all the unspokens
were throwing her off.
Far off.
-+-
Concentrating fiercely, nearly sticking her tongue between her teeth, giving non-committal nods and grunts in response to the clingy chatterbox at her elbow, she nearly jumped when he suddenly appeared, drink and jacket in hand.
He said his farewells to the bubbly blonde, then turned to her, reaching out for a hug as well. He didn’t speak, and barely touched her, but somehow she felt every moment.
-+-
She caught movement out of the corner of her eye, and glanced up to see him approaching her. She couldn’t stop the genuine smile of greeting from spreading across her face. ”Why are you back?” She hated how soft her voice sounded, and bit her lip, refusing to speak anymore.
He stretched out a hand and traced it slowly down her back, saying quietly, “To see your pretty face.”
Her ears instantly turned scarlet, and she refused to look at him as he continued walking by. She never listened to such lines, so why should she care about this one? Why couldn’t she keep the idiotic grin off of her face?
-+-
She glanced up in mid-sentence to see him walking away, and fought the feeling of disappointment that began to surface. She’d succeeded in pushing him away, so why did she feel let down? She turned back to the people she’d been speaking to, turning up the wattage of her fake, I’m-so-interested smile, and continued with her casual, off-the-cuff, prepared speech.
As she finished, she glanced up to see him standing several feet away, staring directly at her. She was annoyed to feel her heart give a fickle double-tap, and tried to ignore the fact that she was happy that he’d apparently waited to say goodbye to her. She raised an eyebrow at him, aware that she couldn’t simply leave the people she’d been speaking with, and waited to see what he needed.
Instead, his gaze lowered, and he let his eyes wander slowly down her body then back up in a very exaggerated display of male approval. She felt the tips of her ears burning. Why was he doing this? He didn’t have anything further to prove, so why was he still acting vaguely interested?
His gaze met hers again, and she felt the blush streak from her ears, down her neck and all the way to her toes in reaction to his intense, heavy-lidded expression.
If he was faking it, she was certainly fooled.
She managed to flash him an impish grin, at which he finally gave a small, quiet smile in return, and walked away.
She refused to think about the fact that she wouldn’t see him for the next few days.
-+-
Her heart leapt into her throat, pounding relentlessly, as she caught sight of him from the corner of her eye. She kept walking, forcing her hands to keep from trembling.
Why did he have such a powerful hold over her?
-+-
She crouched, adjusting the position of a few objects as she continued talking to her “customer.” She glanced up just in time to see him walking past, casting a curious glance over at the visitor in her department. He then looked down at her, and deliberately winked. She began to frown at him in response, but her mouth unwillingly pulled into a slow, satisfied smile. As he walked away, she could hear the baritone of his chuckle floating back to her.
Pink elephants and serious conversations
She looked up as the door opened again, expecting another couple to exit with their farewells. To her surprise, he emerged, holding two steaming mugs, attempting to wrestle the door closed with minimal spillage. She watched for a few moments, waiting, then he sighed and held out a mug without looking at her. She took it without a word, drinking as he pulled the door shut and sat on the stoop beside her, nursing his own beverage.
They sat in silence for a few moments, then he broke it. ”Too dull indoors, or do you just enjoy frostbite?”
She looked down, realizing slowly that she couldn’t feel her toes any longer. ”I forgot that I wasn’t wearing shoes.”
He nodded, taking another sip, and waited.
She sighed. ”You need to promise to relax and not run screaming.”
He looked surprised. ”As long as you don’t pull out a rusty knife, I think we’re good.”
She took a deep breath, then it all came spilling out, words tumbling over others in a rush to emerge into the real world. ”I… can’t be serious around you. It’s not that I don’t want to be, but simply that it is a very bad idea. In fact, I need to avoid you.” She waited, watching him from the corner of her eye for any sign of a reaction.
He took another drink, then looked down at his mug. ”Well, when you finished our conversation then practically ran from the room, I figured something was up.”
This was it. Now or never. She set down her mug and angled her body to face him slightly. ”You are a Good Man. You’re witty and smart and wickedly funny, and I see the deeper, more serious parts that you try to hide, too. I feel drawn to your soul, almost compelled to be near you, and that scares me more than a little bit, especially given–” she waved her hand, alluding to their earlier exchange, “everything. It’s not a good idea for me to talk to you, yet when we do I find myself truly enjoying the banter. You keep me on my toes, which is rare among my acquaintances,” she finished with a laugh.
He still stared down at his drink, his mouth unmoving, but his eyes crinkled for a moment.
She shrugged. ”Don’t say anything, don’t try to make me feel better because I don’t feel sad or embarrassed or awkward. I only wanted to tell you because I can only dance around for so long.” She waited a beat. ”And I might’ve overindulged on the egg nog.” Another beat. ”And I told myself that if by some miracle you came out here, I’d be honest with you whether you wanted to hear it or not.”
He finally looked at her, face impassive. ”Well. Thanks for your honesty.”
She grinned. ”Hey, who doesn’t want to hear that they’re compelling? Even though it’s a dead end road,” she finished quietly.
Something flashed across his face, faster than she could identify. ”Dead end? Are you sure you don’t have that knife around here?”
She laughed out loud and bumped his shoulder with her own. ”You know what I mean.”
He finally grinned in return.
She stood, brushing off invisible dirt. ”Well. I need to go drink a lot more. I promised Jessica that I would keep up with her, and she’s really slamming them back.”
He stood, and picked up their empty mugs. ”Oh, one quick thing.”
She looked up at him, realizing suddenly that he stood so close she could feel his body heat, and she forced her automatic hum of approval into a question. ”Mmm?”
“I agree.” His voice sounded gravelly. ”We should stay far apart and keep the banter shallow and witty.” Was he leaning closer?
She swallowed. ”Of course, shallow and witty is my natural state, so that won’t be too difficult for me.” He was telling her to keep away from him. She curled her fingers into fists to keep from reaching out to touch him.
His mouth quirked up in a grin, then suddenly he asked quietly, “Why are you with him?”
She blinked at his sudden desire to confront the elephant in the room. ”Uhm. What?”
He made an impatient gesture, his eyes intent. ”If we’re not going to have a serious conversation after this, then I’m going to ask my deep burning questions now.”
“Well…” she shrugged. ”He loves me. He knows me. He’ll be a good father, good husband. If I don’t have the fireworks and the fiery passionate craziness, that just means I’m a grown-up now, right?” She looked down at her fingers, twisting and clenching over one another.
“So he’s safe.” His voice was flat, a low monotone.
Her head snapped up, eyes angry. ”And?”
“And it’s a copout and you know it! You’re choosing the safe, steady path because you’re too afraid to risk anything, but the whole point of loving someone is that you risk everything, every day, all for that person who makes you so crazy with love and fear and anger that you’re dizzy every time you look at them, and they’re so irresistible to you that you’re practically ‘compelled’ to seek them out using the flimsiest of excuses just so you can be near them for a few blessed hours before parting ways again until the next time.” His voice had steadily risen until he was shouting, hands stabbing the air to make his point.
Her mouth hung open in shock. ”How dare you!”
He suddenly dropped the mugs on the lawn, grabbed her upper arms and yanked her to him, kissing her hard on the mouth and releasing her just as suddenly. ”Stay away from me!” he shouted, and turned to go inside.
She reached out to pull him back, whether to shake him or slap him was undecided, but he turned back and slid his arms around her just as she flung her arms around his neck, and their mouths fused in a desperate kiss, full of anger and longing and frustration and pent-up desire.
When he finally released her, there were tears on her cheeks. He gently touched her jaw with the back of his hand, and said quietly, “Go back inside, you’ll freeze out here.”
Her lips parted for a moment, and she hesitated, about to speak. But he bent down to pick up the forgotten mugs, and she relented, stumbling back inside the house, head whirling.
Forgive Me, by Leona Lewis
She slammed the shot back and put the lime in her mouth, sucking hard to keep the shudder at bay. She normally hated tequila, but tonight was an exception. It was either get drunk, or call her best friend for the eighth time after finding him in bed with another girl, and she knew she didn’t want that on top of everything else. She’d only get a chorus of “I told you so” and “When are you going to leave him?”
For the thousandth time she wondered why she stayed with him. He didn’t care about her, that much she knew. He’d strayed numerous times, but she hadn’t ended it because she held on due to some form of misguided loyalty.
Suddenly her eye caught a stare. Tall, Dark and Handsome was standing at the other end of the bar, watching her thoughtfully as she called out for another shot. She turned back to watch the bartender pour her sixth… eighth… shot of tequila, but spicy cologne interfered before she could throw it back. He was leaning against the bar beside her, a faint frown on his face. “Are you sure you want to do that?” he asked quietly.
She felt irked. She’d been just about ready to stop, but now that he said that, she was determined. Raising a brow at him, she grabbed his hand, licked it, and shook some salt onto him. He didn’t move, and she thought he might’ve been holding his breath. She raised his hand to her mouth, licked the salt off in a smooth swipe, slammed the shot back, then grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him down to meet her mouth.
As his lips closed over hers, she spared a thought for the cheating bastard. I’m not sorry, baby.
Shiver, by Coldplay
She sighed, and turned away. He was gesturing animatedly to his friends, pretending that he didn’t see her once again.
She didn’t mind; they had an unspoken agreement. They didn’t acknowledge one another when in certain social circles. Their relationship was too complicated to explain, anyway.
He’d be knocking at her door soon enough, anyway, with his rougish grin, pizza, and a six-pack. He craved her company as much as she loved his. They spent hours with one another, often falling asleep at one another’s apartments.
She tried not to think about the eventual complications that would arise… although they did not talk about their connection, it was inevitable that they would cross the line eventually. She didn’t know what would happen then, and occasionally she’d worry about the change that would occur. Would it be for the better?
It was only a matter of time. She was already half-way in love with him, and she knew that while it would take him several beers to admit it, she was his favorite person as well. She’d wait for him to gain the maturity to admit it to himself.
She’d wait for him.
Song challenge
I don’t know if you have heard of this, but there’s a fun exercise going around and I thought I’d try my hand at a few. The challenge is this:
Put your iTunes on shuffle, and write a drabble based on each of the first five songs that play. Don’t linger when the song is over, this is an exercise.
It’s difficult to get the rhythm of writing for only 3-4 minutes, but it’s certainly lots of fun to take a song and let it flow through you. I typically hate songfics because a) they seem so immature and b) the author usually inserts the lyrics into their writing, breaking up the flow of the story. Therefore, while these, I suppose, could be considered songfics, I only list the title of the song at the beginning. The story can speak for itself. (I’m such a snob sometimes.)
Sometimes I write from my past experiences, sometimes I create nameless characters, and other times I’ll use characters that we already know. It’s fun to switch it up. I’ll be posting my results under the “Challenge” category, with the song title as the name of the piece. They’re really just exercises but they’re fun to share.
Try it for yourself and let me know what you think! :)
sparks
He grinned down at her, eyes crinkling in that undeniably warm way, simply sharing the joy of life. Suddenly, the room seemed too small, and her cheeks felt hot. As she stared up at him, she was seized by a mad desire, and decided to follow through before she chickened out.
“Hold on, there’s something I’ve always wanted to do.” The unspoken before it’s too late hung in the air.
She stepped closer, breathing in. His cologne was subtle, a strong undertone of masculinity. He stood motionless, just watching her, his grin fading into an unreadable expression. Surely he could sense her intentions. He’d back away if he wasn’t interested, if he wasn’t as curious as she.
Holding her breath, she lifted her hands up to his neck, slowly, so slowly. Still he didn’t move, his gaze heavy-lidded.
“I, uh, hope you don’t mind.” Because it’s kept me awake at night, and I hope to God that you’ve been wondering, too.
Raising her mouth to his, she pressed her lips against his softly, savoring each sensation. His mouth was cold from the drink, but his skin was warm. Goosebumps shivered up her arm. His arms hung loosely by his side, but did he tilt his head ever-so-slightly to help the angle?
Fueled by her mad dash off the cliff, her new mantra cycling through her head, now or never, she opened her lips slightly and slipped her tongue through.
Suddenly, he was pushing her against the wall, kissing her back so hard that she couldn’t breathe. His arms were tight around her, pulling her into him and his body was hard against hers, pressing her through the wall, as she met him kiss-for-kiss. His tongue was cold at first from the ice cube he’d been crunching, but his mouth was hot against hers as he stole her breath and her train of thought. Feeling playful, she spun them so that he was the one pushed against the wall, and she was falling into him, and he laughed before he fused her mouth to his once more.
A loud crack outside and resulting laughter suddenly brought them back to the present, and they eased apart slowly. She took a shaky breath, her hand against his chest, forehead pressed against his cheek. She touched his shoulder, lightly, with her fingers.
“Well. Now I know.”
She nodded once, then stepped slightly, reluctantly, away from him.
He followed her ever so slightly with his body, head still quite close to hers, his breathing just as unsteady. He swallowed hard, then: “Don’t go.” The only words he’d spoken since before.
Unable to resist, she allowed him to catch her mouth again, kissing him until she couldn’t remember her name. He bit her lip gently and she shuddered, letting out a nearly inaudible moan. His hands stroked down her back and she melted against him helplessly.
Can open.
Worms everywhere.
Moments
He leaned over, brushing the back of my hand in a smooth motion.
And with that movement, my soul shivered to life.
conversations
The sound of a voice rumbling through the phone lines shouldn’t send such heat curling through my body. Yet it does, distractingly so. I suddenly realized that he’d said something, and sifted through the echos in my mind to find the question.
“No, I’ll be fine,” I finally answered, realizing that the topic had shifted back to our earlier conversation. ”I’m sure he won’t come back since I borrowed Lola.” I reached down and patted the massive body at my feet affectionately. Ears pricking up at her name, she grinned and rolled over, paws in the air, tail thumping on the ground.
“If you’re sure…” He still sounded uncertain. I tried to quell the thrills that ran through me at his protective streak.
“I’m certain. I might take you up on the offer another time, though,” I warned teasingly.
Blurb in 50
He towered over me, mouth quirking in a grin. ”I’ve never met a girl who just likes to be touched*.”
I stood, smiling, and held out my hand. ”Nice to meet you.”
His hand curled warmly around mine, sparks shooting up my elbow as his eyes crinkled with shared laughter and promises.
*(”love language.” as opposed to “buying stuff,” etc.)
