Chapter 100 Away
Wednesday evening had a different feel to it mostly because Alexander was acting off.
Elena picked up on it right away, right around the time he started grinning at his phone during dinner and zoning out completely in front of boxed pasta.
She called him out while loading dishes.
“What’s going on with you?” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re just... acting weird.”
“I’m not weird. You’re weird.”
She rolled her eyes. “You just smiled at your pasta. Three times.”
“It’s good pasta!”
“It’s from a box.”
He tried not to laugh, failed, and then shrugged. “Okay, fine, you got me. I have something to tell you.”
Leo lifted his head from his coloring, instantly alert. “Is it a secret?”
“It’s a surprise,” Alexander said, grinning.
“I LOVE SURPRISES!” Leo practically shouted.
“I know you do. That’s why there’s a plan.”
Elena wiped her hands on a towel. “What kind of surprise?”
“The kind where we pack bags and leave after school on Friday.”
“Leave for where?”
“That’s the surprise.”
“Alexander—”
He raised his hands. “Just trust me. Pack comfy stuff, layers, something nice for dinner, and we’ll be back Sunday night.”
“You planned a whole trip?”
“I did.”
“Without even asking?”
He just looked at her, smiling. “Asking ruins the surprise.”
Leo flung down his crayon and rushed over. “Where are we going? Will there be dinosaurs? Can I bring Ellyphant? Both Ellyphants?”
“You can bring both Ellyphants. But no clues. You’ll like it, though.”
“How do you know I’ll like it?”
“Because I know you.”
Elena watched him—barely holding in the excitement, clearly very proud of himself.
She shook her head, but there was a smile creeping in. “Okay.”
He blinked. “Okay?”
“We’ll go on your mystery trip.”
Leo pumped his fist. “Yes! Can I pack now?”
Alexander looked at the clock. “It’s Wednesday. We’re not leaving until Friday.”
“But I have to plan. Planning is important! Mama, can I pack now?”
“After bath time. Serious planners still have to be clean.”
“Okay, but I’m planning in my head right now. Serious planning.”
That night, with Leo finally asleep, Elena found Alexander in bed, laptop open, plotting something.
She slid beside him. “Planning more surprises?”
He shut the laptop just to tease her. “Nope. Still a surprise.”
“I hate surprises.”
“You love them.”
“I love knowing. Surprises are stressful.”
He pulled her in close. “Trust me. You’ll like this one.”
She gave him a look. “You’re using your Leo lines on me now.”
“They worked on him.”
“I’m not three.”
He grinned. “Thank God.”
She actually laughed—an honest, light sound she hadn’t made in a while. “Fine. I trust you. But if we end up somewhere terrible—”
“We won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I planned it. And I am excellent at planning.”
“You burned dinner last week.”
“That was improvisation. Not the same.”
Thursday blurred by, everyone buzzing with anticipation.
Leo blabbed to everyone at school about their "mystery trip," and declared seventeen different theories that night.
“James thinks it’s Disney World. Is it Disney World we are going?”
“Nope,” Alexander said.
“Zoo?”
“Nah.”
“The moon?”
“Maybe next year.”
Leo groaned. “You’re not going to tell us.”
“Not giving hints is the point.”
Friday morning was sharp and cold, a good day to leave. Elena packed while Leo kept careful watch.
“You need your warm jacket, Mama.”
“I got it, boss.”
“And your comfy shoes.”
“They’re in.”
“And snacks. We never have enough snacks.”
“Already on it.”
He nodded. “I taught you well.”
At drop-off, even Leo’s teacher got caught up. “Off somewhere fun?” she asked, eyeing the bags.
Leo nodded, all secretive and important. “It’s a surprise. I don’t know what it is. But it’s going to be AMAZING.”
Ms. Greene grinned. “I bet it will.”
At pickup, Leo came sprinting to the car, backpack bouncing, both Ellyphants in tow.
“Now can we know?”
Alexander smiled. “Now I’ll tell you. We’re heading to the Hudson Valley. Little inn near Beacon. Hiking trails. Quiet town. Space to breathe.”
“Are there dinosaurs?”
“Bet you’ll find dinosaur toys in town.”
Leo thought about this. “Good enough!”
They drove north, out of the city. The highway cleared, buildings folded into woods, and the Hudson River showed up, wide and silver in the afternoon.
Leo glued his face to the window. “There’s so much SPACE!”
“That’s called the countryside,” Elena said.
“I like it. No buildings everywhere.”
She smiled. “You like buildings.”
“I like both. I contain multi—tttudes.”
Alexander glanced at her. “Did he just quote Whitman?”
Elena grinned. “Mrs. Chen’s been reading him poetry.”
“He’s three.”
“Apparently, that’s prime Whitman age.”
After two hours, the inn came into view—small, old, surrounded by stark winter trees that somehow made it cozier.
Leo whispered, “It looks like a storybook.”
Elena nodded. “It really does.”
The inside brought the scent of wood smoke and pine.
Fireplace in the lobby, squishy chairs, apples in a big basket on the counter.
The innkeeper welcomed them with a big, flannel grin. “You must be the Thornes! Family suite’s ready for you.”
Their room fit perfectly. Big bed. Smaller bed by the window for Leo. Forest outside every window. Giant clawfoot tub.
Leo climbed straight into the window bed. “I can see everything from here!”
“What’s out there?” Alexander asked.
“Trees! And a bird! And more trees! Best view ever!”
Elena dropped the bags, looked around, and said softly, “You did good.”
Alexander shrugged, trying to hide how pleased he was. “Victoria told me about this place. Came here once to think.”
“It’s perfect.”
“There’s a restaurant downstairs, hiking trails out back, and tomorrow is the town farmer’s market. We can explore.”
“You really covered everything.”
He looked at her, earnest. “I wanted it to be good. After all the stress this year... I just wanted us to exist somewhere else, even for a weekend.”
She kissed him briefly. “Thank you.”
He grinned. “Haven’t even shown you the best part yet.”
“What’s the best part?”
He waggled his eyebrows. “Wait until tonight. After dinner.”
Dinner was cozy—roasted chicken, potatoes, fresh bread, and Leo, fueled by excitement, ate without a single complaint.
“Can we explore outside now?” he begged.
“It’s getting dark,” Elena cautioned.
“Just a little bit?”
She caved. “Fifteen minutes. Shoes and coat.”
Outside, Leo combed the yard for pinecones and rocks, declaring each “perfect for my collection.”
“What collection?” Elena asked.
He looked at her like it was obvious. “The one I’m starting. This is Boulder.” He showed her a rock. “He looks like a Boulder.”
Back upstairs, Leo crashed fast. Alexander tucked him in, turned on the nightlight, and beckoned Elena. “Come on.”
She followed him quietly downstairs, through the silent lobby, out a back door she hadn’t noticed before.
There was a deck, two chairs beside a crackling fire pit, and above—the kind of sky you forget exists when you live in the city. Stars, endless and bright, the Milky Way traced clear as breath.
Elena froze, stunned. “Oh wow.”
“No light pollution. The innkeeper said tonight would be perfect.” He poured hot chocolate from a thermos, handed her a cup, and wrapped them both in blankets. The fire warmed from below; the stars stretched forever above.
She let out a long breath. “This is the best part.”
He smiled. “Figured you’d like it.”
“Like it? Alexander, this is—” She trailed off. Words felt too small.
They sat quietly, hot chocolate in hand, just looking up, time stretching and slowing.
After a while he said, “I used to come out here—a place like this, I mean. With my mom. She loved weekends in the country. We’d stargaze, and she’d make up wild constellation stories.”
Elena nudged him. “Like what?”
“Totally made-up stuff. Orion wasn’t a hunter—he was a chef who fought a bear. The Big Dipper was a giant’s ladle. Cassiopeia? A disco queen.”
She laughed. “Disco?”
He nodded. “She was adamant. Thought the W shape looked like a dance move.”
“Your mom sounds... kind of great.”
His smile faded, just a little. “She was. I mean, she is, somewhere. I don’t know. It’s been so long since I talked to her, I’m not sure who she turned into.”
Elena took his hand. “Do you miss them?”
He hesitated. “Sometimes. Not the fights or the pressure, but the good stuff. The trips. The stories. Feeling like I belonged somewhere.”
She squeezed his fingers. “You do belong. With us.”
He nodded, studying the fire. “I know. You and Leo, and Victoria... it’s better now. This is what I chose. But I still think about what it could have been if they’d just—”
“If they’d accepted you,” Elena finished quietly.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
They watched in silence, the fire burning low. Suddenly, a meteor blazed across the sky.
Elena pointed. “Make a wish.”
“That’s for shooting stars, not meteors.”
“Same difference.”
“Factually, it’s not—”
“Alexander. Wish. Now.”
He grinned and closed his eyes. “Alright. Wished.”
“What was it?”
“Can’t say. Then it won’t come true.”
“That’s birthday candles.”
“Same for shooting stars.”
She nudged him. “You’re just making up rules.”
He shrugged, grinning. “Gotta keep some magic intact.”
She rested her head on his shoulder, voice quiet. “So, what do you actually want? For us. The future.”
He was thoughtful for a moment. “More of this, honestly. Maybe a job that feels worthwhile. Maybe—someday—fix things, a little, with my parents. I don’t know. Just... keep moving forward. Whatever that looks like.”
She snorted. “That’s pretty vague.”
“Vague feels right. Right now, anyway.”
“Any specifics?”
He laughed. “Like what?”
She looked sideways at him, a little nervous. “Like—getting married?”
Silence fell between them. He turned to look at her, a slow, surprised smile blooming. “Are you proposing?”
She shook her head. “Just asking what you want.”
“That’s not the same as proposing.”
She shrugged. “I know. But I want to know.”
He went quiet, thinking. “Do you want to?”
She grinned. “I asked you first.”
He nudged her with his shoulder. “And I’m turning it around.”
She looked up at the sky, then answered. “I don’t care about the wedding, or papers, or any of that. But yeah, someday. I think I’d like to be married to you.”
“Someday?”
“When the time’s right. When we’re ready. When Leo knows what it really means.”
Alexander grinned. “He’s three. He thinks marriage is just sharing fries.”
“Exactly. Maybe when he’s four.”
He laughed, pulling her closer. “I’d like that, too. Not the wedding part, necessarily, but the part where I get to call you mine officially.”
“Good.”
“Good.”
They stayed like that, under the stars, fire dying down, chocolate cooling, neither of them moving.
“Thank you,” Elena whispered. “For all of it.”
He smiled, squeezing her hand. “You already said that.”
“I know. I mean it, though.”
“You seem very grateful tonight.”
She smiled. “I’m just really happy.”
“Good. That’s all I wanted.”
Another shooting star. Alexander nudged her. “Your turn.”
She closed her eyes, let herself wish—simple things, more quiet nights, more peace, everything just like this.
When she opened her eyes he was watching her. “What?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he whispered. “You just look happy.”
“I am.”
He leaned in. Soft kiss, smoke and chocolate, everything at ease.
When they pulled apart, the fire was almost out. The stars seemed even closer. The world felt endless—but in a good way.
“We should check on Leo,” Elena said quietly.
“Five more minutes.”
“You say that every time you don't want to get up.”
“And I always mean it.”
They stayed fifteen. Finished the chocolate. Watched the sky peel off more stars.
Finally, reluctantly, they slipped inside. Checked on Leo—out cold, arms everywhere, clutching both Ellyphants—and tucked him in again.
In bed, Elena curled against Alexander’s chest.
“Farmer’s market tomorrow?” she mumbled.
“And hiking to a waterfall. Easy trail.”
“Perfect.”
“Sunday we’ll wander the town. Track down dinosaurs.”
“Have to. Non-negotiable.”
“Then Monday, back to real life.”
She brushed her thumb across his hand. “Reality’s not so bad anymore.”
“No. It’s not.”
She felt sleep tugging at her, safe and warm.
Outside, the stars kept turning; inside, everyone rested. The trip didn’t fix anything permanent. It didn’t need to.
It was a pause, a deep breath, a weekend to just be.
Exactly what Alexander knew they needed.
Elena drifted off, smiling at the simple perfection of it.
Just theirs.