Goddamn Tragedy

XIII

Six Months Later

He blinks into the bright sun as he opens the door.

He feels a smile make its way onto his face as he quickly makes his way down the short amount of stairs. He feels his phone vibrate in his pocket as he reaches the bottom step. Without much of a thought, he pulls it out and swipes right to accept the call.

"How'd it go?"

He feels the smile on his face only continue to grow as he makes his way toward the parking lot. He can hear the anxious tone in his sisters voice and he debates if he should toy with her. He quickly recalls the aftermath of doing so last week and decides not to.

He takes in the brick buildings as he finally reaches his car. His smile feels like it could crack his face into two. "Short version or long version?"

There's a huff on the other end of the phone. "Just spit it out already. It's hard enough not being able to tell anyone else about this."

His mind quickly focuses on the smell of fresh cotton and a head of blonde hair. His mind always ends up going back to her.

He quickly comes back to the present when he hears his sister yell impatiently into the phone once again. He glances down at the papers in his hands as he gets to his car. He thinks about how shaky his hands were hours ago and how now, they are something close to resembling perfectly still.

He feels like a child. He feels somewhat proud of himself. He feels ignited. "I uh-." He smiles at himself. "I did it."

There's a moment of silence before there is a loud shriek that causes him to pull the phone away from his ear. He smiles even more.

His sister screams into the phone for a few more minutes before she lets out a deep breath. He can hear the smile in her voice. "When are you going to tell her?"

He thought about her again but when doesn't he think about her. It's been so hard keeping something from her, especially because he knows everything about her and vice versa.

He knows she hates mornings and that to get through them she needs coffee and jazz music. He knows that she likes sleeping in his t-shirts compared to her own. He knows that she likes routines but she can handle change. He knows that she's still figuring it all out.

She knows that if she kisses his neck if they get into a slight argument, all the tension leaves him. She knows that his favorite book is Atlas Shrugged and that it's practically falling apart at the seams. She knows that he likes fast music and slow dancing. She knows him.

The feeling and realization of that, won't ever stop amazing him.

He takes a breath before he talks back into the phone. "Tonight. We're going out to celebrate her finishing her portfolio."

"Such adults." He can still hear the smile in her voice. "Let me know how it goes or well, I'll just call non-stop."

He laughs. His sister moved out three months ago. He misses her but he's proud of her. She figuring it all out, too.

"Are you still coming over tomorrow?"

"Is Thanksgiving not my favorite holiday?"

He laughs again and ends the call with a bittersweet farewell. He glances at the papers in his hands and looks around at the buildings once more before opening the car door and situating himself into he drivers side.

The car still feels new and he feels a sense of pride in it as he runs his fingers against the leather wheel. He glances out the window for another second and takes a breath before he reverses and starts his drive home.