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“You know what’d get her to talk?” Ellie smirks.
“Sharing that picture from seventh grade…” Hope nods.
“Bingo!” Ellie’s eyes turn to me. “Unless you want everyone to see you with that look of horror after we scared you at the sleepover, spill the beans, and I’m not talking the coffee beans.”
That photo will haunt me forever. I was half-asleep when Ellie and Hope caught me by surprise on the way to the bathroom. The face I made is a cross between the painting of The Scream by Edvard Munch and some ridiculously twisted expression where my face muscles each ran a different way.
“You both are terrible. You know I’d tell you. I did invite him and Tristan to dinner since their parents won’t be in town.”
“Toby mentioned that. He had told him to come have dinner with our families, but Hudson said he already had plans with you.”
“Sigh, I love a good second chance romance,” Ellie’s eyes droop like a love-sick fool.
“Anyway, his gift came in today.”
“The candle?” Hope’s eyes shine with optimism.
I grimace and shake my head. “That gets here tomorrow.”
“Oh, my! You didn’t tell us you were ordering it!” Hope shimmies around her house. “I knew it was perfect,” she sings out.
“Anyway,” I look at Ellie, ignoring Hope. “I was looking through my old memory box and found a picture of us in high school after one of his football games. I ordered him a t-shirt with our school team name and his last name and number on the back, like a jersey but more comfortable.”
“That’s so sweet,” Ellie gushes.
“Really? It’s not silly? I don’t know if you remember that I had drawn a heart on his jersey with a sharpie and written good luck in the middle? I also had them add that detail in.”
“No way, that’s actually a very thoughtful gift,” Hope settles down beside us again.
“He’s going to love it,” she nods. “And the candle.” She waggles her eyebrows.
I giggle and throw a cushion at her.
“What did you name it?” Curiosity sparkles in her eyes.
“Uhhh…” I look between them.
“Tell us,” Ellie leans forward.
“So here's the thing,” I stall.
They both look at me with raised eyebrows, their expressions mirrored.
“I looked up gift ideas and went down a rabbit hole of long-distance relationship gifts. It's like my computer spied on our conversation or something, and making your own candle was an idea.” I couldn't believe it when I saw it.
“I told you I was a genius,” Hope gloats.
“Genius, not so much since it seems to be popular,” I shake my head, holding back my laughter, and Hope sticks her tongue out at me.
“This still doesn’t tell us what you named the candle,” Ellie stares at me with a curious gleam.
“It’s nothing scandalous, but I don’t know…” I trail off. “The lid says: If you miss me, smell me. And the label has an additional message, which reads: Light this when you’re homesick of me.”
“That’s sweet,” Ellie smiles.
“And you still got smell me in there” Hope fist pumps the air. “But so much better and more meaningful.”
“Yeah, I thought so too. It was one of the options on the site. After the last few days, I don’t think it’s presumptuous to think he’d miss me.”
