Chapter Twenty Seven-2

Everett nodded above her. "Yeah. I know we do. But I'm pretty sure that can wait, right? Just a day or two so we can get settled back into our normal routines." Lizzie hummed in agreement. "Since when are you the sensible one, huh?" she chuckled a little bit, the noise quickly turning into a yawn. "I guess I should probably get going," she told him, albeit with a little bit of disappointment in her tone. Lizzie pulled away and smiled at Everett. His face showed the same amount of fondness for her before saying, "Goodnight, Lizzie. Drive safe, okay? I'll have the volume on my phone up, so just text me when you get home so I know you're okay." "Will do. Night, Everett." * * * * * * * * * * * Jesse watched the soft exchange between Lizzie and Everett with every bit the happy lens of a fangirl. His hands were linked together and he stared with wide eyes. He waited for this moment for months. Something happened during that trip to Flagstaff. And he really wanted to know what. What happened on that trip? Jesse asked himself, grabbing Everett's bag from the driveway as Lizzie drove off. Quickening his steps a little bit, Jesse saddled up next to his brother and nudged him. "Sooooo," he began, leading Everett into the house. His brother stumbled and grunted. While Everett most likely meant his grunt to be a dissuasive argument against his brothers chatter, Jesse took that as an affirmative to speak. "How was the trip?" "No," Everett deadpanned. "I'm not permitting you to dig for any information until I wake up tomorrow, eat breakfast and drink at least three cups of coffee. Please hold all questions until that time," he nudged his brother in return, giving Jesse a tired smile in the process. Jesse mildly pouted and grumbled, "Fine. But tomorrow you are so in for it." "Deal." * * * * * * * * When Everett woke up the next morning, his mind immediately began playing the events of the entire trip in a fast motion. He rolled over and just laid there for a moment, thinking and just mentally absorbing everything taking place in his life. The trip to Flagstaff changed everything. Everett felt as though he came back a brand new man, ready to take on the world. And it didn't just have to do with Lizzie, though she played a part. Now, Everett felt like he could do things. He could take a trip across the country. He could paint and draw. He could fall in love and these were things he previously thought were no longer his finally came back. Anything was possible now. Everett knew now he could be an independent kind of guy. Fully independent? No, he still needed help and he accepted that as a constant. But a new element of independence existed now. And he loved it. His phone began buzzing, the sound of Lizzie's ringtone blaring through the room. Everett scrambled to grab the device and took  a  deep breath before he answered, though he didn't understand why he felt a twinge of nerves. It's only Lizzie, he thought. However, the problem stemmed from it being Lizzie. Lizzie had become everything in his life, whether she meant to or not; whether he wanted it or not. She wriggled her way into his life and now . . . now he was content to have her there. No - more than content. It was a constant state of smiles and annoyance and eye rolling. But he loved every second of it. Shaking his head, Everett answered the phone, "Hey." He hoped he didn't sound like he had wondered so far off into thought . . .which he had. "Hey," Lizzie replied, the smile clear in her voice. "I wanted to let you know your jacket is in my car, so if you can't find it - you know where it is." Everett frowned and leaned further over his bed where the pile of his items laid on the floor. He dug through a little bit, feeling and only to find that, yes, he totally left his jacket in Lizzie's car. "Oh, whoops. Sorry about that," he mumbled, a yawn breaking through as he said the words. A chuckle came from the other end of the line, sending a wave of warmth right through his body. "Well, I'll drop it off later, okay? And later might also mean tomorrow," she said apologetically. Everett shook his head and joked, "Well, fine -  go spend time with your family. You act like you haven't seen them in forever!" "You are such a dork," was the only reply Lizzie gave. But rather than sounding like an insult, the words were dripping with fondness, enough that Everett grinned wide on his end of the line. "In that case, I'll see you soon?" Everett meant for it to be a statement, but it rolled off of his tongue sounding more like a question. He thumped himself mentally. He didn't need to be so shy. But . . . He really couldn't help it. "Yeah, I'll see you soon. Bye, Ev." As soon as Everett responded in kind, the line disconnected, leaving Everett to fall flat on his bed. The phone fell next to him, a reminder of how different his life became. Not wanting to dwell too much on it, Everett pushed the covers on his bed back and crawled back underneath them; there was still warmth under the duvet and he curled up in the spot, sighing contentedly before drifting off into a semi-deep slumber.