Our Fooling Game

017

Percy Flynn

It was that time of the day when the sun was at its apex and the breeze was hot like the kind of air that'd come right after you open a heated oven. There was no doubt that it was going to rain this night-- heavily too.

I pulled my jacket off, leaving just my grey tank top on. My feet started walking in the direction of the kitchen, where Spencer has been locked up in after taking my car out and coming back with wood planks that we were going to use on the house, dropping my jacket down on the sofa. As soon as I walked in, I saw him seated on the stool, a little book opened in front of him with a pencil stuck in his mouth as he frowned down at the book. He had some cash arranged beside him and I could guess what he was doing.

I opened my mouth to say something but stopped when I saw him tuck the hair that was falling over his face behind his ear. Just that simple act made my breath hitch up and I relaxed on the wall, staring at him. He pulled the pencil out of his mouth, tapped in on his head, and then scribbled something down on the book. After doing this two more times, he smiled to himself and unknowingly I smiled too. I didn't know what he was smiling about but it made me happy.

"What are you doing?" I asked finally, walking in at last. He turned to me, remnants of the smile still on his face, in the process, the tucked hair fell back to its former position.

"Budgeting," He answered, looked back at the book, then back at me. "I don't want to spend too much lest I go broke."

I pulled a stool for myself. "Is that why you're smiling like a kid with candy?"

He laughed, not loud, not as gentle as a chuckle either, more like a giggle. "I don't know what it is about all this but... planning; planning like this kind of makes me happy."

I rested my elbows on the counter, balling my fists and resting my chin on them as I looked at him in wonder. "Elaborate."

He looked at the little book again and back at me. "So far my life has been filled with uncertainties. Back then, I never knew when or if I was going to leave a foster home and transfer to another. I never knew what was going to happen next in my life. I just went with the flow facing anything as it came. I never had plans you know, 'cause things always changed and never went as I planned. So what was the need of making them? But now, now I have my own roof over my head, I'm making little cash and I have an idea of how things are going to work out, for now." He grinned, "In other words, I hate surprises."

I smiled right back and my eyes remained on him. I'm seeing a whole new part of Spencer freaking Caldwell Tracey; guy that has gone through enough and was tired of it all, a guy that liked having a purpose and goal, a guy that hated surprises. A guy I was falling for more and more. "You sound like such an old man."

This time he laughed.

"What about you?"

"Huh?" I asked taken off guard by that.

"What little and strange thing makes you smile?" He asked, copying my position with just one hand.

I pouted, poking my tongue inside my cheek. "Um... I like..." I trailed off, unsure of what to say. There were many things I liked but none of them seemed as big, little and significant as Spencer's. "Helping out?"

His expression didn't change and I blushed, already standing up. "It's stupid, I know."

"Hey, I didn't say that." Spencer said standing up too. "I was waiting for you to elaborate."

I bit on my lip, entering into the living room with Spencer behind me. "Like it is with puppies. I -I just don't like seeing people suffer or uncomfortable, if I can do something about, I just have to."