Fix It

I tried everything. Promises of chocolates, game tickets, and countless apology notes and letters. He wouldn’t talk to me. He wouldn’t answer me. 

“He’ll come out when he’s ready,” my sister assured me, but when would he be ready? I paced the hallway with my hands behind my back. I couldn’t sit still. When I sat at the kitchen table, my fingers drummed against the game board that we had set out a couple of hours before. The game pieces were still set out, waiting for someone to claim them. I rolled the thimble around in my hand and looked at the boot set aside for Marcus. It was doubtful he would come back anyway. 

How did we get here? Just hours ago, we were having so much fun as we watched movies and talked. Just hours ago, we laughed and smiled. Just hours ago, everything was fine.

I walked back to Marcus’ bedroom door and slid down until I was leaning against it. If he opened the door, I would surely fall. 

“Marcus, please come out,” I begged. He didn’t answer. He was probably asleep. No, I realized as I heard something shift in the room. He was still awake. Granted, it was just six o’clock. He wouldn’t go to sleep that early. He would probably be reading well into the night. I once again reached up and tried to open the door. It was locked. What did I expect, though? Of course, it was locked. What did I expect? He was stubborn, yet so was I.

It has started as just a regular Saturday night. We watched a movie, a new one, about space and ate popcorn. The smell still lingered in the house. 

“Isn’t this nice,” Marcus had asked as he wrapped his arms around me. I had giggled softly. We’d been living together for a few months, and everything was going splendidly. Movie night was always the highlight of my week. 

Giving up for the moment, I pulled out my phone and texted my sister again.

He’s not talking to me yet, I wrote. She sent an exasperated emoji. 

It hasn’t been that long. Just wait, she replied.

I don’t want to wait.

Patience is a virtue.

I sent her a sad emoji in reply and knocked my head against the bedroom door.

“Marcus, please, talk to me,” I pleaded. He didn’t answer. “I’m sorry, alright?” Still no answer. I resumed my pacing on the hardwood floor, going over the events of the night. What made him lock himself away like that? Let’s see. First were the space movie and the snacks. Nothing too important, right? Just movies and snacks. 

“Not until you apologize” came his muffled reply.

“I have apologized multiple times.” He seemed to pause, and I thought he would come and open the door.

“Be specific.”

“Why are you being so petty?”

“Because I feel like it, and I want to see how long it takes you.” I stifled a laugh at that. This was all just a game, wasn’t it? Yes, we both liked to play around, but this was next level.

“You had me going there for a while,” I scoffed. 

“You’re at 15 minutes and counting,” he continued. I jumped up and started walking around the kitchen. The game was still set out on the table just as we left it. My mind replayed the sequence of the game. I had bought a few of the better properties before he had the chance. As luck would have it, he landed on my spaces more often than I landed on his. But, that was the point of the game, right? Those were the rules. I was just playing the game. Then again, I could be wrong. 

“Was it the game,” I guessed, my voice echoing in the apartment. Marcus didn’t answer. Shoot, that wasn’t it. I looked around again. Ah, the popcorn container was still left on the table. Let’s see. I had chosen the movie, but it was one he also wanted to see, so there couldn’t be an issue there. I had warmed up the popcorn from a bag. We had shared it. I was sure I hadn’t taken more than my share. I was about to suggest it anyway when I heard an answer. 

“You should know you only get three chances,” he replied. “But I’ll give you two more chances.” I looked around once more, my nervous energy finally becoming useful. All the houseplants were still alive, so I hadn’t accidentally killed one. That had happened once. I was more careful now. I had done my tasks for the day. The sink was empty, and the floors were clean. No, that couldn’t be the reason. 

“Can you give me a clue a least,” I inquired. Silence hung in the air as Marcus seemed to think. 

“It’s food-related,” he finally declared. I looked back at the table in the living area. We had drunk hot cocoa with our popcorn, which was a relatively good combination. Let’s see. I had put peppermint in his drink as he requested, hopefully not too much. I looked into his mug and saw there was still some left. I held the drink, letting the smell of peppermint wash over me. No, it wasn’t too overbearing. There wasn’t that much in it, so that couldn’t be it. Argh, there were so many things. That we had done. He didn’t seem mad before, so it had to be a recent thing. Something we had done that afternoon. 

Before our movie night, we’d eaten dinner of course. We had just ordered in, but I chose the restaurant. That couldn’t be it, right? Argh, this game was making me question everything. I must have growled because Marcus laughed. 

“Calm down, love. It’s only fun. You can give up if you want,” he suggested. He knew I wouldn’t do that, though. We were both stubborn and pretty competitive. I wasn’t going to give up, not when the answers were right in front of me. 

I paced the hallway once more, my mind still running various scenarios. Oh, so many things. So many little, little…

My footsteps stopped. That couldn’t possibly be it, right? I turned toward Marcus’ door. Was he doing that? Was that what this game was about? The root of it. 

Without another thought, I spun on my heel and sprinted to the pantry. I saw the blank shelf space. A groan escaped me. 

“Did you find it,” Marcus asked, and when I turned, I saw his door was finally open. He smirked. “Did you figure it out? Are you ready to apologize?”

“Really? That’s what this was about,” I questioned. He shrugged. “Fine, Marcus. I’m sorry, but they were just M & M’s.” He chuckled. 

“Close enough. Come on, then. I want to show you something,” he declared and beckoned me into our room. I could do nothing but follow. At first, nothing looked different. Then, Marcus reached over and switched off the lights. I gasped. The ceiling was decorated with little glow in the dark stars, and some even made constellations. 

“You like astronomy and space stuff, so I thought,” his voice trailed off. “Do you like it?”

“Marcus, I love it,” I breathed. He leaned over and kissed me. 

“I’m so glad.”