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NORMALLY ALEX DOESN’T mind the shortness of the days. He spends most of the scant daylight hours outside on set where he gets to see the sun for at least a few hours. But with his family here he hates getting up for work in the dark while Paul drowses in their bed and the kids sleep soundly in their room down the hall. Soon his family will be gone again, and Alex finds it harder every day to leave the house. He wishes everyone could just stay until the film is done.
One morning he takes Liam to set with him to visit. On the way, Liam grabs Alex’s phone out of the cupholder between them, unlocks it and starts punching keys.
“What are you doing?” Alex asks, not particularly fazed by the lack of regard for his privacy. It is, after all, Liam.
“Downloading an app for you. We’ve been using it to schedule things for us and the kids, it’s been super helpful. It’s even got a messaging function!”
“Was there something inadequate about the calendar that’s already on my phone? Or texting?” Alex is confused.
“Nah, those are fine and whatever. But this is just easier. It probably won’t affect you ’til you get back home, but this way you can like keep an eye on things in the meantime.”
“Ooookay,” Alex says dubiously.
When he finally parks at the set lot, he picks up his phone. To his mingled horror and dismay, the app Liam installed isn’t just a scheduling app.
“This is a polyamory app,” Alex says, his voice flat.
Liam jiggles his legs. “Yeah.”
“For polyamorous people.”
“Yeah.”
“To manage their schedules and dates and appointments for all their relationships.”
“Yeah?”
“We’re not polyamorous!” Alex exclaims.
Liam frowns, as if Alex is being completely unreasonable. “But we all have relationships with each other, and schedules to keep and dates and appointments and stuff?”
“Augh!” Alex pulls his hat more firmly down around his ears and reaches for the door handle. It is far too early to explain to Liam why this is appalling.
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- Writer
