Page 13 of Sunrise Arrows

“Uncle Archer, look!” she self interrupts, pointing to the chalkboard sign outside of Berry Station. “They have the strawberry menu out. I’m gonna get a strawberry shortcake frappé like Tinsley Jacobs. Did you know her favorite fruit is strawberry? She loves it so much, she said she eats them all the time and even wears strawberry lip balm.

“Someone should tell her she should come here because we have the best.” She pulls up short, yanking on my arm before she starts jumping up and down. “She could come here and meet you and you two could fall in love and then my aunt would beTinsley Jacobs.You even have the tattoo; it would beperfect!” Her lit up face turns crestfallen as she mutters, “If only you were cool enough.”

I’m too busy laughing over Ellie's bouncing train of thought and deeming me too uncool to date her idol—if she only knew the truth, though admittedly when I was with Tinsley, not a day went by where I didn’t think it was impossible that someone so beautiful was interested in me—that I’m not paying attention to the door of Berry Station. When it starts to open, I narrowly dodge a blonde woman coming out with her eyes trained on her phone, pulling my niece safely behind me and out of the woman’s way.

Catching the door, I tell Ellie, “Close one,” then turn into the entry.

Not expecting someone else to be coming out, I bump into her. Her cold drink splashes up on us both before falling between our feet. I quickly drop down, almost bumping heads with the second woman, as she too squats to pick up the plastic cup.

“Ma’am, I’m so sorry, I wasn't… paying attention,” I trail off as I look up.

Fuck me. It can’t be possible. It’s as if Ellie’s day dream has conjured her out of the blue.

She has the same long, thick dark chocolate brown hair that I would twine around my fingers and use to tilt her head back before kissing her. The same warm whiskey eyes that once shined with hearts and stars when looking at me. The smallest upturn at the tip of her nose still begs to be kissed as do her Cupid bow lips that I know to be coated with a dozen layers of tinted strawberry lip balm.

I’m looking right at her and I can’t believe it.

“Archer?”

“Tinsley?”

Neither of us move to stand up. Our hands are still frozen in place where we both reached for the fallen cup, fingers touching.

My heart pounds in my chest. My vision is blurred around the corners as if maybe this is one more of a thousand dreams I’ve had about her since she left. I want to blink and clear the haze but can’t for fear of her slipping through my fingers for a second time.

This can’t be possible.

She was just in L.A. I saw the video.

Why would she be here? Why now?

“Archer,” she repeats at hardly more than a whisper.

“Are you okay?” I ask, the echo of our past not lost on me as I repeat the first words I ever said to her, right here in this very coffee shop.

A wrinkle creases her brow, and I ache to reach out and smooth it from her stunning face. I want to reacquaint myself with every curve and slope of her bone structure, cup her cheek and feel her turn into me and press her lips to the base of my palm.

I’m not in control of myself when my hand stretches to cover hers. I’m convinced this is all a dream when her fingers spread just enough to have mine falling into hers and they begin to lace together.

Time is still for a beat longer as I breathe her name and she nods back at me.

She’s real. She’s here. And in this moment, I know I would wreck myself all over again to be with her.

An ear splitting shriek shatters it all.

“Oh! My! GOD!” Ellie cries as the blonde woman who was on her phone appears and yanks Tinsley behind her. Her eyes are wild as she scans for a threat and with her body, she pushes Tinsley further into the brick siding when Hunter runs out.

“Ellie!” my brother shouts, dropping to his knees and running his hands over her head, down her shoulders and arms. “Are you okay?”

Our niece shakes him off and bounces on her toes, continuing to freak out, talking a mile a minute.

“I love you. I just did a book report about you. It’s in the truck. Do you want to see? Would you sign it? No, wait, can I have a picture? Please?”

The blonde visibly relaxes and lets go of the grip she has on Tinsley to keep her safely behind her.

Stepping out, Tinsley gives Ellie a blinding smile.

She squats down again, fixing her dress as she goes down to one knee. When she’s at eye level, she extends her hand and greets, “Hi, I’m Tinsley.”

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