“Yea okay,” I mutter back under my breath.  She’ll be thrilled to help me pack.. not.   I sigh and pick up my phone, flipping it open and speed dialing number 1. 

            “Hey you,” Ashley says as she answers.  I can hear the smile on her face in her voice and I wonder to myself if hearing the smile over the phone will ever be half as good as seeing it in person.

            “Hey yourself,” I reply. “Wanna come over for dinner? Mom actually invited you.” 

            “Wow, really? My god, the world is coming to an end,” she laughed.  “Sure, I’ll see you in twenty babe.”

            “ok seeya,” I say, tossing the cell onto the pillow beside me. Glancing around the plethora of boxes littering my beige carpet, I sigh and stand up to head downstairs to set the table.

                                                            -_-_-_-_-

            “Man that was some good chicken,” Ashley says, holding her stomach and collapsing spread eagle across my single bed, her hair sprawling over the far side, reaching for the floor. “OHhhhhhhh.”

            “Well maybe you should have stopped at like two pieces like most normal people and not gorged yourself like you haven’t eaten for three weeks,” I laugh and toss a pillow onto her face. “There’s a reason they created leftovers you know.” 

            She throws the pillow back at me, whining, “It was sooooo good though,” and flashes me one of her ‘I’m so cute’ grins.  Not that every look she flashes at me isn’t absolutely adorable.

            She flips over onto her stomach and crosses her ankles behind her as I move an empty box onto the floor and start dumping the contents of my desk into it. 

            “So tell me how this is gonna work again,” she says, propping her head up on the folded fingers under her chin. 

            “Well,” I start, carefully lowering the printer into the box.  “I have to go to Ohio. You have to stay here. So that’s pretty much it then…” I say, glancing up to meet her eyes. 

            She considers this for a second, leaning over to pick up the picture on my night table.  The glossy black and white photo was one mom had captured of us one night as we sat on the front bench after dinner, Ashley captured in mid laugh, me sitting with my arms crossed looking at her with my mouth open, my face in disbelief.  I forget what she had said, but I remember how much she laughed about it afterwards; the picture always brought the memory of her giggles carrying on the night air to my mind.

            I reach over to take the picture as she hands it to me to pack.  “So we’ll still get to visit each other at least?” She says.

            “Every chance that we get bub,” I say back, wrapping the frame in one of my shirts so the glass doesn’t get broken.  I put it in the box and look back up at her, her brown eyes meeting mine.  Slow acceptance passes wordlessly between us and I sigh.

            Walking across the floor on my knees, I move in front of her and she reaches for my face, her warm fingers intertwining behind my neck.  I put my hands on either side of her forearms and bring my forehead to hers. 

            “We’ll make it through…” she says soothingly.

            I start to answer but jump instead when my bedroom door bumps open. “Hey girls, I just thought maybe you would like some…” my mom starts to say, holding a tray of brownies and milk, her smiling slipping off her face into a look of awkward dismay.  “Oh I’m sorry.. I’ll just…” she stammers, setting the tray on the floor.

            “It’s fine Paula,” Ashley says, sitting up and reaching for the plate.  She’s such a pig.  “Come on in mom,” I add.

            Paula closes the door behind her as she sits indian style on the floor beside Ashley grabbing a brownie.  How weird I think.  I would have never expected a night like this last year, mom and Ashley giggling on the floor side by side like old friends.  It’s funny how things change over time. 

            I grab a brownie off the tray beside them and reach for the masking tape to close the box behind me.  In a few more days, I would be on a plane and all of these boxes would be at my old house in the Midwest.