Fall Too Well

by Erin Branscom

The fall season gives me life, and I don’t need any nonsense right now.

She calls it my “Rory Gilmore-ing” when I bring an extra book in my purse just in case I get bored wherever I go. I can’t help it that fictional characters are often better than real people.

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love Everly. Every little memory of her was like a million paper cuts to my soul. Everly is love. She’s the person who will always make me feel like she’s connected to me in every way. She’s like a piece of my soul, and I feel whole when she’s near me. I can’t remember a point in my childhood when she wasn’t a part of the memories.

I’m in my old-lady era now. I work at a library. I bake, read books, and drink tea. I’m in bed by nine o’clock reading.

“Soulmates come in the form of friends, too. Sometimes it’s not about romance. It’s someone who makes you feel whole and who understands you the most when the rest of the world doesn’t seem to understand you at all.

It’s hard to mend a fence you thought could never be mended.

One thing I’ve learned is that family isn’t always the one you come from. It’s the one that you make.

“I’ve never had a type, Everly, ever. Just been chasin’ shadows who weren’t and could never be you. You’re my type. It’s only ever been you.”

when the right person loves you, it’s not hard. It’s just love.”

Because sometimes family isn’t who you started with; it’s who you end up with.

“Hey, Nash.” “Yeah, Willow tree.” I’m lounging on the sectional couch next to her, our feet propped up. “Do you think you could be my dad?”