Chapter Text
Zoe was incredibly excited right now, practically on the edge of her seat because of two things. First, Alana was finally home from school for winter break and she was on her way to pick her up from her parent’s house. Second, Evan had no idea that Alana was home already, thinking she was coming home tomorrow, so he was going to be completely surprised and happy when the both of them came to pick him up from work, even if it meant they weren’t actually having a date night tonight like she’d told him.
But she knew Evan would understand and be completely ecstatic that their friend was home, it was going to be a wonderful surprise. They had both missed Alana and Connor so much since they’d left for college. And it wasn’t like they didn’t text and call each other all the time (Connor, Evan, and her had a weekly phone call scheduled that they all looked forward to), but it was just so much harder to see her brother and her best friend in person now.
And it wasn’t just the physical distance, sometimes it got hard to have conversations, even through text, because they were all so busy. Alana, just like she’d been in high school, was involved with tons of things, classes, clubs, volunteering, the typical Alana way. Zoe had been really busy too with her senior year. She’d been applying to performing arts schools, which meant videos and demos and essays and more, and she’d made first chair again, adding being in charge of the band arrangements and planning to her daily stressors too.
Zoe was sure it’d be worth it though, that all her hard work would pay-off when she got notified of her callback auditions in January and then when she got accepted sometime in March. She truly felt like she was going to get to pick between her top three choices (Julliard, Boston Conservatory, and the Blair School of Music) and she was mostly just waiting to see where Evan got accepted to. Their top choice was going to New York together and that was what they were planning on and Zoe was positive that Evan was going to get his transfer acceptance from Columbia. But she knew he was still stressed about it, along with working a part-time job now and taking classes at their community college.
But that stress was for a later time. Tonight was all about Alana being home. She would be home for six whole weeks and her and Evan had been looking forward to it pretty much since they day she left.
They were also very excited for Connor to come home too, but his flight wasn’t scheduled until Saturday. They were all going to go to the airport to get him and she knew that Evan had been counting down the days on his calendar until his best friend was home. Neither Connor nor Alana had been able to come home for Thanksgiving and Zoe and Evan just missed them.
They at least had gotten to see Alana once, when her and Evan went to visit right before his birthday. Vassar was only like four hours away, which was mush closer than Baltimore where Connor was going to school, so they’d at least gotten the chance to see her since the summer. But their weekend trip had been so fun but had gone by way too fast and Zoe had been really sad when they had to leave Sunday night. Enough where they had to stop driving for bit so she could cry, and Evan could comfort her. It hadn’t been easy going back to school with none of her friends and that had become all too real upon seeing Alana.
And Zoe was sure she was going to be just as sad when Alana and Connor had to go back, leaning on Evan to fill in the gaps, but for now she was over the moon that they’d all be in the same place for six weeks. She was honestly even excited that Jared would be permanently home for six weeks too. Less so for herself, but she knew Evan and Connor were really excited, so she was happy for them.
Overall, she just couldn’t wait for everything they were going to get to do in the coming weeks. Sleepovers. Adventures. Holiday parties. Catching up. Scheming and laughing. Movie nights. All of it.
Zoe slows down and pulls up to Alana’s parent’s house, and just like she always is, Alana’s waiting outside for her and comes running as soon as she sees Zoe’s car. Zoe doesn’t even have time to shift her car into park before Alana’s scrambling in and reaching over to hug her.
“Zoe! I’ve missed you so much,” Alana says, hugging Zoe even tighter, but she doesn’t mind, she hugs Alana back just as fiercely. Zoe really had missed her.
“Lana, I’m so glad you’re home. I’ve missed you and so has Evan. I can’t wait until he figures out you’re home early. He’s been waiting forever to show you his final dendrology project. He hasn’t stopped talking about it for days,” Zoe says pulling away from the hug to look over Alana. Like obviously Zoe knew about the little changes Alana had made through social media and from when they FaceTime-ed but seeing her in person after almost eight weeks was way better.
“Ugh, I couldn’t wait for tonight. I have so much to tell you guys about class, about this new club, about some new developments, about everything! I practically ran out of my dorm as soon as my final was done,” Alana tells her, letting Zoe return to driving, knowing that they did have to go get Evan from his shift at the Pottery Barn.
“Well we have all winter break, starting now. But we do have to get Evan first before our night truly begins. And he doesn’t even know you’re with me, Evan thinks we’re going on a date tonight. He’s going to be so surprised, but not too surprised, can you text him for me Alana? Just I’m coming is fine,” Zoe says handing Alana her phone before actually starting to drive. Zoe would’ve done it herself, but she was trying to time it less suspiciously since Evan knew how long it took to come from her house to Pottery Barn, and she didn’t want him to know she’d picked up Alana. And she couldn’t not text him. Zoe always texted Evan before when she was coming to pick him up so that he wouldn’t worry about her or wonder if she was still coming (he hadn’t thought that since they’d become friends, but still she didn’t want him to wonder).
“Done,” Alana says, setting Zoe’s phone in her lap, and turning more towards her, before asking Zoe, “So have you heard back from anywhere yet? Any early decision places?”
“No, not yet, I wish though. But most places like Julliard and BoCo, applications were due on the tenth and even though I applied way earlier they don’t start looking at them until they’re all in after the deadline,” Zoe explains, even though she wished the programs she was applying to got back to applicants sooner. She just wanted to know and be able to start planning her future with Evan, solidify all their plans that still seemed dreamlike.
“Oh, I hated that. I know it’s more fair, but the waiting is the worst. Ooh, Evan texted back, he says Soon in more ways than one 😉,” Alana tells her, pausing for a second before she realized what Evan meant and then almost shrieking to Zoe, “Oh my god, is Evan sexting you? You didn’t tell me that you guys started having sex!”
“Holy shit Alana, don’t look at it,” Zoe says, dangerously snatching her phone back from Alana and shoving it into the pocket of her leggings, positive that her face was completely red. She hadn’t expected Evan to write back something like that, he usually saved bolder moves for when they were alone. But it wasn’t like he knew that Alana had her phone or that they weren’t actually hanging out alone tonight.
Alana’s still laughing at her, and Zoe supposes it is pretty funny, but she doesn’t think Evan would think so, or really appreciate their friends knowing intimate details about their relationship. They were all close, but Zoe was perfectly fine keeping this closeness between just her and Evan.
“Don’t tell Evan you saw that, please Alana. And I didn’t tell you about it because me and Evan decided to keep it between us. Especially since we’re all way too close to my brother and we’d prefer he never heard or found out anything about it,” Zoe explains a little more. When they’d talked about sex, Zoe had wanted to tell Alana everything, but she didn’t really think it was fair to Evan, whose closest confidante was her brother. Connor was perfectly happy for them as a couple, but they didn’t want to make him uncomfortable or push past the boundaries they’d set in place. And it wasn’t like Evan could talk to Jared about it, because he most definitely would have told Connor, having pretty much no ability to keep a secret. But Zoe also kind of thought it made it a little more special, something that was just for her and Evan.
“That’s totally fine Zo, and of course I won’t say anything to Evan or Connor, but you have to give me something. Please? This is huge, actually I guess I don’t know that,” Alana says, giggling more, cashing in on the innuendo just to keep Zoe blushing probably, because Zoe was most definitely not going into that much detail to anyone. Ever.
“I’m sorry Zoe, I’ll stop, but just how was it?” Alana asks apologizing lightly after Zoe’s embarrassed silence.
“Fine, I’ll tell you about it, but no details. That’s not fair to Evan,” Zoe starts, deciding she could just leave any direct things out, that it was probably okay to talk to her best friend about everything else. They’d talked about what it’d be like before, just surface level stuff though, and Zoe thinks that’s okay for now too, that she wasn’t breaking any of the things her and Evan had discussed. Zoe sees Alana nod and giggle more excitedly, agreeing to the terms Zoe was giving.
“It was definitely worth the wait. Like it didn’t feel rushed or uncomfortable, me and Evan are already so close that when we decided to do it, it was just normal. We both felt like it was the right time and right for our relationship. And it was pretty fun,” Zoe says, smiling at the memory, unbelievably grateful that she shared it with Evan. Sex hadn’t been a scary thing for them and she loved that her and Evan got to grow and explore their sexualities together. She was looking forward to them living together so that they didn’t have to plan as much and just got to be more open about their love for one another.
“So it didn’t hurt?” Alana asks timidly, her tone completely shifted from her playfulness to slightly worried and that surprises Zoe. Alana was probably her most sex-positive friend, she went with her to get birth control pills last year, she volunteered for Planned Parenthood, she followed feminist and social justice accounts on her social media. Alana had to know that sex wasn’t supposed to hurt. But Zoe would confirm that for her anyway. If she was nervous about something, then Zoe could see how she could think it might.
“No, and it shouldn’t ever hurt Alana. Don’t let any of those college kids you’re around now convince you of that. And if something feels weird or off or hurt-y you should slow down and get um, more excited, or use something like lube,” Zoe says trying her best to be informative about situations she’d never personally experienced. Even if she didn’t want to fully talk about her own sex-life she didn’t want Alana to think that she couldn’t talk to her or ask her for advice or whatever. That’s what best friends were for.
“Well that’s good. And I do know that, I just sometimes wonder if people just say that, but I know you wouldn’t lie to me,” Alana tells her and that makes Zoe feel better about it. She wanted her friend to have just as good experiences as she did with this stuff because it was kind of nerve-wracking.
“But also, like even though it didn’t hurt, our first couple times weren’t perfect, or anything like on TV. We spent a good portion of it laughing at some of the awkward parts together, but we’ve pretty much gotten past those parts. Now it’s just really fun and obviously brings out Evan’s more confident side. And I feel like we’ve just added to our relationship, like we’re just more in tune with each other than we’ve ever been, and I just love it,” Zoe says, sure her voice sounded even more lovesick than usual. But she couldn’t help it, she hadn’t gotten the chance to really talk at all about this new part of her and Evan’s relationship to anyone besides him, and it unexpectedly felt really great. But that could also be just getting to talk to Alana, just the two of them.
“That’s really good Zo, I’m really happy for you guys. But I was asking because I met someone, and I think we might be there. We’re not dating, but I really like them, and we already almost did once,” Alana tells her, her face now the one with a full-blown blush.
“Alana, that’s so exciting! But only do it if it feels right. Don’t let anyone pressure you and make sure you’re safe. I can go with you to get stuff if you want, that way you have it,” Zoe offers, truly happy that her friend was excited about starting something with someone she obviously liked a lot. But she also didn’t trust a lot of people and wanted her friend to be okay. Not everyone got to have an Evan to learn everything with.
“No, he doesn’t, and we are prepared. Um, they even got tested because I asked. And obviously we’re not like you and Evan, but it just feels right. And I don’t know, I’m just excited about it,” Alana says smiling and blushing more, satisfying Zoe with her answers, going even further considering her and Evan hadn’t really needed to think about getting tested or anything like that.
“You should be ‘Lana, it’s exciting! As long as it feels right you should go for it. And yeah for me and Evan that was after a year of dating, but it doesn’t have to be that. It could be whenever as long as it feels comfortable and safe and fun,” Zoe tells her, smiling sincerely, glad that Alana understood that not every relationship had to be like hers and Evan’s, that Alana didn’t have to compare anything she did to them.
“Yeah I think we will, um maybe when they come visit here after Christmas,” Alana tells her quietly, like she knew Zoe was going to get overly excited knowing that Alana’s potential friend/love interest was coming to their small town.
“They’re coming to visit you? How was that not the first thing you told me? You better not think you’re getting away with not telling me more right now. I need to know everything Alana,” Zoe says, playfully hitting Alana’s arm out of excitement. She was going to get to meet this person for real and that was going to be awesome. She trusted Alana’s judgement in friends, but she definitely wanted to make her own opinions. And maybe gossip just a little bit with Evan.
“Fine, fine. I met them in my media literacy class and then we found out that we’re thinking about the same major, doubling in Media Studies and Political Science, so we’ve just mostly been hanging out together all semester, studying, going to events, and we might even join a club next semester. He’s amazing and funny and sweet. I just really like them, and it’s not like last year with Connor, I know I like them,” Alana says, her voice sounding suspiciously like Zoe’s whenever she talked about Evan. But Zoe was very much aware of the fact that Alana hadn’t told her this person’s name yet. Zoe wasn’t going to judge at all, but she wasn’t going to push Alana either.
“Alana, that’s amazing and I’m so happy for you and excited to meet them,” Zoe starts but then realizes that she was pretty sure she’d heard this description of a person before, when her and Evan had visited Alana in October, and suddenly she thinks she knew who Alana was talking about, excitedly saying, “Wait, wait, wait, are you talking about Taylor? Your friend me and Evan met when we visited?”
“Um, maybe…And maybe he’s a really good kisser too,” Alana says, busting up into giggles and Zoe doesn’t know why Alana didn’t say something sooner. Zoe thought Taylor was great and the four of them had a really fun night Saturday night during their trip. And she’d thought something had been going on (and so did Evan), but they hadn’t said anything at the time, not wanting to assume anything.
“Oh my god! ‘Lana, they were so nice and sweet. This makes so much sense, I can’t wait until Evan finds out. He loved Taylor and you know how Evan is with new people. But you’ll have to wait to tell me more about them later, because here comes Evan,” Zoe says, pulling into one of the front parking spots where she normally picked Evan up from work and waving to him from inside.
The look of shock on Evan’s face is priceless once he realizes that he’s not only waving to Zoe, that Alana’s in the car with her too. Evan jogs the remainder of the way as Alana got out of the car, making room for one of them to get into the backseat. But Evan clearly had other ideas, wrapping his arms around Alana in a big hug, which makes Zoe smile. She knew Evan was going to be completely thrilled that Alana was home.
“Alana, what is this? I thought you were coming home tomorrow? And Zoe you knew about this?” Evan asks, looking at Zoe inside the car, noting her very mischievous grin.
“Yeah, I thought it would be a fun surprise,” Zoe answers, gesturing for them both to get back in the car so they could go home. They didn’t need to get too caught up in the middle of the Pottery Barn parking lot. They should at least be at home before they lost track of time.
“It is Zo. Just Alana, I’m so happy you’re back, we’ve missed you,” Evan tells her, comically climbing into the back of Zoe’s little slugbug, stopping to kiss Zoe’s cheek on the way back. Zoe thought it was sweet that Evan was letting Alana sit upfront where she had been, even though he probably was too tall to be in the backseat. That that was just Evan, her sweet, considerate Evan.
“I’ve missed you too Ev. And Zoe says you want to show me one of your projects?” Alana asks, getting back into the car too as Zoe started to drive back towards her house.
“Yes! It’s so cool and talks about environmental policy and I just thought after your PoliSci classes this semester, you might think it was interesting too,” Evan tells Alana animatedly, making Zoe even more happy than she thought was possible (Evan had a tendency to do that though). She knew figuring out school this semester wasn’t the easiest on Evan’s anxiety, but she loved that he found classes and topics that he was really interested in, and she couldn’t wait for him to keep exploring them.
“I could show you if we’re going to my house, are we still doing that Zo?” Evan asks cutely, somewhat reminding her that Evan didn’t actually know anything, before five minutes ago, he definitely thought they were going to go make dinner at his house and catch up on their favorite shows like they’d planned.
“Um no, I figured we’d go home and just have a regular sleepover. I think my mom’s going to order pizza for us too. I already grabbed some stuff for you from your house earlier,” Zoe says, aware that she was blushing again due to Alana’s little snickers. Alana probably knew exactly why they were having a “date” at Evan’s house, where the only parent wasn’t around often.
Luckily for her though, Evan doesn’t pick up on Alana’s little giggles, and simply answers, “Okay great. I’ll just have to show you tomorrow ‘Lana.”
“Yeah totally. I’m sure it’s really cool Evan. So how’s work been? Better?” Alana asks genuinely, but Zoe tenses a little anyway. Evan had a little trouble adjusting to working when he first started, even though he wanted the job and the experience and the money for when they moved. But she never liked bringing up reminders that things weren’t exactly easy for Evan, she hated when he felt less than, the way he told her after first starting his job in September.
“Um, yeah for the most part, I guess. I still have to check people out sometimes, but usually only if we’re really short-staffed. Other than that, I mostly restock and do inventory, which I like. And I think I might get a raise soon, so that’s really cool,” Evan tells Alana more confidently than Zoe had been expecting, but it makes her calm down a little. Evan was doing great and didn’t always need her to step in.
“That’s great Evan,” Alana says at the same time that Zoe says, “We’re all so proud of you Ev,” getting a sheepish smile from Evan in return. And she feels him lightly squeeze her shoulder, probably not wanting to distract her from driving, but wanting to tell her “thank you” all the same.
And even though Connor wouldn’t be home for two days, Zoe already felt like her little family was back, and for the time being, she was just going to enjoy that.
==
Connor couldn’t wait for Zoe, Alana, and Evan to get home. His mom had filled him in on Zoe’s plan to surprise Evan with Alana, and now he was going to surprise all of them. He sees Zoe’s headlights pull into their driveway and his friends get out of her car from his spot on the staircase, waiting patiently for them to come inside and see him.
He gets a fluttery feeling in his tummy as their front door opens, and he’s just so excited to see his friends for the first time since September when Zoe and Evan had driven with him to Baltimore with his parents driving their own car. He’d missed his friends so much and had been looking forward to being home all month long.
But he watches as Zoe, Evan, and Alana come through the door, all chatting excitedly, and walk right past him, not noticing at all. To be fair, they didn’t know he was home and were probably not being super observant. He knew they’d be excited once they figured out he was home, so he follows them to their regular sleepover spot, the family room, and casually leans into the doorway, calling out to them, “So glad you guys care that I’m home.”
“Oh my god Connor you’re home,” Zoe yells, dropping Evan’s hand and her bag immediately to run to him and wrap him up in a hug, smiling wider than he thinks he’s ever seen her and he’s sure he had a matching one. He’d really missed his little sister and as much as they hadn’t talked prior to him getting clean, he hadn’t been prepared at all to be away from her for that long.
But seeing her run to him more excited than ever was the best reminder that they were in a really good spot. Zoe had really missed him.
“Connor, I thought you weren’t coming home until Saturday,” Evan also yells, not far behind Zoe in running to him. Evan also joins in their hug, not waiting for Zoe to let go, and simply wraps himself around Zoe and him.
“Come on Alana, you too,” Connor says laughing as Zoe and Evan held on to him even tighter.
Alana smiles brightly at him and follows suit, joining their group hug happily, and Connor hasn’t felt this happy since last summer, when the four of them all got to be together. Not that he was sad at school, but he’d just really missed everyone.
“I was supposed to come home Saturday, but I finished my final project earlier than I thought I was going to, so mom changed my flight so I could get here sooner. And it was totally worth it, I missed seeing you guys,” Connor tells them, explaining his surprise appearance as they all break away from their hug.
“We all missed each other,” Evan says softly, and Connor feels that deeply. Texting and phone calls and the occasional FaceTime just weren’t the same as being with your friends in person, especially your best friends.
“Ev, I feel like now it’s time that you surprise us by unveiling Jared in a flash of smoke,” Zoe says laughing and Connor joins in easily, realizing like her just how funny it would have been if they had all made surprise plans without telling each other.
“I wish, but I don’t think so. I know he has a final tomorrow at 8 A.M. but then he’s supposed to be driving home and he should be back around the time Zoe’s done with school too. Maybe we could all get lunch or something,” Evan tells them hopefully and Connor thinks that’s a great idea. Him and Jared had gotten pretty close over the year and Connor was looking forward to him being home just as much as he was Alana.
“Ugh Ev, don’t remind me that I have to go to school tomorrow,” Zoe grumbles and that does dash his excitement just a little. He knew how badly Zoe missed them, and she felt their absence the most at school. Her brother, her boyfriend, her best friend, and her favorite person to have “insightful debates” (arguments) with, had all graduated last year. She was mostly alone at school and he knew that was really hard for Zoe.
He knew at the very least though, Evan tried to come have lunch with her as much as possible, giving her someone to sit with and talk to. And at least Zoe didn’t have afternoon classes either, so days that she didn’t have afterschool band, she just got to leave. Zoe had buckled down and taken two online classes over the summer (even though it was everyone’s “last summer”), just so she didn’t have to be at school so much.
And all those things helped, they had to, but Connor knew they just wouldn’t ever fill the void of knowing you had a place to be and people to be with. She’d faked it for two years and then got used to what her life could be with real friends, and then they’d left her. It was times like this he wished they were actual twins or that their parents had just let them be in the same grade. Then Zoe wouldn’t have to feel lonely.
“It’ll be okay Zo. And think, soon enough you’ll be in Manhattan, with this weirdo too, Julliard and Columbia bound,” Connor tells her, pushing Evan playfully, hoping that it brightens her mood a little. He knew about their plan and he was excited for them, even if it meant that they’d still be far away from him. But they both deserved to go to their dream schools, and after his experience getting to do it this semester, he really wanted that for them.
“That’s only if I get a scholarship to Columbia. If not, I just hope there’s a Manhattan Pottery Barn,” Evan says a little dejectedly, and Connor hates that Evan questions his chances. Evan was incredibly smart and very determined, anxiety and all. He deserved to go to Columbia and Connor really hopes they hear back soon.
“Hey positive thoughts only. Your transfer admissions application was incredible Ev. You’re definitely going to get in and with a scholarship,” Zoe says, wrapping her arms around him comfortingly until he nods along with her. Connor still thought it was wild how good Zoe was at calming Evan down without drawing any attention to it whatsoever.
“I still think you guys should come to school in the south, Maryland’s been awesome,” Connor says, even though he knew their top choices weren’t anywhere near where he went to school. He thought it was still fun to tease them about it though.
“Tell us more then, oh wise one. Then it’s your turn Alana, bless us with your college and New York knowledge,” Zoe says laughing and dragging him and Evan (and he was sure Alana if Zoe had another hand) to the center of the room and pulls them to sit down and grabs all the pillows off the couch, making a nest of sorts around them.
“Turns out college is super cool. Well, art college. I love going to class and I’ve been learning so much, about stuff I actually care about. I’ve tried working with so many different mediums and learned the history of them. My favorite class this semester was learning why different cultures use different mediums and depict different things in their art. Everything is just so cool and I’m really happy. Two years ago, I never would have dreamed of being at college, let alone to study something like art,” Connor tells them, and he really means it. Even though he decided to apply to art schools last year, he wasn’t exactly sure that he’d get in anywhere or actually go. But now he couldn’t really see himself anywhere else. And Evan, Zoe, and Alana had encouraged him the whole time, cared about his future and his happiness.
“I feel like you guys got me there and I’m so thankful for it. I’ve been looking forward to this break though. Turns out art kids are kind of weird and I’ve just missed us,” Connor tells them, feeling just a little emotional. He couldn’t help it though, seeing his sister and his two best friends again after three whole months was a lot.
“That’s so good to hear Con. I feel the same way. Vassar been amazing and it’s definitely the place for me, but I miss you guys. Taylor’s great and I’m so glad I have them, which by the way I can’t wait for you to meet him Connor when they’re here after Christmas, but I’ve missed seeing you guys every day. Texting just isn’t the same,” Alana tells them, smiling, but Connor could tell she was feeling emotional too. He thought she was enjoying Vassar, but it was good to hear straight from her.
“No, it’s not. I’ve been trying really hard to talk to people in my classes too and at work. But it’s so much harder than talking to you guys,” Evan tells them quietly and Connor’s heart hurts just a little for Evan. He was the hardest one to leave and Connor felt good that he had Zoe, but it just wasn’t the same as having a best friend around who wasn’t also your girlfriend.
“You’re doing great Evan,” Zoe tells him comfortingly, in her typical Zoe-way, putting his feelings before hers. And Connor also thought Evan was doing great, trying his hardest and Connor was really proud of him.
“Only because I have you,” Evan tells her dreamily, kissing Zoe chastely before smiling dopily at her. It was good to know Evan was still just as much in love with his sister as he was when Connor left for MICA. That was never one of his fears about leaving for school, knowing that Evan and Zoe would always be there for each other, that neither of them were going to feel isolated and alone with him, Alana, and Jared being gone.
“Always,” Zoe tells him, kissing him again, much less chastely than Evan had kissed her.
“That’s something I didn’t miss,” Connor laughs, tossing a pillow in between them playfully as Zoe flipped him off, kissing Evan again just to annoy him. He knows he just told them all that he didn’t miss their overwhelming cuteness, but he kind of did. It always gave him the chance to tease them and let him really fill the “big brother” role fully. He obviously had to tease his little sister and her boyfriend, that’s what brothers did.
And it was just another reminder that they were doing really good as a couple, that they were okay. It had been really scary telling everyone that he’d chosen to accept his offer to the Maryland Institute College of Arts, knowing that it was really far away. His first plan after deciding to go to college was to stay close by and come home every weekend to be with his sister and his best friend. But then he’d fallen in love during his visit weekend and he just knew he wanted to be there.
But Zoe and Evan had each other, and that made his final decision a lot easier. That, and the fact that they had both been so supportive and proud of him, made everything seem simple. The two most important people in his life wanted him to go where he wanted to, the place that felt right, and MICA did.
He’d had an awesome semester and was looking forward to going back and continuing his degree, something he wasn’t always sure was going to be true.
“So, Alana, what are your brilliant insights on the whole college experience?” Zoe asks, probably wanting to pivot from him after his teasing. But that was okay, he had six weeks to talk all about college life and tease his sister, so he was perfectly happy to hear what Alana had to say.
“I mean I really love Vassar, like truly. And Connor’s right, getting to pick your classes is pretty awesome, the semester just flew by,” Alana says leaning against her stack of pillows comfortably like the rest of them, stealing the extra pillow that Connor had thrown.
“Yeah, but that was probably because of Taylor,” Zoe teases, pretending to swoon, falling into Evan’s arms dramatically.
Alana had told him specifically about her crush on her friend Taylor and they’d had a really good talk about it. Connor was glad that Alana felt comfortable talking to him about that stuff, especially after the confusion of last year. He was genuinely so happy for her and he couldn’t wait to meet him and determine if they were worthy of his best friend. But like how he felt about Zoe, Connor didn’t really get a say in who Alana wanted to be with, but he could make sure that said person was kind and respectful to her. That’s all he really cared about, and it seemed so far that this Taylor was both of those things.
“You know about them being more than a friend for less than an hour and you’re already teasing me?” Alana asks Zoe and she simply grins mischievously, laughing and telling Alana back, “Yep, it’s the only way.”
The way Zoe and Evan suddenly burst into a fit of giggles, Zoe collapsing onto Evan’s lap, has him laughing too, and not at Alana, but simply because he felt joyful. He knew that Alana really liked Taylor and he didn’t want to stress her out, thinking they were making fun of her, but soon she joins in too and he knows that she knows they weren’t laughing at her.
Connor honestly loved that Alana liked someone and had them at Vassar with her, the same way that Evan and Zoe had each other, he never wanted her to feel alone again, not like when they first became friends.
And for himself, he didn’t feel that lonely at MICA. He had a pretty good friend, just a friend, (not on the level of Evan, Alana, Zoe, or Jared, but still) who was in most of his classes and right now that was enough for him. He’d talked to Dr. Darren a little bit about his lack of wanting to date over their video chat sessions after he first moved because that sense of brokenness had returned, especially with all the couples he was seeing around campus.
But he felt a lot better about it now and him and Dr. Darren had talked about it for a while, over a couple sessions. There wasn’t anything broken about Connor and having a significant other or not didn’t change that. If it ever happened that was okay and Connor would explore it, but if it never did, well he had a really awesome life with awesome supportive people in it. Anything else would just be extra, a bonus to a life he already loved living.
Plus, he was only 19 and even if everyone around him appeared to be doing stuff like that, it didn’t mean he had to. He was young and he had his whole life ahead of him and right now dating wasn’t exactly a concern right now. And that was completely normal.
And Connor didn’t really care right now. He was really happy, and he knew he was going to be even more happy for the next six weeks, reunited with his friends. Yeah, Connor wasn’t worried, his life was pretty perfect right now.
==
Evan can’t even believe how his night had turned out. He was completely surprised when Alana showed up with Zoe to pick him up from work, and then when they got to the Murphy’s, Connor had come home two days early to surprise them all too. It was an incredible turn of events, even if it meant that him and Zoe weren’t having their date night tonight that he’d been looking forward to all week.
But honestly it was okay. He was mostly looking forward to it because he’d kind of had a tough week at work and he just wanted to talk it over with Zoe while they made dinner together and snuggled, but it wasn’t like him and Zoe needed the couple time.
They were probably at an all time high in their relationship and he was just as in love or even more so than ever. He felt like every day he spent with Zoe he found a new thing to love about her. The way she tied her shoes. The way she swung their hands when they were walking somewhere. The way she ate gummy bears (head first, then feet, then body). The way she liked her hip bone kissed. The way she was teaching him to curl her hair. The way she loved him unconditionally.
Evan never felt as happy as he did when he was with Zoe. But right now was coming in a close second, so he was perfectly fine with a whole night (or the next forty-two) dedicated to their friendships. He’d missed Connor and Alana so much since they’d gone to school, both him and Zoe had.
He knew Zoe was trying her best at school, but he also knew how hard it was for her. So he tried his best to cheer her up when he could. He met her for lunch at the high school when he could. He still went to all the football games and band concerts, going alone, but never took his eyes off her, cheering as loud as he could whenever she finished a song. They went to fall formal again, just the two of them. But even all that couldn’t make up for everyone being gone.
At least for him, Jared wasn’t that far away at Yale, and came home every couple of weekends. Him and Jared had truly rebuilt their friendship over the last year and Evan did miss him when he was gone, he was glad they were real friends. And Zoe had even mostly accepted him, enjoying anytime she could bait him into an argument, but they still kind of clashed, so Jared being home wasn’t the same for her as it was for him. Zoe really only had him.
So he was even more excited that everyone was here right now, because of what it meant to Zoe.
“Hey guys, um, since Jared won’t be home until tomorrow, do you want to send him a video text? Maybe saying good luck for his final, um so he doesn’t feel left out?” Evan asks, watching Zoe set her own phone up to presumably take a picture of them after their laughter fit from Zoe teasing Alana about Taylor. It makes him think about Jared seeing these photos later on social media, thinking they purposely hadn’t invited him, which wasn’t the case at all.
“Aww Ev, that’s so sweet,” Alana tells him, smiling and nodding along with Zoe. Good, he was worried they wouldn’t want to, but that was silly. They were Jared’s friends too, of course they wanted to wish him well.
“Yeah totally. I’ll hold the phone and you guys get behind me,” Connor says, taking Evan’s phone as he held it out to him, gesturing for everyone to get in the frame.
“I think maybe just like ‘Hey Jared! Good luck on you final. We can’t wait to see you tomorrow!’ Does that seem okay?” Evan asks his friends, wondering if there was something else they could maybe add or maybe adding too much would make it weird? Maybe it would make Jared miss them more?
“No Evan that’s perfect, like a virtual card until we see him tomorrow,” Zoe tells him softly, intertwining their hands and squeezing gently, reassuring him like she always did. Zoe made him feel more confident and he sees Alana and Connor nodding too, agreeing with Zoe.
“Okay say what Evan said, now,” Connor says tapping the record button as they all wave to the camera and repeat, “Hey Jared! Good luck on your final! We can’t wait to see you tomorrow!” before Connor ends the recording and returns his phone to him.
Evan sends it Jared and hopes that it makes him feel not left out, like they were including him even if he couldn’t be there with them. Jared quickly texts back “Thanks guys, miss u!” and Evan tells them what Jared says, but then puts his phone down. He felt good about including Jared in some way tonight and tomorrow they’d probably all do this again. But right now Evan decides to focus on his two friends that were here and who he hadn’t seen in ages and listen to their stories about college and everything they liked about it.
It makes him feel less nervous to potentially transfer to a bigger university next year with Zoe. He was scared of the class sizes and the professors and the anonymity and the expectations that came with going somewhere like Columbia. But he was going to do it (if he got accepted) because he was going to follow Zoe wherever she went.
Their current plan was New York and Evan wanted that to come true for them so badly. He wanted to live in a tiny little apartment with her. He wanted to experience city life with Zoe. For Zoe to have this amazing opportunity and he wanted more than anything to support her.
“We should make this a tradition. The first day home from break sleepover, for both semesters, but especially winter break,” Alana suggests happily some what out of the blue, but Evan thinks it’s a great idea. Something they could always look forward too.
“Yeah, and then maybe it’ll turn into a winter vacation together when we’re all older, like how we used to go skiing with the Harris’,” Zoe says, her eyes lighting up at the thought of them carrying on their tight bond through adulthood. And Evan can’t help but return her smile. He pictured their future together all the time and this would just become another thing he daydreamed about. All of their future families hanging out together. Being friends forever.
“With a little cutie niece or nephew running around from you two,” Connor says, laughing and pointing between Evan and Zoe. And Zoe rightfully gets annoyed at Connor’s comment and laughs as she chucks another pillow back at him.
Evan knew him and Zoe might be engaging in the act that definitely resulted in babies if they weren’t careful, but they were absolutely not trying for any babies right now. Evan wasn’t going to lie and say that he didn’t think about it, more so since him and Zoe started having sex, but that was definitely a conversation for after they finished college. Not right now and not for any future winter break sleepovers.
“You know how babies are made, right Con? You really want to know about Evan and me…” Zoe starts, unable to keep her sarcasm to a minimum (and Evan knows she’s trying to be respectful of their agreements about keeping their sex life private), before Connor interrupts laughing and saying, “No oh my god, never mind. I regret everything. I was only thinking of cuties not how they’d get here. Please excuse me while I vomit.”
Evan shoves Connor playfully as he pretend-gags making Zoe roll her eyes even harder as Alana laughed. Alana probably thought it was hilarious, karma for Zoe teasing her earlier about her own love life.
And Evan was worried at first about Connor knowing anything more about his and Zoe’s physical relationship (hence their agreement) but it seemed like Connor was kind of okay with it, or at the very least knew it would happen at some point. A huge improvement from last year.
“Yeah that’s what I thought Connor, but I do like that idea Alana, like so much. We’re all obviously destined for more than this town, but that doesn’t mean we can’t always be this close,” Zoe says, snuggling into his side. And Evan’s not sure if it was to annoy Connor or not, but he was going to believe that it was because Zoe saw the same future he did right now . One where they were together and happy and maybe had a baby and all of them were still high school best friends. That nothing ever changed.
And Evan thinks that will happen. No matter what the future brought them, they would always have each other. Even if they were in different places, even if they experienced feeling more apart than they had this semester. Evan was with his forever best friends and nothing could ever change that.