Richard awoke to a heavenly smell that filled his nose; he rubbed his crystal blue eyes tiredly as he staggered into the kitchen to see Kori's back facing him as she flipped a pancake from the stove top. Just as he was about to speak she began to hum a catchy tune to herself while moving her hips to the beat of her own song.
" Oh wont you come on over, stop making a fool out of me-" Kori sang quietly. She turned around only to jump from fright at the sight of him clearly not expecting him to be awake. "Shit Rich you scared me!" The redhead gasped.
"Sorry, I was just watching the show." He smirked leaning onto the wood work.
"Oh cowboys got jokes huh?" She snickered rolling her eyes. "I'm sure you're hungry; you've been sleeping for quite awhile." Kori smiled as she placed a large stack of pancakes on the table.
"How long have I been asleep?" Richard questioned taking a seat at the dining room table.
"Well it's four so you do the math." She said as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
"You let me sleep for six hours?" He asked shocked.
"Well I just figured you probably had jet lag. So I just let it go, is that a problem?" She arched a brow.
"No… I just usually don't nap very long; your couch is pretty comfortable by the way." Richard explained.
"Oh my gosh I know! I sleep on it more than I do my own bed, It's to comfy I just can't make it to my bed." Kori laughed making him smile.
"Anybody ever tell you your happiness is contagious?"
"No, but I have been told I can make anyone smile." She said. "Would you like some coffee? Juice? Milk?"
"Coffee is good, Thanks." Richard mumbled through a mouth full of pancakes. "What did you put in these there amazing?"
"Buttermilk and I'm glad you like them. One thing you should know about me is when I cook everything is made from scratch." She said pouring his coffee into a mug.
"Really? Your cooking must be pretty good than. Which is the complete opposite of me everything is microwave based." He told her.
"Well hubby I guess I'm going to have to teach you, what do you like in your coffee?" She asked.
"Nothing, just black is fine." He responded, he watched as she crinkled her nose in disgust making him smile once again. "So I was thinking we could tell each other things about ourselves… I… I mean if you want to." Richard stuttered lightly making her giggle as she took a seat next to him.
"It's a good idea; I need to see what I have to put up with for the rest of my life anyway." She teased batting her eyelashes.
(What the hell? I know this girl not even a full day, and she already has me wrapped around her finger. But god what guy in their right mind wouldn't be whipped by a beautiful thing like her?) Richard thought to himself.
"You okay Rich?" Kori asked cocking her head eyeing him slightly.
"It's Dick." He mumbled as he drank his coffee.
"Excuse me?" She questioned confused.
"People call me Dick." He told her.
"Well I like Rich, and I think that since I'm your fiancé I think I should be able to call you that." She explained sweetly making him bite his cheek. "Plus I feel that Rich sounds much sexier than Dick." She spoke in a slightly seductive tone making shivers go down his spine. In all honesty he loved the way it rolled off her tongue, and came out like a classical harmony.
"I guess I can live with that." He responded. "So were you born here?"
"No, I was born on the small island of Tamaran, you've probably never heard of it it's…." Kori started.
"Right on the Caribbean coast." He finished surprising her.
"Wow someone knows there geography." Kori mumbled impressed.
"I went o school for geography major to be in emergency management." he said.
"I was supposed to go for a business major, to be a cost estimator for my father's company. But I ended up secretly going to a performing arts school for dancing." Kori informed him.
"I'm sure your family wasn't too happy about that."
"Not at all, once they found out they disowned me and cut me off. So I ended up staying with friends throughout college, and waitressing to earn money." Kori explained with a sigh.
"That's rough, but you are doing really well for yourself now." Richard spoke surprised.
"Yea, but they still don't approve, they accuse me of partying and being an alcoholic. When in reality they wouldn't even know because there never here. The only time they care about me or include me in anything is when it involves the company. My siblings are the chosen ones, they agree with everything my parents say. So as you can understand my best friends are more like my family then the Anders will ever be." Kori snorted.
"When Bruce told me you did everything on your own, I honestly didn't believe it, but you had it pretty bad."
"I guess, so what about you anything I should know?" Kori asked reverting the attention away from herself.
"Nothing you can't learn over time. I'm a pretty simple easy going guy."
"Ok. Who was your last girlfriend?" She asked trying startling him.
"Barbra Gordon, dated her for a couple months but she was one of those girls that wasn't willing to try anything knew. So everyday had to be up to her schedule, who was your last boyfriend?"
"Xavier Redd, why I went out with him I'll never know. He was such a tool, he cheated on me constantly. Or if we'd go out he'd make small comments about what I was wearing or what I was doing. He was just plan rude, and then I walked in on him sleeping with my sister in my bed." Kori revealed making Richard go wide eyed.
"He slept with your sister? Well if it helps from what I've heard she sucks in bed anyway." He spoke making her laugh.
"Trust me he blows to, he's small and only lasts a good three minutes." She claimed as he spit out his coffee from laughing so hard making her cackle right along with him.
"This is not what most normal fiancés talk about." He chuckled.
"Well Richie let's just say I'm far from normal." She sassed as they both got lost into each other's eyes. Stunning emeralds were locked on beautiful crystals.
"I…uh… do you mind if I take a shower?" Richard choked out.
"No go ahead; you can use the bathroom in the bedroom." She answered in a whisper as she took his plate and put it into the dishwasher along with their cups. "Towels are in the closet in the bathroom."
"Thanks." He responded as he got his suitcases and walked into their blue and brown painted bedroom. Once Kori heard the shower begin to run, she made a quick dash into the master bedroom to put on her pajamas, take off her makeup, and put on her black rimmed reading glasses. She went into her living room took out a notebook and began to write.
When Richard was finished in the shower he quickly got into his sweatpants and t-shirt and made his way back into the living room to find the redhead in a black long sleeve scoop neck tee and purple plaid flannel shorts. She seemed to be in her own little world as the pencil in her hand never ceased to move. He took a seat on the couch next to, but her eyes still never left the paper.
"What are you up to?" he asked her making her head shoot up to look at him.
"Thinking of wedding plans, I figure I can just write a few ideas down." She confessed.
"Let me hear some?" He advised she handed him the notebook. He scanned it for a moment before speaking. "You don't want a big wedding?" he asked slightly shocked. Most girls he dated wanted the big southern bell fairytale fantasy.
"Not particularly just close friends and family, I was thinking maybe with the savings that Bruce and my father put together for the wedding, we only use half of it on ourselves and donate the rest. I mean I'm ok with eloping, but most people don't go or that." She answered biting her lip.
"I think that's a great idea, what about location?" he pondered already thinking it'd be somewhere in a highly populated place in the city.
"Well I figured we could have it in Alabama, I could really go for a change in scenery. Plus your family lives there I don't want to deprive anyone." She put in surprising Richard even more.
"You sure? I mean you're going to be the bride. I don't want you to feel you have to do it this way." He stated only making her roll her eyes.
"Another thing you should know about me is when I say something I mean it. So if I didn't mean it or want it I wouldn't have said it." She interjected.
"Bruce was right when he said you were stubborn."
"And my father was right when he said you were a nice guy. But if you don't agree with something don't hesitate to let me know. And don't hesitate to give me some ideas." She smiled at him.
"No worries I won't. One tradition you'll like is all of the food has to be homemade. My grandma and aunt can help with that." He said making her smile brighten.
"That's great, but Tamaran feast usually has curried goat and spicy chicken jerky, and everything has to be homemade from food to favors. I'm just trying to think how we can put both of our cultures together." She sighed.
"We'll figure it out I mean how hard can it be?" Richard chuckled before Kori let out a huge yawn. He couldn't help but smile, which he noticed he'd done a lot today. "Tired?" he asked watching her as her eyelids began to look heavy.
"A little." She mumbled. "You want to watch a movie?"
"Sure."
"I have a collection of DVD's in a drawer under the TV, you can pick." She murmured with yet another yawn. Richard got up and looked through her huge movie collection, after about a minute he finally picked one and put it into the DVD player.
"Billy Madison nice choice." She whispered.
Halfway through the movie Kori was knocked out, she was sprawled out with her arm dangling off of the couch her feet on his lap, and her other arm was covering her face shielding her eyes from the light of the bright screen. God she was beautiful, so headstrong and stubborn yet sweet and funny. He knew he liked her already, but what if it was just one of those stupid crush and this whole marriage goes down in shambles. He was about to wake her up, but quickly thought against it. He moved her feet quietly but quickly off of him so he could get up, once up he put one of his arms under her knees and the other under her back so he was lifting her bridal style. He knew she was skinny but damn she was light, he slipped her into bed without waking her to his relief, but was he supposed to get on the other side and lay with her? He was about to go back and sleep on the couch when she spoke.
"Come here Richie I don't bite." She whispered her eyes closed. "It's a king plenty of room." He chuckled before making his way over to the bed and with a gulp laid on the other side. "Never been in bed with a girl before?" she teased he could tell she was smiling thought the room was dark.
"Funny I didn't know you were a girl." He joked making her scoff as she nudged him pretty hard so that he fell off the bed, but not before grabbing her and bringing her down with him.
"Oh my God are you okay?" Kori asked as she laughed hysterically.
"Fine, u?" He chuckled.
"God I have to pee!" she yelled as she sprung up and ran into the bathroom making Richard laugh even harder. After a couple moments Richard got up and lay back down. Without warning Kori came sprinting back into the room and jumping on the large bed.
"Feel better?" he asked.
"Much." She said. "Can you believe we are going to be married in four months?" She asked suddenly looking at him.
"No, I mean we're still young, I mean marriage wasn't even on my mind." Richard admitted.
"Trust me I know, I thought I'd at least have until I was twenty eight, I mean that's a good seven years away. And by then who knows John and Bruce might make us have kids by then." Kori sighed.
"You want kids?" Richard asked timidly.
"One day yes of course, what about you?"
"Maybe three to six years down the road."
"In all honesty though, I've been homeless and have been in a couple scary situations, but this is by far the most terrified I've ever been." She confessed as she felt Richard grab her hand and squeeze it tightly.
"I'm scared to; I mean our whole lives are going to be revolved around each other. We are going to spend the rest of our lives together, but maybe if we work together I think it can work." He assured her, as light snores filled the room he turned to her to realize she was sound asleep. "Goodnight Kori." He whispered before gingerly kissing her forehead and falling into a peaceful slumber himself.