"Hey!" Patrick yelled down the hallway at the brunette that was making her way through the crowded halls of Padua High. Normally, Patrick Verona yelling at someone was cause for concern, but not when it involved Kat Stratford. Kat turned, recognizing the deep baritone, a tired smile gracing her features.
"I was wondering where you've been," Kat began as Patrick approached her, "You've kinda disappeared off the face of the earth,"
"Oh yea, personal days, had to, sort out some stuff," he replied, an enigmatic expression on his face.
"Really? What kind of stuff?" she probed, leaning in closer towards his body.
"Nothing you need to worry about," he answered just as teasingly. As they turned the corner, Patrick asked, "So do you wanna hang out tonight?" Kat quickly glanced up at him, and back down at the ground, sighing.
"I can't tonight, I have, stuff to do," she finished slowly, Patrick turned to her questioningly.
"What kind of stuff?" he replied tauntingly, elbowing her arm,
"None of your business," she snapped, quickly regretting the tone of her voice, she didn't want anyone, especially Patrick Verona, to know of her plans tonight.
"Hey, if this is about the whole 'date' thing, I told you, it's too much labeling for my tastes, I mean, I thought you knew when you got involved?" Patrick stated sternly, annoyance flashing through his dark eyes.
"God, no, wake up Verona, my life doesn't always revolve around you! This isn't the 1800's, women have lives too!" Kat said back, her voice rising with frustration. Patrick glared at her, trying to ignore how adorable he thought she looked when riled up.
"You know what? I don't even wanna know, I just thought I'd ask if you wanted to hang, but I guess not, I'll see you around kay?" he retorted, turning on his heel and sauntering away, pretending like fighting with Kat didn't bug him. Kat rolled her eyes, shifting her bag on her shoulder, preparing to make it through one of the worst days of the year.
Kat was lying on her stomach on top of her bed later that night, slowly turning the pages of her book, her eyes not really seeing the words flowing across the paper. She sighed as her index finger carefully lifted the corner of a page, and as she turned it over a small knock echoed throughout the room. She turned over quickly, and saw Patrick standing at the window of her room. He motioned if he could come in, and Kat nodded slowly. As Patrick pulled up the window and slid into room, Kat turned back to her book.
"Good book?" asked Patrick nonchalantly, walking towards the bed, motioning towards the novel lying beside Kat.
"Yes, I'd recommend it, it's called the Feminine Mystique," she answered monotonously, turning the page again. Patrick walked over and sat on the edge of her bed, not sure what to say next, an uncomfortable territory for him.
"So, are we good?" he said, blurting out the first thing that came to his mind, not quite sure if that was the right thing to say in this situation. Kat glanced at him over her shoulder, and sat up facing him.
"Today just wasn't a good day, for me," Kat stated bluntly, staring at a loose thread on her duvet. She wasn't sure if she should say anything more, knowing Patrick's tendency to bolt when things get difficult. But when Kat looked up at Patrick, the look of uncertainty and concern on his face convinced her to continue, "Today, well today's the anniversary of my mom's death," she mumbled, looking down at the loose thread again.
"Oh," was the only response that came out of Patrick's mouth, he continued to watch her, admiring the way how even when she was upset, she was still more beautiful than any other girl he knew.
"Yea, I mean, she was just, she was just a really amazing person, you know?" Kat explained quickly, trying to keep the lump in her throat and the tears in her eyes from rising to the surface.
"I know," stated Patrick firmly, willing Kat to look up at his face, which she did in surprise and confusion, "She must've been, she raised you," he finished smiling slightly. Kat's face broke into a smile, and she glanced down,
"Well yeah, I mean, I guess 'amazingness' can be inheritable," she said, the smile growing further across her face, looking back into his eyes.
"Oh you misunderstood, I meant she must've been amazing to have been able to handle you," Patrick said teasingly, leaning in closer towards her.
"Oh I'm sorry, I thought for once you were being considerate," Kat shot back, her eyes twinkling like the usually did during their bantering. Patrick smiled bigger and said,
"Being considerate is not really a forte of mine, sorry," noticing the way their bodies instinctively leant towards one another during moments like these.
"Hmmm," Kat murmured, leaning even closer, "Maybe you should work on that," her eyes flicking down to Patrick's mouth.
"Yea, that may be a good idea, how else am I going to get a second date?" he ended in a whisperer, his head tilting towards Kat's.
"Well…" Kat started before being cut off by Patrick's lips on hers, kissing her sweetly before pulling back slightly. He reached up and tucked a loose strand of her hair back behind her ear, admiring the silkiness of it, something that continued to fascinate him.
"That may be a start," Kat whispered, leaning in again for another kiss. A few minutes later, Patrick pulled away.
"Maybe I should go before your Dad walks in and finds me here," he said, glancing at the clock.
"No it's cool, he's got the graveyard shift at the hospital," Kat said as she lent towards him again.
"I should go anyways; don't you have rules about sleeping hours?" Patrick teased, getting up off the bed.
"Eh, I'm flexible," Kat said suggestively, grabbing his hand before he turned away from her. Patrick turned his head smiling, one eyebrow raised, and eagerness present in his eyes.
"Not that flexible," Kat clarified, smiling, "Could you maybe just stay for a while, until I fall asleep, we could just talk, and stuff?" she finished uncertainly. Patrick shrugged and got back on the bed, propping his hands behind his head on her headboard, he smiled at her with his eyebrows raised. Kat smiled back, and lied down next to him.
"So, tell me about your mom," Patrick asked, turning towards Kat, who in turn, turned and propped her head up on her arm.
"Well," Kat began smiling, "One time, when I was eight, she took me to the zoo back in Ohio, not to see the animals of course, but to protest against animal cruelty," Kat rambled on, her eyes lighting up at the memory of her first real participation in a protest. Patrick's smile grew wider, as he continued to listen to the one girl he'd stay the night for.