Page 114 of Holly Jolly July

JAMES

No. But let’s get this over with.

ANNIE

That’s the exact attitude I hope for

when going out with a guy.

James tenses, his gaze dropping to the floor.

ANNIE

I mean. Not as a date. As friends.

JAMES

Of course.

ANNIE

Just two friends, going out for an

evening, and maybe exchanging legal

advice for pizza.

JAMES

Of course. Legal advice and pizza,

the best kind of non-dating

friendship outing there is.

James holds out arm, Annie takes it.

Jenna picks up baby Henry from where he was playing on the floor.

JENNA

Have fun, you two! But not too

much fun.

Jenna wiggles baby Henry on her hip and winks.

Annie looks over her shoulder, scoffs at her sister, and rolls eyes before stepping into the hallway and closing the door behind her.

Chapter 20

Mariah

The morning after is bittersweet. There are only two days left of filming on this ridiculously tight movie deadline, and it feels like Ellie and I are just starting to get into our groove. To make matters worse, most of Ellie’s film time is in these last two days so she’ll be really busy, and when we’re together she’ll probably be tired and want to go to bed early. Which is fine with me; the idea of snuggling a tired Ellie gives me all sorts of happy tingles. I just wish it wasn’t going to be over so soon.

As we go through our domestic routine of taking turns in the tiny stall shower, brushing our teeth, me putting on makeup and doing my hair while Ellie makes us breakfast, eating said breakfast while playing footsies side by side at the kitchen peninsula, I try to work up the courage to ask her what I really want to ask her: Will we continue our relationship after this movie is over?

While we both live in the Greater Vancouver Area, we live on opposite ends of it. I’m on the lower west side in Marpole and she’s up north by Brentwood, more in Burnaby than Vancouver. It’s a good thirty-minute drive through the city, if there’s no traffic. With traffic it would take upwards of an hour. Personally, I don’t find that to be a long commute, especially since having to travel to be with someone you’re interested in is typical for queer relationships; the dating pool isn’t as large. But Ellie’s never experienced this. It might be too much for her.

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