Open When You Need To Laugh Novels & Stories

Aaron ruffled my hair and turned to his assistant. “Bring my wife and son to the waiting room upstairs and tell everyone that the birthday party will be delayed by half an hour.” His gaze fell upon everyone in the lobby, and his voice cut through the quiet room. “I don’t want anyone talking or discussing what happened here today. Understood?” “Yes, Mr. Schuler,” the staff replied. “But Aaron, the cosplay…” My Ironman suit looked pitiful. I had not managed to surprise anyone before it got ruined.

Not the controlled kind. The real kind. The kind that started in her stomach and moved up through her chest and came out of her mouth before she could catch it — the kind of laugh that happened when the comedy of a situation was so perfect, so architecturally complete, that the body’s response was involuntary. The laugh was loud. It carried. Down the hallway. Past the trophy cases. Past the bulletin board. To the place where Ava Donnelly was standing with her jaw tight and her eyes narrow, and the specific, visible fury of a person who had just been humiliated in public and was now hearing someone laugh about it.

The spray hits me so completely and so suddenly that for a full two seconds I just stand there — arms out, dripping, staring at the very satisfied retriever who is now wagging his tail at me like he's done me a favor. "Oscar," I say. My voice comes out absolutely betrayed. "Did you plan that?" I hear it before I see it. Adam laughs. It's not a polite sound. It's not a controlled-public-appearance sound. It's the laugh of someone who has been caught completely off guard by something genuinely, helplessly funny — a real laugh, low and unguarded and startling in its warmth, like a room you didn't know was locked swinging suddenly open. I turn and look at him.

"This is the first time I see someone laugh about being cheated on. Truly, one in a million." "What can I say bestie? YOLO." I threw my hands in the air laughing like a maniac while running toward -only god knows where-.

I couldn't just disregard Katie's feelings because she's my wife now and we live in the same apartment so I launched into the next viable option. Which was surfing the net to get the perfect solution. The first thing I searched for was How to make women laugh because if I could get Katie to laugh, then most of the issues would be resolved but the answers that popped up were just all shades of ridiculous. Be comfortable laughing at yourself. Practice word economy. Don't be afraid to be corny.

“Now get over here and help me eat this food. And grab me a soda, would you?” I tossed her the remote. “Find something you want to watch.” “Just not a chick flick. I want something funny tonight. Something that’ll make us laugh so hard we’re scared of throwing our pizza back up.” I opened the fridge. “I hear Trevor Noah’s new standup is hysterical.” “Oh, Trevor Noah it is, then.”

He does this, notices things that need doing before I register needing them, and appears with the bath already at the right temperature and something that smells good in the water and then simply goes back to the kitchen and makes dinner because that is how he is built. I sink into the bath and close my eyes. Think about today. About Evan's face when he saw us arrive. About Derek watching our joined hands across the garden. About Rhys crouching down to hear Evan's balloon theory with genuine interest. About the laughing. The three of us laughing at Arlo eating birthday cake. There is something about shared laughter between people in a complicated situation that is more disarming than anythin

“Why would I change when you’ll never stop trying to earn a joke from every situation?” “Isn’t life more fun with jokes? Something to laugh about once in a while. You know, it makes the world beautiful and fun when it’s dark. Studies even say laughter heals faster than herbs do. Lowers pain, strengthens the heart, clears the head. Makes the blood flow freer. In short — that’s why I’m looking younger and living longer. Which of those old people in the pack is as old as me, uh? None. I’m the oldest.”

“You do realize that basic manners are a thing.” “What are you talking about?” She asked as she looked at him as he rounded the car. “I was just getting out of the car.” “Haven, do you remember that one day you nearly yelled at me for opening a door for you?” he asked as he stood in front of her. “You must have been near thirteen.” “I do. And you than going on a long-winded rant how certain things are a male's duty and all that.” Haven said.

His gaze returned to me, disappointment clear and heavy. “I’ll make her apologize.” I lay sprawled on the cold deck, my body barely responding to my own will. Small stones scraped against my skin, one skidding dangerously close to my eye. Around us, people moved quickly—around her instead. “It’s okay, don’t cry.” “We all know you didn’t mean anything by it.” “She’s clearly overreacting.” “Adrian, seriously, how did you even put up with this?” Someone let out an awkward laugh. “She really knows how to turn nothing into a spectacle.”