Page 23 of This Time Around
“Luke,” she laughs, “You are such a man!”
“Obviously. I’m not sure why you keep saying that.”
“Women like things like the pantry to be inviting, and aesthetically pleasing,” she tries to explain.
“Inviting? Who are you inviting into your pantry, B? And, why would it need to be aesthetically pleasing? All you do is open the door, grab a snack, and close it. Never in my life have I opened a pantry door and thought: this pudding cup sure would taste better if it was more appealing to the eye in here,” I tease.
“Luke,” she laughs again, and it’s a sound I could listen to all day.
“I know, I’m such a man.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her into a playful side hug. “What else can we get to make your aesthetics pleasing?”
“These frames are beautiful,” she says when we turn down the next aisle.
“They are missing the glass,” I point out.
“I can replace the cardboard back with wood and turn them into decorative trays to put on my ottoman.”
I give her a sideways glance, judgement clear across my face.
“What now?” She rolls her eyes.
“You’re going to buy frames and replace the cardboard backs with wood that you have to go to a hardware store to buy, find tools to use to cut it down to size so you can repurpose these frames into trays for your ottoman?” I question.
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you just buy these?” I ask as I raise two wood trays up for her to see.
“OH. MY. GOD. I am never going thrifting with you again.” She laughs as she sets the frames down and walks to the register, mason jars in hand.
I can’t help but grin, watching her fume and smile at the same time. “What, are you sure?” I tease. “I thought you were having fun.”
“Fun?” She spins around, her eyes wide. “I don’t know what you consider fun,”
I just shrug, unfazed. “You sure are laughing a lot for someone that claims this isn’t fun.”
She rolls her eyes, but the hint of laughter in her voice tells me there is nowhere else she’d rather be. “I swear, next time I’m leaving you in the car.”
I smirk, “Next time?”
With one last dramatic sigh, she grabs her bags and heads for the door. “I’m serious. Never again.”
“Sure,” I say with a wink. “I’ll see you Saturday.”
She shakes her head but doesn’t say a word.
I can’t wait for next time.
Confessions Are a Bitch
“You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be”
-The Goo Goo Dolls
Blake
Luke: Hey, can I get a raincheck on dinner? My mom invited me over, and if I don’t go after being away for so long, it might break her heart.
Me: That would absolutely break her heart. She left me a message inviting me too. I’ll call her back and let her know I’m free.
