Poinsettia Lane

Chapter Twenty-Nine

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

EVERLY IS WAITING in her kitchen, cream fuzzy-socked foot tap-tap-tapping on the stone tile as she leans back against the marble countertop, arms folded across her chest, hands clenched into fists. Her eyes flit between the phone propped up on the counter opposite her and the kitchen window. Asim is on a video call with her—he’s working in the back greenhouses today—and she’s doing her best not to pace while she waits.

“No word yet?” he asks, his head popping into view for a moment before she hears him rummaging around off camera.

“Not since she left Phoenix. I mean, I guess I’m glad she’s not texting and driving, but shouldn’t she be here by now?”

“There’s probably traffic, especially getting out of the airport. She’ll be here soon. What are you most excited about?” he asks, doing his best to distract her from the torture of waiting. Everly appreciates the sentiment, even if it’s not really working.

“I guess just to see her? I don’t know, maybe going to—”

“She’s here!” Everly screeches, interrupting herself. “She’s here, gotta go! Love you bye!”

She hears Asim’s chuckle as she ends the call and clenches her phone in her fist, watching Addison turn into the driveway and circle around in her rental, then pull to a screeching stop in front of the porch.

Everly throws the door open and dashes out.

“You made it!” she says, a wide smile on her face .

“I did!” Addison hops out and slams the door closed, then strides around the car toward Everly. Without hesitation, Addison throws her arms around her sister and Everly’s breath catches at the ease with which Addison embraces her.

Everly’s arms come up and wrap around her in return, and she breathes in the moment, savoring the feel of her little sister in her arms and exulting in this epic hug of all hugs. It feels like love and joy and comfort.

It feels like home.

As Addison chatters about the flight and how she recognized a book someone was reading in the row in front of her, Everly can’t stop smiling and her cheeks already hurt with how wide it is. They stow Addison’s luggage for the week in her old bedroom upstairs, not even unpacking before they agree drinks are in order.

They’re sitting on barstools at the kitchen counter catching up when Addison asks about Asim.

“He’s definitely still stressed and has a lot on his plate, but it’s coming back together. He’s at the garden center, but might swing by later," Everly says.

“Okay cool, I can’t wait to officially meet him.” Addison’s eyes twinkle as she clasps her hands in front of her.

They’ve said hello a couple times on video calls over the last two weeks, and Everly can’t wait to see how they get along in person.

Then she surprises Everly by bringing up someone else.

“So what about your other friend, Frankie?” Addison says. She glances sideways at Everly from the corner of her eye.

“What about them?”

“Are they coming over too?” Addison’s cheeks are pink and she’s shifted her focus to looking resolutely at her hands.

Everly narrows her eyes.

“Ad…” Her sister’s eyes flick to hers briefly before darting away again. “Do you want me to invite them over?”

“Oh, no, that’s not,” she stammers, “I mean, if you wanted to, I don’t mind, is all.” Addison takes a swig of her dry Manhattan and immediately starts hacking, pounding her chest with the heel of her hand and leaning over in her seat.

“Geez, are you okay?!” Everly pats her back on her way to the sink for a quick glass of water. She slides it in front of Addison, who nods her indication that she’s fine and takes a grateful gulp. “If you like Frankie, that’s okay. I won’t be mad. But I’ll be honest, I don’t know if they’re interested one way or another.”

“Oh my god, Ev!” Addison’s cheeks are more than pink now.

“I’m just saying!” she says, throwing her hands in the air in surrender.

Addison downs the rest of the water before looking back at Everly. “I don’t know if it’s like that. I guess I just want to get to know them.”

Everly nods and decides to go easy on her for now, while a plucky trail of schemes start flitting through her brain. She holds in the maniacal laugh, but lets it ring through her mind loud and clear.

“So what happened with those other two? Your ex and your… other ex?” Everly asks, still unclear on the relationships between all of them, and Addison sighs dramatically, rolling her eyes to the high heavens, then launches into an update on what sounds like an incredibly awkward ex-love triangle which she somehow keeps getting pulled into, despite her consistent denials of any lingering interest in either of them.

Addison gets up to refill her drink, offering one to Everly as well and grabbing some snacks while she’s near the pantry. As she’s distracted, Everly texts both Asim and Frankie to come over, debating whether or not to warn Frankie about her sister’s possible crush. She decides to stay out of it; they’re both adults and can figure it out on their own.

~~~

Alone in her kitchen a few hours later, Everly leans against the counter as she looks out the sink window at the night sky and listens to the beautiful sound of her sister, boyfriend, and best friend laughing and chatting in the next room. She’s filled to the brim with a sense of cozy joy, a sort of peaceful euphoria she can’t exactly put her finger on. It’s a new feeling for her, something that’s been coming up the last couple weeks that she’s trying hard to be accepting of. Everly sighs and smiles to herself, eyes unfocused as she gets lost in the moment, then jumps when a hand lands on her shoulder.

“Good god, Frankie.” Everly presses her palm against her chest, willing her heart to slow before it catapults her into an early grave. “Are you trying to kill me?”

“Wow, sorry. I didn’t know you’d be so jumpy, what’s up?” Frankie asks.

“Nothing, I was just getting some water.” Everly turns to the purified water dispenser on the fridge, waiting for her glass to refill.

Frankie is silent for a few moments, waiting for her to turn around before speaking again.

“They’re both really great, you know," Frankie says, their voice uncharacteristically serious. “I’m really proud of you.”

Everly hasn’t heard those words in years, probably close to a decade, and they instantly bring tears to her eyes. She blinks and scrunches her nose in an effort to keep them in. Frankie gives her soft smile, and she can see all of her own emotions reflected in it. They’ve been her rock for years; they know the heartbreak, loneliness, hurt, sadness, despair… everything Everly has gone through, they’ve been by her side, and they also know how much happier she is now.

She’s more free, fulfilled. Everly has found herself and her people, and it shows. She’s been practically glowing lately, not to mention she’s had more motivation and energy; she’s even started walking Moose and chatting with some of the other dog owners in the neighborhood.

A truly astounding turn of events.

“Thanks, Frankie," Everly says, her voice thick. She pulls them into an embrace, then swipes under her eyes to clear any tears that might have leaked before they walk back into the living area together, stopping in the doorway.

Addison and Asim are in a heated debate, and it takes Everly a few moments to piece together what, exactly, the topic is. When she realizes they’re debating the reality of aliens, and that they both seem to be arguing for aliens being real rather than taking opposing sides, she shakes her head and relaxes back into the cushions next to Asim. Frankie plops onto the couch beside Addison, causing her to bounce into them and let out a tiny squeak, which instantly turns her cheeks red and effectively ends the pointless alien debate.

Asim puts his arm around Everly, pulling her close into his side. Frankie, on the other hand, is eyeing Addison up and down like she’s their next snack while they take a playful sip of their drink, and Addison, for once, doesn’t seem to know what to do with herself. When Frankie asks if they all want to play “never have I ever,” Addison’s eyebrows shoot into her hairline and Everly buries her smirk in Asim’s arm.

This should be good.

“I don’t think I’ve played that since college," Addison says.

“Were you a good girl then, too?” Frankie asks, quirking one eyebrow. Their lips tilt up in a mischievous grin that Everly doesn’t want to be within ten feet of when Addison’s jaw falls open.

“Close your mouth, love," Everly whisper shouts to her sister, reaching across the space between them to tap her chin with her finger.

Addison’s mouth snaps closed and she bounces a narrow eyed glare between Everly and Frankie, who simply chuckles in response.

Thirty or so minutes and many drinks later, they’re all out of fingers. Everly is in Asim’s lap and Frankie appears to have reduced Addison to a puddle of wistful adoration with the way she’s looking up at them like a lost little puppy who has finally found its way home. When Frankie decides to turn the charm on like that, she doesn’t think even a cold, dead corpse would be able to resist, and poor, sweet Addison has no chance. Everly isn’t surprised by her best friend’s interest; people have always been drawn to Addison, and it seems Frankie is no exception.

Everly looks up at Asim, tilting her head toward the two of them and raising her eyebrows in a nonverbal question. The twinkle in his eye confirms that he sees it too, there’s definitely something going on there.

Luckily, Frankie decides to take pity on all of them after destroying everyone in the drinking game. They’re the one who could party for hours, but they read the room and correctly recognize it’s time to call it a night. Her friend asks Addison to walk them to the door, and Everly snorts a drunken laugh at the astonishment on her sister’s face.

With light fingers Asim pinches her hip teasingly in response. “That was you not so long ago, you know," he says, lips grazing her ear.

“It was not," she says, sounding petulant as the ’t’ snaps off her teeth like it’s readying for a fight. Everly’s face flames—with fury, of course—there’s no way she was as transparent as either of those two.

“It absolutely was, and I loved every second of it," he says, pulling her mouth toward his with a hand on the side of her neck.

She gives in easily, accepting his kiss and lingering in the moment until they draw apart for air. They hear Addison’s quick “good night” a few minutes later as she rushes up the stairs to her bedroom without stopping or turning in their direction, and they share a giddy smile.

Asim stands up with Everly still in his arms, depositing her on her feet and ensuring she’s steady before gathering the dirty glasses and dishes. He tidies up, quick and efficient, loads up the dishwasher, and helps her get the place back in order before he leaves.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” Everly sways into him, her words coming out much more needy than she intended.

“You know I’d love to, but I have a very early morning.”

Everly scrunches her nose, not pleased in the slightest with that predicament.

When they step out onto the front porch together, Frankie is long gone and the neighborhood is dark, silent and still. Asim gazes down at her and cradles her jaw in one callused palm, his eyes tracing over every inch of her upturned face.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” he says, his voice soft in the night air.

“Well duh, I snagged you after all.” She turns her head slightly into his hand, kissing the soft skin of his palm below his thumb, and he smiles.

“Seriously Ever, you did all this. You brought the four of us together, and we are all better for it. This night, these people… none of it would have happened without you," he says.

Everly tilts her head and thinks about that for a moment. She did bring them all together, and it feels incredible to be on the inside, in the middle of a group of people who truly know and care about her, rather than on the outside looking in and pretending to be part of something she’s not. She’s found her core circle, her favorite people in the world, and she doesn’t feel alone anymore.

Her heart is full and her soul is happy.

She smiles up at Asim and his own smile grows wider, softer, more tender as he gazes at her, nodding slightly and twining his other arm around her waist as he recognizes that she sees it. She sees the impact she’s had on all of them, herself included, and she understands the significance.

“My beautiful Ever. My Ever-after," he says, brushing his nose against hers. His voice is still low and soft, and his eyes capture hers in their gaze. Asim’s hands trail reverently over her curves to lightly brush her hair back before he cups her face in both of his hands. He searches her eyes, just as she searches his, seeing everything in her heart reflected there.

“I love you," she whispers, pulling him into a kiss and realizing for the first time that she’s not at all worried about who might be watching.

Their foreheads rest against each other, lips a hair’s-breadth apart as they share the same air and Asim whispers his reply, his mouth brushing softly against hers as his lips move.

“And I love you, Everly. I love you as endlessly as the clouds form in the sky, and the rains fall to the oceans, and the grasses grow from the earth.”