New Year's Eve 2015
"Wow!" Ellis beams as Adaline strides into the room draped in a floor-length golden gown.
"I just need a zip," she says, turning her back to him. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Adaline asks her daughter.
"I'm positive," Flemming says, "I've got my date right here." She bends to pick up the tiny King Charles puppy near her feet.
Adaline leans in to place a kiss on Flemming's weathered cheek, "Love you." She gives the puppy an affectionate pat.
"Love you too," Flemming replies.
"I forgot my clutch...and my camera," Adaline calls over her shoulder. She heads back down the hallway. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she does a double-take. She reaches up near her temple to pluck a single gray hair.
Holding it between her fingers, she marvels at the significance. Adaline doesn't look a day over twenty-nine. She's been that way since 1937.
"Adaline, you OK?" Ellis calls.
Smiling thoughtfully, she whispers, "Yes...perfect."
Ellis holds out Adaline's cloak and helps to settle it. He grins at Flemming, "Don't wait up."
Flemming holds out a hand. He grasps it and gives it a brief squeeze. He ushers Adaline toward the door.
"What are you two up to?"
"Nothing! Have a wonderful evening, Mama."
****
In the taxi, Ellis pulls Adaline in close to his side. He leans over to kiss the top of her head, inhaling her scent, "Mmm... you always smell so good."
Adaline purrs a response, "Do you know what, Ellis? I think that you are the most handsome man that I've ever known."
He chuckles, "That's because you've got love colored glasses on."
"Maybe," she reaches for him. It's something she likes to do whenever they are alone in the dark.
Ellis captures her roaming hand, holding it still. He doesn't want her to discover the surprise he's got hidden. They arrange themselves comfortably for the forty-minute ride to the Fairmont.
He focuses on appearing relaxed, though his toes are tapping inside his dress shoes. He leans his head back against the neck rest and closes his eyes, leaving them open in thin slits. The city lights become rainbow-colored star bursts moving through his vision.
He is sure of her, now......mostly. It's funny how familiarity numbs astonishment. His lips curve when he remembers this time last year when he was newly in love and adapting to all of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding Adaline. Her true age, her seventy-eight-year-old daughter, and her name.
It was his dad who first figured out her mystery. He called her Adaline the moment he laid eyes on 'Jenny.'
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Continuation of The Age of Adaline story #TheAgeofAdaline
FanfictionPicking-up where the film leaves off, AoA CONTINUED brings the family into a multigenerational household under construction. William reassures his wife that her jealousy of Adaline is unreasonable. Adaline was William's first love, now she's involve...
