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I love routines.
Especially when they involve messing with Liam.
Making my bed in the morning, eating the same thing for breakfast, always getting to school at the same time... it's all nice, of course, but my personal favorite is whenever I go out with him on a date.
It is a constant battle between the two of us — Liam, predictably, has to get up from the table at some point, leaving his vulnerable phone up for grabs. How can I resist the urge to change his wallpaper every time? The last time I fiddled with it, I turned the device's background into an edgy selfie from his middle school days, and he nearly left the restaurant once he saw it.
I love routinely messing with him.
So, on Friday night, when he invited me out to our favorite spot, I knew exactly what photo to pick next. I agreed, drove over, and met him there. The silvery moon was already making its appearance, despite being nowhere close to true nighttime, and I hurried myself into the restaurant before it got too dark.
"Hey, Henry!" Liam turned around when he noticed me walking in, "Let's go sit."
"Okay," I said, grabbing his hand. He led me to our bench, where a window that made everything we did seem a lot more romantic sat still and silent. The place was strangely less busy than it usually is, but that just gives us more privacy and time to ourselves... time I cherish way too much.
A waitress strides over. "Hello, boys, would you like the usual?"
We've become regulars, so she never has to ask what we want, because ordering the same thing has become a part of my routine. Since Liam rolls with it — he doesn't seem to mind eating the same things over and over either — that's all we do. We nod yes and the waitress heads off to prepare our meals.
We talk about our days and how glad we are for it to finally be the weekend, and rave about how good the food is. It never gets old, but behind the chatter, I'm brewing up my final plan. When he gets up, I'll take his phone, and change it to something he'll never forget...
"Hey, I gotta go to the bathroom," Liam says, standing up from the booth, "Be right back— oh, and remember to ask the waitress to bring some blue cheese if she comes by, okay?"
"Alright," I say, but once he turns his back, it's game on. I greedily rifle through his mess of bag — I always tell him to organize it, but here we are — and snatch his phone, a malicious grin taking over my entire face.
My final plan... it's working!
I open it up easily, and the wallpaper of the lock screen is just a picture of his golden retriever, Cassie; nothing special and easily changeable, but it's the home background I'm worried about. I type in his password and while I'm waiting for it to load, I'm all giddy, not able to wait to execute the final blow...
Huh?
I'm thrown off guard immediately when I see what the picture is.
We're standing together, hand-in-hand while the fireworks from Drew's New Years Eve party burst with color and explode around us. Drew and Jake, of course, made teasing remarks the entire time about our relationship, but they were the ones who took the photo for us... I remember telling Liam it was my favorite photo of us together because he looked so genuinely happy.
I revel in the sweetness for a bit longer until I notice he's walking my way. Startled, I clumsily put his phone back into his bag, and plaster my best innocent eyes to drown out suspicion. He doesn't seem to fall for it, reaching into his bag to see what inevitable thing he knows I changed his wallpaper to.
"Huh," he says as the glow of his phone brightened his face with a harsh blue, "You didn't change my wallpaper to something awful."
"Nah," I smile, "I like the way it is now."
I guess a change of routine isn't so bad every once in a while.