Fantasy

I do not own the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. I've never met him (although I do think he's cute). This is just something I whipped up for fun.

"My next guest tonight is a new author. Her book 'Falling' will be in bookstores tomorrow. Please welcome Kinzie Nevan." Craig Ferguson said to the camera and the studio audience.

Backstage Kinzie heard her name. She was nervous and excited. She squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, ordered her stomach--which had a tendency to misbehave when she was nervous--to behave itself and walked out on stage.

Craig greeted her with a hug and a kiss and her stomach jumped. She had crushed on the dark haired, blue-eyed late night talk show host since he had began hosting that show and he had just kissed her. Focus. She ordered herself.

He led her to the chairs and beckoned her to have a seat, and while in the space of time it took them both to get seated comfortably he looked her over.

She had medium-light brown hair, brown eyes, and she wore little make-up. Her cheeks were naturally pink and on her lips was just a bit of sheer, reddish gloss. Kinzie was not thin, nor was she obese. She was well shaped with curves that filled out the nicely fitted denim skirt and lacy top she wore in a pleasing manner.

Her hair was loose, held from her face with a blue velvet headband, and she wore little silver hoop earrings with wee rocking chair charms hanging from them.

"Welcome, Kinzie!" Craig said warmly once they had both gotten comfortable. "How are you? You look lovely."

She had crossed her legs the ankles and she angled her body to look at him. "I'm okay. Nervous. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Why are you nervous? You don't have to be nervous here."

"Well, when I was a teenager I couldn't talk to good-looking guys, and I've watched your show since you started hosting partly because I thought you were handsome. So…"

Craig looked at her, at the camera, and then back to Kinzie. "Were?" He asked with mock seriousness.

She ducked her head. "Are."

"Thank you. You look lovely, may I…?" He gestured to her earrings.

She smiled evilly and yanked the one closest to him off. He grimaced. "Careful there!"

She handed him the earring and yanked the other off as well. "I don't have pierced ears. I love doing that to people. The look you got there was priceless. They're springs, you see?"

"Oh yeah. Good lord, I didn't know what you were doing for a minutes there. I like the rocking chairs."

"I found the chairs at this liquidator my mom and I went to when I was little. I was about sixteen when I saw them and thought, wouldn't they be cute on my silver hoops."

"How old are you now? Sorry, I know you're not supposed to as a lady's age but…"

"I'm twenty-two."

"You must like those earrings."

"My favorite pair." She put one back on, and when she was ready he handed her the other. "Are they even?" She asked him.

"Yeah. Hey, why don't you have pierced ears?"

"I'm the world's biggest wimp. No tattoos, no piercings. I've managed to accumulate a few scars but I don't go looking for marks.

"Say, why don't you wear your earring anymore? I saw the show where you had trouble getting it back in." She continued.

"You remember that?"

Kinzie nodded.

"I don't know. I'm a corporate lacky and they don't really care for the earring. Not only that, I'm forty-nine years old. Kind of pitiful for an old geezer to have an earring isn't it?"

"Not if it looks good."

"So you're a wimp? What else are you afraid of?"

"Do I want to say?"

"Sure. Nobody here's going to use it against you. Are you?" He asked the crowd.

"No." A few people called back.

"Okay, well, I'm terrified of bears, when I as a little girl one stood up outside my bedroom window and thought I looked kind of tasty. I have nightmares with bears as a main character.

"Unsolved murders creep me out too." She stopped and grinned. "Of course, I'm talking to a serial killer right now. What's the dead hobo count up to now?"

Craig looked at her for a moment before he started to laugh. "Remember that joke too, do you."

"I have things like that stored up here so I can think about them and have a laugh when I need one." Kinzie said confidently.

"Well let's talk about your book. It was good. I did read it."

"That's nice. It isn't really a guy's book but I'm glad you liked it."

"How long have you been writing?"

"I started writing when I was ten. I actually have a notebook and a pen backstage. I always have one with me. Then I type it up when it's finished."

"You wrote all this by hand?"

"Yeah. I enjoy it. I'm working on another now."

"Really. Well you'll have to come back when that one is coming out."

"I'd like that."

"We're out of time. Thank you, Kinzie." He picked up her book and showed the front to the camera again. "'Falling', everybody. Get it tomorrow. Miss Kinzie Nevan!"

The End