Always Okay | (Adopted By Elizabeth Olsen)

Chapter 17

Word Count: 2965

Lizzie's POV

Today's the day we fly out to NYC for the first time in nearly a decade we'll be back in NY together. I'm excited to go back but I'm also very anxious. While hiding out in LA hasn't been one hundred percent calm, New York is a completely different mess. When we first moved to New York, we stayed with my sister Ashley until we could get settled in our apartment. I remember Alexis was so thrown by the time change she'd often be up at all hours of the night and nap periodically throughout the day regardless of whether I let her sleep in or not.

Hopefully, that isn't still a major issue when we go this time, Alexis doesn't have the best sleep schedule, to begin with. As much as she tries to hide it, I can tell she's not getting enough sleep but every time I comment on it she gets very defensive. This past week she spent a few nights in my bed. I always tell her she can come to get me but she never does. The only way she ended up in my bed this past week was when she fell asleep during one of our movie nights and the other was after I woke up to her screaming from a nightmare.

After setting our bags by the door, I heated some breakfast for the both of us before creeping back down the hall to wake Alexis. It's about five in the morning since we are taking an early flight hoping to avoid airport paparazzi. They will still be there because I swear these people never sleep but hopefully not as many.

I pushed open the door to Alexis's dimly lit room and I was surprised to see her actually asleep. Not faking it but asleep, which makes this next part that much harder. I don't want to wake her but I've let her sleep as long as I could. Maybe she'll sleep on the plane? Hopefully, I know she didn't fall asleep until late last night, she was moving around a lot and each time I cracked the door open to check on her, she'd freeze and act like she was asleep. So I let her be and ended up overthinking myself into another mini panic attack before falling asleep due to my exhaustion around midnight.

Inhaling a deep breath, I made my way around her bed to sit on the edge like I always do before gently nudging her awake. "Alexis, Alexis, it's time to wake up," I whispered loudly while rubbing her shoulder.

"No," she deadpanned turning to hide her face in the pillow.

"Come on it's time to get on the airplane," I chuckled.

"No," she replied curtly.

"Alexis," I tried again in a singsongy voice.

"No thank you," she grumbled into her pillow.

"I thought you were excited to go to New York?" I asked, hoping to bait her into waking up quickly since we were already in a time crunch. Ever since I told her about the trip, she's been her nerdy self researching airplane facts and asking me countless questions, which is what prompted me to teach her how to use google, and ever since it's been her new favorite thing. I often have trouble kicking her off my computer when I have to do work stuff. She loves to learn, which doesn't completely surprise me considering her 'upbringing,' if you can even consider it that.

"I am, but not right now," she replied while digging her face deeper into her pillow.

"Alright, then Miss Sassy-pants, why don't you get dressed and come eat breakfast then I'll help you with your hair?" I suggested noting that this back and forth banter could go on forever. She seems to have picked up this sarcasm from Scarlett and the cast, which is cute and funny but exhausting at the same time.

"Fine," I hear her sigh before I get off her bed shaking my head at her frustration.

"I'll be in the kitchen," I said sweetly before exiting the room. This past week has been much lighter than the previous. She seems happier, more content with where she is now. There have been some nice moments between the two of us that make it seem like our time apart never existed. But don't get me wrong she still has those moments where it seems like the world is ending or she's so terrified she attacks anything within her proximity. I still have yet to fit the hole in the wall, but there are good moments in between these. She's grown a lot emotionally in these past few weeks and I'm amazed.