Sunnyside (a Sebastian Stan story)

Gonna Be Okay

The next couple of days went quickly, between work and Isabel. It was wonderful having her with me, and I was sad she would be going home; but I also admit that at that point, I was more than ready to share a bed with Sebastian again instead of her. We hadn't had any time alone together in the days since the party, and good god, I needed him to myself. Our texts back and forth during the day were increasingly frequent, and any stranger that happened to read them would probably have thought they'd intercepted an exchange between to teenagers. We were, shall we say, a tiny bit frustrated.

That Wednesday was Iz's last day in town, but it was also Bonnie day. I couldn't skip Bonnie day, so Isabel had come with me. The first thing Isabel did when we entered the house was spin around in the airy foyer, with her arms outstretched, giggling like a little girl. Then she asked for a tour after what hardly counted as an introduction. Of course, Bonnie knew a lot about my sister already, as she had been a topic of conversation here and there for a long time.

I had managed to finish making most of Bonnie's meals before she and Isabel were through with what I imagine must have been a very exhaustive tour of the house. There was a lot to see, and Iz always had to stop and admire the details of things. But eventually they had made their way to the kitchen, where they sat sipping matching drinks while some song I'd been hearing more and more lately came out of the speakers I still had never managed to locate. I was glad to finally have their company, otherwise this Ronnie...Rhoda...Roxana? Whatever; this popstar I was seeing everywhere would have been stuck in my head. I focused instead on their conversation.

Bonnie, as usual, gave off an air of sophistication, her petal pink sweater the perfect color to set off her fair skin and flawless silver hair. Isabel, by contrast, was slightly less put together, but still just as beautiful; her dark hair falling in soft curls around her slender shoulders. I could easily picture them as a socialite mother and slightly rebellious daughter. They held their drinks in a nearly identical manner, though Bonnie had a gorgeous manicure and Iz had chewed her nails down to the quick. I was stacking food storage containers and mentally comparing these two women I adored when Bonnie surprised me.

"You know Winnie, there's always been something familiar about you, from the first moment I laid eyes on you. Now I know what it is."

I arched a questioning eyebrow at her as I tucked the last of her week's dinners into the fridge. This was new information. "Really?"

"Oh yes. It took me seeing your lovely twin here to sort it out. Isabel- you're the spitting image of me as a young woman."

Iz just barely held back a theatrical beverage spray, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "You can't be serious." She eyed Bonnie up and down, clearly drawing the same comparisons I just had.

Bonnie laughed, and I leaned back casually against the counter, crossing my ankles and waiting for an explanation.

"I am though. Quite serious. I drove my father absolutely crazy with my antics," she paused to place a hand on Isabel's shoulder. "Not that you have 'antics', my dear," Oh Bonnie- so tactful, because Isabel does have 'antics' and we both know it.

She continued. "Just that I let my hair down a bit more than I should have, I think as a way of sorting out which path to take." It should have been hard for me to picture Bonnie "letting her hair down", but it wasn't. I knew how much she loved a good party- why should that have been a recent development? She loves people, she loves adventures, she loves a good fight (of course, this was more of a 'raising money for the underdog' kind of thing), and she has sass for miles.

"Well," Isabel said, taking a deep breath. "I was just about ready to leave all that behind me. Then Chad and I started drifting, and then he was gone altogether." My poor, shattered sister. Thank god Bonnie had a way with words.