Memories of A Girl

Sleepovers & Memories

ELIJAH

A sleepover. That was how my mother suggested as a way to build trust between Anastasia and me, so that was what I did. A month and a half had passed since I had given Anastasia the book. The two of us had gotten closer, but I still felt as if there was a wall between us, and maybe it was my fault, but I was determined to bridge the gap between us, and maybe, just maybe, this sleepover could be the start.

I invited two of my closest friends, Noah and Alex, to help me set up and plan out how we wanted the night to go. Honestly, I didn't really think a sleepover would work because I knew how strict Anastasia's parents were, so I was surprised more than anyone that she was allowed to come tonight, but I was glad nonetheless.

"Relax, Elijah," Noah told me, placing his hands on my shoulders, and only then did I realize that my knee was bouncing up and down like it always did when I was nervous.

"She'll be here," Alex chipped in, dropping himself onto the couch next to me.

"I know she will," I said, and for once, I believed in what I said.

"Then why are you nervous?" Noah questioned, and Alex echoed his question.

I paused for a moment before answering, "I just don't want to mess this up. This is the best chance I have of getting closer to her and maybe trying to jog her memory about me, about us."

My friends said nothing for a moment, but then Alex said, "You really miss her, don't you?"

I nodded before saying, "Yeah, yeah I do." Silence settled upon us when the doorbell rang, cutting through the quiet.

I cleared my throat before standing up. "She's probably here," I said, heading to the door to answer the call of the doorbell. As I neared the door, I heard excited chatter coming from the other side, but Anastasia's laugh caused the corners of my lips to turn upwards, my automatic response to hearing her laugh. After lingering at the door a moment too long, I finally opened it to be met with three girls carrying various bags and blankets. I automatically offered to take Anastasia's bags, like I used to do when we were children and had sleepovers, completely forgetting that she came with two other people. Their giggles drew my attention to them, and I called Alex and Noah to help Alina and Adora with their bags, while Anastasia followed behind me into the house.

Delete Created with Sketch. ANASTASIA

I thought Elijah's house was beautiful; from the sofa arrangement to the fire pit neatly slotted beneath the TV. The simple colour scheme of white and muted colours, the shelves holding pictures neatly slotted to the right side of the TV. But as I cast my eyes around the living room, I felt an odd sense of déjà vu, as if I had seen this all before, but my mind drew a blank of memories. The stuffed animals scattered on the chairs reminded me of some I had as a child; some were frayed, as if they had somehow survived childhood. One teddy bear stuck out to me, though. It was a burger, and one of its eyes had begun to wear away, so it looked as if it was winking at you. I had one exactly like that when I was a child, but I never knew where it went. I always wondered what happened to that teddy bear because I loved it so much. I loved squishing it down as flat as I could, just for it to come back up, much to my amusement.

Realizing I had been staring for too long, I turned to find Elijah watching me with a sad smile on his face, but his smile brightened when he realized I was watching him. Returning his smile, I clasped my hands together and asked, "So, what are we doing first?"

Delete Created with Sketch. ELIJAH

After a couple of hours of playing various games like Twister and UNO, I suggested we play Monopoly, Anastasia's favourite game when we were children. I watched her eyes light up when I mentioned the game, and it warmed my heart that she still loved it as much as she did back then. As we sat down to play, I let Anastasia pick her character first, just like she always insisted on doing when we were younger. She reached for the ship, and a smile spread across my face, widening even more when she declared, "Now I'm going to beat all of you and sail to victory." I laughed loudly in response, teasing her, "I don't think you will, De Luca, but you can try." She retorted confidently, "Oh, I will try, King, and I'll win."