"Still cute and still Naïve." Skippers words rang through Marlene's brain like a church bell at noon, Again and again, hitting rewind on a DVD player. She just couldn't get it out of her head, what exactly did Skipper mean cute?
She couldn't figure out what it meant, part of her wanted it to mean Skipper thought she was cute and adorable, in a more than a friend kind of way. Except a big part of her excepted it to be nothing more than it's cute as in funny.
It was purely eating her alive, and she just couldn't piece together the puzzle that lay in front of her. Skipper wouldn't be so, so open like that so it obviously meant it was just an expression. Than again, he smiled at her in a way she hadn't seen before.
It was so, charming and charismatic something he hadn't used on her before. The smile was another thing she couldn't put out of her thoughts. Everything Skipper did stuck in her brain like glue, that was it she was glue and Skipper was rubber, he bounced of anything she said and she kept anything he said.
Marlene closed her eyes trying to savage what was left of the night; she'd been awake most of the time thinking about the unclear statement Skipper had said to her.
"Ok the first time it was just 'cute and naïve,' and the second time was 'still cute and still naïve' are they Different, or the same?" Marlene groaned, her mind was clouded with thoughts and her brain couldn't take much more of the restlessness.
Marlene covered her eyes with the pillow, trying to muffle her low moan. She tried emptying her mind, and started counting sheep. Her mind drifted off and she finally fell into a peaceful slumber, Thoughts of Skipper floated to the back of her mind, ready to wake in the morning.
It seemed like only minutes passed when a small gleam of light peaked into her home, waking her uncomfortably. She let out a Groan than sighed getting up to start her day since she couldn't fall back asleep after being woken up.
Marlene hoped a cool morning swim would wake her up enough till nightfall. She jumped in head first and the water wasn't very cold, in fact it was warm. She clung to a rock that stuck out of the water, resting her head out of tiredness.
Ripples in the water clashed around her, her arms draped over the rock as her body still floated in the warm water. This isn't what she had in mind for a wake up call, rather she was feeling more tired and felt herself drifting more and more asleep with every blink.
She loosened her grip on the rock, and her eyes fell shut, she started sinking lower and lower into the water. Soon her chin dipped into the water and she struggled to stay up. Her head dunked under water as her paws slipped from the rock.
Marlene Scrambled about trying to surface again, but her attempts where useless, she was just too weak. Her mind began spinning and her air was gone, Marlene continued to scramble about and her feet scrapped the bottom of the water.
She felt something wrap around her, it was soft and strong. Marlene was being pulled upward, toward the surface. She was confused and weak, but when she hit the surface she breathed in deeply, trying to take in as much air as she could.
"Marlene, Wake up Marlene." She opened her eyes to find that Skipper was the one to save her. She blinked a few times to make sure it was really him. Coughing every now and than from the water that had slipped into her mouth during her struggle.
"You ok Marlene?" He asked helping her back onto the ground, she nodded her head weakly. She wasn't tired anymore but weak she felt dizzy. Marlene struggled to stand straight; she stumbled over a few times, leaving Skipper to put her back on balance.
He sat her on the ground, than sat in front of her. Her eyes were half closed and she swayed slightly back and forth. Skipper looked her straight in they eyes concernedly, hoping she was alright.
"What happened Marlene?" He questioned curiously, she blinked a few times than responded.
"I'm sorry for the scare Skipper just tired; I haven't gotten much sleep lately, because I've had a lot on my mind recently." She answered looking away from skipper for a brief second. Her body was shaking with fear from the drowning fright.
Skipper raised an eye at her waiting for her to explain more, Marlene stayed quiet as a mouse. She new the opportunity she had in front of her, she was just shaken up.
"Skipper, can I ask you something?" She cautiously asked, mustering up the courage to ask the meaning of Cute and Naïve. Hers eyes didn't meet his, but he still accepted.
"What did you mean when you said Cute and naïve?" Skipper smiled at her scooting over to sit beside her rather than in front of her. He took her paw in her flipper; she looked up at him shocked by his affectionate and surprising actions.
"It meant exactly as it sounded." He smiled charmingly at her like he did before, she smiled back laying a head on his shoulders.*
*Marlene opened her eyes to a glimmer of light peaking in the doorway, she looked around at her surroundings she was in bed and it was morning.
"It, it was all a dream?" She groaned laying her head back on the pillow, 'at least it was a good dream.' she thought to herself happily. She rose from her bed and started across the room to the door to look around outside at the beautiful morning.
Before she was halfway across the room, the sewer hole popped open, Skipper jumped out quickly causing Marlene to jump backwards in shock, she breathed deeply for a minute.
"Really? I have a door you can use anytime." She pointed to the door way where the light glimmered in; Skipper raised an eye and gave her a look trying to say 'Do you think I have time for a door?' She shook it off and closed the sewer hole before the stench got in.
"Came to see how your first night without that terrible roommate was." Skipper explained, Marlene smiled at him kindly.
"Great, but to tell the truth, I've had something on my mind." she smiled to herself, proud she was about to ask him about cute and naïve.
"What did you mean when you said cute and Naïve?" Her eyes wandered away from Skipper as her cheeks blushed a pink color, which was barely visible by her white fur.
"I meant that you were cute and naïve." He replied back.
"But what do you mean cute? Like it was funny and childish or?" She trailed off leaving skipper to fill in the blanks hoping her missing puzzle piece would come up. Skipper took hold of her paw, just like in her dream; she smiled hoping the rest of her dream would come true.
"I'm starting to think you don't know me that well." He laughed; Marlene laid a head on his shoulder. She really was cute and naïve.