Page 149 of The New Place

“That’s Liesl,” Abbot says.

And it’s Pat, pocketing his phone and looking marginally calmer. “You two did some damage on takeout,” he says.

Ned feels his smile grow fixed. All that money he spent during the high of the weekend. The bill’s going to come back to him now that he’s settling down to Earth.

Yeah. Great. Life, coming right for them. “Guess the honeymoon is officially over.”

“I suppose it is,” Abbot says.

31

ABBOT

Abbot begins his Monday like any other, with the newspaper and a small breakfast at the kitchen table.

The ring glints at him from his finger, catching his eye as he turns the pages.

Made it home, Ned had texted last night, while Abbot had been watching an anthropomorphic cat pilot a spaceship on a mission to save Earth and trying to claim at least a third, if not the half he was surely allotted, of the popcorn he was ostensibly sharing with Liesl.

Peggy will like that movie when she’s a bit older. He imagines watching it with her and Ned together. He wants to drift on that thought, like he can keep the weekend going a bit longer.

Though he can’t, because he should get to campus, and he has the remainder of the semester ahead of him before⁠—

Before Newbury. Moving.

Where? he wonders again. Will it be on Ned’s parent’s couch that they watch that movie together someday? Abbot’s couch?

His and Ned’s?

No, he can imagine Ned saying even now. He hurries to gather his things, tidying his already neat kitchen. “Liesl?” he calls upstairs. “If you want to come to campus, I’m leaving.”

“I’m coming,” she says, her voice muffled by the door and, if he had to guess, the pillows too, since he hasn’t heard her move since he last told her to get ready.

This time at least the shower turns on, though now he’ll have to wait through the inevitable washing of her hair and the ensuing production of drying and then straightening it. It is straight, or so he thought, but his visit home for the holidays was edifying in all the ways his sister is embracing adolescence and its various rituals.

It’s far later than he’d typically leave when she finally comes downstairs and announces, “We’re going to Pat’s.”

“We are?”

“Of course we are,” she says and he checks his watch, debates the length of time a debate will take on top of the the ensuing detour when he inevitably loses, and sighs.

The cafe is back to normal, but the balloons have remained. Abbot smiles to see them, touching one that’s now taped to the wall, giving the space a little extra cheer.

“Dropped the license off at city hall this morning,” Pat says when they get to the front of the line. “So congratulations officially.”

“You as well,” Abbot says. “Is everything alright?”

“I think so. Sorry for barging in yesterday.”

“It was no problem. Thank you for Friday.”

“Are you kidding? Best night ever.” Pat leans across the counter toward Liesl, who’s examining the pastry case. “Hot chocolate, whipped cream, and sprinkles?”

Liesl gives him a cool look, any shyness around him clearly having evaporated. “I’ll have an iced coffee.”

“You’re not having coffee,” Abbot says. “You’re thirteen.”

“I’m almost fourteen.”