Everything's Changing Now

It was Friday again, the usual party night. As much as she loved hanging out with everyone, telling stories and playing games, Sophie would readily admit that she was sick of drinking nearly every night. The company was great, she didn’t want to change that at all, just expand everyone’s activity selection for a day, especially brcause she and Delaney only had five days left in Scottsdale. She wouldn’t bring this up, of course, but just go along with the usual flow. She decided that she would abstain from drinking for a day or two, so she could get the sober feeling back in her body before returning home.

Around four, Sophie hopped the fence connecting the Cleary and Gomez yards and let herself in the kitchen door. Stephen, who was sitting at the dining room table, smiled as he saw his girlfriend walk into the house. He quickly stood to greet her before leading her to the basement to watch yet another movie. Sophie didn’t mind the repetitiveness of her and Stephen’s activities now, and she didn’t understand why. She felt like she could sit in his basement and watch movies all day long without getting bored. When the two were settled on the couch, she brought up what had been on her mind.

“So, summer’s coming to an end…” she trailed. Not as eloquently put as she hoped.

“Yeah, I figured as much. I guess we should talk about some stuff,” Stephen replied with some unease in his voice. He had been thinking the same thing Sophie had, which she was relieved about. She had no idea what he would suggest, so she let him continue. “It seems like this thing with your cousin moving down here might work out. Would you consider doing the same? I mean, I don’t wanna make you do anything or whatever, it just seems…I don’t know, logical? But if you don’t want to I won’t care.” Sophie laughed as his previous awkwardness began to show again.

“I don’t know if I would want to live here just yet. What we have going is definitely great, and I don’t want to break up or anything, but I think moving down here so suddenly would be a bit extreme,” Sophie half mumbled, hoping he didn’t mention that Delaney and John had known each other the same amount of time she and he had but were already making plans to live closer. “I kinda wanna get through first semester of college and see where it goes from there.”

“I think I’d like the same thing,” Stephen, still unsure of himself, replied. “It would be cool if we could live closer to each other, but there’s no way I could leave with some people in the band still in high school, and I don’t want to make you move because of me-“

“So let’s just see how things work out?” Sophie finished. Stephen smiled and nodded his head, glad the looming situation had found a temporary solution. There was no doubt in either’s mind that the topic wouldn’t be brought up again not just between the two, but from everyone else as well. Sophie was glad she didn’t have to argue her reasons for wanting to stay in Flagstaff, as she was embarrassed to admit that she was only doing it to keep a promise to herself to not give up her plans for a guy, even if it was for a guy that she was falling faster and faster for everyday.