Emancipation
Eight o'clock brought rough pangs of hunger straight to Rory's stomach, and its color and noise conveyed more of an effective waking-up than the practical old brass alarm clock ticking futilely on the floor next to the bed.
"Dawkins," she growled into Jess' ear, making him moan and shift underneath the light cotton sheets. "Dawkins, go pocket me some coffee beans."
She bit his earlobe playfully, but not so forceful as to wake him from his half-slumber. In a moment, Jess rolled onto his back and opened one eye, watching her in an ersatz suspicious way.
"Young Oliver," he groaned hoarsely, "you were once so green. Now you demand of me the finest of London's pockets..." He leaned up with all of his morning strength and pecked her nose, making her giggle. He loved her fresh laughter, so smooth and soft for dawn.
1/2 Hour Later
"Coffee pot is officially broken. Oh, my dear friend. How I will miss you, Chocky." Rory stared longingly at the black pot, no coffee inside. The bright green light that was supposed to signify the pot's being on was going haywire, blinking rapidly and then slowing down and making an erratic beeping noise.
Jess looked up from the Saturday morning paper, his dry lips smarting from orange juice. "Chocky?" he asked skeptically.
Rory glared at him playfully. "Yes, as in Chock Full Of Nuts." As if on cue, she began to absentmindedly hum the theme song, pawing uselessly at the variety of buttons on the broken machine. In a moment's time, she was now adding words. "Chock Full Of Nuts is that heavenly coffee, heavenly coffee, heavenly coffee..."
Jess closed up the paper and lay it on the counter, then drained his glass. "I am going to get you coffee." He grabbed for his keys off the front table.
"Why Dawkins, how sweet! After all, only you and I know that a dearth of caffeine in my system will only cause me to go insane. I will be sent to Shadybrook Mental Institution! Just like those crazy old birds on soap operas! They just put you in a straitjacket and send you away! Dawkins, hurry! Get me my happy elixer!"
Rory's voice sang down the hall. Jess smiled widely, even though she couldn't see.
As he went to get a sweatshirt from the coat closet, she bounded up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Thank you, John," she whispered into his ear, kissing underneath it and making him shiver a moment. He turned his head, planting a kiss softly in her hair, and opened the door as she reluctantly let him go.
As he walked down the street, searching for some sort of coffee shop, Jess inhaled the warm, lazy air alive with a plethera of city smells. He smelled Indian food, gasoline, roasted peanuts, windowbox flowers, and the sharpness of air conditioner atmosphere. As he crossed the street, nearly hit by a reckless nine o'clock taxi, the overpowering scent of coffeebeans filled his nose. He found it's source- Bookers Coffee.
Inside, it was cooler than the humid air of early summer and the walls were lined with bookshelves crammed with torn-up, ancient paperbacks. Jess stopped in the doorway, his eyes growing wide. He spotted a thick copy of Pride and Prejudice and knew he had hit the jackpot.
"Can I help you?" asked an old man at the counter in a blue collared shirt. Jess snapped out of his wonderment and turned, clearing his throat.
"Yeah, uh, can I have..." he scanned the chalkboard over the counter. "Can I have an extra-large coffee to go? Just black, please." The man nodded and Jess walked, as if in a daze, down the aisles. At the back of one row of shelves was a large green velour chair.
Again, the kindly man's voice snapped him out of his stupor. "Young man?"
"Oh, uh..." Jess turned and went back to the counter, fishing in his pockets for some change. He pulled out three dollars worth in dirty quarters and pushed them across the counter. Spotting a tip jar, he threw in two more quarters and took the styrofoam cup. "Thanks."
Jess' excitement built as he made his way back to the apartment. But once inside the over-air conditioned apartment building, the cold filtered air numbed up his insides and he calmed down, fading back into his James Dean persona.
He opened the door to see Rory waiting nervously in the kitchen, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.
"Coffee, anyone?" he called huskily, holding it out. Rory jumped at the sound of his voice.
"Oh, John Dawkins, you are my savior! Ah," she moaned, grasping the warm cup and pulling off the lid. "The elixer of life." Jess smirked and sat a kitchen stool, watching her inhale the coffee as readily and eagerly as oxygen.
Rory drained the cup in ten minutes and set it down triumphantly with a 'smack' on the counter. She licked her lips, and Jess moved closer. She exhaled the warm, pungent smell of coffee beans around his mouth, and he closed his eyes and sucked on her top lip, catching her off guard. After a moment, he pulled back and stared at her intently.
"What?" she asked, cocking her head.
"Got any plans?" he asked, pushing his fingers through her hair like a comb.
"No. Whatcha got up your sleeve, Houdini?" she asked playfully, toying with his hair and running it between her slender fingers.
"The sole reason we have moved here. Come with me," he said, pulling her hands from his hair and standing up. She followed him. He opened the coat closet door and yanked out another hooded sweatshirt for her, and she pushed her feet into yellow shower flipflops.
"I'm excited! Is it Indian food? If it is, I'm going to be so happy, I will buy the whole place and feed all the hungry children of the world!" Rory leaned against his shoulder as he locked the apartment door.
"Hold your horses, Ghandi," he smirked, putting an arm around her and shoving the keys into his pocket. "That's not the half of it." Rory squealed.
Ten minutes later
"Jess..." breathed Rory, staring in awe. She stood in front of the rows of bookshelves, her eyes not moving from the rows and rows of classics, pages soft and furled like feathers and covers worn and old.
"The lady likes it. Huh," Jess simpered, tickling her side. She leaned the opposite way, swatting at him absentmindedly.
"I'm speechless, I...they, they are books..." she pointed, "and that..." she turned and pointed at the counter in the front, "that is coffee...and they are together...same place...books...just read...read coffee books..." she stopped to catch her breath.
"Rambling," Jess muttered. Rory's ears perked up.
"Sorry," she apologized. "But oh my God, Jess, this is like- this is my heaven." A smile slowly broke out onto her face, and she turned and took his hand. "Come on, let's go read! Oh, wait." She fished in her pocket for something and retreived a five-dollar bill. "Get me coffee." She turned, her almost-dry hair flapping, and began to walk in awe down the rows, pausing every so often to pull out a book and read the back cover.
Jess watched as she discovered the green velour chair, and fell slowly into it with The Pickwick Papers.
"Her emancipation," he thought, before walking to the counter.
A/N: please read and review! I appreciate it so much and will try to respond to as many as I can. I hope you guys are liking the story so far. If you have any ideas, just let me know. I'll be updating frequently, maybe once a week or more. So let me know what you think!!! M.M.
Eight o'clock brought rough pangs of hunger straight to Rory's stomach, and its color and noise conveyed more of an effective waking-up than the practical old brass alarm clock ticking futilely on the floor next to the bed.
"Dawkins," she growled into Jess' ear, making him moan and shift underneath the light cotton sheets. "Dawkins, go pocket me some coffee beans."
She bit his earlobe playfully, but not so forceful as to wake him from his half-slumber. In a moment, Jess rolled onto his back and opened one eye, watching her in an ersatz suspicious way.
"Young Oliver," he groaned hoarsely, "you were once so green. Now you demand of me the finest of London's pockets..." He leaned up with all of his morning strength and pecked her nose, making her giggle. He loved her fresh laughter, so smooth and soft for dawn.
1/2 Hour Later
"Coffee pot is officially broken. Oh, my dear friend. How I will miss you, Chocky." Rory stared longingly at the black pot, no coffee inside. The bright green light that was supposed to signify the pot's being on was going haywire, blinking rapidly and then slowing down and making an erratic beeping noise.
Jess looked up from the Saturday morning paper, his dry lips smarting from orange juice. "Chocky?" he asked skeptically.
Rory glared at him playfully. "Yes, as in Chock Full Of Nuts." As if on cue, she began to absentmindedly hum the theme song, pawing uselessly at the variety of buttons on the broken machine. In a moment's time, she was now adding words. "Chock Full Of Nuts is that heavenly coffee, heavenly coffee, heavenly coffee..."
Jess closed up the paper and lay it on the counter, then drained his glass. "I am going to get you coffee." He grabbed for his keys off the front table.
"Why Dawkins, how sweet! After all, only you and I know that a dearth of caffeine in my system will only cause me to go insane. I will be sent to Shadybrook Mental Institution! Just like those crazy old birds on soap operas! They just put you in a straitjacket and send you away! Dawkins, hurry! Get me my happy elixer!"
Rory's voice sang down the hall. Jess smiled widely, even though she couldn't see.
As he went to get a sweatshirt from the coat closet, she bounded up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Thank you, John," she whispered into his ear, kissing underneath it and making him shiver a moment. He turned his head, planting a kiss softly in her hair, and opened the door as she reluctantly let him go.
As he walked down the street, searching for some sort of coffee shop, Jess inhaled the warm, lazy air alive with a plethera of city smells. He smelled Indian food, gasoline, roasted peanuts, windowbox flowers, and the sharpness of air conditioner atmosphere. As he crossed the street, nearly hit by a reckless nine o'clock taxi, the overpowering scent of coffeebeans filled his nose. He found it's source- Bookers Coffee.
Inside, it was cooler than the humid air of early summer and the walls were lined with bookshelves crammed with torn-up, ancient paperbacks. Jess stopped in the doorway, his eyes growing wide. He spotted a thick copy of Pride and Prejudice and knew he had hit the jackpot.
"Can I help you?" asked an old man at the counter in a blue collared shirt. Jess snapped out of his wonderment and turned, clearing his throat.
"Yeah, uh, can I have..." he scanned the chalkboard over the counter. "Can I have an extra-large coffee to go? Just black, please." The man nodded and Jess walked, as if in a daze, down the aisles. At the back of one row of shelves was a large green velour chair.
Again, the kindly man's voice snapped him out of his stupor. "Young man?"
"Oh, uh..." Jess turned and went back to the counter, fishing in his pockets for some change. He pulled out three dollars worth in dirty quarters and pushed them across the counter. Spotting a tip jar, he threw in two more quarters and took the styrofoam cup. "Thanks."
Jess' excitement built as he made his way back to the apartment. But once inside the over-air conditioned apartment building, the cold filtered air numbed up his insides and he calmed down, fading back into his James Dean persona.
He opened the door to see Rory waiting nervously in the kitchen, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.
"Coffee, anyone?" he called huskily, holding it out. Rory jumped at the sound of his voice.
"Oh, John Dawkins, you are my savior! Ah," she moaned, grasping the warm cup and pulling off the lid. "The elixer of life." Jess smirked and sat a kitchen stool, watching her inhale the coffee as readily and eagerly as oxygen.
Rory drained the cup in ten minutes and set it down triumphantly with a 'smack' on the counter. She licked her lips, and Jess moved closer. She exhaled the warm, pungent smell of coffee beans around his mouth, and he closed his eyes and sucked on her top lip, catching her off guard. After a moment, he pulled back and stared at her intently.
"What?" she asked, cocking her head.
"Got any plans?" he asked, pushing his fingers through her hair like a comb.
"No. Whatcha got up your sleeve, Houdini?" she asked playfully, toying with his hair and running it between her slender fingers.
"The sole reason we have moved here. Come with me," he said, pulling her hands from his hair and standing up. She followed him. He opened the coat closet door and yanked out another hooded sweatshirt for her, and she pushed her feet into yellow shower flipflops.
"I'm excited! Is it Indian food? If it is, I'm going to be so happy, I will buy the whole place and feed all the hungry children of the world!" Rory leaned against his shoulder as he locked the apartment door.
"Hold your horses, Ghandi," he smirked, putting an arm around her and shoving the keys into his pocket. "That's not the half of it." Rory squealed.
Ten minutes later
"Jess..." breathed Rory, staring in awe. She stood in front of the rows of bookshelves, her eyes not moving from the rows and rows of classics, pages soft and furled like feathers and covers worn and old.
"The lady likes it. Huh," Jess simpered, tickling her side. She leaned the opposite way, swatting at him absentmindedly.
"I'm speechless, I...they, they are books..." she pointed, "and that..." she turned and pointed at the counter in the front, "that is coffee...and they are together...same place...books...just read...read coffee books..." she stopped to catch her breath.
"Rambling," Jess muttered. Rory's ears perked up.
"Sorry," she apologized. "But oh my God, Jess, this is like- this is my heaven." A smile slowly broke out onto her face, and she turned and took his hand. "Come on, let's go read! Oh, wait." She fished in her pocket for something and retreived a five-dollar bill. "Get me coffee." She turned, her almost-dry hair flapping, and began to walk in awe down the rows, pausing every so often to pull out a book and read the back cover.
Jess watched as she discovered the green velour chair, and fell slowly into it with The Pickwick Papers.
"Her emancipation," he thought, before walking to the counter.
A/N: please read and review! I appreciate it so much and will try to respond to as many as I can. I hope you guys are liking the story so far. If you have any ideas, just let me know. I'll be updating frequently, maybe once a week or more. So let me know what you think!!! M.M.