but Asim places a gentle hand on my shoulder.
“I’ve got it,” he says. “You two go relax and catch up.”
“Okay seriously,” I hiss at Everly as we step inside and head toward the kitchen. I assume she’s hungry after her travels. “How did you find that man?”
Everly laughs. “Oh, you know. An obnoxious poinsettia delivery combined with some light stalking, and bam. Perfect future husband.”
She stares at the ring on her finger with hearts in her eyes and I roll mine. She’s ridiculous but honestly, that summary was pretty accurate.
“Alright spill. How did he propose? I bet it was romantic. That man’s gone for you.”
She grins and shares the story. How baby sea turtles were involved, how she accidentally ruined his plans the first time, but it ended up being perfect anyway.
She shows me pictures of their trip and my heart pangs at the joy radiating from the photos.
I’m happy for her, for both of them, but also… I want that for myself .
“So…” she says, and the glint in her eye raises my defenses. “You and Frankie seemed to be spending a lot of time together this week…”
I blink at her. How does she possibly know that?
Everly must see my confusion because she continues before I get the chance to ask.
“Moose has a GPS tracker on his collar.” She grins. A feline, satisfied, pushy older sister grin that I do not like the looks of.
Then I register what she said. My brain flits backward through the last week, and the full extent of what she’s saying hits me.
I spent hours at Roasted every day, with Moose.
I also spent the night at Frankie’s place, again with Moose.
One glance at Everly tells me she already knows all of this.
She’s biting her lip and bouncing like she can’t wait to hear what I have to say.
I sigh, “Okay, don’t be mad—”
“What?” she squawks. “I’m not mad! Are you together? Please tell me you’re together!” Her hands meet in front of her chest like she’s praying and I slump with relief. I guess Frankie was right.
“We’re…” I start, then stop. “I guess we haven’t defined it.”
I don’t tell her what I was about to say. That we’re us, together .
“Okay,” Everly says, dragging out the word. “But?”
“But we’re together, yeah, and we’re figuring it out as we go.”
Everly squeals and I jump as she leaps up from her bar stool to embrace me again. I don’t think I’ve been hugged this much in years. I like it.
“I knew it! Gah, this is the best news ever! I bet you’re stupid cute together. Oh my god, I have to call Frankie.”
My face is turning more and more red with every word she says, and when Asim walks into the kitchen to drop a kiss on her head, he pauses.
“What’s up?” he says.
I take the brief reprieve from Everly’s attention to type out a quick SOS message to Frankie, informing them that Everly knows and is freaking—in a good way—but losing it nonetheless.
My attention returns to hear Everly gushing to Asim about me and Frankie being together and how cute and perfect we are. That sounds like a lot of pressure, and Asim glances at me, probably seeing the beginnings of panic in my eyes.
“Ever,” he says, swiping a thumb across her bottom lip. She seems to get lost in his eyes, going silent as he continues. “Perhaps give them some space to decide what they want. Hmm, love?”
She blinks, then nods, looking sheepish.
“Right,” she says, turning back to me. “Sorry.”
“All good.” I let out a breath of relief.
“If you want to head over there, you can,” she says a moment later, winking at me. I shake my head, resisting the urge to do exactly that.
“Nah, I’m not here for much longer and haven’t gotten to see you at all yet. If you’re not too tired, want to hang out for a bit?”
~~~
Frankie ends up coming over that evening after Roasted closes, swaggering into the house like they own the place.
“I brought tequila!” Frankie shouts, holding up a bottle of the dangerous liquid. The three of us groan, half exasperated and half apprehensive. The only time Frankie breaks out tequila is for drinking games, and Frankie is notoriously good at them, as I learned last December.
“What?” they say, sticking their bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout. I want to suck on it, and they smirk when they catch me eyeing them like I’m hungry. “I thought we could have a rematch! Another round of ‘Never Have I Ever’ so Asim can redeem himself.”
“Hey!” Everly yells, scowling at her best friend as she places a comforting hand on Asim’s chest. He’s chuckling though, and my heart pangs at the ease between the three of them. They’re clearly comfortable in each other’s company, and I feel like the odd one out.
Frankie snags glasses from the kitchen, then plops down on the couch next to me.
My cushion bounces and I start to tip into them, sending a stroke of deja vu through me.
They tug me into their side and press a kiss to my temple.
My eyes flit to Everly, only to see she’s staring at us with a ravenous, eager expression, biting her lip to hold in a smile.
“I should have known you’d fall for the pretty, popular girl,” Everly says to Frankie as they pour tequila into shot glasses, teasing both of us. “Everyone always did.”
Frankie turns to me, a calculating look in their eye. I’m a couple years younger than Frankie and Everly, so we didn’t see much of each other at school, only when Frankie would come over to the house.
“Hmm, she was, was she?” Frankie says, eyes drifting up and down my body. “Can’t say I’m surprised.”
I snag a glass and down the tequila, twisting my lips to the side as it burns my throat.
Everly cackles, Frankie’s grin turns devious, and Asim smiles, then murmurs something I don’t catch into Everly’s ear.
She’s a ball of energy bouncing on the couch until Asim pulls her into his lap and wraps his arms around her, dissipating some of her restless fidgeting.
“Enough chit-chat,” Frankie says, clapping their hands then refilling the shot glass I drained. “Never have I ever, round two, begins now!”
We all groan, knowing Frankie is going to win as they always do, but ready to have a good time anyway.
The evening passes easily with all of us enjoying some good-natured ribbing until Everly and Asim head to bed early.
Frankie and I can’t get enough of each other.
I’m desperate to spend every moment with them that I can, dreading the looming deadline ahead of me when I’ll have to board a plane and fly away from them.
I hate not knowing how long it might be until I see them again, not knowing what our future holds or exactly how we’re going to make this work.
I check my phone constantly, hoping and dreading the email that never comes, informing me whether I got the transfer or not.
I spend the next two nights at Frankie’s, both of us frantic with our affection, in denial of the short time we have left together.
I eat lunch with Everly each day during her work break, and while I enjoy reconnecting with her, I’m fidgeting and restless the whole time. Itching to get back to Frankie.
I wake up early the morning of my last day here after spending the night in Frankie’s bed, like my body wants to take advantage of every precious second we have left before I leave.
Frankie is already up, as usual, but it’s earlier than I’ve ever woken before.
The sun is barely rising, streaking orange and pink across the brightening sky. It’s too pretty for such a sad day.
I wrap a throw blanket around my shoulders, not bothering to change out of my sleep tank and shorts yet, then wander down the stairs to find Frankie in the kitchen. They’re muttering under their breath, mixing batter like they’re furious at it.
“Frankie?” I ask, my voice coming out raspy from sleep.
They glance up, shock flitting across their face at seeing me conscious this early.
“You’re awake?”
“No,” I grumble, shuffling toward them. “It’s stupid early.”
They grin and set down the bowl and spatula, wiping their hands on a towel before wrapping me up in their arms. I slouch and tuck my face into their neck, burying the tip of my nose in their skin.
“It is stupid early, how can I make it up to you?”
“Mmph,” I groan, and Frankie chuckles. A quiet, wistful, slightly sad sort of chuckle. Or perhaps I’m projecting.
“How about a banana chocolate chip muffin?”
“Yeah, that.”
I poke a hand out from the blanket and wave my fingers in a “give me” gesture, not yet moving my face from Frankie’s neck, and earn another chuckle.
My lips curve against their skin and I tuck my arm back into my blanket burrito.
They squeeze me tighter for a moment before backing me into a counter, then lifting me up to sit on it.
I scoot to get comfortable, then stick my hand out of the blanket again .
Frankie snags a muffin from the cooling tray, removes the wrapper, and places the still warm pastry in my hand. It smells delicious, and I let out an involuntary moan when I take a bite. Ripe banana and gooey chocolate flood my taste buds.
“Careful,” Frankie warns when I groan again with the second bite. They’ve turned back to their baking and I pause, deciding if I want to push it or not.
I choose to enjoy my muffin, knowing that I can both have my cake and eat it too. Or, in my case, have Frankie pretty much anytime I want, and also eat their delicious muffins. Semi-double innuendo intended.
Win-win.
I smirk at my clever early morning thoughts and take another bite of the muffin.