Page 41 of Margins

There’s a beat of silence. Maybe two. “You know I want it to be more than pizza.”

A third, and then a fourth. “I think it already is. I think it has been.”

“And you’re still okay with me being there with you and Elena?”

“I want you with us,” Alex says. “And Cassidy knows. We talked on Sunday night when she was here.”

“Oh. Okay. And?”

“And she fully took your side on everything.”

“Alex, I told you, there don’t have to be sides here,” Elijah sighs.

“Okay, fine. She fully agreed with you that there don’t have to be sides here.”

Elijah laughs, maybe in spite of himself. “Smart woman.”

“God help me, I am going to have to supervise you two very closely if you’re ever in the same room.”

“Kinda feels like the same room thing will be inevitable if this is more than pizza.”

“Kinda does,” Alex agrees. “So, does that mean we’re on for dinner?”

“As long as Elena’s okay with it, yeah, I’ll get changed and head out soon. Should I meet you at your house or the restaurant?”

“Our house. We can drive there together.” And I wish you could stay after.

They say goodbye and Alex yells up to Elena that they’ll be leaving in about half an hour, and then he finally, finally takes a closer look at the book still resting inside the box on his coffee table. It’s huge, though he supposes a complete collection of Poe’s work would be bigger than the other books Elijah’s grandpa had kept. Alex makes a note to ask where this one was, if not with all the books Elijah had already sold or kept for himself, but then he runs reverent fingertips over the cover and takes a peek inside to see what had made Elijah so sure he’d found the rest of Peter and Edgar’s story.

And oh—

Oh—

Oh.

Alex can’t wrap his head around any of it. That all of this exists or that Elijah would trust it in his hands or—

There’s just so much there because it’s not actually a book at all, only a container made to look like one, and hollow inside until it was filled with more letters and cards and pictures and ticket stubs and memories than Alex could have ever imagined. Whatever story had started in the margins of a few classic novels had become this, a collection more precious than whatever Edgar Allan Poe once dreamed of putting together, and Alex only just starts looking through some of it when he feels overwhelmed by it all.

Now Alex understands why Elijah didn’t feel like he could fake a smile all night, because while there might still be a happy ending here—while it might be even more likely than before—they’ll probably find a lot of heartache too, and maybe some answers to questions they’ve only barely asked.

And there’s no time to ask more now. Alex carefully closes the cover of the book, leaves Elijah’s note on top, then puts the lid back on the box just as Elena comes running downstairs.

“Was it a good package?” she asks.

“It was, yeah, bug.”

“Is Elijah coming over?”

There’s a knock at the door then and they both laugh, Alex moving forward to open it. “Pretty sure that’s him, actually.”

Elijah is tentative when he steps inside, and Alex hates that he did that to him—made him doubt whether he could be fully comfortable here—but he’ll work to change that, starting now. Elena’s smile is suddenly timid too, and Alex kinda wants to knock everyone’s heads together until they forget that anything was ever awkward.

“It’s okay if you’re not feeling so great right now,” Elena offers to Elijah. “The pizza is so good, and I already told dad you might need some dessert.”

Elijah’s head tips backward when he laughs, and it shouldn’t be nearly as attractive as it is. “I think you’re probably right, and I will be happy to share dessert if you think you might need some, too.”

So, the three of them head out, Alex driving while Elijah and Elena find that they have plenty to talk about, internal turmoil and unexpected shyness gone before Alex has a chance to worry about it for long. Dinner is a whole lot of the same, Elena carrying most of the conversation from where she sits next to Alex in the perfectly worn vinyl booth, Elijah smiling just fine from across the table without having to fake anything for either of them. He and Alex each have a couple of beers, they share a plate of the best cheesy garlic bread, and eat more pizza than they probably should, and then Elena looks at them wide-eyed and Alex gives into the plea for dessert, Elijah insisting that he’ll be fine with whatever she picks out.

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