January 22nd, 2016

"Are you proud of me?"

"Why would I be proud of you?"

"Because I called you."

"Congratulations, you know how to use a phone."

"Hey!"

"Oh, I didn't know that we were starting this conversation all over again. Hi"

"That's not the type of 'Hey!' I meant."

"I don't particularly care."

"But seriously, you're not going to congratulate me in calling you first?"

"No."

"Come on, be nice, Daniel."

"I am being nice. Im always nice, which is more than I can say about you! Are you less of a raging bitch today or are you still jet lagged?"

"See, this is why I don't call you. You're being mean."

"How am I being mean?"

"You just are."

"Sophie, dearest, how are you feeling today? Is the long distance travelling still affecting your moods? Do you need me to come and fluff up your down pillows so you can continue to enjoy your cloud?"

"Why are you being weird?"

"I was being considerate."

"I don't think I like it."

"You just said I was mean and now that I'm being nice, you don't like it. Make up your bloody mind, Soph."

"You're being mean again."

"Jesus, Soph. It's Friday, chill out."

"I can't believe that you are telling me that. I feel as if our roles are being reversed. I don't like it."

"Mhm. How is the jet lag, though?"

"Terrible. I wish I could stay on my cloud a little longer but I had to come into the office to write up my notes from the trip. Plus, I needed to know is Rachel had fucked up or not."

"And, did she?"

"No, she didn't. I've trained her well."

"Or, maybe she's just that good that she didn't need you breathing down her neck and could actually do the job you employed her to do."

"Or there's that."

"So, there was no major drama while you were away?"

"Oh, there was drama. Isadora from cultures is hunting me down."

"Why, what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Sophie?"

"Like I said, I didn't do anything. Hugo, however, did something and Isadora's taking it out on me."

"What did Hugo do?"

"Panda."

"Panda?"

"Yeah, Panda."

"Lion."

"Pardon?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was under the impression that we were randomly naming zoo animals."

"Ha bloody ha. Panda. Meaning 'Eats shoots and leaves.'"

"I still don't understand."

"Hump and dump."

"Rhyming words isn't going to help, Sophie. In plain English, please."

"He had sex with Isadora, slipped out in the middle of the night and hasn't returned any of her calls. Naturally, I'm the next best thing to screaming profanities at Hugo, so she's coming after me."

"I thought he liked her. Wasn't that half the reason that he went to the gallery exhibit last week?"

"It was the whole reason he went. Hugo is a fickle character. One day he's infatuated with the girl to the point that he actively pursues them, then once the novelty wears off, he bails. It's Typical Hugo, to be honest. Everyone around here knows it, too, so Isadora really should have known better than to get involved with him."

"And here I was, under the impression Hugo's your best friend. If that's how you speak about your friends, how do you speak about your enemies?"

"It's because he's my best friend that I can talk about him like that. When I talk about my enemies, it usually involves lots of swear words, eye rolling and general loathing."

"Do you have many enemies?"

"Currently, just a handful."

"Just a handful? Why so little? I thought you'd have more than that."

"People I know tend to fall into three categories- the ones I like, such as my family and Hugo. Then we have the ones that I tolerate. Most fall into that category. The last category houses the ones I hate."

"Which category do I fall into? The first, second or third?"

"Um-"

"That doesn't sound promising."

"The fourth category, that's where I'd put you."

"I thought there was only three. What's this new category called?"

"Daniel."

"Yeah?"

"No, it's called Daniel."

"I get a category named after me? It's not exactly a star, or a species, but I can make it work."

"Don't get too excited. The name is subject to change. By tomorrow, it could be called'The Category for People That Are Annoying.'"

"I think I prefer Daniel."

"Your ego would like that."

"Haha."

"What do you have planned for the weekend?"

"Family dinner. It's a bi-monthly thing."

"Exciting. Will Constance be there?"

"Unfortunately. My grandmother is the one that insists on us having these dinners. My parents, however, won't be there."

"Off with their 'other people'?"

"That's one way of describing them, but, yes. They're off with their other people. Samuel will be there."

"How's that going?"

"I don't speak to him that often."

"Can I offer you a bit of advice?"

"Is it real advice? You know, something useful?"

"My advice is always useful. Now, are you going to listen or not?"

"Fine, I'll listen."

"Make amends with your brother. You clearly love him otherwise you wouldn't have flown halfway across the world when he was in hospital in Thailand or wherever. Just, don't let a woman get inbetween that. Especially a woman named Arabella."

"That's your advice? I was hoping for something more... more."

"More more? You know that makes little to no sense, don't you?"

"I don't care. Hell is likelier to freeze over than Samuel and I getting along. Let's just face it, we don't like each other. Full stop."

"That's a lie, Daniel, and you know it. But, if that's how you feel, then it's sad. He's your brother."

"Look, Sophie, you don't understand. You won't understand."

"Try me."

"It's not even worth explaining."

"..."

"Sophie?"

"What?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's not worth explaining."

"Please don't be like that, Soph."

"Be like what, Daniel?"

"Like this."

"..."

"Soph-"

"I have to go. I have work to do. I would tell you what it is, but it's not worth explaining."

"Sophie-"

"Good bye."