Happy Merry Everything (Charlie Barber)

Stormy Weather pt. 1 - Grow As We Go

You were so fucking stupid. You couldn't for the life of you remember why you thought it was a good idea to break in your new pair of shoes, but you had. And now your feet were paying for it. To make matters worse, the entire city was covered in a thin layer of wet from the intermittent downpours you'd encountered throughout the day. You were making your way to pick up a dress you had ordered a couple months back when a taxi drove past a little too close and slung water all over your person. Your feet hurt, you were irritable, and now you were drenched to boot. It was safe to say your day was going terribly and the only thing getting you through it was the thought of going home to Charlie.

Charlie was going through the motions too, in his own way. Before the weatherman ruined their afternoon, he and Henry had a day of fun planned all their own. The two had intended to have a father-son outing while you ran your errands, which included going to a ball game, but since the sky chose to start sobbing on and off again, they were quick to pivot. The last you heard they were bouncing between book and toy stores, picking up puzzles and finding new things to read.

As you waited for a sales associate to help you, your phone vibrated in your purse. Naturally, it was Charlie checking in.

Charlie: What are you thinking for dinner? :)

His message brought a smile to your face. He was the ray of sunshine you needed. You were about to reply when another message came through.

Charlie: Henry votes for pizza, but you know him. He always wants pizza. Better question: Dinner in or out? We can still enjoy a night out with our kid, right?

Another message.

Charlie: My* kid. Until you say it, that was a typo.

Another.

Charlie: I miss you.

And another.

Charlie: I know I'm probably being paranoid on part of my typographical faux pas, but responding sooner rather than later would definitely make me feel better.

You couldn't help but laugh. You loved how he texted you in a stream of consciousness rather than one great big wall of text. It was and always had been his way.

You tapped out a response.

You: If It's still raining like this when I get back, staying in might not be such a bad idea. No need for the three of us to get soaked.

He must have been holding onto his phone because his reply came back instantly.

Charlie: Speak for yourself. ;)

You chuckled, covering your mouth, your heart feeling for him.

You: Besides, we wouldn't want our kid to catch a cold. 😘
Charlie: If we order in and you're still chilled, it'll give me a reason to cuddle you when you get home.

You: As if you needed an excuse to cuddle me. ❤️

Charlie: If I can distract Henry with a movie, we could always warm up in the shower together.

Charlie: Our kid, huh? I love you.

Just then, the associate finally made her way back. Her face let you know before she opened her mouth that she didn't have good news.

"So, I think there was a small error on our end when the order was placed. On the computer, it says you ordered 2 different sizes and we only received one size. Unfortunately, our stock is limited and this is a warehouse issue, but I'm happy to see if we have anything similar or even the same dress in a different size here if neither of these work for you."