Lightening streaked across the blackened sky, followed several
seconds later by an enormous clap of thunder. The wind picked up, and sent
a stray flier across the Girardi lawn. Seconds later, the contents of the
sky began to pour onto Arcadia.
"Well, it appears our day at the park has officially been cancelled," Luke called, running in from the porch. "I told you it would rain Joan, but you didn't want to listen..."
"Afraid of a little rain Geek Boy?" Grace retorted, not looking up from her cards.
Across the table, Joan laid down a pair of cards. "More like, he's afraid of us kicking his butt in basketball."
"I never took any of you Girardi's for the coordinated type. Do you have any nine's?"
"I resent that Grace. I'm not as PE- challenged as Luke. Go fish"
"Doing laundry put you on crutches. I'd hate to see what an actual sport might do."
"For your information, I played basketball until eighth grade. And I was good. Any jacks?"
Grace triumphantly handed over a jack, and threw down two pairs.
"You played basketball, yo? Learn something new about you everyday Jane," Adam announced as he entered the Girardi kitchen through the back door. He sat down next to Joan, leaning over to give her a kiss. Joan smiled, and blushed, before playfully pushing his soaking form away. She was still getting used to Adam kissing her in front of people.
"How cute," Grace mocked, standing up and stretching, "Now excuse me, I've got to go revisit my breakfast."
"Dude, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?"
"That's every morning Adam," Joan reminded him.
"Don't you forget it Girardi."
Adam and Joan laughed while Grace turned around and grinned before heading into the living room.
"We don't bother her half as much as she pretends."
Adam smiled at Joan's statement and leaned in for another kiss. When they broke, he brushed a stray piece of hair out of her eyes.
"Well, it looks like we're not gonna be able to spend the day at the park," Joan sighed. She began to pick up the cards and place them back in their box. Adam seized her hand and entwined it with his.
"I'm sure we can find something else to do with the day."
"I'm sure we will. But first, lunch," Joan announced, jumping up from the table and heading towards the fridge. "Luke and I made a bunch of sandwiches this morning, figuring we'd take them to the park. Since that's not gonna happen, we might as well eat them now; if they're in the fridge too long, they get all squishy and gross."
Adam chuckled at the face Joan made on the word squishy, and rose to help. She and Adam worked together in a comfortable silence, placing sandwiches on plates and getting drinks together. Adam watched, bemused, as Joan tried to balance two plates and two cups in her hands.
"What did I do to deserve you Jane?"
"Whatever it was, I'm sure it must have been really bad."
"Then I'll have to remember to do it again sometime." He leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead before grabbing the plates and heading into the living to a waiting Luke and Grace.
***
Five hours, three embarrassing baby albums, and one and a half movies later, the four teens found themselves in the middle of The Godfather: Part II. Luke and Grace sprawled across the floor, playing an endless game of SOS and occasionally elbowing each other for extra room. Joan was on the couch with Adam, curled up against his side, head resting against his chest. Both of them were wrapped in her celestial blanket. Her even breathing told him that she was asleep. He had one arm wrapped around her waist, and the other was absently playing with her hair as he stared blankly at the screen. It had been more than an hour since he had actually paid attention. Instead, he listened to the rain pounding against the pavement outside and thought about his girlfriend. Jane, His Girlfriend. He liked the sound of that.
Joan stirred in his arms, running her hand up his chest and sighing. He smiled at the pleasant return to reality, and pulled her in closer.
"I could get used to waking up like this," she murmured in a sleepy voice, "You make a pretty good pillow." Her eyes were still drowsy as she fought to open them, and Adam could not imagine her any more beautiful.
"Thanks, and I could get used to it too. I think your parents might have a problem with it though."
Joan yawned and stretched her arms a little before snuggling back into Adam's warm form. "Mmm, how long was I out? Did I miss anything good?"
"Not a thing, it's still raining pretty hard out there. And maybe an hour."
Joan ran her fingers across his knuckles, marveling at the smoothness of his skin. She loved his hands.
"Did Sleeping Beauty enjoy her rest?" Grace asked, jarring Adam and Joan out of their own world.
"Yeah, sorry guys. I've seen this movie way too many times."
"This day has officially sucked. Proven by the fact that I've been playing this dumb tic-tac-toe rip-off with Geek Boy here for an hour."
"And whose idea was it? If I recall correctly, it was yours," Luke shot back.
"Only to escape the torture of you trying to explain all of the so called 'intricacies' of this movie."
"Would you two just get over it and make out already," Joan called out as she rolled her eyes. The two glares she received told her that her comment was not welcome. The truth, yes, but not welcome. Joan sighed. They'd figure it out eventually.
"I believe you and Rove make out enough for any of us."
"Grace, please...bad mental image...I mean...she's my sister..." Luke protested, giving Adam a slight glare.
"Whatever...I'm outta here," Grace announced, pushing herself up from the floor. "But tomorrow, basketball. I've gotta see Girardi in action."
"Fine, but you don't know what you're getting yourself into," Joan warned.
Grace grabbed her jacket, and made a run for her house. Luke turned off the movie and wandered upstairs for some computer work, leaving Adam and Joan alone in the living room.
"So you really played basketball?"
"I did. And I was pretty good too."
"My girlfriend's an athlete, yo. Sure you still want to date me? I'm no wrestler."
Joan pretended to think for a moment, "Hmm...now that you mention it..." but Adam cut her off with a kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist. Joan lay back on the couch, pulling Adam with her, and deepened the kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair, losing herself in his touch. When they finally broke for air, Adam pulled her back up to sitting position.
"On second thought...maybe I'll keep you around for awhile," she announced, "I don't think Dax Hibbings could ever kiss me quite like that..."
"Well, it appears our day at the park has officially been cancelled," Luke called, running in from the porch. "I told you it would rain Joan, but you didn't want to listen..."
"Afraid of a little rain Geek Boy?" Grace retorted, not looking up from her cards.
Across the table, Joan laid down a pair of cards. "More like, he's afraid of us kicking his butt in basketball."
"I never took any of you Girardi's for the coordinated type. Do you have any nine's?"
"I resent that Grace. I'm not as PE- challenged as Luke. Go fish"
"Doing laundry put you on crutches. I'd hate to see what an actual sport might do."
"For your information, I played basketball until eighth grade. And I was good. Any jacks?"
Grace triumphantly handed over a jack, and threw down two pairs.
"You played basketball, yo? Learn something new about you everyday Jane," Adam announced as he entered the Girardi kitchen through the back door. He sat down next to Joan, leaning over to give her a kiss. Joan smiled, and blushed, before playfully pushing his soaking form away. She was still getting used to Adam kissing her in front of people.
"How cute," Grace mocked, standing up and stretching, "Now excuse me, I've got to go revisit my breakfast."
"Dude, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?"
"That's every morning Adam," Joan reminded him.
"Don't you forget it Girardi."
Adam and Joan laughed while Grace turned around and grinned before heading into the living room.
"We don't bother her half as much as she pretends."
Adam smiled at Joan's statement and leaned in for another kiss. When they broke, he brushed a stray piece of hair out of her eyes.
"Well, it looks like we're not gonna be able to spend the day at the park," Joan sighed. She began to pick up the cards and place them back in their box. Adam seized her hand and entwined it with his.
"I'm sure we can find something else to do with the day."
"I'm sure we will. But first, lunch," Joan announced, jumping up from the table and heading towards the fridge. "Luke and I made a bunch of sandwiches this morning, figuring we'd take them to the park. Since that's not gonna happen, we might as well eat them now; if they're in the fridge too long, they get all squishy and gross."
Adam chuckled at the face Joan made on the word squishy, and rose to help. She and Adam worked together in a comfortable silence, placing sandwiches on plates and getting drinks together. Adam watched, bemused, as Joan tried to balance two plates and two cups in her hands.
"What did I do to deserve you Jane?"
"Whatever it was, I'm sure it must have been really bad."
"Then I'll have to remember to do it again sometime." He leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead before grabbing the plates and heading into the living to a waiting Luke and Grace.
***
Five hours, three embarrassing baby albums, and one and a half movies later, the four teens found themselves in the middle of The Godfather: Part II. Luke and Grace sprawled across the floor, playing an endless game of SOS and occasionally elbowing each other for extra room. Joan was on the couch with Adam, curled up against his side, head resting against his chest. Both of them were wrapped in her celestial blanket. Her even breathing told him that she was asleep. He had one arm wrapped around her waist, and the other was absently playing with her hair as he stared blankly at the screen. It had been more than an hour since he had actually paid attention. Instead, he listened to the rain pounding against the pavement outside and thought about his girlfriend. Jane, His Girlfriend. He liked the sound of that.
Joan stirred in his arms, running her hand up his chest and sighing. He smiled at the pleasant return to reality, and pulled her in closer.
"I could get used to waking up like this," she murmured in a sleepy voice, "You make a pretty good pillow." Her eyes were still drowsy as she fought to open them, and Adam could not imagine her any more beautiful.
"Thanks, and I could get used to it too. I think your parents might have a problem with it though."
Joan yawned and stretched her arms a little before snuggling back into Adam's warm form. "Mmm, how long was I out? Did I miss anything good?"
"Not a thing, it's still raining pretty hard out there. And maybe an hour."
Joan ran her fingers across his knuckles, marveling at the smoothness of his skin. She loved his hands.
"Did Sleeping Beauty enjoy her rest?" Grace asked, jarring Adam and Joan out of their own world.
"Yeah, sorry guys. I've seen this movie way too many times."
"This day has officially sucked. Proven by the fact that I've been playing this dumb tic-tac-toe rip-off with Geek Boy here for an hour."
"And whose idea was it? If I recall correctly, it was yours," Luke shot back.
"Only to escape the torture of you trying to explain all of the so called 'intricacies' of this movie."
"Would you two just get over it and make out already," Joan called out as she rolled her eyes. The two glares she received told her that her comment was not welcome. The truth, yes, but not welcome. Joan sighed. They'd figure it out eventually.
"I believe you and Rove make out enough for any of us."
"Grace, please...bad mental image...I mean...she's my sister..." Luke protested, giving Adam a slight glare.
"Whatever...I'm outta here," Grace announced, pushing herself up from the floor. "But tomorrow, basketball. I've gotta see Girardi in action."
"Fine, but you don't know what you're getting yourself into," Joan warned.
Grace grabbed her jacket, and made a run for her house. Luke turned off the movie and wandered upstairs for some computer work, leaving Adam and Joan alone in the living room.
"So you really played basketball?"
"I did. And I was pretty good too."
"My girlfriend's an athlete, yo. Sure you still want to date me? I'm no wrestler."
Joan pretended to think for a moment, "Hmm...now that you mention it..." but Adam cut her off with a kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist. Joan lay back on the couch, pulling Adam with her, and deepened the kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair, losing herself in his touch. When they finally broke for air, Adam pulled her back up to sitting position.
"On second thought...maybe I'll keep you around for awhile," she announced, "I don't think Dax Hibbings could ever kiss me quite like that..."