Forked Roads Back

67 - ARCHIE

BY THE TIME WE'VE finished dinner, too much food and excitement combined, Millie and Greg are out for the count.

Managing to wake Greg, I get him to at least walk to their room, but neither of us can wake Millie. Thankfully she's small, so as Greg dawdles slowly to their room with their backpacks, I follow behind with her in my arms.

I put her down on the bed, and step back into the doorway. "You got everything you need?" I ask quietly.

He nods with a yawn. "Yeah, think so."

"Cool. Well, you know you can just help yourself to anything if you do need it. You don't have to ask."

He nods as I start to walk away from him but then stops me. "Hey Arch." I turn and raise my eyebrows. "Thank you for making her so happy today."

He offers me his hand to shake and I take it before pulling him into a tight hug. "Her smile is the best thing in the world isn't it," I laugh as he pulls back.

"Yep, it really is. And even if you aren't living at Andy's, it'll be so great for her to have you nearby."

I smile. "Now that it's all feeling so real, I can't wait either. It's certainly been a long time coming."

He pats my shoulder. "Now... more importantly. Do we have any plans for tomorrow?" He asks, his voice hopeful that we don't.

I shake my head and he breathes a sigh of relief. "No plans. Sleep in as long as you want, mate. I figure you both could use the day to recharge."

He laughs as he puts his hands together. "You are a legend." He gives me one last hug before he yawns and walks in the door, no doubt joining Millie in slumber.

When I get back downstairs, I join Ollie and Pete on the sofa. They've cleared most of the takeaway packets away and they're discussing the Giants game they went to yesterday.

When I come into Pete's eyeline he smiles. "Arch, your sister is awesome."

Ollie had met her before, when she came last time, but Pete had been away. They had met over a FaceTime call, but it's hard to show people how amazing my sister really is when she isn't here. This evening she had, of course, been on fire. She regaled many a story of our childhood, embarrassing memories, and even pulling out some baby photos, and she's settled herself amongst the group as if she had always belonged there.

"So how long are the two of them in New York?"

"Their first stint here is a couple of weeks. We're doing a few bits here, before we head off to Cali and then West Coast for a few more weeks. After that it's Florida before I head back to finish college. We've got open tickets everywhere, so it doesn't necessarily matter when we go or come back, so the plan could all end up changing tomorrow to be honest."

"I still can't believe you'll be home by Christmas. These last two years have flown by and now you're leaving?" Ollie seems sad, genuinely sad.

"Dude, I'm not leaving yet, you weirdo." I flick his knee. "Besides I'll be back quite a bit because of WEH. And you can come over and visit me in England whenever you guys want."

Ollie and Pete look at each other. "Deal. If you're paying," Ollie winks.

"So what are you guys doing tomorrow?"

"It's a more chilled day tomorrow really. I expect Millie will want to do something, but Greg will be out of it for another couple of days at least. But plan is to do Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State, Natural History Museum, Times Square. Any suggestions welcome, obviously."

"Sounds like you've got it all," Pete says. "But if you want to do Liberty Island, I recommend you just take the Staten Island Ferry. You get a better view, unless you want to climb it obviously. And if they wanted to extend their New York trip now, given its summer, they're more than welcome to come to the Hamptons. My parents are away all summer in Cancun, so I'm essentially house-sitting."