Drops of Jupiter
The bed pressed in to the corner now. It used to have space all around but they went shopping one day in a store way out of the way and Al found these pillows. Whales and ladybugs, pandas and polar bears. Made for kids, but Al bought three, despite Matt's teasing.
"It's a whale."
"It's a pillow made for kids Al."
"WHALE."
"What about that polar bear? It's not a whale."
"You're from Canada and you all ride polar bears. We're getting the polar bear."
"We don't ride polar bears--What about that one? Why on earth are we getting a Pterodactyl?"
"They are dinosaurs. That can fly. That is pretty much the definition of awesome. Come on you need new towels." The three pillow pets crowded the cart but there was still room that Al apparently needed to fill. Either that or the mundane domestic act of shopping together was worth prolonging.
"Hey my towels are fine!" Matt ran to catch up and Al grinned over his shoulder.
"You need star spangled ones, I bet they have them out, it's getting close to summer."
Matt stopped with a start. It was. It was April now and summer was just around the corner. He could breathe in the safety of summer coming just around the corner and then it wouldn't be hidden behind closed doors, kept to his apartment where the growing influence of Al on his decor was undeniable.
The drive home was paused to grab dinner from some fast food place and they ate as Matt drove and used the burger to explain some rhyming meter and Al explained blackholes with ketchup and french fries.
They dragged the bags up the stairs to his apartment, still talking. The bed was nudged to the corner, silly pillows piled on top and the reading lamp hooked to the headboard was angled just so.
Matt washed his face and dried it with a red, white and blue towel and snuggled under the covers between a polar bear and Al's chest and read aloud a book of poetry on the beauty of the sky and began to realize he was in too deep.
"It's a whale."
"It's a pillow made for kids Al."
"WHALE."
"What about that polar bear? It's not a whale."
"You're from Canada and you all ride polar bears. We're getting the polar bear."
"We don't ride polar bears--What about that one? Why on earth are we getting a Pterodactyl?"
"They are dinosaurs. That can fly. That is pretty much the definition of awesome. Come on you need new towels." The three pillow pets crowded the cart but there was still room that Al apparently needed to fill. Either that or the mundane domestic act of shopping together was worth prolonging.
"Hey my towels are fine!" Matt ran to catch up and Al grinned over his shoulder.
"You need star spangled ones, I bet they have them out, it's getting close to summer."
Matt stopped with a start. It was. It was April now and summer was just around the corner. He could breathe in the safety of summer coming just around the corner and then it wouldn't be hidden behind closed doors, kept to his apartment where the growing influence of Al on his decor was undeniable.
The drive home was paused to grab dinner from some fast food place and they ate as Matt drove and used the burger to explain some rhyming meter and Al explained blackholes with ketchup and french fries.
They dragged the bags up the stairs to his apartment, still talking. The bed was nudged to the corner, silly pillows piled on top and the reading lamp hooked to the headboard was angled just so.
Matt washed his face and dried it with a red, white and blue towel and snuggled under the covers between a polar bear and Al's chest and read aloud a book of poetry on the beauty of the sky and began to realize he was in too deep.