by C. L. Stacey
Ari comes running down the hall in a towel, shrieking, “Wait, she did what?!”
“She laughed!” I say proudly.
“Make her do it again!” Then she holds out a finger to me. “Wait!” She searches around frantically for something. “Where’s my phone?”
“Use mine, mine’s closer.” I nod down to where I left it on the couch.
Ari snatches it up and aims it at us. “What’d you do to get her to laugh?”
“I gave her a high-five.”
“Show me!” Ari beams from behind my phone.
“Are you recording?” I ask to make sure.
“Yes, show me!”
I prop Ayli up a little so she’s angled perfectly toward the camera, and I say, “Give me another high-five for puking on your aunt!” Then I smack her little hand against mine, and Ayli rewards me with an even better laugh than she gave before.
Despite what I had to say in order to get Ayli to laugh, Ari’s smile is the biggest I’ve ever seen it, like she’s having a proud mama moment, tears and everything.
“You okay?”
“Yea.” Ari taps her finger on the screen to stop recording. “Is that not just the sweetest thing you’ve ever heard?” She presses her face into Aryn’s shoulder when he tucks her in under his arm. “And you got to hear it!” Ari smiles up at him.
My phone starts ringing in Ari’s hand, and she hands it over to me. The screen reads Jackson, so I take it from her right away. “Someone take the baby, please. I have to take this.”
“I needed a break anyway.” Aryn takes Ayli, his happy smile still intact while heading for his bedroom.
“High-five for puking on your aunt?” Ari confronts me, eyes narrowing in a scowl.
I hold up my phone and slide my thumb across the green button. “I’m on the phone,” I whisper with a smirk. “Jackson,” I greet him, while keeping a watchful eye on Ari. She’s still scowling at me. “Will you please go put some clothes on? You’re weirding me out.”
“Is this a bad time?” Jackson’s question steers me back.
I walk back out onto the balcony for some privacy. “No, it’s not like that. What’s up?”
“I’m ready to cash in that favor you owe me.”
“Name it.”
“You’re out there for Lena’s new line, correct?” he asks.
“Yep.”
“Have her make room for an intern.”
“An intern?” I frown. “Who?”
“Her name’s Lexi. Lexi Moore.”
“Who is she?”
“I need for you to not ask questions.” I note the shortness in his tone. “She’s a student at Parsons. I did my research, and I found that Lena and Lexi have a Professor Callahan in common. It’s important that you don’t let this get traced back to us, can you do it?”
What an odd request. Jackson never asks for personal favors. He rarely ever asks for favors at all.
“Will it matter if I can’t?”
“Make it happen, Caleb.”
The line clicks when Jackson hangs up on me.
“Asshole,” I mutter as I head back into the home.
I plop down on the couch and make a call to Lena.
Lena picks up on the third ring with her usual friendly greeting. “What’s up, slut?”
“Hey, you went to Parsons?”
“Uh, yea?” she says like I should already know, and I probably should, but I suck at retaining information that doesn’t interest me.
Actually, putting it that way kind of justifies my problem. Doesn’t it?
I look up when Ari rejoins me in the living room, drier and fully clothed in a grey Yankees tank top and a pair of navy shorts. “Do you know a Professor Callahan?” I hold out my arm when Ari walks over to the couch, and she plops herself down next to me.
“Yea,” Lena answers in a weird tone. “She’s a little older, though, not really your type…”
“Jesus, Durev…” I shake my head with a laugh. “Not for me, I’m asking for someone else.”
“Oh! That makes sense,” she says in a more normal tone. “So, what’s up?”
“Are you still looking for an intern?”
“I was never looking for an intern.”
“Let’s say, for the sake of saving us both some time, that you were. I have the perfect candidate to fill that position.”
“Okay?”
“Can you reach out to Professor Callahan, without mentioning me, and ask her to send a Lexi Moore to you?”
“Who the hell is that, and what did you do to her?”
“Nothing.”
“Well, you know if I bring this Lexi girl on, you can’t do anything to her… don’t you?”
“Jesus, Lena, I don’t want to fuck her, it’s a favor for a friend!” I snap.
“You have friends?”
“That physically hurts me.”
“Since when do you do favors for a friend anyway?”
“What is with all the questions?” I near a shout. “I wasn’t allowed to ask any!”
Lena snaps back, “I can’t just summon a girl I’ve never met over here like some fucking concubine, you dick! And you don’t want to be linked to this? How am I supposed to explain my reasons for singling the girl out if I don’t know shit about her?”
“I don’t know the girl, either. Just ask your professor to send a couple of her brightest students over, I bet you Lexi will be one of them.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“Because the guy I’m doing this for isn’t a fan of the dumb ones.”
“What?”
“For the love of tits, just do it! I’m hanging up.” I click off and drop my head against the back of the couch.
“What the hell was that about?” Ari asks from next to me.
“Me doing a favor for a guy I despise,” I answer tiredly.
“Why would you do a favor for a guy you despise?”
For you and Aryn, I don’t say.
“Never mind all that.” I drop my arm over her shoulders, and Ari drops her head against my chest when I squeeze her to me. “I should probably go soon. I have an early flight in the morning.”
“When will we be seeing you again?”
“I’m not sure.”
We sit in comfortable silence for a little while, and then I hear Ari say, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Staying.”
I squeeze her to me again and press my mouth to the top of her head. “No need to thank me for that. Things are the way they’re supposed to be now. That’s all I wanted.”
“Still… I know you’re a busy guy. What you did for us was really kind and generous. The three of us are grateful, and I wanted you to know that.”
A fuzzy, warm feeling fills my chest, like her words are giving my heart a hug, or some sappy shit like that. It brings a smile to my face. “Anytime, kid. You can come to me for anything.”
When Ari asked how long it’d be until we could see each other again, I didn’t anticipate a near two months.
This time wasn’t like the last time, though. I kept in touch with all three of them through FaceTime dates and phone calls, just to check in and see how they’re doing. My heart feels fuller each time I witness Aryn looking better, Ari looking happier, and Ayli looking bigger.
As much as I’d love to simply hop on the next plane ride over, my work schedule won’t allow it. The only reason I made an exception this week was to make it for Ari’s birthday. Yes, you read right. It takes an entire week to celebrate the kid’s birthday; it has always been this way. Plus, I’ve missed too many in the past few years, so I’ve got a lot of making up to do.
This time, being in a crowded airport is a more pleasant experience for me; it isn’t for work, and I’m about to reunite with my family soon. Everywhere I look I see a smiling someone, happy reunions between families and couples, and I smile to myself as I pass each of them by.
“Hey, twenty-nine!”
A
t the sound of the familiar voice, a wide grin nearly splits my face in half. I turn toward it, searching for Ari’s face in the crowd. When I spot her, and the rest of the trio, a laugh rolls up my throat.
In big, rainbow block letters, Aryn holds up a sign that reads, “DOUCHE” in one hand, while cradling Ayli in his other arm.
Ari’s the first to greet me when I walk up, wrapping both arms around my waist in a warm, welcoming embrace. I press a kiss against the side of her head, and I reach out to snatch Aryn’s sign from his hand.
“You spelled my name wrong.” I crumple the paper up into a tight ball and land a punch against Aryn’s shoulder. Not hard enough to compromise the grip he has around Ayli, of course.
“Oh, ignore him.” Ari steps out from under my arm. “It’s his way of saying he missed you,” she insists.
“I missed you guys, too.” I smile down at Ayli as she gnaws away on some sort of rubber toy. “I missed this little guppy most of all. Gimme.” I hold my hands out to her, and Ayli reacts almost instantly, wriggling in her father’s arms to get to me.
“I think you should wait,” Aryn advises strongly.
“Why?”
“You’re in a nice suit, and she’s been drooling like crazy lately,” he answers.
“Drooling? Why?”
“Teething,” Ari elaborates.
“Oh,” I make a face, “I don’t care. I have a thousand more like this one at home, hand my niece over.” I take Ayli from Aryn’s arms before he can protest again, and I hold her up so her face is leveled with mine. “So, you’re teething, huh? Let me see your teeth, gorgeous!”
Ayli blows a raspberry, and a string of drool drips from her mouth and lands somewhere on my lapel.
“Yep, there she goes!” I laugh.
“We told you!” Ari drapes a burp cloth over my shoulder.
“Nah, it’s fine.” I hold Ayli against my chest. “I’m used to girls drooling over me.”
“Ugh!” Ari rolls her eyes at me.
“I’ve been here all but two minutes, and I’ve already offended your aunt,” I whisper to Ayli. “Five me!” I hold out my hand. “Good girl,” I praise when Ayli does the same, and I bring my hand down for a small high-five, loving the sound of her laughter when I do.
Because she’s far too young to give a proper high-five, I had Ari and Aryn practice this with her every day. Any time she hears the phrase ‘Five Me’ her hand readily shoots up.
“I see that my idea worked?”
Aryn nods. “It only took her an hour to get it.”
“Genius. Smartest six-month-old I know.” I press a kiss against the top of Ayli’s head.
“You hungry at all, Caleb?” Aryn asks.
“Yea. Let’s go somewhere to eat. Do you have a restaurant in mind?”
Ari shakes her head. “We are under strict orders to deliver you straight to my parents’ house for dinner. They knew that you were getting in today, so it’s like early Thanksgiving over there right now.”
I hang my head back dramatically at the sound of that perfect plan. “Yes! Even better.”
I ate my weight in chicken and potatoes. Now I can hardly move.
Carl and Jane kicked me out of the kitchen when I offered to help with clean-up, and Aryn stepped away to take a business call, so I decide to join Ari while she gives Ayli a much-needed bath.
Apparently, six months is when you can start babies on solid foods. Ayli loved her banana puree dinner so much she decided to wear half of it instead of eat it, hence the bath.
Ari and I are sitting on the bathroom floor, watching Ayli splash happily around in her little bath sling, and I notice Ari check her phone every so often.
“What are you doing over there?” I ask curiously.
“Nothing,” she lies.
“I can tell when you’re lying. Are you texting?”
“Yes,” she answers honestly this time.
“Who?”
“Some guy.”
“Some guy?” I repeat, surprised. “Who?”
“Nobody. Just someone I met in a Starbucks.”
“A Starbucks?”
Ari regards me with an annoyed look. “Are you just going to parrot everything I say back to me?”
“You met some guy… at a Starbucks? Who the crap is he?” I censor my language for Ayli’s sake.
“I said nobody!” Ari snaps at me.
“What, he made your coffee then wrote down his number on the cup?” I mock.
Ari reaches into the tub and splashes me. “Don’t do that. I’m not sixteen anymore, Caleb. And he’s not a barista, he’s a writer.”
“A writer?” I repeat. Again. I don’t mean to do it, it just keeps happening. “What does he write? His feelings in a diary? ‘Dear Diary, I met the hottest blonde chick at Starbucks today…’” I continue to poke fun, despite the murderous look in Ari’s eyes.
“Drop it,” she warns me through her teeth.
“Aw, come on, Ari…” I laugh. “I’m only kidding.”
“Hilarious,” she deadpans.
“So… tell me more about Stephen King,” I feign interest.
“Jesus,” she sighs, staring up at the ceiling like she’s praying for patience. “It’s nothing, Caleb. We’ve only exchanged a few texts. It won’t go anywhere.”
“Why not?”
“I quit men after Randy. This is simply for my amusement,” she states.
“You quit men?” There I go again. “How do you quit men? Did you start women?”
Ari splashes me again. “Don’t be annoying.”
“Hey, I’m all for equality.”
“Shut. Up.”
“Are you just bi-curious, or have you fully crossed over to the other side?”
This time, Ari uses both hands to scoop water from the tub, and with a look of fair warning, I point to her. “I gave you two free passes, kid. You dump that on me, and it’s war.”
“I hate it when you call me kid!” Ari throws the water on me, soaking my shirt.
Amused by her aunt’s fun new bath time activity, Ayli squeals gleefully from the tub, laughing and kicking and splashing about.
“Oh, yea?” My eyes bounce back and forth from both girls while folding my sleeves halfway up my arms.
“Don’t you freaking dare,” Ari warns.
“I warned you…” I shake my head. “Can’t say that I didn’t warn you.” I walk on my knees to the tub and grab the handheld shower head with one hand, turning the water on with the other. “Come here.”
“NO!”
“Ari.”
“Caleb,” she parrots.
I flick the showerhead at her, spraying the front of her shirt. Ari gasps loudly, shocked by how cold the water is. I reach out and pull her to me, forcing her to remain directly under the spray. I’m getting myself wet in the process, and we are making a mess of the floors, but I don’t care. I haven’t laughed this hard since Ayli puked on her. This is worth it.
“What in God’s name…” Jane’s voice comes from the doorway, and Ari and I both stop what we’re doing.
The only sound filling the silence is Ayli smacking her hands against the water, and I turn a guilty smile Ari’s way when Jane hikes both hands on her hips, fixing us both with one of her stern, motherly expressions.
Ari coughs and pinches some of the water out of her nose. “He attacked me, Mom!” she throws me right under the bus.
Unbelievable. I scoff in disbelief, trying to think of something to argue back. “She started it!” I blurt out the most childish defense.
“Honestly, you two!” Jane sighs, carefully crossing the wet floor with a towel to retrieve Ayli from the tub. “Look at this mess!” she rebukes.
That’s as much as Ari and I can take before we fall apart laughing.
“Don’t even think about leaving this bathroom until you clean this all up.” Jane closes the door on our whining.
“Okay, bye!” I start to get up, but Ari pulls me back down by my shirt.
“
No way are you leaving me to clean this by myself. This is your mess!”
“Excuse me, I warned you what would happen if you threw that water on me. This is your fault,” I argue.
“Well…” Ari pauses to think of a good counter remark. I wait. “We clean it together, then. Deal?”
That I can live with. “Deal.”
Ari pulls a few dry towels from the closet, dropping them to the floor. “You get this side, and I’ll start from the opposite side and meet you in the middle.”
“Brilliant,” I sarcastically remark.
We’re about halfway through when the door opens again, and Aryn pops his head in. “The hell happened in here?”
“Caleb,” Ari throws me under the bus again.
“Your sister bet me five bucks that I couldn’t get it to flood in here,” I joke. “Want to help us?”
“Hell no,” he rejects that idea immediately before closing the door.
“You suck,” Ari utters from her side of the room.
“You suck. Fucking Judas!” I retort, and I grin at the floor when I hear Ari snickering.
If the world could see me now…
I can say with the utmost confidence that Ari Andrews is the only girl in the world I’d get on my hands and knees for.
Day three of seven.
Aryn and I are watching the Patriots vs. Jets game from the living room, laughing and talking shit to each other when I catch something from the corner of my eye. I choke on my beer when I see the little red dress Ari’s parading around in, and I take the napkin Aryn offers me.
“You okay?” he asks, but his eyes don’t leave the flat screen, too engrossed in the game.
I don’t even hear his question, too distracted myself. “Going somewhere?” I call to her.
Ari turns around, revealing her face to me, which I now notice is caked with makeup. “I’m going on a date.”
“A what?”
“A date, Caleb,” she impassively states as she packs her clutch with her phone and keys.
“With the writer?”
“Nope. This one’s a fireman.”
“A fireman!”
Aryn loudly shushes me. “I can’t focus on the game with all the shouting. Shut the hell up, or take the conversation to her, Carlisle!”