The Other Half // The Half of It - Netflix // Ellister / Assie Fanfic //

Squahamish

I'm quite surprised that some people would read this ahaha. Anyway, here's another chapter to fill up the empty hole THOI left us with. Hopefully whatever I wrote resonates with you and that hopefully  it's interesting enough to keep you reading ahhaha. Anyways, enjoy!

If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives – Lemony Snicket

“Yeah? What’s u-” *ding* Almost instantly we both looked towards the device that made a sound. Paul jogged towards his phone and read the message. Soon after his phone rang.

“Grinell! What’s up?” He chuckles nervously. Grinell? Was that Ellie on the phone? Does she know that I’m here with Paul? Why is she calling him now, what happened? Is she okay?

“Hold up, let me pull up facetime so you could see the trailer” he started showing around and I caught a glimpse of Ellie’s face on his screen. My heart skipped a beat, still remembering the day she kissed me before leaving to Grinnell. “Oh wow, it looks great! It’s all coming together.” I heard her voice through the phone and a wave of emotions just fell over me.

“I wouldn’t have done it without Aster though” he chuckles and placed his phone in front of me. I didn’t know what to do or how to react, Ellie Chu is here, it’s the first time in months since I have seen her face and it seemed like she hasn’t changed one bit.

“Hi” smiling softly at the phone that I am now holding. I looked at Paul and he gave me a thumbs up indicating that it was alright for me to step outside and talk to Ellie. “Hey, how are you, Aster? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” she asked softly with a soft smile and I just nodded slightly savoring every moment that I could get from this call.

“Uhm, have you gotten my letter?” she asks disrupting my train of thoughts. What did she mean by letter? “I don’t think so, I haven’t gotten any mail yet, why?” Then I remembered, I got a pile of letters from the front desk the past few weeks. “Actually, hold on to the thought and I will get back to you if I got it.” I told her and she just giggled. At that moment, I asked myself if I were ready to tell her how I truly felt and what these feelings meant. At that moment, I am squabbling with myself whether this is Love. What is Love anyway?

“Aster?” Ellie called out softly, “I know that you’re going through some rough times. Everything beautiful is ruined eventually and if you do ruin your painting, you’ll never know if you could’ve had a great painting if you never did a bold stroke.” She says genuinely and a flood of relief came over me. The feeling of security and safety just in her words. I felt as if I am a transparent glass that she could see right through me, delicately handling my fragile feelings. She knows just the right words to make me feel better.
“The boldest stroke huh?” I sighed between words and she smiled at me “I think you know what I mean, Aster. What is the boldest stroke you can make?”

-

Shuffling around for a letter once I got back into my dorm. “To Aster Flores, from SmithCorona” the letter says and I’m pretty sure this was the letter they were talking about. I opened the letter and was greeted by her familiar handwriting.

“Dear Aster Flores,

The way your eyes look right into mine,
The way you twirl your hair when you’re reading.
The way your laugh busts out like you can’t help yourself,
And stops being so perfect even just for a moment.

You have at least five different voices.
And I could live in an ocean of your thoughts,
And feel like you know,
Just really knows what I feel.

SmithCorona”

My chest fluttered at the sight of her writing, emotions leaped over me at the thought of her feelings for me. I haven’t felt this way towards anyone, the feeling of being understood, the feeling that someone actually gets me for who I am. “Gravity is matter’s response to loneliness” recollecting the thought from the hot spring. Without gravity, matter in space just consists of compounds and atoms, just objects and mass. I need to find my own gravity.

-

“Ellie is coming to visit next week, do you want to come with? She will arrive on Friday but we can go see her on Saturday if you want to.” Paul says as we were eating lunch at his diner. It has been 2 years since his start up began and it has been quite the talk of the town. His taco sausage now being the next best thing in Squahamish. Still unsure whether I am ready to talk to Ellie or even see her for the fact. We stopped talking or had any form of contact a little while back so I’m sure that things could only get awkward. “Yeah, no, sure Saturday is fine” I told him nervously still debating whether I should really go.

“You don’t have to be so nervous about seeing Ellie, you know. She’s just a girl, she won’t hurt you or anything.” Paul notices the way I spaced out and the color on my face fade away. “She’s not just a girl” I whispered and he just smiled and nodded at me, realizing what I said “I mean, she’s just, she’s -“ I rambled on my words and didn’t know what to come up with to mask up what I feel for Ellie. “Dude, calm down” he laughs loudly and his face almost turning red at my reaction and realization from what I said. I just laughed along with an apologetic look. Ellie is coming next week, I repeated in my head.

-

The air in Squahamish feels so much better than Grinnell, it feels like home and I love home so much. I’m meeting Paul and Aster tomorrow; I have the whole day to figure out what to tell the two tomorrow during our hangout. I rode on my bike around the city that I’m familiar with and caught myself cycling down the road of woods. I got off my bike and noticed a car parked right in front of the woods. It’s not a car that I’m familiar with, does someone else know Aster’s favourite place? I could hear some music in the distance but couldn’t tell who is in the hot spring.

A/N i wonder who is at the hot spring and why Ellie went there in the forst place. To whoever is reading this, dm me and lets talk about THOI. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this bit. I'll update soon enough.