If And Maybe

Shoes to the side of the closed room door. The right shoe sticking out enough to cause whoever dares walk in to stumble. One sock on the left shoe and the other very close to the chair by the bathroom. A chair that moved around the room a lot. Two pairs of trousers on the floor beginning a trail. A pair of boxers to the left, a sweat shirt to the right, a jacket that didn't quite stick the landing to the bed; the sleeves made the leap miraculously. The trail should have ended there, except there was another shirt and another jacket both hanging over a desk chair. Laptop screen light beaming on his desk, s subtle sign of an email received. "Mmhmm." He said. "Because?" He asked, reclining in his desk chair, feet propped up on his desk, one hand feeling the fabric of his cool to the touch jacket. "That's the coloryou want?"

The voice on the phone spoke with enough excitement for the both of them. "... and when I add that to the list, mom might freak cause it's last minute, but I'll promise her it'll be the last thing."

He scoffed and smiled, four fingers on the cellphone his pinkie grazing his lip. "Like last time?"

"But it's the last one. It's one big list so we don't have to go again."

"When is this shopping fiesta again?"

"It's not a fiesta." She hissed. He could hear it. It made his smile wide. "And we're going the day after tomorrow."

He chuckled this time. "Peggy, I know you, by tomorrow night, you'll add ten more things to the list." He glanced at his laptop screen. Seeing the email, he adjusted his glasses and took his feet off the desk.

"I won't, I promise."

"It's not me you have to make that promise to."

"But you believe me right? You have to at least?" He could hear the pouting.

"What did Tom say?" Who else would make her need validation? He clicked on the email.

She sighed. He knew she was rolling her eyes. He could practically see it. He smiled even wider. Anticipating her reluctant words. "He said I'm not building a castle and that I shouldn't make mom declare bankruptcy."

He laughed, a hearty laugh. His brother is annoying.

"Tom is so annoying. He's refused to help or go shopping with me. He's so selfish. He's always with that his stupid girlfriend Abby. Ugh! I wish they'd break up." From reluctance to anger.

"Maybe find a wishing well for that. I gotta go Peggy. Work calls."

"School work?"

"Of course." He wedged the phone between his ear and shoulder and reached for a book on the desk. "I'll call you-"

"Can we pretend we didn't talk today? Then we can talk tomorrow and then we can wait three days as usual please? I was going to tell you about-"

"Sure." She squealed. He flipped through his open book. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay." Pause. "Sawyer?"

He knew what was coming. Since he got to school it happened every call. "Yeah?"

"I love you."

He could hear her smiling. He also knew she misses him. "Tomorrow." She wouldn't like that. "Today doesn't count so I'll say it tomorrow."