Ellie rolls her eyes at the nickname with a smile. “Anything for my favorite sister-in-law.”
“I’m your only sister-in-law.” Nikki says as she waddles over. Easton places a kiss on her cheek as he helps her settle into a nearby chair.
The crowd thins out as the night goes on and eventually it’s just a few of us left on the back deck. Estella and her family left for the night, Jim and Joyce went to bed. Ellie is curled up next to me on the outdoor sofa. Now that the sun has set its chilly. Nikki and Easton are on the loveseat across from us, closer to the outdoor heater. Erica and her friends are once again around the fire pit, helping Nikki finish off the mocktails.
“So, I’m dying to know, how did you two meet?” Nikki asks, sipping her drink.
“Like originally or are you asking how we reconnected?” I ask.
“Originally.”
“Oh! I want to tell this!” Ellie giggles, she’s definitely a little tipsy. “Okay so we met at the NCAA meeting for incoming student athletes. I remember freaking out that everyone could see my nipples through my shirt because it was so damn cold in the meeting.”
Easton chokes on his drink. Ellie continues, unphased.
“I was in a hurry to get out into a warmer part of the building, so I practically sprinted to the guy collecting the forms and I ran into this hulking man giant.” She says hooking her thumb at me. “The hulking man giant was then kind enough to help me pick everything up, and he even turned in the paperwork for us. Then I hauled ass out of there and to my next class. Hoping to never see him again since I was embarrassed. Lo and behold, he ended up being in the same freshman history class. We ended up partnering up foreverything in that class.”
“That’s adorable.” Nikki smiles and rubs her belly. “And then she drunkenly slid into your DMs ten years later?” She must have heard that from Elle’s family group chat.
“Yes, and you know what, I’m not ashamed.” Ellie smiles, taking a sip from her drink as I loop my arm around her shoulders.
The night continues like that. Constant conversation, and delicious Jim crafted beer. Easton and Nikki retire for the night after a while leaving Ellie and I alone on the deck. The younger girls in the distance with the fire pit. “Thanks for being such a good sport about all this.” Ellie murmurs against me.
“It was a lot of fun.” I gaze down at her. “You ready for bed?”
“Nah, not yet, I want to stargaze for a little bit.” She smiles and then tilts her head back to look at the sky. “What are your thoughts on aliens?”
“They’re real.” I reply. “I think they think we’re such a primitive planet that they feel the need to observe us from a distance. Not willing to interfere. Or it could be like the popular theory that humans are space orcs. Regardless, they are out there.”
She nods, pleased with my answer and we continue to look at the stars above.
“Hey Archer?” She looks at me warmly.
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
Warmth floods through me, a big smile slides across my face, and I look at her as I say the most amazing words I’ve ever had the privilege to say: “I love you, too.”
Chapter 35
Elle
Iwake up feeling… off. Archer and I loaded up my car full of boxes of stuff I decided to take home so my mom could finally redecorate my bedroom. Now we’re on the road with all my priceless childhood mementos and a very large, very poorly painted picture of me as a Disney Princess. Along with my childhood treasures my parents gave me new ceramic cookware because they read about microplastics coming off the nonstick pans and demanded I throw away my set that I bought in college. My trunk is packed with our weekend bags and various odds and ends from my parents, while my backseat houses my cookware and my Disney portrait. Needless to say, it’s jam packed in here. Maybe it’s the lack of airflow that is making me nauseous. But that doesn’t make sense since I’m in the passenger seat.
“You okay? You’re quiet.” Archer’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts.
“Yeah, I just feel weird. My stomach feels off.” I reply taking a sip of my water.
“Maybe it’s from all the super-rich food we ate yesterday at the party.” Archer suggests.
“Maybe…”
“I can stop off at the next rest stop and grab you a Sprite or a ginger ale, maybe the carbonation would help settle your stomach.”
“Yeah. That would be good.”
We drive along the highway, and I just can’t shake the feeling in my stomach. Maybe I’m getting car sick? I’ve never been car sick before though.
