Elowen couldn't stop the laugh that burst from her chest as she turned to her friend. "You know I was just teasing you," she chuckled as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. The bottles in her hand clinked together as she pulled him close, breathing in the familiar scent. She was sure he had changed his cologne at some point, but he smelled so distinctly like home that she felt a shudder run down her spine.

She pulled away faster than she would have liked, smiling up at Birdie as she began to stroll alongdside him back to the pool. "Speaking of Viv," Elowen murmured, wiggling her eyebrows at the man beside her, "I saw you two getting awful cozy. Care to share what's been going on there?"

Elowen listened to her friend intently, taking the moment to truly absorb that he was here with her. All her friends were here, their laughter growing louder as the pair approached. It was surreal - Elowen had thought her summer adventures long over, but here she was, about to enjoy a drunken day at the poolside with her family. She still wasn't sure how to feel about it - torn between elation, wanting to hold everybody close, and fear.

"I don't know what I'm doing," she mumbled, slowing to a crawl to delay their inevitable return. "I wanted everybody to come back, but now that you're here... What do we do? Do we just go on like nothing every happened? Are we supposed to tramp about the woods, get drunk on the beach, sneak around like we used to?

"I know you noticed there's nobody else here. You're nothing if not observant." Her tone was shaky, as uneven as she would ever allow it to be. "I don't know how to return to normal, Birdie. I sent the staff away, and the others will notice soon if they haven't already. I don't know how to tell them that I couldn't bear to be surrounded by people, that I spent five years in self-induced isolation. I... I have no plan, I don't even know what we're going to do tonight - let alone a whole summer."

She had stopped walking at some point, her voice barely a whisper above the breeze. Worrying her lip, she once again internally chastised herself for speaking so boldly - she never spoke in such a brash manner, never allowed anybody to see her weak like this. But it was Birdie, and despite everything, she knew she could trust him. Knew that if anybody would be able to bring her out of her slump, it was the man before her.

It wouldn't be hard to return to the way things were, she mused internally as her gaze dropped to the ground. They could adventure the grounds, they could relax on the beach, or by the pool. Cliff jumping. Drinking. Games. Sneaking around with one another like they always had. When they arrived, she thought it would be so easy to act like nothing had happened, and while it certainly seemed that way, something felt off. It was like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for them to tell her off, to disappear like she had made them do before.

A splash, followed by a burst of laughter ripped her from her thoughts.

She looked to Birdie once more, plastering a smile on her face. "I'll figure it out. We're going to have a great summer, I promise. For now, why don't you actually introduce me to Holden, yeah? Time I start being a propper host."

With a deep swig from the bottle she still clutched, Elowen followed after her friend, beaming as she passed out drinks to the others, including a sopping wet Theodore shaking his hair at her like a dog.

"Hello, Holden," Elowen said softly after Birdie had finished introducing them. She held out a delicate hand, smiling at him when he took it. "I apologize for not introducing myself sooner, the preparation for this summer has been an utter whirlwind. It's a pleasure to meet you, and I truly hope you have as much fun as I know this one will this summer."

With a wry grin at Birdie, she chatted amicably with Holden for a few moments, content with the idle small talk that seemed to flow between them. After a few moments, though, Charlotte flounced up to them, drink already bordering on empty. She was followed by a blushing Vivienne and a somewhat more dry Theodore, all of them bunching around the trio that were now trickling into silence.

"Hello, Charlotte," Elowen mused as the woman in question threw a haphazard arm over her shoulder. Charlotte grinned lazily at her, leaning heavily into her side, and Elowen couldn't stop the smile that bloomed on her face.

"Ella, I have simply missed this pool so much!" Charlotte's voice lilted slightly as she batted her eyelashes up at Elowen. "And this manor. And us. All being together. Isn't it so lovely that we're together again?"

Elowen stiffened the tiniest bit at her words, before quickly relaxing again, looking to Birdie for any semblance of support. After finding it in his eyes, she took a small breath. "Yes, Charlotte, I'm so thrilled that you were all able to make it this summer." Looking around at her friends - her family - she quickly went on. "I know we've all grown quite a bit, so I'm sure some things will be different, but I want this summer to be as fun as I remember our childhoods were. So, I was thinking... after dinner, we play a lovely game of truth or drink? Just like old times?"

Charlotte squealed in her ear, Vivienne yelling her affirmation across from them. To her other side, Theodore playfully nudged her shoulder in agreement, and she didn't even have to look at Birdie to know he would say yes. Truth or drink had always been one of their favorite games, spilling secrets about their trysts, about what they had done. Getting drunk in the process was only an added benefit.

"It's settled, then," she declared, beaming at her friends. "I'm going to get dinner prepared while you all enjoy your pool time, and then we will have the best night ever!"

She disentangled herself from Charlotte, laughing at something Vivienne said before grabbing her few things and turning back to the house. Only when she was out of sight did she allow the choked sigh to fall from her lips, brow furrowing as she fought the tears that threatened to fall. She had thought she was okay, had thought she could do this without Tristan, but seeing them all together, seeing Holden in what would have been his place was too much.

She didn't want to take it out on Holden - knew it wasn't his fault, knew he might not even be aware of the shadow he now filled. But that didn't stop the pang of sorrow that filled her chest, nor the tightening of her throat that was almost unbearable.

She hurried into the kitchen, grabbing various ingredients and dishes - a lemony salmon and rice would be adequate for the night, she thought, with some ice cream she had been storing as dessert. Hurrying around, she bustled through the kitchen, quelling the shaking in her fingers as best she could.

The faint scuff of a shoe sent her jumping, the bowl she had been handling dropping to the floor with a loud clatter. Thankfully, it was plastic, and did not shatter, but the noise was enough to send her squeaking, hastily dropping to pick it up.

"Ella?" Theodore's voice was tentative, soft against the clang that still rang in her ears. Heat rushed to her face as Elowen stood, tensely facing away from her friend until she could school her expression into one of neutrality.

"Theodore," she beamed, turning to face him with a complacent smile. "You scared me. Shouldn't you be at the pool with the others?"

He frowned at her, moving further into the kitchen. "You act like I don't know you, Els. Truly, you wound me."

Elowen huffed a faint laugh at that, rolling her eyes as she turned back to the dinner. "I should have known you would see straight through me. You always have."

He came to stand next to her, not quite reaching out for anything, but staring at her expectantly. She didn't know what to say, didn't want to bring anything up with him, didn't want to ruin his night as she felt hers had been. Instead, she shoved a package of salmon into his hands. "I've displaced the help in the past few years. We'll be making our own food, so I hope you haven't forgotten how to cook."