Tattoos Together | An Original

47

Reese

I lightly tap on the door to Maeve's room in the air b&b before she tells me to come in. I close the door behind me, then I walk over to the unoccupied side of the bed and sit.

"You feeling okay?" I ask.

Maeve nods. "Yeah. Just a bit of a stomachache, and a sun burn."

"Awww. I have aloe if you need any."

"I have some too, that's okay," she says.

"Hey," I say. "Is there something else going on? You seem a little down. It's okay, you can always tell me."

"I think I have to break up with Landon, permanently. I haven't told anyone yet, but I think it's time. He can't keep treating me badly like this. I'm so done with it."

"I'm sorry your relationship didn't turn out to be what you wanted," I say. "But it's always good to close chapters and open new ones, right? Maeve, you got two college degrees at the same time. You own a business. You're the smartest person I know, and one of the sweetest too. There's no doubt in my mind that you can be fiercely independent. You've made a life for yourself already. You did that for yourself, and you don't need some dirtbag ruining it for you. I'm so proud of you, always. I'm glad you're doing what is best for you."

"Wow," Maeve says. "Thanks, Reese. Now I feel like I really am making the right decision."

"I'm always going to be honest with you," I say. "I wouldn't say these things if they weren't true. You deserve the world, and you don't need anyone to give it to you."

Maeve smiles.

"There's your gorgeous smile," I say. "Don't drop your crown, Maevey."

She sits up, and then takes my hand in hers. "I'm so lucky to have you, Miss Sis. You've always been the best half-sister in the world."

I laugh as I lean my head on my cousins' shoulder. It's always been a running joke between my cousins and siblings that were all half-siblings because of our dads being identical twins. I have to say, that dynamic has given me the best group of peers I ever could've asked for.

No matter the situation, one of them will understand, and one of them will know how to handle it or fix it. Maybe one will understand and another will know how to handle it, but together, we make the best teammates.

I'm so blessed with the family I have. I always want us to remain this close to one another.

"I'm very lucky to have you in my life, Maeve," I say. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I wouldn't know what to do without you either, Reese," she says.

"Why don't we have a girls' day tomorrow? Us, Taytum, Sabrina. Maybe Aunt Alex will want to come too. It'll be fun."

"I'm always down for a girls day."

"Good," I say.

After a little while longer of talking with Maeve, we decided to join everyone else back outside on the patio. I sit next to Dominic, who immediately puts his arm around me. I cuddle closer to him, and lean my head on his chest.

"Doing okay?" he asks.

"Never better," I say. "However, I so don't want to go back to the cold weather in a few days."

"I don't blame you," Dominic says. "When I first moved to Los Angeles, I never wanted to leave my backyard just because the weather was so nice."

"It's gonna be a huge contrast when we get off the plane in New York."

We have two flights back. One from Sydney to New York, and one from New York to Chicago. Dominic is staying with me for the next few months, since he's done touring and done with recording his next album. I'm so proud of him, and I'm so happy that we get to spend more time together this year.

It takes me almost a full day to recuperate from our flights once we're back in Chicago, and I'm so thankful school doesn't start back up for the semester until Wednesday. I know now that jet lag is definitely not a myth.

February finds us celebrating Valentine's Day, March we spend spring break together in Los Angeles, since his house there is going on the market soon. We figured we'd spend my spring break there as a way of saying farewell to that house.

In April, Tenley surprises us by coming home a couple weeks earlier than usual. She and Josh usually stay in New Jersey until Mid May, but they came back to Chicago to share the news that they're going to have another baby. One baby this time. Charlie and Jackson are stoked that they will have a baby brother or sister soon.

Tenley still hasn't found out if the new baby will be a girl or a boy, but everyone is so happy for them.

May is when I get to witness my sister Taytum graduating college, and getting engaged to Andrew in the same week. I'm so happy for her, and for them.

June finds us preparing to send Maren off to the Olympic Trials. I cannot believe she's finally about to reach the goal she's worked towards for her entire life—to be an Olympic Gymnast. I've watched her grow up dreaming about it for so long, and now it's finally coming to fruition. I'm so proud of her I could cry. In fact, when she has the highest scores on the final night of the Trials, I do cry.

The Netherlands isn't going to be ready for the storm that Maren is. I'm so excited to watch her dreams come true this summer.

July consists of Dominic's and my second anniversary, Olympic watch parties at my grandparents' house with all of our family and family's friends, and welcoming Maren home after the Olympics, her gold medals in hand.

We couldn't be more stoked for her.

As for Maeve, she's thriving. In February, she broke up with Landon for good. She started living back at her parents' house to start saving money to buy her own house, while running her bookstore. It's almost September now, and she's been talking to someone she went to high school with for a month or two now. I guess it was someone she had a thing with the summer before her senior year of high school, and now they could be getting serious.

She's told me how much of a better guy Dalton is than Landon, and I'm happy she's finding someone who will treat her with respect, and care.

August is when Dominic and I stay in Seattle for almost the whole month: to celebrate the official release of his new album. We got to stay in his new penthouse apartment (the coolest thing ever in Seattle), and we hosted a get-together with his close friends.

Also in August, Sabrina competed for the title of Miss Illinois, and won! She will go on to represent our home state in the Miss America Pageant, and we are so excited for her. I already bought my ticket and booked the hotel to go watch the competition. It's going to be so much fun. Taytum and Laynie are both going too, so it'll be a great girls' trip in January.

December is Taytum and Andrew's wedding. I was lucky enough to be given the role of co-maid of honor (shared with Maeve), so I got to make a great speech.

The wedding was such a great day. It was truly so full of love, and great vibes. Dominic was in the wedding as well, so I was happy that we got to sit next to each other at the wedding party's table.

We danced the night away that night, and I'm not sure I've ever seen Taytum happier. Two weeks later, Tenley and Josh had their baby. A baby girl named Wren. She's gorgeous, and so aware that I'm convinced she's an old soul like Maren and I both are.

This whole year went by so quickly, because of how eventful it was. I'm so happy that I got to experience all of these good moments with my favorite guy by my side for all of it.

Dominic truly is a keeper, and I am so lucky to have someone like him in my life. I don't know what I'd do without him, and our tattoos of each other.