The Portrait of Gamophobia (2) Harvey Spector

Harvard

"Mom?"

The young brunette sat her bag down as she continued to walk into her home. The apartment, while it was quaint and warm, was much too small for her and her mother, especially with their hobbies littering the place. Books were shoved into the shelves to make as much room as possible, papers lying around everywhere, and sketches of landscapes falling off the light table were a few of the many things cluttering the small home. The seventeen year old girl listened intently for any forms of life.

As her eyes scanned over the main room, the red light from the answering machine blinked in frustration, constantly flashing in front of the young woman. She approached the old machine, pushing down the play button.

"You have three new messages. First message."

"…This is Kevin Bose with the financial aid office-"

She hit 'delete' before the message could be finished.

"Message deleted. Next message."

"…Hi Jo! It's Kayla, just calling to wonder about drinks or coffee soon. Call me soon honey!"

She patiently waited for the last message.

"Next Message."

"…Hi Maxie, it's Mom. Listen, I'm gonna be at the office a little later than I expected. Fucking lawyers, think they run everything."

She laughed, loving her mom's attitude.

"Trisha got your message earlier, and yes, it's okay to go to your, quote, 'friend's sleepover' on Friday, but you're only allowed at the party until midnight."

The girl rolled her eyes. It was impossible to keep a secret from that woman.

"Okay, I'll push it to one. But no later than one-thirty or you're grounded. And you know that I'll know."

The brunette leaned against the counter, picking off grapes in the bowl in front of her.

"I'll stop by after work and pick up some ice cream, and we'll probably end up watching some lame chick flick or a mafia movie. But no Star Trek, you hear?"

She pouted. She could never catch a break.

"We'll talk more once I get home. I love you a million Skittles."

"I love you a million gummy worms," the young girl said to the machine.

A loud beep erupted from the machine, and the automatic voice rang out into the empty house.

"End of Messages."

Her eyes opened peacefully, thankful that she got another good night's rest. Her mind was finally calm, considering all the stress she was facing. Three months until the wedding, the thought in her head was always the first one there for the day. Three months, twenty six days, ten hours, and fourteen minutes was a constant mantra in her head. Although she was relaxed, she still was aware that she only had three months, twenty six days, ten hours and thirteen minutes until she got married to the love of her life.

Speaking of, she turned to face him, arm protectively holding her close to his body, as always. She looked at his serene face, all lines erased; all laugh lines and crow's feet dissipated. He looked years younger, and still as gorgeous as he always was. She smiled as her fingers trailed over his face, ghosting over his eyebrows, nose, cheeks, and lips. Quickly, without disturbing him, she kissed him softly, holding it only for a moment.

She slipped out of bed, grabbing her satin robe and securely tying it around her waist as she made her way to the bathroom. Sitting at her vanity, her damp hair from the night before was placed in rollers as she began getting ready for the day. As she sat there, she remembered her dream. It wasn't really a dream, just reliving a memory that she had kept hidden from her mind for a very long time. Although the memory meant a lot, it came with a large amount of pain that Max couldn't handle for the longest time.