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“I miss you enough to fill the whole ocean.”
“Oh, Aang you say the most romantic things.” Meng giggled over the receiver. “I miss you to the moon.”
“I miss you to the moon and back.” Aang shuffled his phone from hand to hand as he slipped on his shoes.
Meng giggled again and he could just imagine the way her nose scrunched and her smile pulled back to reveal that cute gap between her teeth. “Are you going to school soon?”
“Yeah I’m getting ready to go. I got a bike yesterday. I get to ride to school.” Aang ceased getting ready in favor of gushing to his girlfriend.
“Oh Aang, are you bringing it back home with you? We could go to school together and I could ride on the handlebars.”
“Actually I was thinking when I get back I should get a job. Maybe in construction or something where I can use my hands." He flexed his skinny arms as though she was there to see his muscles. "Wouldn’t you rather I saved up and got a motorcycle? I could come pick you up from Aunt Wu’s and we could go see the world.” He mulled the fantasy over in his mind.
“Oh Aang,” Meng sighed blissfully, the sound crackling in the speaker.
Appa whined and nuzzled Aang’s bald head with a big, wet nose. Trying to remind the boy of the time.
“Is that Appa? How is he? The poor widdle thing.”
“He’s doing great, he really loves the food here, but he gets lonely during the day with no one to play with him.” As if to agree, the enormous shaggy dog lay his head down on Aang’s thigh and sighed.
“Appa don’t be sad,” Meng said and Aang quickly pressed the phone against one of the dog’s fluffy ears. “We all miss you but we’ll see you soon.” Appa grunted noncommittally, but to the two children he might as well have spoken.
“Did you hear that? He says he misses you too!” Aang said delightedly as he raised the cellphone back to his ear.
“I heard I heard! Oh I miss you guys, I can’t wait for you to come home. I’ll make you both dinner.”
“Mmmmm,” Aang murmured, looking forward to the thought.
“I wish you could come home soon.”
“Me too, forever girl," Aang said suavely.
Meng giggled, “I love it when you call me that.”
“I love it when you laugh, baby.” Aang grinned into the phone and failed to notice Appa rolling his big brown eyes at him.
This pushed Meng into another round of giggles, so strong she snorted.
Appa lifted his big head and padded away, towards the kitchenette, feigning interest in his dog bowl when he really wanted Aang to notice the clock above him. “Oh,” the boy spotted the clock on his microwave. “Uh, oh, I’m running late.” Appa wagged his tail and took a triumphant munch of kibble.
“Well you better get going then,” Meng sighed sadly. “Go make some new friends okay?”
“As many as I can,” Aang promised.
“I love you Aang-y.”
“Love you too, forever girl.”