A little More Time

A blanket of darkness enveloped the sky in its indigo glory. The clock struck 9 o’clock, inviting the stars to twinkle like glitter among the nightfall. The warm glow of string lights illuminated the vast courtyard, revealing gorgeous plants along the outdoor fixtures. White linen cloths lined each table, illuminated by tealights. People trickled in through the cobblestone pathway, chattering over the ambient noise. 

It was the night of Ellie’s engagement party, an event entirely orchestrated by her conservative parents. From a glance, everything seemed perfect. Twenty-nine-year-old Marielle Martin was the pride and joy of her family, especially given her accolades. She was an only child who boasted a master’s degree, a gorgeous condo, a rich fiance, and a dirty secret. 

She never wanted to marry a man. 

Eight years ago, Harrison McLaughlin waltzed into their lives with his pompous attire and equally insufferable demeanor. Ellie had the pleasure of sharing almost every class with him, which forced them to collaborate. Ellie often had to meet with Sam to work on projects or single-handedly write a paper they both claimed credit on. Despite his utterly repulsive nature, he was the perfect scapegoat. Her parents expected her to be married before 30 and constantly pestered her about men and dating, so she chose to mention the only man she’d seen frequently. 

“How’s the Harrison kid?” Her parents would ask frequently, their smiles growing as Ellie would mention how hardworking he is (despite his complete disinterest in anything involving work.) 

As the semesters droned on, she took his disgustingly forward advances as a sign to invite him over. She tolerated his awful flirting and unfunny jokes at every expensive dinner he’d paid for. The Martins were so impressed that they arranged to meet at the McLaughlin residence. 

On that fateful day 6 years ago, Ellie rode alongside her parents in their outdated Range Rover. Their humble ride was quickly put to shame as they neared an expansive driveway the size of an NBA basketball court, housing 5 shiny new cars of various sizes. The Audi, Porsche, and BMW logos spoke for themselves, sending a nervous chill down Ellie’s body. 

The McLaughlins were everything she’d expected, although they were amicable towards the Martins. Every word had an air of pretentiousness, especially their mention of various properties around the world. 

“Where do you summer?” Was a phrase she hadn’t quite grasped. Only the ultra-rich could fathom using a season as a verb. How pretentious. 

The array of imported wines and glassware that were treated as decoration made no sense either. Harrison seemed entirely unfazed, grinning ear-to-ear because he had a new trophy to champion. Ellie was a beautiful girl with hazel eyes, long eyelashes, and strawberry-blonde hair. She was also an intellectual, a lover, and an ardent pacifist, but Harrison would never care enough to know that about her. 

His body language made it clear how he felt about her, especially when they were alone. He loved to trail his eyes along her body and kiss her all over despite her lack of affection. She tried to pretend that she liked it— that she liked him. Deep down she wishes it were her best friend Joanne. 

“Does she know she’s invited to an engagement party?” Harrison leered as Joanne walked down the cobblestone path, the warm light danced on her figure as she neared. 

Ellie smiled, transfixed by her gorgeous mahogany complexion and perfect white teeth. There was something magical and otherworldly about her, Ellie simply couldn’t place it. Maybe Harrison was just jealous that his boringly generic look was overshadowed by this beauty in front of her. Maybe he knew deep down she didn’t give a damn about him. 

“Her hair isn’t even done.” He quipped once more, irritated at Ellie’s lack of response. 

The “undone” hair in question was the beautiful set of coils that cascaded down Joanne’s shoulders. Ellie remembered that 14 years ago it was the tiniest little Afro that adorned her head like a crown. She remembered the books Joanne would carry, her vanilla scent, and her soft voice. As cliche as it sounded, they first spoke when Jo dropped one of her prized books in haste to get to her next class. Ellie swiftly grabbed it, recognized the cover, and started a conversation as she handed it to her. To this day Joanne is still as beautiful, friendly, and smart. 

“Jo!” Ellie exclaimed, drawing her into a hug. Her grasp lingered longer as expected because the woman’s soft stature was so cozy. 

“Hey,” Jo began, her voice fading. Her eyes were red, and she was late. Jo wasn’t strict on punctuality, but even this was unlike her. Everyone else trickled in and said their congratulations 15 minutes ago. Gifts piled up on some of the tables, but Ellie wasn’t interested. All she wanted was to see her beautiful Joanne. 

“So uh, glad you were able to make it,” Harrison said, though his tone was very unfriendly. 

“Sorry,” Jo began, her deep brown eyes trained on the floor. 

Ellie’s heart lurched against her rib-cage at the sound and look of her best friend. Jo wasn’t happy about this engagement, and neither was she. 

“Baby, I’m gonna try to fix Jo’s hair real quick. I’m sure Mom and Dad are going to take so many pictures.” Ellie chimed, forcing her cheerful tone. 

“Sure,” he said offhandedly, making his way toward his friends. Over their eight years together, Harrison remained as passive as he is now. Aside from the expensive favors he’d do to show off his perfect life, Ellie was an afterthought. Somehow it worked out, especially given that she wanted nothing to do with him beyond this illusion. 

Ellie tentatively placed a hand on Jo’s back as they walked toward the restrooms. They avoided eye contact with guests as they raced across the cobblestone. 

The bathroom was a small, clean building that was part of the park. Her parents had the rented courtyard area out for this exact occasion, which gave them some privacy to use its facilities. 

“What’s wrong?” Ellie asked, her eyes remorseful. 

“This,” Jo trailed off before crying her eyes out. She heaved and sobbed as Ellie pulled her into her chest. 

Ellie pulled back to look into her eyes. 

“I hate this too, Jo. It breaks my heart to have to do this, but you know how they are. I’m almost 30.” Ellie started to sob too, ruining the mascara she’d applied specifically for this event. 

“In a year I’ll no longer have you,” Jo began between sobs, her body shuddering with every heave. 

“That’s not true—”

“—It is true! For all I know, you both will move away from everyone and get a house together.” 

Ellie pondered for a moment. This wasn’t a good idea at all, but getting shunned from her family as an only child was her biggest fear— aside from losing Jo. 

Their eyes met, reddened with the hot tears streaming down their faces. At that moment, all the cuddles, the movie watching, the venting, midnight phone calls, and endless lunchtime rendezvous came to mind. 

They’d lose it all. 

“Ellie?” 

“Yes?” 

“Do you love me?” 

“Always have.” 

Ellie lovingly placed a hand on Jo’s cheek, leaning in to kiss it gingerly. 

The sound of keys jingling echoed in the doorway. The door swung open with haste. 

“Oh my God—” Ellie’s mother froze in an instant, and panic shot through the two women. 

Jo shut her eyes and whispered repeatedly. Ellie had no clue what was happening, but her eyes were trained on her mother. 

Mrs. Martin was strangely immobile, almost like the onset of an anxiety attack. Her long wand curls stood as rigid as the rest of her body. 

“Come with me,” she began, taking Ellie’s hand as she stopped her whisper-chant. They brushed past her frozen mother, exiting the doorway. 

“Jo—” Before Ellie could even question anything, she looked outside to see everyone frozen. Fireflies were hovering over them like mini stars, their wings entirely static. 

The world was silent, mesmerizing, and freeing. Not a soul knew their secret at that moment. 

“Ellie, can we pretend this party is for us?”

“Yes, we can.” Ellie declared, beaming under the string lights. 

They perused the courtyard as they walked, nitpicking every decoration and design. The pair snagged food off of the platters and pointed at Harrison and his friends, laughing at how ridiculous they looked. 

“He had the nerve to ask if you’re well dressed enough for tonight! Clearly his whole group didn’t get the memo.” The pair erupted in laughter at the crew’s unsightly Sperry shoes, polo shirts, and khakis. 

“Who’s the best dressed for tonight?” Jo asked, eyes glittering with curiosity. 

“Aside from you,” Ellie began, eying Joanne’s gorgeous indigo dress. It hugged her full figure beautifully while complementing her silver jewelry. “Nobody.”

Jo flashed a coy smile, not entirely knowing what to say. 

“Ellie,”

“Yeah?”

“The magic surrounding us won’t last forever, but the one between us always will. I promise.”

Ellie looked around them, soon realizing that the fireflies were beginning to flutter once again.

“You know, I knew there was always something magical about you.” Ellie began to cry again. Their world was about to come crashing down.