Later that night, after everyone had gone home, Andrea lounged on her bed next to Leo, enjoying some alone time. Her father had retired to bed, shortly after their company had left, but not before he reminded Andrea to lock the house up after Leo had left. Andrea stretched her legs and started to move onto her side, letting out a hiss as a sharp pain ripped through her knee.
"You're knee still hurtin'?" Leo asked, as Andrea shifted onto her side.
She shook her head, while propping a pillow between her knees. During their soccer game, Andrea thought she could steal the ball from Scotty, as did Jim, which resulted in a pile of limbs and awkward poses on the ground. Jim landed on her leg, and somehow managed to put a small crack on the knee cap, which ended Andrea's soccer career before it could even start.
"I'm fine. How long is that stuff supposed to work? I want to go to the beach tomorrow," she said, as Leo wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"You ain't goin' to the beach tomorrow, if you can't walk," he told her, as she rested her head against his chest.
"Il be fine tomorrow morning!" she insisted, as Leo pulled her tightly to his side.
"Last time I checked, I was the doctor and you were the one with a cracked knee cap," he pointed out, looking down at her.
"I can still kick you out of my house," she mumbled, as her closed her eyes.
Leo chuckled, "Then who's gonna give you all the drugs for your injuries that you always seem to get, when playing games with Jim?" he asked, as Andrea groaned.
She felt a tingle run up and down her leg, as the medicine kicked in, healing the crack in the bone as she rested.
"Don't be so cocky. I didn't start dating you for drugs, Bones. You make me sound like I'm addicted," she mumbled.
"Alright, I apologize," he said, as she snuggled closer to him.
"I accept," she said.
Leo pulled the throw blanket up and over her, blocking out the chilly air blasting from the air conditioner. He shifted against the pillows, before taking hold of Andrea's hand.
"So what else did you do while I was gone? Besides school and becoming an artist?" he asked, as their fingers intertwined.
"Hmmm, you know, just the normal college experience. Went to a few parties, underage drinking, smokin' a few doobies and hooking up with the opposite sex," she said, before lifting her head off his chest to look at him. "I got my nipple pierced, too" she said, with total seriousness.
Leo just stared at her, unsure if he would laugh or start yelling. Instead a simply "Huh?" escaped his lips, causing the young woman to collapse into a fit of giggles.
"The look on your face! I wish I had my camera!" she laughed, as she rolled in her spot on the bed.
Leo turned over and pulled her into his arms, tickling her lightly. Andrea tried to keep her laughter down, as her father slept in the room across the hall.
"You sure ain't helpin' to keep me young, And. All your joking around is gonna give me a stroke," he said, kissing her neck.
"More like that southern fried food you've been eating. All that grease is probably clogging up your arteries," she shot back, as he nipped the skin below her ear.
They settled into a comfortable silence, as the air conditioner hummed, and the sound of their breathing filled the close space between them. Leo rested his chin on her shoulder, rubbing his fingers against her stomach.
"Did you really get a piercing?" he finally asked, making her giggle.
"No way. I'd never put some metal contraption anywhere on my body besides my ears. Plus the idea of having someone stab me through the boob is not a pleasing image I'd want to see," she said, shuddering at the thought.
Leo snorted, "You're right. Besides, I can't let you ruin such a perfect pair with tacky jewelry," he said, making her laugh.
"You are such a typical man, Leo. I mention something about my boobs, and you're mind automatically goes to the gutter," she sighed, rolling over to face him.
" Can ya blame me? I've been gone for six months and I haven't had any physical contact for six months," he muttered.
Andrea yawned, "Well, you're gonna have to wait a little longer. I'm not doing anything while my dad is sleeping across the hall," she said as her eyelids began to droop.
Leo pulled the blanket that was covering her legs, up higher and reached for the switch next to the bed. The lights went out and Andrea snuggled closer to him, pulling part of the blanket over him as well.
"Dad's not going to enjoy finding you in my bed tomorrow," she said, as her head rested against his chest.
"Too late to leave now. Besides, I could get lost walkin' back to my old room or attacked," he said, yawning as well.
"With your loud mouth? You'd be the target they'd want to avoid," she said, as she threw her leg over his, wincing as her knee burned. "Now shut your loud mouth and go to sleep," she said, as she closed her eyes finally.
The next morning, Christopher woke up early, to a silent house. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was a little after eight, and he was curious as to why his daughter wasn't up and moving about. The night before, she spoke about going down to the beach, bummed knee or not. As someone who lived on a beach for many years, Christopher knew that one needed to be up before dawn to make it down by the water for a decent spot. Especially if you lived fifteen minutes from the nearest beach, like they did in San Francisco.
Pushing the blankets off, Christopher pulled himself out of bed and grabbed the cane that was propped against the night stand. It was difficult walking around with the contraption, but he was relieved to finally stand on his own two feet after months of sitting. He slowly made his way towards the bedroom door, allowing his stiff joints to wake up after shutting down for the night. Pulling the door open, he stepped out into the hall and made his way across to Andrea's.
Knocking lightly, he waited for her to answer. "Andrea? Are you awake?" he asked, before opening the door.
To say he was surprised to find his only child in bed with her much older boyfriend was an understatement. He had rules in his house, and one of them simply stated that there would be no boys sleeping in any bed with his child- unless they were married. Christopher watched as his daughter slept peacefully, curled up against Leo's side, her head against his chest. Leo had one arm draped across his face, blocking out the morning sunlight, while the other was wrapped around Andrea's shoulders. Sometime during the night, the blankets were kicked to the bottom of the mattress, while a throw blanket covered them- mostly Andrea, as a small section covered a small portion of Leo.
Slightly annoyed that Leo had spent the night in his child's bed, he couldn't bear to wake them up. After a rough semester, which only ended a few days previously, Andrea deserved to sleep in. The beach would be there when she woke up, as it always was everyday. He would have words with her and McCoy, and remind Andrea that it didn't need to wake up and see McCoy leaving her bedroom to go back to his dorm in the mornings. If he needed a place to crash after a long night, the couch was comfortable enough. Stepping out into the hall, Christopher quietly pulled the door shut behind him and made his way into the kitchen to make coffee.