Distance

Charlie tapped at the computer, a look of concentration on his face that held a smidge of frustration. He didn’t understand why this application had to be so finicky. “C’mon, Charlie, let us see your face!” His older sister’s voice came up from the computer’s speakers, nearly causing Charlie to jump out of his skin, and he sighed.

“I’m working on it, Amelia, it’s being so- oh. There it goes.” With a relieved smile Charlie adjusted the camera, looking at the newly connected video chat feed streaming to his computer screen. His two sisters were beaming at him from the small rectangle, smushed together somewhat to fit in the frame. “Hallo!” Charlie said cheerfully, waving at them. “Having fun on your spring break?”

“Loads!” Elisabeth cheerfully replied. Her red hair was tucked back into a ponytail, and judging by the explosion of freckles across her reddening cheeks they’d gotten quite a bit of sun already. “Wish you were here, Charlie, it’s been a blast. Mum and Dad even came down for a bit.” Amelia nodded in agreement, looking a bit sunburnt as well over her naturally pale skin.

Charlie smiled apologetically. “I wish I could, but our spring break isn’t until next week,” he said, though they were already well aware of that fact. “And I promised Sawyer I’d go down to Texas with him to see his family.” It was a trip they’d been planning for months, and Charlie was quite excited about it. His expression seemed brighter just talking about it.

“Oooh, Texas, that’s nearly as far away as we are!” Amelia said appreciatively. “Good on you, Charlie, that’ll be fun I’m sure.”

Before any of them could say anything about it there was a loud bang from behind Charlie, making him flinch. “Speak of the devil,” he muttered, turning around in his seat at the kitchen table to see what was going on. In the living room, just out of sight of the webcam, was the result of an apparent fiasco. Sawyer was leaned up against a bookshelf precariously, having knocked it into the wall, with Colfax in his hands. Charlie couldn’t see the viri’s expression, but he probably wasn’t pleased. Adrian was standing at the edge of the coffee table looking nervous.

Charlie didn’t have time to figure out what had happened before Elisabeth’s eyes lit up, her excitement visible even over the video chat. “Is Sawyer there, then?” she asked, before yelling, “Sawyer! Come say hello, you big dork!”

“Uh, yeah, he’s here,” Charlie said hesitantly, watching Sawyer set Colfax down next to Adrian out of the corner of his eye. Thus free of viri Sawyer all but bounced into the kitchen, a grin already on his face for Charlie’s sisters. He leaned over Charlie’s shoulder, making the shorter man smile.

“Hey y’all!” he greeted the two of them cheerfully. He wasn’t surprised to see Amelia and Elisabeth on the screen- even if he hadn’t known they were calling, the sudden increase of British accents in the kitchen would have given it away. “How’s Florida?” he asked breathlessly, though a bright smile remained on his face.

“Hot,” Amelia replied definitively. Elisabeth just grinned. “I don’t know how the people here stand it. The beaches are lovely though.”

“What were you doing over in the living room?” Elisabeth asked laughingly. “It sounds like you’re wrecking the place.”

Charlie smiled sheepishly and Sawyer laughed a bit, both of them suddenly quite self-conscious about the viri in the other room. “Packing,” Sawyer joked, winking at them. “I’m taking the whole house, Charlie’s movin’ down to Texas with me.” He laughed as Charlie shoved his shoulder and Elisabeth giggled.

“Am not,” Charlie scoffed. “I made no such promise.” Amelia and Elisabeth just smiled, always amused at the relationship between their sensible brother and his ridiculous best friend.

Sawyer smiled as well, though motion out of the corner of his eye distracted him. He looked over into the living room to see that Colfax had vanished from the coffee table – and so had his phone. “Uh, gotta go,” he said distractedly, turning back to give Amelia and Elisabeth a smile. “Good to see y’all!”

“Good to see you too, Sawyer,” Elizabeth said, laughing as they watched Sawyer leave the view of the camera once again. She turned her eyes to her older brother, an amused smile playing on her lips. “You two seem busy as always,” she said.

“Yes,” Charlie said sheepishly. He smiled faintly as he heard Colfax snipping back at Sawyer in the other room. “There’s never a dull moment.”