'Hello?' Daniel answers his phone sleepily.
'Were you asleep?' Cassandra immediately asks.
'Hello to you too. And yes, yes I was. I didn't get home until late last night,' Daniel says, sleepily rubbing his eyes and reaching for his glasses.
'Just like the good old times, eh?' Cassie asks, sarcastically.
'Well, you know, so things never change,' Daniel replies, and takes a look at his bedside clock. 10 am! Fu'…
'Nope…' Cassie answers, and there's a long pause.
'So… what's up?' Daniel asks. 'Anything I can do for you?'
'No, not really…' she replies.
'OK…' Daniel responds, and they lapse into another silence. 'So… what's up?'
'Oh, not much. Don't have class until this afternoon, so I'm just sitting around.'
'Shouldn't you be writing an essay, or something?' Daniel asks sarcastically.
'Nah, finished one last night.'
'And yet you're up at what, nine your time, when you don't need to be up for another few hours? What kind of a college kid are you!'
'Hey! I can get up early, you know.'
'I'm sure. How many cups?' Daniel asks.
'I don't know what you're talking about,' Cassie says with mock indignation. They fall into silence again. 'So, when are you next heading, um… "abroad",' Cassie asks, making air quotes that Daniel swears he can hear.
'We're scheduled for a, um, "trip", tomorrow.'
'Cool…' Cassie replies, and the conversation dies down again.
'Cassie…' Daniel begins, but she cuts him off. 'I miss you guys,' she says. Daniel can't help but smile. 'I know, Cassie, we miss you too.'
'Yeah?'
'Yeah,' Daniel says, and can practically hear the smile forming on Cassie's face.
'Thanks, Daniel,' she says, and hangs up.