Page 122 of Eleanor & Grey

Weeks passed, and Eleanor’s and my friendship only grew more and more. Just like when we were younger. She listened to me whenever I needed to talk. She sat through the dark days with me, not asking me for anything, but just staying by my side. Eleanor was also a great wingwoman. I’d been around Karla more these past few weeks than I had the year before. Lately Karla didn’t even fight against us all hanging out, and sometimes I swore she even smiled just like her mother.

When Eleanor’s birthday came around, I knew I wanted to make it special for her. She’d been beyond life-changing for my family, for me, and I wanted to celebrate her for that exact reason. She was Ellie, and she was worth being celebrated.

The girls and I decorated the house for her, and Karla didn’t grumble too much about it. She even baked a cake with Lorelai. I was pretty certain it was burnt and there were probably eggshells in it, but they decorated it anyway.

Claire came over, and luckily she’d brought a cake of her own for the celebration. It was probably a lot more edible.

“This is all too much,” Eleanor exclaimed as she grinned from cheek to cheek once we brought her over for the celebration. “You didn’t have to do all of this.”

“Of course we did. You’re an important part of this family, and in this family we celebrate important days,” Claire said.

Hearing those words come from her lips was so meaningful. If there was anyone who was a professional at making a person feel loved, it was Claire. She loved in a way that was so loud, and she always found more love to hand out whenever it was needed.

“Girls, do you think we should give Eleanor her gift?” I asked.

“Yeah!” Lorelai cheered, hurrying over to the table and picking up the wrapped box with Eleanor’s name on it. “Here, Ellie.”

Eleanor’s eyes widened. “You guys really didn’t have to get me anything,” she said.

“Of course we did—it’s your birthday! Now, it’s nothing big, but we all put in some work on it,” I told her.

“Even Karla helped!” Lorelai remarked.

Karla huffed. “Don’t make a big deal of it. It’s whatever.”

Oh, my angst-filled teenager. What a joy.

Eleanor began to open the box, and the moment she saw what was inside, her eyes watered over and her hand flew to her mouth. “Grey…” she whispered.

“Pull it out,” I told her, nodding toward it.

She reached into the box and pulled out a crocheted dragonfly cardigan. Tears began falling down her cheeks as she hugged the fabric. She kept staring at it in awe, taking it in.

“Do you like it?” Lorelai asked.

“Oh, my gosh, I adore it, Lorelai—more than I can say.” She looked over to me. “How did you…you made this?”

“Yeah. After a lot of YouTube videos and wasted yarn, it came together pretty well. The girls each put in a few of their own loops, too. The dragonflies were all Claire, though. I’m not that talented. So, it’s from all of us.”

“Made with love,” Claire chimed in.

Eleanor covered her mouth and broke into heavy sobs as her emotions took her over. She became completely overwhelmed and Lorelai went over to hug her.

“It’s okay, Ellie. You don’t have to be sad.”

“Oh, no, I’m not sad, sweetheart. I’m just so unbelievably happy. You see, when I was a girl, my mother used to make me cardigans, and one just like this one right here was my favorite of all. When I lost them all, I thought I’d never have one again, so this is beyond amazing.”

“So, those are happy tears?” Lorelai asked.

“The happiest tears,” Eleanor replied. “Thank you so much. Thank you all so much. This is the greatest gift I’ve ever received.”

“Shay told me how you lost your other cardigans. I know we can’t replace those, but I hoped this could bring a smile your way.” I smiled. “Happy birthday, Ellie.”

“Thank you, Grey.” She smiled back, and my heart skipped a beat.

I hadn’t known it could still do that.

I hadn’t known it could skip for another person.

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