It's been a weird and long day, and the last thing I want to do is stay up until midnight to register for fall classes. Midnight used to be the norm for me, but now that I work so early so often, I'm a wimp. Midnight is late.
But Daniel wanted to Skype anyway. I minimize the page that is all ready to register the second the clock changes to twelve and pull up Skype. He's already online so I call.
We exchange stories about our day. He got a haircut and had a rude customer who demanded extra wings that she didn't pay for. I've just finished telling him about the kid who pooped in the pool when a conversation with Ben and Grace comes to mind.
We'd been riding home in Ben's truck, discussing wedding plans. He was determined to smash cake in Grace's face at the reception and she was getting borderline angry about it, so I jumped in.
"I'll have to get lots of supplies to decorate your car too!"
Ben was silent for a second, then, "You aren't touching my car, no way."
"What?"
He glanced in my direction. "I don't really want my car decorated."
"It's kinda part of the wedding experience, babe," Grace said.
"So is smashing cake," he said.
I tried jumping in again. "Okay, I won't decorate your car if you don't smash cake in Grace's face."
He didn't hesitate. "Deal."
I recount it to Daniel and he laughs.
"What could you have done to his car that would be so bad?"
I raise my eyebrows at him. "Oh, plenty. My family has gotten pretty creative with wedding car decorating."
"Like what?"
"Well, with Larissa's car, we forgot to get supplies, so we ended up grabbing leftover food. We spelled words on her window with Oreos and made happy faces with bananas and used toilet paper as streamers… it was epic. They were so mad."
"Why were they mad?"
"Apparently they went through a car wash and none of it came off."
He laughs. "Okay, that's pretty bad."
"Tanner's car was pretty awesome too."
"Uh-oh. What's more awesome than leftover food?"
I grin and tell him about putting rocks in his hubcaps, torn up streamers in the air-conditioning vents and inside balloons… we put confetti everywhere in that car. When I've finished describing the general wreckage and genius, he laughs even harder.
"Oh man. Your family better not do anything like that to my car."
I suck in a breath. He takes in my wide eyes and asks "what?"
It takes me a second to find my words. "That was just uh…. Assuming a lot, I guess."
He presses his lips together. "Assuming too much?"
Is this a marriage proposal or something?
I organize my words and try to be gentle. "I stand by what I said about just needing platonic love and friendship right now."
His lips press together even tighter. "Assuming too much." It's not a question.
I shrug my shoulders helplessly. "Don't make it like this."
He closes his eyes. A moment passes between us and it feels heavy and significant and I'm not even sure why.
"Shouldn't you be registering or something?"
Oh crap. It's 12:02. "Shoot, yeah, sorry."
"It's okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Okay. Goodnight."
Please be patient with my family's car decorating and know that I love you.
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