zanna
03-13-2009, 02:14 AM
This is a mushy, romantic piece. =) Don't flame me too hard for quoting Shakespeare; I was trying to use it cleverly, but maybe you won't agree. And don't ask me what happens next, because I haven't gotten that far! =D
She had just turned on some music and gotten out the vacuum when she heard a knock at the door. It was lucky she noticed at all, since she was busy thinking about how she’d spend her free time once the cleaning was done. Nothing like an empty house for a solo dance party, or maybe she’d read, now that her parents were gone. She had missed her brother the past few days; he’d been on vacation for quite some time, but she had to admit that having the house to herself for a bit was nice. Still planning her fabulous afternoon, she opened the door distractedly, but came crashing back down to earth when she saw just who was standing on the welcome mat. His warm smile faded when she suddenly disappeared from view, but momentarily the music ceased, and she returned to invite him in, a shade more composed now that she’d recovered from the initial shock.
“I was getting ready to finish up some chores, but you caught me in time. Did you pass my parents? They barely left two minutes ago.”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did.” They had waved and expressed regret for just missing him, but if he’d please stick around for a while, they’d be back with something for dinner after their errands were done, oh, around five. Certainly wouldn’t do to forget that – no telling what might happen. “Asked me to stay for dinner, very nice of them.” She blushed and mentally cursed and thanked her mother, simultaneously.
“At it again. . . .”
“What’s that?” He leaned forward to catch what she’d murmured under her breath.
“Oh, nothing.” He suppressed a smile – no doubt deriding her mother’s matchmaking efforts. He found it all rather funny, but it embarrassed her, and certainly his ‘coming around’ would only encourage her mother, or at least convince her that it was working.
“I . . . I wasn’t really prepared to entertain anyone, but I think the vacuuming can wait. You’ll have to amuse yourself for a bit – I need to get cleaned up – and then maybe you’ll help me decide on something for lunch?” She let it hang, hoping it wouldn’t be too un-hostess-like, and he nodded briefly.
“Sounds like a plan. Go on, I’ll be fine.” He sat down with a magazine and heard her hastily prepare for a shower. Irritated with himself for knowing she’d be nude on the other side of the bathroom door, and liking the idea, he scowled and concentrated harder on the article. He succeeded so well in losing himself in the print that it was three times before he realized she was calling for him. Startled out of his reading, he marked the place with his finger and walked toward her voice. She looked . . . cute, he decided, with her hair wrapped up in a towel, and just her head peeking around the door.
“Honestly, I didn’t mean to set you up at all, but I forgot to bring my clothes with me. If you’d please . . . ?” She turned pink and he laughed out loud.
“Sure. Don’t mind. Where are they? In your room?” A nod. “Which one’s yours?”
“That one. It’s all piled on my bed.” A single finger crept out to indicate the left-hand room from her position, so he turned to the right door and walked in – only to stop a few steps over the threshold, taken aback by the unique decor.
“My goodness! Are you sure you have the right one?” He called back over his shoulder while surveying the walls.
“Yep. It’s pretty fun to wake up to.”
“I’ll say. That’s quite a paint job you’ve got there. Why green and blue?”
“They’re my favorites. The corner’s the best.”
“Looks like a lightning strike. But you wanted some clothes . . . here you go.” He couldn’t help but notice that her towel was now wrapped around her torso instead when he handed the stack of clothing over.
“Thank you. I’ll be out in a moment.” He nodded and returned to the living room. Not really wanting to read more of the article, he was spared when his stomach growled and reminded him how close it was to lunch time. Deciding to take stock of the kitchen and see what might taste good, he prowled through the cupboards looking for the right combination of things. Might as well make myself useful. By the time she appeared, the smell of melted cheese and salsa had permeated the whole house, thanks to the batch of burritos he’d whipped up. “Wow!” She was sufficiently surprised, and he smiled and thanked his lucky stars that he’d thought of it. “I was trying to hurry, but I must have been in there forever. You’re probably starving. This is fantastic! Do you enjoy cooking?”
“Yep. I was getting hungry, and I thought, ‘Hm, we’ll just look around a bit.’ But the real test is how it tastes. Let’s eat before it gets cold.”
She noticed that he was watching her, probably waiting for a reaction, so she smiled after the first bite and said, “Thank you again. I love your cooking.” He blushed slightly and nodded, accepting her praise. “What special occasion brought you to my house, if I may ask?” He was tempted to laugh – a blunt, “Why the hell are you here” would have sufficed, but she chose to go about it differently.
“No occasion. I wanted to see you.”
“But you would have tomorrow anyway.” It was a statement, literally, but really she was reiterating the question. She wasn’t going to take that for an answer.
“I didn’t feel like waiting.” There, he thought. Make of it what you will. Finished eating, he pushed his plate aside and leaned back in his chair, just looking at her. His gaze was unnerving, and she fidgeted in her seat.
“So. What do you want to do?” He leaned forward suddenly, put his head in his hands, and rubbed his eyes.
“Never ask a guy what he’d like to do when there’s a beautiful girl in the room,” he drawled wryly. She didn’t know whether to be shocked or take it as a compliment.
“Oh. What would you settle for, then?”
“Whatever you’ve got in mind.” She choked on the soda she’d taken a sip of and coughed violently, eyes watering.
“You ok?”
“Yeah, possibly.” A beat later, “I’m fine.”
“Sure?”
“Pretty sure. Sheese.” She shook her head. “I walked into that one. Shoulda known better.” What did she walk into? It was about as clear as mud to him.
“Arright, what’s going on?” Her face turned crimson again, to her dismay. He’d noticed she had a habit of blushing, but had decided it was because she was just too modest not to.
“You said, ‘Whatever you’ve got in mind,’ and I was thinking that the opposite of what you said earlier could be true, too.” Quickly, he tried to remember how he’d phrased it. “But you’re handsome, I mean, guys aren’t beautiful, but – argh! Whatever.” She covered her face with her hands, frustrated. “You get the idea. Never-ask-me-what-I’d-like-to-do-if-you’re-in-the-room.”
“Why not?”
“Might not like the answer you get.” Now he was curious.
“What would you like to do, since you’re alone with just me in the room?”
“Have you wrap your arms around me and hold onto me for a while.”
“Is that all? I don’t have to catch a star, or give you diamonds and pearls, or anything?” She shook her head. “Girl, we need to get you a sticker that says ‘Easy to Please’ and slap it on your forehead.” He acted baffled, but in truth, he was glad. He’d wanted a chance to ‘hold on to’ her, at the very least. “On a different note, there are dishes to do, and you still have to vacuum. Maybe we should work on that stuff for a bit.”
“I was thinking about that earlier, too.” She got up and they began to clear the table. When she went to the sink and began to scrub the plates, though, he came over and took the washcloth out of her hands.
“Oh, no you don’t. I’ll handle it, thank you,” he said crisply. She put her hands up in mock defeat.
“If you insist.”
“I most certainly insist, now get a move-on. Shoo!” His frown was fake, and she laughed at his stern expression as she left the kitchen.
“Not quite the same as your game face.”
“My what?”
She came back around the corner, leaned on the wall. “Your game face. The one that looks like you’d walk through a tank without batting an eyelash.” She looked at the floor and scuffed her toe on the linoleum. “Intimidates the crud out of me. I can’t even get myself to approach you when you’re like that.”
“Oh.” He scowled at the dish for real. “Didn’t realize I had one. I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault. I’m too shy sometimes.” He chuckled.
“That I did know.” She shook her head, then went off to vacuum. When they were both done, he asked, “Anything left on the list?”
“Nope, that was it. Thanks for doing the dishes. Man, you’ve been bailing me out all day! Forgot my clothes, got out of making lunch, then I didn’t even have to do KP.”
“I don’t mind. Come here a minute.” She went to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He parted her still-damp hair and kissed the top of her head. “I failed to mention that you look very nice today. You didn’t have to get all dressed up.” He had noticed. Glad I did, she thought sleepily.
She yawned, then said apologetically, “It’s nothing personal, but I was up late last night, and then we were busy early. I’m pretty beat. Half tempted to take a nap, but I don’t feel like it with you here.”
“It’s alright. Would you show me the rest of your room?” This time he noticed her pillow collection. “The Princess and the Pea . . . I never knew.” She laughed.
“That just reminded me! I have to read for LA still. This book’s pretty funny, you’ll probably like it.” He settled into the desk chair across from her and she curled up with the book on her bed. Doing her best to affect the different characters, she began to read out loud. Her speech faltered, though, when he got up and gently changed the way she was holding the book. He winked at her and sat down again without having said a word. She picked up the dialogue again but was painfully aware of his scrutiny. Must have had it in front of my face or something. . . . Unable to carry the story any longer, she closed the book and said, “Are you trying to make me jump out of my skin?”
“No, Juliet, just trying to get a tan.” She laughed a beat later when she caught on.
“‘But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.’ Fine words; too fine for me.” Her mouth quirked in a combination grin and grimace.
He growled. “‘Tempt not a desperate man!’” She blushed and looked at her lap, hair falling across her face. Her beauty was a topic they didn’t see eye to eye on, but both refused to budge. Suddenly he was on the bed beside her, and he tipped her chin up to kiss her lips. Her stomach did a somersault, and she blushed even harder, skin burning under his hand.
“‘You kiss by the book,’” she quipped, making him laugh.
She had just turned on some music and gotten out the vacuum when she heard a knock at the door. It was lucky she noticed at all, since she was busy thinking about how she’d spend her free time once the cleaning was done. Nothing like an empty house for a solo dance party, or maybe she’d read, now that her parents were gone. She had missed her brother the past few days; he’d been on vacation for quite some time, but she had to admit that having the house to herself for a bit was nice. Still planning her fabulous afternoon, she opened the door distractedly, but came crashing back down to earth when she saw just who was standing on the welcome mat. His warm smile faded when she suddenly disappeared from view, but momentarily the music ceased, and she returned to invite him in, a shade more composed now that she’d recovered from the initial shock.
“I was getting ready to finish up some chores, but you caught me in time. Did you pass my parents? They barely left two minutes ago.”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did.” They had waved and expressed regret for just missing him, but if he’d please stick around for a while, they’d be back with something for dinner after their errands were done, oh, around five. Certainly wouldn’t do to forget that – no telling what might happen. “Asked me to stay for dinner, very nice of them.” She blushed and mentally cursed and thanked her mother, simultaneously.
“At it again. . . .”
“What’s that?” He leaned forward to catch what she’d murmured under her breath.
“Oh, nothing.” He suppressed a smile – no doubt deriding her mother’s matchmaking efforts. He found it all rather funny, but it embarrassed her, and certainly his ‘coming around’ would only encourage her mother, or at least convince her that it was working.
“I . . . I wasn’t really prepared to entertain anyone, but I think the vacuuming can wait. You’ll have to amuse yourself for a bit – I need to get cleaned up – and then maybe you’ll help me decide on something for lunch?” She let it hang, hoping it wouldn’t be too un-hostess-like, and he nodded briefly.
“Sounds like a plan. Go on, I’ll be fine.” He sat down with a magazine and heard her hastily prepare for a shower. Irritated with himself for knowing she’d be nude on the other side of the bathroom door, and liking the idea, he scowled and concentrated harder on the article. He succeeded so well in losing himself in the print that it was three times before he realized she was calling for him. Startled out of his reading, he marked the place with his finger and walked toward her voice. She looked . . . cute, he decided, with her hair wrapped up in a towel, and just her head peeking around the door.
“Honestly, I didn’t mean to set you up at all, but I forgot to bring my clothes with me. If you’d please . . . ?” She turned pink and he laughed out loud.
“Sure. Don’t mind. Where are they? In your room?” A nod. “Which one’s yours?”
“That one. It’s all piled on my bed.” A single finger crept out to indicate the left-hand room from her position, so he turned to the right door and walked in – only to stop a few steps over the threshold, taken aback by the unique decor.
“My goodness! Are you sure you have the right one?” He called back over his shoulder while surveying the walls.
“Yep. It’s pretty fun to wake up to.”
“I’ll say. That’s quite a paint job you’ve got there. Why green and blue?”
“They’re my favorites. The corner’s the best.”
“Looks like a lightning strike. But you wanted some clothes . . . here you go.” He couldn’t help but notice that her towel was now wrapped around her torso instead when he handed the stack of clothing over.
“Thank you. I’ll be out in a moment.” He nodded and returned to the living room. Not really wanting to read more of the article, he was spared when his stomach growled and reminded him how close it was to lunch time. Deciding to take stock of the kitchen and see what might taste good, he prowled through the cupboards looking for the right combination of things. Might as well make myself useful. By the time she appeared, the smell of melted cheese and salsa had permeated the whole house, thanks to the batch of burritos he’d whipped up. “Wow!” She was sufficiently surprised, and he smiled and thanked his lucky stars that he’d thought of it. “I was trying to hurry, but I must have been in there forever. You’re probably starving. This is fantastic! Do you enjoy cooking?”
“Yep. I was getting hungry, and I thought, ‘Hm, we’ll just look around a bit.’ But the real test is how it tastes. Let’s eat before it gets cold.”
She noticed that he was watching her, probably waiting for a reaction, so she smiled after the first bite and said, “Thank you again. I love your cooking.” He blushed slightly and nodded, accepting her praise. “What special occasion brought you to my house, if I may ask?” He was tempted to laugh – a blunt, “Why the hell are you here” would have sufficed, but she chose to go about it differently.
“No occasion. I wanted to see you.”
“But you would have tomorrow anyway.” It was a statement, literally, but really she was reiterating the question. She wasn’t going to take that for an answer.
“I didn’t feel like waiting.” There, he thought. Make of it what you will. Finished eating, he pushed his plate aside and leaned back in his chair, just looking at her. His gaze was unnerving, and she fidgeted in her seat.
“So. What do you want to do?” He leaned forward suddenly, put his head in his hands, and rubbed his eyes.
“Never ask a guy what he’d like to do when there’s a beautiful girl in the room,” he drawled wryly. She didn’t know whether to be shocked or take it as a compliment.
“Oh. What would you settle for, then?”
“Whatever you’ve got in mind.” She choked on the soda she’d taken a sip of and coughed violently, eyes watering.
“You ok?”
“Yeah, possibly.” A beat later, “I’m fine.”
“Sure?”
“Pretty sure. Sheese.” She shook her head. “I walked into that one. Shoulda known better.” What did she walk into? It was about as clear as mud to him.
“Arright, what’s going on?” Her face turned crimson again, to her dismay. He’d noticed she had a habit of blushing, but had decided it was because she was just too modest not to.
“You said, ‘Whatever you’ve got in mind,’ and I was thinking that the opposite of what you said earlier could be true, too.” Quickly, he tried to remember how he’d phrased it. “But you’re handsome, I mean, guys aren’t beautiful, but – argh! Whatever.” She covered her face with her hands, frustrated. “You get the idea. Never-ask-me-what-I’d-like-to-do-if-you’re-in-the-room.”
“Why not?”
“Might not like the answer you get.” Now he was curious.
“What would you like to do, since you’re alone with just me in the room?”
“Have you wrap your arms around me and hold onto me for a while.”
“Is that all? I don’t have to catch a star, or give you diamonds and pearls, or anything?” She shook her head. “Girl, we need to get you a sticker that says ‘Easy to Please’ and slap it on your forehead.” He acted baffled, but in truth, he was glad. He’d wanted a chance to ‘hold on to’ her, at the very least. “On a different note, there are dishes to do, and you still have to vacuum. Maybe we should work on that stuff for a bit.”
“I was thinking about that earlier, too.” She got up and they began to clear the table. When she went to the sink and began to scrub the plates, though, he came over and took the washcloth out of her hands.
“Oh, no you don’t. I’ll handle it, thank you,” he said crisply. She put her hands up in mock defeat.
“If you insist.”
“I most certainly insist, now get a move-on. Shoo!” His frown was fake, and she laughed at his stern expression as she left the kitchen.
“Not quite the same as your game face.”
“My what?”
She came back around the corner, leaned on the wall. “Your game face. The one that looks like you’d walk through a tank without batting an eyelash.” She looked at the floor and scuffed her toe on the linoleum. “Intimidates the crud out of me. I can’t even get myself to approach you when you’re like that.”
“Oh.” He scowled at the dish for real. “Didn’t realize I had one. I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault. I’m too shy sometimes.” He chuckled.
“That I did know.” She shook her head, then went off to vacuum. When they were both done, he asked, “Anything left on the list?”
“Nope, that was it. Thanks for doing the dishes. Man, you’ve been bailing me out all day! Forgot my clothes, got out of making lunch, then I didn’t even have to do KP.”
“I don’t mind. Come here a minute.” She went to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He parted her still-damp hair and kissed the top of her head. “I failed to mention that you look very nice today. You didn’t have to get all dressed up.” He had noticed. Glad I did, she thought sleepily.
She yawned, then said apologetically, “It’s nothing personal, but I was up late last night, and then we were busy early. I’m pretty beat. Half tempted to take a nap, but I don’t feel like it with you here.”
“It’s alright. Would you show me the rest of your room?” This time he noticed her pillow collection. “The Princess and the Pea . . . I never knew.” She laughed.
“That just reminded me! I have to read for LA still. This book’s pretty funny, you’ll probably like it.” He settled into the desk chair across from her and she curled up with the book on her bed. Doing her best to affect the different characters, she began to read out loud. Her speech faltered, though, when he got up and gently changed the way she was holding the book. He winked at her and sat down again without having said a word. She picked up the dialogue again but was painfully aware of his scrutiny. Must have had it in front of my face or something. . . . Unable to carry the story any longer, she closed the book and said, “Are you trying to make me jump out of my skin?”
“No, Juliet, just trying to get a tan.” She laughed a beat later when she caught on.
“‘But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.’ Fine words; too fine for me.” Her mouth quirked in a combination grin and grimace.
He growled. “‘Tempt not a desperate man!’” She blushed and looked at her lap, hair falling across her face. Her beauty was a topic they didn’t see eye to eye on, but both refused to budge. Suddenly he was on the bed beside her, and he tipped her chin up to kiss her lips. Her stomach did a somersault, and she blushed even harder, skin burning under his hand.
“‘You kiss by the book,’” she quipped, making him laugh.