It's You [H.S.]

13.2 | Ever ours (Epilogue)

He can only nod, wide-eyed, pinching his lips between his teeth to contain his grin.

"Then I'll happily hand over all creative control to you, and be your willing model... But maybe just not totally naked, or saved to iCloud... You know, just in case!".

>  
>

18th June 2020

A week later, the UK lockdown restrictions were eased a little more, with socially-distanced outdoor gatherings permissible once again.

Just in time for her and Ollie's twenty-seventh birthday, Eloise and Harry invited their immediate families and a few of their closest friends over for a casual barbeque party.

Ostensibly just to be as responsible as possible, and of course to protect little Grace, they'd asked that everyone coming take a Covid test.

They all jump at the invitation; eager for a chance to see each other for the first time in months, make the most of their relative new-found freedom, and get to enjoy the new garden - whilst it still looks at its best, before the grass inevitably succumbs to the summer sun.

Anne, Gemma and Michal; Crispin and Elin; Ben, Mer and the girls; Lucas and Ollie, both stir crazy with all professional rugby games cancelled; Niall and Malin; and Sarah and Mitch.

Harry's Dad couldn't make it, unfortunately; but to manage to have almost all their favourites? Not bad at all, considering.

It feels amazing to finally be properly reunited with so many friendly faces.

Emotionally weeping tears of joy as she greets each of them - even from a distance - it hits Eloise just quite how lonely and isolated she'd been feeling.

It's amazing quite how much has changed in just a couple of weeks.

>

A warm and sunny Thursday afternoon, they're able to enjoy the perks of most of them being free agents.

Crispin runs his own finance company, so pointedly told his team not to bother him and switched his phone to silent. Malin has a few days off, and Michal just intermittently sidles off to take a couple of work calls and answer a few emails. None of the rest of them work anything close to a regular nine-to-five.

Most haven't seen the house yet, and Harry quickly succumbs to their pleas and ushers a few small groups around on whistle-stop tours. He's mightily proud of it, and deservedly so.

Having seen it already, Anne holds back to lend Eloise a hand in the kitchen. She could almost weep herself, just watching her potter around one-handed, still not quite ready to hand baby Grace over just yet.

Double-checking they're alone, Anne steps closer and keeps her voice low and soft. "You're such a natural... And you're looking so much better, darling, positively glowing! Now, tell me, I'm dying to hear more about the scan...", she begs, eager eyes sparkling with excitement.

Eloise feels bad, but manages to fob her off with a few vague, non-committal responses, promising her they'll tell everyone this afternoon.

>

Soon enough, they're all outside in the garden and adhering to the 'at least one metre' rule. Well, ish... But it's really hard! And when they know they've all tested negative, it feels a bit weird to be too stringent about it.

Upon setting eyes on the outdoor pool, it takes Lucas about ten seconds to strip off his t-shirt and leap straight in. Evidently already in his swimming trunks, had he given himself just a few seconds more, he might have remembered the phone in his pocket. Oops.