"I probably should have offered earlier, but do you want tea?" Ian continued, gesturing to his mug.
I shrugged. "Sure, why not?" While he was making the tea, I flipped through the channels and found a sitcom I watched occasionally.
"So do you think you'll stay here tonight?" he asked as he sat back down, passing me a warm mug. I stirred the teabag and considered my answer. Unless the storm passed, I wouldn't be able to ride home. I gave a non-committal shrug.
His arm stretched out over the back of the sofa, not quite touching my shoulders, but almost. I shivered and leaned forward a bit, setting my mug onto the coffee table.
"You should really call this a tea table, bec-"
BANG!
There was a flash of thunder and lightning, and with a soft whine, the lights went out. I clapped my hands over my mouth as I let out a tiny squeak of surprise. Blushing, I sank back into the sofa, curling my legs up to my chest.
"You okay?" Ian's soft voice filled my left ear. In all honesty, I was terrified. I had been afraid of the dark ever since I was a little girl; yes, I know it's a ridiculous phobia, but it had managed to stick.
I nodded, then realized he couldn't see me in the darkness. "Yeah. Just a little surprised is all." I lied, and my voice cracked a little bit, betraying me.
"You sure?" His arm slid down from the back of the sofa to rest across my shoulders, and fear suddenly melted away. The rest of my body melted, too, I think. I nodded again stupidly.
"Yeah." My voice was smaller, but not as shaky as it had been. Did I dare to curl up against Ian's body? Could that simple gesture transform this friendship into something more? Was it crossing a line too early? He did, after all, have his arm around my shoulders, perhaps as an invitation. Or it could just be a gesture of comfort.
Who the hell cares, I thought, and I dared to take a risk; I snuggled myself down into his side. Ian was warm. Soft, too. I could feel his body shifting, almost as if he were turning toward me.
"I wish I could see your face."
If he could've seen me, he would've seen the deep vermilion that colored my normally pale cheeks.
His hand plopped roughly against my forehead. "Huh. These kind of feel like eyes," he remarked as he poked my cheeks. I giggled fiercely as his hands squished my cheeks together and my lips poked out like a fish.
"Yes. This is definitely a face." he announced, laughing along with me. He pulled one hand away and with the other was suddenly tender. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see his face smiling warmly. His bright blue eyes still twinkled in the darkness; Where was the light coming from? Oh, one of those glowing plug-in air fresheners. Ian's eyes could make any light romantic, apparently.
His now-tender touch brushed the rumpled, wavy, and still-damp hair from my forehead. The tips of his fingers trailed just above my eyebrow, down my cheek, behind my ear, and came to rest cupping the back of my head just above my neck, where my hair was trimmed short and scratchy.
"Hey." he whispered just like earlier this evening when we danced. His eyes smiled knowingly.
"Hi." I whispered back, barely breathing, my arms and legs curled up against my chest.
There was a pressure at the back of my neck - Ian's hand, pulling me closer to him. I grinned widely, my eyes closing, though I could have watched him forever. I could feel his warm breath on my face - it smelled like tea.
His lips brushed mine, still smiling as they kissed softly. He drew back just a hair, and I opened my eyes: he was looking back, almost as if asking, "Is this okay?" I pushed my lips back against his; softly, just enough to answer him.
"Yeah."
He was an incredibly gentle kisser. His lips were soft; softer than I had expected, but the way they captured mine between them was so tender that I melted into him.
A sudden rattle at the door pulled him away from me: keys jangled in the lock, and the door squeaked open.
"Oh man, I guess the power's out on the whole street!"
Anthony was home.
*More fluffiness! And they finally kissed (sorta)! I feel like this story is just a sequence of Ian & Ginny fluff-scenes. I'll try to add more interesting (getting-to-know-the-relationship-/-each-other) things later on. And more stuff with Jess & Anthony, perhaps! (yes, Jess, be excited). HOORAY*
