The Alternate Daughter
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: ER no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
He opened the door and let her follow him in. He flipped the lights to the kitchenette on and sat her bag down on the counter. She stood behind him, taking in his apartment.
"Nice digs" she said. Rain pelted against the window and Luca wondered what he was going to do with her now. It was very late, he could see the pink of the sunrise starting to hint on the horizen beyond the skyrisers of Chicago.
"Do you want something to drink, or eat?" he asked, opening the refridgerator and pulling out a bottle of water.
"No" she answered absently, her hand trailing on the back of his leather couch as she walked across the small room. She went to the window and started staring out of it, saying nothing. She looked like a dream to Luca, standing against the rainy window, her profile revealing the slight swell in her stomach and the early early early morning light just barely touching her face and hair. He put the water back in the fridge.
"Come with me" he said, and picked up her bag. He started moving up the stairs, then waited for her to follow. In his bedroom, he dumped her bag on his bed and stood, rubbing his hands on his pants, not exactly sure what to say next.
"Um..the bathroom's just there. And...uh..." She smiled at him paitently, and he felt stupid. He suddenly wondered what on earth had ever made him bring her home.
"You have something to sleep in?" he asked. She nodded and picked up her bag. As she closed the door to the bathroom behind her, Luca collapsed on his bed. He rubbed his face, but found no enlightenment came to him. He started to wonder what kindo f mess he'd gotten himself into now. As he pulled on his own pajamas, he listened for any sign of difficulty in the bathroom. He turned the TV on, hoping to distract himself with the early morning jabber, but found it impossible to pay attention when she came out, wearing baggy sleeping pants and a t-shirt that snagged on her belly.
"Um...you can sleep in the bed" he said, motioning towards that particular piece of furniture. She didn't move though.
"Where are you going to sleep?"
"Um...I'll sleep on the couch" he answered, turning the TV off. She still didn't move.
"But I thought you said someone needed to monitor my sleeping, in case I stop breathing" He wondered now if she was the one trying to get him in bed. He shook the thought from his head as ridiculous. He knew, somehow, that she was really just concerned about something, probably the child she was carrying in her small body. She was short, the top of her head just reaching his chest. He suddenly wondered how old she was, but didn't think it was right to ask just now.
"Uh..yeah. Well, I'll sleep on the floor in here then, if it's okay with you" he answered.
"I can sleep on the floor" she offered, starting to pull a pillow off the bed.
"No, I think you should take the bed" he objected, "You're the pregnant one. It's okay, I don't mind"
"Well I mind." she said stoutly, surprising Luca, "It's your bed and just because you saved some pitiful female doesn't mean you should be deprived of your comfort."
"You're not a pitiful female" he said right away, worried she was getting the wrong idea. She just smiled.
"Of course I'm not. It was an aphorism" Luca had no idea what she was talking about, but it didn't matter.
"Look, if it really bothers you that much, I'll sleep in the bed. But so will you" he said. She didn't frown or object, but she didn't smile or agree. She just stood there, looking at him as if he were the Mona Lisa and she a great art historian or something. She suddenly turned and climbed into the bed. She was asleep before Luca could ask if that was an agreement or not.
The following story is under the sole ownership and copyright of J.L. Scott. Unauthorized copying and/or use is actionable in a court of law.
To borrow a phrase: ER no mine, no permission, no money, no sue...please?
He opened the door and let her follow him in. He flipped the lights to the kitchenette on and sat her bag down on the counter. She stood behind him, taking in his apartment.
"Nice digs" she said. Rain pelted against the window and Luca wondered what he was going to do with her now. It was very late, he could see the pink of the sunrise starting to hint on the horizen beyond the skyrisers of Chicago.
"Do you want something to drink, or eat?" he asked, opening the refridgerator and pulling out a bottle of water.
"No" she answered absently, her hand trailing on the back of his leather couch as she walked across the small room. She went to the window and started staring out of it, saying nothing. She looked like a dream to Luca, standing against the rainy window, her profile revealing the slight swell in her stomach and the early early early morning light just barely touching her face and hair. He put the water back in the fridge.
"Come with me" he said, and picked up her bag. He started moving up the stairs, then waited for her to follow. In his bedroom, he dumped her bag on his bed and stood, rubbing his hands on his pants, not exactly sure what to say next.
"Um..the bathroom's just there. And...uh..." She smiled at him paitently, and he felt stupid. He suddenly wondered what on earth had ever made him bring her home.
"You have something to sleep in?" he asked. She nodded and picked up her bag. As she closed the door to the bathroom behind her, Luca collapsed on his bed. He rubbed his face, but found no enlightenment came to him. He started to wonder what kindo f mess he'd gotten himself into now. As he pulled on his own pajamas, he listened for any sign of difficulty in the bathroom. He turned the TV on, hoping to distract himself with the early morning jabber, but found it impossible to pay attention when she came out, wearing baggy sleeping pants and a t-shirt that snagged on her belly.
"Um...you can sleep in the bed" he said, motioning towards that particular piece of furniture. She didn't move though.
"Where are you going to sleep?"
"Um...I'll sleep on the couch" he answered, turning the TV off. She still didn't move.
"But I thought you said someone needed to monitor my sleeping, in case I stop breathing" He wondered now if she was the one trying to get him in bed. He shook the thought from his head as ridiculous. He knew, somehow, that she was really just concerned about something, probably the child she was carrying in her small body. She was short, the top of her head just reaching his chest. He suddenly wondered how old she was, but didn't think it was right to ask just now.
"Uh..yeah. Well, I'll sleep on the floor in here then, if it's okay with you" he answered.
"I can sleep on the floor" she offered, starting to pull a pillow off the bed.
"No, I think you should take the bed" he objected, "You're the pregnant one. It's okay, I don't mind"
"Well I mind." she said stoutly, surprising Luca, "It's your bed and just because you saved some pitiful female doesn't mean you should be deprived of your comfort."
"You're not a pitiful female" he said right away, worried she was getting the wrong idea. She just smiled.
"Of course I'm not. It was an aphorism" Luca had no idea what she was talking about, but it didn't matter.
"Look, if it really bothers you that much, I'll sleep in the bed. But so will you" he said. She didn't frown or object, but she didn't smile or agree. She just stood there, looking at him as if he were the Mona Lisa and she a great art historian or something. She suddenly turned and climbed into the bed. She was asleep before Luca could ask if that was an agreement or not.