Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own BOB. But maybe as a Christmas gift?
Chapter 9
They walked home silently. Through side streets and under large, curving street lamps. It started to rain and as drops of water doused their faces, Joe tucked them under awnings and while they walked, they peered in darkened shop windows.
Lea licked her lips before speaking.
"That's a pretty necklace."
He was surprised to hear her voice after the long absence of it.
"Hm?"
"That necklace," she pointed to the interior of the shop, "it's pretty."
He stared at it. She was right.
It was a short necklace strung with pearls, genuine pearls, and they gleamed in the hazy lights of the city. The two exchanged an awkward glance before Joe coughed and Lea blushed, blinking furiously and turning away.
They knew they were both too poor to afford it.
But it was pretty nonetheless.
When they got home, Joe unlocked the door and let Lea in before closing it and latching it. Despite staying under awnings as much as possible, they still got soaked to the bone and were very much chilled when they got inside. Lea's perfectly curled hair was now plastered to her face and tangled in great big knots on her head. Joe had been inwardly laughing over her horrendous hair and was already chuckling gleefully as he saw her pad down the hall to the bathroom. He heard a nasty shriek and angry feet padding back to the living room.
She was fuming.
"Joseph Thaddeus Liebgott! You are the most barbaric man to walk this earth since Julius Caesar! And you never told me how horrible I looked! And I paraded around the whole town with my hair looking like a rat's nest. You untangle it right now!" she stamped her foot with smoke coming out of her ears.
He snorted with mirth before sitting her down with her back towards him. She began to ramble again as he worked on her hair. It was odd for him to be touching a woman's hair. He was surprised to find how soft and silky it was. He found himself running his fingers through her hair long after he had gotten all the knots out. Joe could smell the faint flowery smell still lingering in her hair despite its dampness.
"Joe?" she murmured.
"Yeah?"
"Why are you doing this?" she whispered.
He smiled.
"Because you forced me to."
Even though her back was to him, he knew that she was giving him a disapproving look.
"Really?"
He shrugged.
"I'm not used to dealing with dames' hair."
She chuckled and turned to try and face him.
Joe's fingers accidentally brushed against her cheek. He heard her sharp intake of breath and delicately moved his fingers back to her hair.
"Sorry," he muttered.
She shook her head slightly and with a faint voice said, "It's alright."
He continued to thread his fingers through her hair, listening to her soft sighs as all the tension in her body slowly went away. After a while, her sighs ceased and Joe realized she had fallen asleep. He was too compassionate to shake her awake and tell her to go to her own bed. So he sat with her nudged against him, her head against his chest, her soft eyes closed and mouth slightly parted. Lhe smiled the tiniest bit and ran his fingers through her hair once more. He wondered how many people were lucky enough to see his beautiful woman like this. His woman. He blinked back his thought. Since when had he been his? He blinked again and looked down at her shapely body. He felt a small tug within him.
He stayed like this, the two quietly breathing in unison. Past the rounded, white moon and the twinkling stars, past the rising sun, into the brightness of the dreams of tomorrow.
