when all is said and done | e.d.

twenty-seven

ethan

my mom loves her wind chimes and displays them all christmas morning. grayson and i have to stop her from going live on facebook to show them off to her 25 followers.

i got cameron a pair of docs she's been wanting, and grayson a stand to organize his surplus of watches. it's been a pretty quiet day, and all the excitement has died down. now the part of dreading having to pack away all the decorations and shove them in the basement is here.

harper emailed all her team members a message that told them happy holidays, and to stay warm inside. she ended it as always with, "all love, harper brown."

i'd be lying if i said i wasn't thinking about her for the past few days. she'll cross my mind frequently, and it scares me each time.

she's a bwb (boss with benefits), not a love story.

but i can't help but stop by the record shop in town and pick up some albums i think she'd like. i saw that she had a turntable sitting on her dresser, and no vinyl to go with it.

on the 26th, i wrap them carefully at the kitchen counter, chuckling a little bit as i remember what happened the last time i gift wrapped.

"who's that for, honey?" my mom asks, startling me a little.

"oh. this is for a friend."

"what friend?"

"you probably don't know her."

"her?" she questions, eyebrows raised.

i roll my eyes. "yes, mom. even though i'm 25, it's still okay for me to be friends with women and not date them."

"relax," she laughs out. "i'm sorry that i got you so heated. i guess i'll just leave now."

she gives me a small, barely there wink and leaves the kitchen with a mug of coffee clutched tightly in her hands.

"don't give me that look!" i call out after her, breaking into a smile.

my mom shrugs, and i give my attention back to making sure the corners are folded perfectly.

for the first time in awhile, i'm excited to go back to chicago and work. usually i dread getting back on the plane, but not this time.

********

i find myself looking at flights for the next day at around 9 pm in the bedroom i share with grayson.

he squints at my computer screen from behind me. "why are you looking for flights back tomorrow? we already have them for the 28th."

i shrug, not tearing my eyes away. "i don't know, i just feel like going back. i miss it."

"you hate chicago, ethan."

"who said that?" i mumble, clicking on a flight option that leaves tomorrow afternoon.

"you're clearly not aching for the city, so what are you flying back for?"

i sigh, closing my laptop and turning to face him. "nothing, okay? i just want to go back early. i have work to do. don't you?"

"no, because i took off until new years. like you should've done. seriously, why didn't you?"

"i don't know!" i exclaim. "this is like... harassment. why are you questioning me so much?"

"so are you going to book a flight for tomorrow?"

i roll my eyes. "what's one day gonna do, grayson? it'll just be filled with us laying around like slugs. i'd rather be working and doing something productive."