Strange [h.s.]

Thirty Three

32 and 33 happen at the same time, just different POVs

Enjoy!

Ella Frazier

I feel the slight breeze blow over my legs, the chill of the night air gracing my skin. I pull my arms around me a little tighter, hoping that'll give me some added warmth as I sit on the back porch of Harry's childhood house.

It's quiet here at night. The only cars that drive by are the few from people who live in the neighborhood coming home or leaving to go somewhere. Other than that, there is rarely any noise besides the late-night nature coming to life.

I take a deep breath, letting my eyes linger around the wooded backyard, imagining little baby Harry running around, playing games with his sister. I can practically hear his sweet little laugh that I just know would come out of him as she chased him around in the grass.

I melt into the outdoor chair I found myself sitting in for the past hour after both Anne and I gravitated to coming outside for the night. We have been sitting around, talking about whatever comes to mind, and it's been nice to be able to get to know her more.

I hear the glass door behind me slide open, my head spinning to see Anne walking out, two blankets tossed over her arm, and two wine glasses in hand. I shoot up from my seat, quickly walking over to her, "Here," I say, reaching for the glasses out of her hand.

"Thank you," she says with a smile, turning to shut the door behind her as I walk over to our seats. I set both glasses on the little table stuck between our two chairs as Anne meets me by our seats. She pulls one of the blankets off her arm, holding it out to me, "I could tell you were getting cold, and so was I."

I grab the blanket out of her grasp, "Thank you."

We both sit back down, positioning our own blankets over our legs and getting comfortable in our chairs again. I pull my legs up to my chest as Anne reaches for her glass from the table, "I hope you like white wine. It's all I really keep in the house."

I smile at her, "I'm not too picky."

She smiles, taking a sip from her glass as I reach for mine, doing the same. I rest the glass on my covered legs, looking back into the night sky. I feel my phone buzz, but I let it go, wanting to just enjoy the moment I'm in now.

"How is your sister?" She asks, and I feel a smile pull onto my face.

"Mia?" I say, "She's great, yeah. I was actually on the phone with her before we came out here, and she was telling me all about Piper and how she was driving her up the wall."

Anne laughs, "First kids will always do that. At least for me, that's how it was."

I tilt my head, "Gemma was crazy?"

Anne tips her head back, "Oh my gosh, yes."

"I would have thought Harry was the pain in your ass," I joke, taking another sip of my wine.

"No, surprisingly, he was a calm baby," She explains, "Growing up was a different story, but as far as my babies go, Gemma was the wild one. Always cried, always got into things she wasn't supposed to be in."

Her explanation of them growing up makes me let out a little laugh, picturing now baby Gemma being a wild card when she is the most calm and collected person I think I've ever come across.

"Somewhere along the way, they flipped scripts, and when they were around four and seven. Harry turned into the pain in my ass, and Gemma calmed down," She says, smiling as she takes a sip of wine.