Love’s Game

Gradually Moving On

*I stared at my reflection in the hallway mirror. My eyes looked like two raw cherries. I blinked, watching a tear threaten to spill over.*

"Stop it," *I whispered to the glass.* "Grandma Mia would call me a little raincloud. She’d say ‘stop watering the carpet and go find some chocolate’."

"Are you talking to yourself again?" *Chloe leaned against the doorframe, her black dress wrinkled.*

"I'm having a boardroom meeting with my emotions," *I replied, wiping my cheek with a knuckle.* "The motion to stop crying has passed with a majority vote."

"Good," *Chloe stepped forward and hugged me, squeezing the breath out of my lungs.* "Because if I see one more tissue, I'm banning them from the house. We are officially entering the 'remembering the funny stuff' phase of grief."

"I think I can handle that," *I breathed.*

"Paige is already in the bathroom," *Chloe added, stepping back.* "She's probably trying to wash the sadness off her face. Go on, get in the shower. I'll handle the food situation."

"Don't order the pineapple pizza," *I warned.*

"I wouldn't dare. I have a reputation to uphold."

***

The Smith living room smelled of expensive sandalwood and old money. Ray sat in a leather armchair, his legs crossed, staring at a tablet.

"You look like you're calculating how to buy a small country, Ray," *Richard said, flopping onto the sofa and nearly knocking over a vase.*

"I'm reviewing the quarterly reports, Richard. Some of us actually work for a living."

"Work? Is that what you call sitting in a fancy chair and frowning at a screen? I call that 'extreme lounging'."

"He’s got you there, son," *Jacob said, walking in with a newspaper tucked under his arm.* "Your 'composed' face looks remarkably like you've just smelled something sour."

"I'm just focused, Dad."

"Focused on what? Finding a way to make your tie even tighter?" *Philip chuckled, glancing up from his book.* "You're too tense. Loosen the knot before you pass out from lack of oxygen."

"I like the structure," *Ray replied, though he shifted slightly in his seat.*

"Structure is for buildings, not necks," *Rachel said, entering the room with a tray of tea.* "Now, stop bullying your brother, Richard. Though, I must admit, the 'extreme lounging' description was quite accurate."

"See!" *Richard pointed a finger at Ray.* "Even your mother sees it. You're a professional lounger with a corporate title."

"I'm leaving," *Ray muttered, though he didn't move.*

"You're not leaving," *Philip teased.* "You love us too much. Plus, you want to know what I'm reading."

"I don't," *Ray lied.*

"Liar. Your left eyebrow just twitched. That's your 'I'm curious' twitch."

"I hate all of you," *Ray said, a small, reluctant smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.*

"We love you too, you grumpy statue," *Richard laughed.*

***

*The steam from the shower had finally cleared my head. I walked into the parlor wearing my oversized pajamas, smelling of vanilla soap. Chloe and Paige were already sprawled across the rug, surrounded by three large pizza boxes and a mountain of napkins.*

"Finally!" *Chloe shouted, waving a slice of pepperoni.* "We almost started the movie without you. Paige almost suggested a documentary about snails."

"It looked educational!" *Paige protested, her voice small and sweet.*

"Paige, honey, we are in a state of emergency," *Chloe said, gesturing to the pizza.* "The only education we need right now is the study of how many calories we can consume before we can't move."

*I laughed, sliding onto the sofa.* "Snail documentaries aren't that bad."

"Traitor," *Chloe pointed at me.* "You're supposed to be on my side. Now, sit. Eat. We're watching 'The Fast and the Furious' because I want to see cars explode for two hours."

"Is that the only reason?" *I asked, grabbing a slice.*

"Yes. And because Vin Diesel says 'family' every five minutes, which is exactly the vibe we need."

*We spent the next hour in a blur of cheesy dialogue and loud explosions. Between scenes, Chloe began an animated retelling of her disastrous date from last month.*

"So, he looks at me," *Chloe said, standing up to act out the scene,* "and he actually asks if I've ever considered a career in 'professional organizing' because my purse looks like a landfill."

"He said that?" *I giggled.*

"He did! So, naturally, I waited until the check came, told him his haircut looked like a mushroom that had given up on life, and walked out."

"Chloe!" *Paige gasped, though she was smiling.*

"What? It was a fair critique! The man had a fungal growth on his head."

*I leaned back, feeling a lightness in my chest that I hadn't felt in weeks.* "You're terrible."

"I'm a delight," *Chloe countered.* "Now, let's talk about Paige. Paige, tell us about the 'secret admirer' who left the note in your locker three years ago."

"Oh, please don't," *Paige whispered, hiding her face in a pillow.*

"Oh, we are absolutely doing this," *Chloe grinned, leaning in.* "Was it the boy with the glasses? The one who smelled like old library books?"

"He didn't smell like library books!" *Paige squeaked.*

"He totally did," *I joined in, nudging Paige.* "He had that very specific 'I spend my weekends alphabetizing my stamp collection' scent."

"He was very polite!" *Paige defended.*

"Polite is a code word for boring, Paige," *Chloe declared.* "You need someone with a little spark. Someone who doesn't alphabetize things. Someone who maybe... I don't know, drives a car that explodes?"

"Stop it!" *Paige laughed, throwing a napkin at Chloe.*

"Look at her! She's blushing!" *Chloe cheered.* "The naive one is finally cracking. We've broken her."

"I am not naive," *Paige pouted.*

"You think 'The Hunger Games' is a cooking competition," *Chloe reminded her.*

"It sounded like it could be!"

*I laughed so hard I nearly choked on my pizza.* "Okay, okay. Let her live. We've bullied her enough for one night."

"Fine," *Chloe sighed, flopping back onto the rug.* "But tomorrow, we start the 'Find Paige a Bad Boy' project."

"No!" *Paige groaned.*

"Yes!" *Chloe shouted.*

*The room fell into a comfortable silence as the movie credits rolled. The laughter lingered, softening the edges of the void Grandma Mia had left behind.*

"I think she'd like this," *I whispered, looking at my friends.*

"The movie?" *Paige asked.*

"No," *I smiled.* "The chaos."

"Well," *Chloe yawned, stretching her arms wide,* "I provide the chaos for free. Now, who's helping me clean up this cardboard wasteland before the ants decide to move in?"

"Not it!" *I yelled, diving for the pillows.*

"Not it!" *Paige echoed.*

"Unbelievable," *Chloe muttered, though she was smiling.* "I'm surrounded by slackers. Absolute slackers."