T H A N K Y O U
Hey, I'm back! I'm just here to applaud you for making it through 68 chapters to reach this point – that takes a lot of dedication.
And special mention to all the people whom I have not dedicated a part to, since there are 70 of them and way more than 70 of you. You guys are spectacular and I love you!
Once upon a time, there was an Eve with nothing but a fantastic Cover Fairy Godmother and two followers. Now, a year later, she has a family of 2.7K spies which she is so grateful for. These dialogue stories may have ended, but what you have loved can never be truly erased from memory, can it?
I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! I love you so much.
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Q & A
Q: How old are the characters now?
A: Fletcher, Erin and Scarlett have recently turned 45 years old, while Emily and Alex are 44. Faith and Tristan are both 42. Hope is 32 and Charlie is 34. Brandon and his wife, MacKenzie, are both 36.
For some extra numbers, Declan is 17 years old and Abigail is 16. Andrew and Lucy, whom I discuss in the next question, are 17 and 15 respectively. My characters are always around my age at the time I wrote the story.
Q: What about Erin and Alex's kid(s)?
A: Don't worry, they do have children. Their names are Andrew and Lucy. They went to a ski lodge and were meant to come home for Christmas, but the snowstorm there was so dreadful that the trains weren't running.
Q: What are their jobs now?
A: Erin and Alex are co-managers of Waffle Cones. Fletcher owns an ice cream company, and Emily is a high school teacher. Faith is a dance supervisor, while Tristan works as an eye expert at a hospital. Hope was an assistant at a computing centre, before following her brother's medical footsteps by becoming a therapist. Charlie is the head of a software company – he's legendary from his parents' name. Scarlett worked as a florist, before expressing her love for interior design.
For bonus points – the mean chick from Waffle Cones who insulted Fletcher's deceased father? She became a bartender. Delilah is a cashier at a dollar store. Aimee, who knows how to play her cards right, now works as a flight attendant. Not bad, eh?
Q: How did Charlie and Hope meet?
A: "Excuse me! Sorry! I'm sorry!" Hurried cries of mostly insincere but socially required apologies escaped Hope's lips, as she submerged herself within hustle and bustle.
It was just her luck that she became the assistant of some stupid IT nerd guy, right? While her spectacular brother Tristan got to be the boss of his own field of work. Where Tristan thrived, Hope always tumbled down into a chasm of incompetence.
Swallowing down the self-pity that she didn't deserve, she forced her way through the thick vines of human limbs with renewed force. You have one job, Hope, she sternly chided herself. Get the coffee to the computer tech guy and you're done for the day!
But it was much easier said than done, as the crowd seemed to multiply like bacteria the longer she stayed. Feeling resentment and that same self-pity bubbling back up her throat, she flinched as a man knocked her comparatively smaller frame to the side, almost making her spill the precious coffee she held.
Was it worth it? Was it worth going through all that trouble for some idiot that happened to be good with computers? Charlie Welles, the name itself screamed awkward, clumsy and bumbling. Nerdy, thick-rimmed glasses? Look, it wasn't like she had anything against them, but Hope had always imagined herself acquainted with a high school sweetheart, preferably of the sexy hunk variety. IT specialists? Not up her alley.
But then it happened.
The dreaded scenario happened, dwindling in slow motion as though to lengthen Hope's mortification, as she tripped over someone's immaculate shoes, suddenly stumbling. Her mind was screeching "ahhhh!" while her ears started to drum, her voice hoarse as she screamed out loud, yet the only thing she could think of doing was hopelessly pressing the lid of the steaming coffee to the cup.
There was impact, and suddenly she found herself facing the ceiling, her left leg bent as though doing a ridiculous dance move for couples, but there wasn't a partner to accompany her – was there? As her eyes flickered upwards, grey-blue steel met chocolate brown with honeycomb flecks. The guy's initially startled expression melted into a dorky grin. "Nice of you to drop in."
"The pleasure would be furtherest from mine," Hope said snappishly, before she bit her tongue, reproachful at her bitter nature. What had moulded seven year old perfect princess Hope into this bitchy persona?
"I know," he laughed, unfazed at Hope's rudeness – which she found extremely annoying and strangely endearing at the same time. He gently set Hope on her feet and let her regain her composure in silence, though she spent most of her time taking sneak peeks at his surprisingly lean figure. "You're welcome for me saving you, by the way." Hope responded to the sarcasm with a piercing glare.
Feeling the awkward tension between them, even though he was whistling under his breath, irritating cheerful, Hope cleared her throat and spoke up. "So, who are you? I'm new here, so I don't really know anyone."
"You don't know who I am?" he asked, sounding taken aback for the first time, about a topic that he shouldn't have even been surprised about.
Hope bit back a retort along the lines of, 'I haven't seen your autobiography, so you should tone down your ego, Kanye,' but replaced the insult with a question. "Am I meant to know who you are? What's your name?"
"Charlie," he said after a moment of silence, as though he needed time to remember what his name was. "My name's Charlie Welles."
Oh, son of a biscuit.
Q: What are their favourite TV shows?
A: Emily adores Teen Wolf. Fletcher is roped into watching it with her but he secretly likes it too, though his heart resides with Doctor Who. Faith loves Scream Queens, Tristan watches Game of Thrones. Erin and Alex are fans of Arrow and The Flash while Scarlett loves Shadowhunters. Hope is a fan of Switched At Birth, while Charlie loves to watch Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D because he's Marvel trash.
Q: Do Abigail and Declan end up together and/ or will there be a spinoff about them?
They do end up together. There's a chapter featuring them in one of my other stories, Sparkler Snapshots. However, I am against writing a story purely about those two. So, there is a spinoff to this story, but it's not about Abby and Declan. The third installment of this series is called Snow Boots. It's up on my profile, so make sure to check it out!
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S N O W B O O T S
"You've reached Westerden Ski Lodge, how may I be of assistance?"
"Hey, can I have some snow boots and skis? Maybe even a girlfriend, if you've got any in stock."
"Awesome, do you want to order a life along with that? The gift wrapping's free of charge."
"I'll take what I can get."
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Thank you for the questions, loves! Also, I just want to thank you spies again for being so supportive of me on this journey. I love you guys more than anything in the universe. Until next time, Spy Fam. Stay snazzy.
YOU ARE READING
Eye Drops (#2)
Short Story"This is Westerden Optometrist. What are your symptoms?" "For starters, my eyesight has been super blurry and distorted, and this problem is starting to screw up seventeen-year-old life. Speaking of which, you sound kind of young for an optometrist...
