Disclaimer: I do not own the Simpsons or it's characters.
Chapter 11,
"And finally the kitchen." Jimbo said as he entered the room and Lisa gave a small yawn.
"Your house is bigger then I thought, Jimbo." Lisa said and Jimbo stared at her.
"Hey, uh. How did you know that my name was actually James?" Jimbo asked and Lisa almost told him the truth.
"Oh, well, you saw me in Skinner's office and he kinda- oh hey, what's out there?" Lisa asked, walking over to the door.
"Just the back yard." Jimbo said and Lisa turned on the light and saw a built-in pool.
"You have a pool?" She asked in confusion. She recalled how the kids flocked to her house when she got an above ground pool for the summer.
"Right, that. Mom uses it a lot for exercise and to meet new clients. So I feel a bit odd using it." Jimbo said as he walked over to her. Lisa glanced at him when she felt his heat on her arm. He wasn't even touching her, only standing near her. And it really was a chilly night, but she hadn't noticed until now, with Jimbo here. She shivered slightly.
"Why don't you sit down on the couch and I'll bring you a blanket." Jimbo suggested and Lisa wasn't sure she should reject or accept his offer.
"I... you don't have... ok." Lisa said and Jimbo smiled as he watched her walk away. After a moment, Jimbo wrapped a blanket around Lisa's shoulders as he sat down.
"Thank you." Lisa said and Jimbo smiled at her.
"You almost look surprised." Jimbo said and Lisa blinked.
"I'm not." She instantly said and Jimbo rolled his eyes.
"Yes you are." Jimbo said.
"I am not." Lisa said defensively.
"Then I don't believe you." Jimbo said and Lisa paused. Her whole life people looked to her to see if things are correct, and she could rat people out. Normally they just took her word as seriously as the law.
"Ok, I maybe a bit confused, but not surprised." Lisa said, meeting him half way.
"Yeah, I may not be the greatest person in the world, but I'm not a bad guy at heart." Jimbo said and Lisa tightened her grip on the blanket.
"I'm glad that you're not a bad guy at heart. But I can't help but wonder if you should think about the walls you put up around your heart." Lisa said and Jimbo paused.
"I think most people have walls. Some are thick, some are thin, and some people have full mazes around their hearts." Jimbo said and Lisa sighed.
"It makes you wonder why people hide their true natures." Lisa said.
"I think most people have an idea of how they should act. Now, just because you act a certain way, it doesn't mean that's who you are." Jimbo said.
"I agree. People feel like they need to act 'normal', but normal means different things to different people." Lisa said.
"People pretend to act normal because they themselves feel odd." Jimbo added.
"And then one day you wake up and realize that you aren't unique, but you're actually..." Lisa paused, unsure of the next word to use.
"Average..." Jimbo finished her sentence sadly.
"Even predictable." Jimbo continued and Lisa stared at him.
"You know, I always liked the idea of my soulmate being able to read me. Say I had a bad day and when I walked in he would look at me and instantly knew that I wanted, or needed, chocolate cake, ice cream, or what my favorite dessert is at the time." Lisa said and Jimbo smiled.
"Sometimes I lie to my friends, so they know that I'm ok. Part of me wants a girl that I can't lie to even though that would probably drive me crazy." Jimbo said with loving eyes that made Lisa blushed.
"Oh, I almost forgot... I'll be right back." Jimbo suddenly said and Lisa paused because she felt as if she spaced out and missed something. Lisa leaned her head back and stared up at the smooth-ish ceiling. She couldn't help but feel as if she were in some sort of winter land. She had the 'snow', a blanket, a friend of sorts. The only thing she really needed was something warm to drink, such as tea or cider or...
What's that smell?
She thought curiously.
"I made you some hot chocolate, Marie. I added a little creamer to, uh... make it creamy. But if you don't like it, I'll make you another cup." Jimbo said offering her a cup. Lisa couldn't help but smile at this display.
Maybe James has always been a foodie.
Lisa thought as she accepted the cup and let it's heat warm her hands.
"Thank you." Lisa said sweetly and Jimbo smiled back.
"You will be more thankful after you try it." Jimbo said and Lisa's smile tilted.
"Well, yes, but also... just, thank you." Lisa said and Jimbo rose an eyebrow at her.
"For what?" He asked and Lisa shrugged.
"The drink, the blanket, for giving me an actual tour without any odd jokes or comments and allowing me to come to your house tonight so that I could have a place to stay." She said and Jimbo shifted.
"Ah, heck, you shouldn't thank me for that. If you're gonna thank anyone it should be Sarah." Jimbo said and Lisa nodded.
"Earlier Dolph said that you and I started off on the wrong foot. Do you think he's right?" Lisa asked and Jimbo shrugged.
"I don't know, probably. I don't meet new people often." Jimbo said and Lisa rolled her eyes.
"Shocker." Lisa said and Jimbo stared at her.
"And that's the thing. You are new, but you seem to know everything about this town. It's different for an outsider." Jimbo said and Lisa blushed.
"I'm good with research." Lisa said and Jimbo studied her face.
"I think it's more than that." Jimbo said and Lisa started to panic when she realized that the truth was probably the best coarse of action.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Lisa asked playfully and Jimbo paused.
"I supposed." He said and Lisa leaned forward and gently whispered in his ear.
"Funny." He simply said and Lisa leaned back.
"I thought it would sound that way." She said before taking a sip of her delicious hot chocolate.