For theysaidwecouldbeeverything on tumblr who gave me three words. Even though I only used one of them. And not even the way she suggested it. Oops?
She's living vicariously through the fish. As it lifts it's fins, she remembers the feel of drawing her arms through silky water; when it pushes back to propel past the little castle(of course he put a castle in there), she feels the viscosity of the water push on her, feels the liquid ripple between her fingers. She watches as the fish makes its way elegantly around the bowl, light rippling over its iridescent scales. She's amused but not surprised by the fact that he got an actual fish bowl for the creature; as much as he loves new toys, he's a sucker for the traditional.
She takes a deep breath, tears her eyes from the roving fish, and focuses her attention back to the papers spread before. She's barely started reading again when her phone lights up and of course it's his smiling face that's on the screen.
"Hey Dad," Alexis's greeting is warm, the smile evident in her voice.
"How's my hard working college girl?" He is way too enthusiastic and she can't help the sarcastic chuckle that escapes.
"Remind me to listen to my advisor when he recommends against taking a math and two science classes in one semester again."
"I'll do that. Did you, uh, get a new friend today?"
This time the laugh is real and she sits back in her chair to look at the bowl that's sitting on a shelf above her desk. The fish is taking a break from swimming laps around its home, the papery fins waving softly. "So tell me, why is it that I was told 'no' when I asked for a dog, a cat, a rabbit, a hamster, and, oh yes, a fish in my 18 years of living at home but when I go to college, I get a pet delivered?"
"Well, I…you see-" he stops and Alexis can't help the grin that splits her face. She was asking with the intent of putting him on the spot. He sighs and continues, "It was Kate's idea."
Oh.
Alexis can hear the hushed admonition of "Castle" on the other end. She doesn't dislike the woman but she's still adjusting to the detective's additional role in her father's life. And her's too.
"Let me talk to her." Nothing on other end. "Please, Dad."
There's some shuffling and murmurs on the line and then Kate's voice comes over the speaker, "Hey Alexis."
"Thank you."
Alexis can practically hear Kate blushing as she makes a dismissive sound. "Your dad said that your classes were pretty intense and I know that watching fish is a great way to destress so I thought that maybe..." she trails off but then rushes to add, "Your dad made it happen though. It was his idea to put the castle in there."
"That doesn't surprise me at all."
"Yeah, he's predictable like that," she replies, amusement laced through her words. They both laugh as a clearly affronted "Hey!" is exclaimed. Alexis can hear murmuring over the line and then her father's tell-tale huff, the one he makes when he knows the other person is right but doesn't want to admit it.
The girl is still a little floored that that this was Kate's idea, that she wanted her to have something that might make things better. "Seriously Kate, thanks for thinking of me."
"Any time." There's companionable silence for a moment. "Your dad's trying to grab the phone back. Probably doesn't want us to talk about him anymore."
"Probably." And before she can think twice about it, blurts out, "Hey, I'm coming home this weekend, you gonna be around for family dinner?"
"Oh." Clearly she's not the only one caught off guard. "Yeah, I'll be here."
"Great, see you then," she replies but it must have been in the midst of the phone handoff because her dad's voice greets her next.
"You have a name for him yet?"
She rolls her eyes. This is the segue that a best-selling author goes with? (No, this is the segue her father goes with when he's trying to deflect.) "I think I've settled on Dori."
"Alexis! It's a male fish; you can't give it a girl name!"
"Dad, you can't possibly tell me that you know the difference between male and female fish."
"They told me at the store! It's a betta fish, the females are brown and boring, the males are blue and have the fluttery fins. You have a boy fish."
"Yeah, I think I'm sticking with Dori. Screw gender stereotypes."
"There's my liberated college girl. Woman!" he quickly corrects, "College woman."
"And don't you forget it." Her eyes fall on her desk, spread with notes and textbooks. She sighs deeply. "I gotta get back to studying, Dad."
"I'll leave you alone. Love you, pumpkin."
"Love you. See you guys on Friday."
She disconnects the call and tosses the phone on her desk. Raising her eyes to the fish bowl, she finds Dori taking a lazy lap, his fins moving gently through the water. Some of the tension drains from her shoulders which helps to sharpen her focus. Glancing down at her notes, her eyes immediately find an answer to a review question that she'd been searching for in vain a little while ago. Alexis grins.
Kate is getting the biggest hug this weekend.