Hello hello! Thanks for all the nice reviews! I'm loving them! Well, here is chapter 20. More sweet fluffy stuff. Hope you all like it. As always, read and review, or send me email at adele1013@email.com.
Normalcy
We got to Vaughn's apartment at seven, and he led me eagerly up the stairs to his door on the third floor. I noticed that I, too, was eager to see his home. It was one of the many parts of his life that I had never had access to before, and I probably wouldn't get to see it very often after our vacation ended.
Vaughn unlocked the door, guiding me into his living room, his hand resting gently on the small of my back.
The apartment looked so- Vaughn. There was really no other way to describe it. There was nothing remarkable about the room- after all, neither of us really spent much time worrying about decoration.
It was the small touches that I noticed- the pictures of his family on the walls, the blanket draped over the back of his couch, a magazine lying, half-read, on the coffee table. I was surprised at how comfortable it felt, and how comfortable I felt being there.
I glanced around and realized that Vaughn was watching me. I smiled at him, feeling more and more happy to be there by the second.
"Where's Donovan?" I asked, scanning the room for the pudgy dog. Vaughn's brow furrowed at the question.
"I don't know," he said, glancing around the room. "Probably sleeping. He may be stubborn, but he's also really, really lazy." Vaughn chuckled before disappearing to look for the dog.
I collapsed on the couch, soaking in my surroundings. Vaughn returned a few minutes later, followed by a very sleepy-looking Donovan.
"Hey," I said, sitting up to pet the animal. Donovan glanced at me skeptically, only momentarily suspicious of the stranger in his territory, before jumping up onto the couch and snuggling up against my leg.
"He likes you," Vaughn said, grinning. "Donovan's a very good judge of character."
I laughed, continuing to stroke the dog's head as I watched Vaughn move around his kitchen.
"Need any help?" I asked, not really wanting to get up.
"No," he replied, walking back into the room, and carrying two glasses and a bottle of wine. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Wow," I said, smiling up at him as he opened the bottle and poured some wine into each of the glasses. "You run a pretty high-class place here." He chuckled.
"You think this is nice? Then just wait until the pizza gets here." He looked at me, his eyes sparkling. "I ordered extra cheese."
I laughed at the unexpected joke, taking the glass of wine he offered me.
Vaughn sat down next to me, Donovan sending him what looked to me like an especially unhappy doggy-glare.
"Vaughn," I said after several moments of comfortable silence.
"Yeah?" He asked, glancing over at me.
"I like being a normal couple." I grinned at him, but he saw right through me, detecting the sadness that lay behind my words.
"Me too." He reached across Donovan's sleeping form and grabbed my hand. I watched him as he idly played with my fingers, obviously lost in thought.
"You know," he said after several minutes. "We're going to have to think of some pretty creative ways to see each other when we're back at work."
I nodded in agreement.
"I'm going to want to see you every day," he continued.
"Every hour," I replied.
"Every second," he shot back, grinning.
"Could be fun, actually," I said, trying to put a positive spin on a situation that I knew would seem intolerable to both of us.
"It's going to be hard as Hell," he replied, laughing despite the truth of his statement. I squeezed his hand.
"Yeah, but we'll get through it," I said, determined.
"I know we will."
* * * * *
Our pizza arrived and we again settled into the couch, Donovan anxiously eyeing the pizza box on the coffee table from his position between us on the couch.
Eventually we started a movie and fell into silence again. Halfway through the film, my attention shifted from the plot to Vaughn's presence at the other end of the couch. I noticed, too, the excessive amount of space between us.
Trying not to draw any attention to myself, I reached over and rested my hand on Donovan's warm back, pretending to pet him for awhile, before giving him a rather unceremonious shove.
He whined softly as he rolled off the end of the couch, landing on all fours like a cat.
Vaughn glanced down at the dog in surprise, then directed his eyes toward me.
I shrugged, feigning surprise at the dog's sudden departure, directing my attention back to the TV, as a knowing smile spread slowly across Vaughn's face.
Without a word, he reached across the couch towards me, taking my arm gently in his hand and pulling me to his side of the couch, his eyes glittering. I grinned at him as I settled back against his chest. He chuckled at my willingness to be so close to him, and I felt the rumble of his laugh in his chest.
"You stood up to my dog," he said softly. I giggled.
"Yeah." He paused, shifting slightly.
"I like you a lot, Syd," he whispered, his breath brushing over my neck and ear. I shivered at the sensation, almost embarrassed at the effect he had on me. But not quite.
Obviously thinking that I was cold, Vaughn reached behind me, pulling the blanket from the back of the couch, and draping around my shoulders and legs.
"Thanks," I whispered. He responded by pulling me closer to him, and planting a light kiss on the top of my head.
I sighed in contentment, feeling more comfortable than I ever had before.
The movie forgotten, I focused my mind on Vaughn's fingers, which were absently stroking strands of my hair. I glanced back at him, not entirely surprised to find his green eyes focused not on the television screen but on me.
I smiled at him, my mind searching for words to express how much I trusted him, needed him, loved him at this moment, but I realized that there were no words powerful enough to express what I felt for him.
"I love you," I whispered, settling for the simple words and hoping that he would understand the rest.
And he did.
"I know," he replied, leaning down to brush his lips over mine. He pulled back only centimeters. "I love you too," he whispered, so quietly that I almost felt the words instead of heard them. His lips claimed mine again, longer this time, before pulling back, wrapping his arms around me, and pulling me into his lap. I giggled, not expecting the sudden position shift, and he blushed slightly at his own forwardness.
I snuggled against him, warmth and contentment sweeping over me in a sudden wave.
Before I had a chance to realize it, I began to feel sleepy, and I soon drifted off, Vaughn's heart beating in slow, constant time with my own.
Heehee. Hope you all liked it. I'm busy thinking of what to write next, and as always, I'm open to suggestions!
Normalcy
We got to Vaughn's apartment at seven, and he led me eagerly up the stairs to his door on the third floor. I noticed that I, too, was eager to see his home. It was one of the many parts of his life that I had never had access to before, and I probably wouldn't get to see it very often after our vacation ended.
Vaughn unlocked the door, guiding me into his living room, his hand resting gently on the small of my back.
The apartment looked so- Vaughn. There was really no other way to describe it. There was nothing remarkable about the room- after all, neither of us really spent much time worrying about decoration.
It was the small touches that I noticed- the pictures of his family on the walls, the blanket draped over the back of his couch, a magazine lying, half-read, on the coffee table. I was surprised at how comfortable it felt, and how comfortable I felt being there.
I glanced around and realized that Vaughn was watching me. I smiled at him, feeling more and more happy to be there by the second.
"Where's Donovan?" I asked, scanning the room for the pudgy dog. Vaughn's brow furrowed at the question.
"I don't know," he said, glancing around the room. "Probably sleeping. He may be stubborn, but he's also really, really lazy." Vaughn chuckled before disappearing to look for the dog.
I collapsed on the couch, soaking in my surroundings. Vaughn returned a few minutes later, followed by a very sleepy-looking Donovan.
"Hey," I said, sitting up to pet the animal. Donovan glanced at me skeptically, only momentarily suspicious of the stranger in his territory, before jumping up onto the couch and snuggling up against my leg.
"He likes you," Vaughn said, grinning. "Donovan's a very good judge of character."
I laughed, continuing to stroke the dog's head as I watched Vaughn move around his kitchen.
"Need any help?" I asked, not really wanting to get up.
"No," he replied, walking back into the room, and carrying two glasses and a bottle of wine. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Wow," I said, smiling up at him as he opened the bottle and poured some wine into each of the glasses. "You run a pretty high-class place here." He chuckled.
"You think this is nice? Then just wait until the pizza gets here." He looked at me, his eyes sparkling. "I ordered extra cheese."
I laughed at the unexpected joke, taking the glass of wine he offered me.
Vaughn sat down next to me, Donovan sending him what looked to me like an especially unhappy doggy-glare.
"Vaughn," I said after several moments of comfortable silence.
"Yeah?" He asked, glancing over at me.
"I like being a normal couple." I grinned at him, but he saw right through me, detecting the sadness that lay behind my words.
"Me too." He reached across Donovan's sleeping form and grabbed my hand. I watched him as he idly played with my fingers, obviously lost in thought.
"You know," he said after several minutes. "We're going to have to think of some pretty creative ways to see each other when we're back at work."
I nodded in agreement.
"I'm going to want to see you every day," he continued.
"Every hour," I replied.
"Every second," he shot back, grinning.
"Could be fun, actually," I said, trying to put a positive spin on a situation that I knew would seem intolerable to both of us.
"It's going to be hard as Hell," he replied, laughing despite the truth of his statement. I squeezed his hand.
"Yeah, but we'll get through it," I said, determined.
"I know we will."
* * * * *
Our pizza arrived and we again settled into the couch, Donovan anxiously eyeing the pizza box on the coffee table from his position between us on the couch.
Eventually we started a movie and fell into silence again. Halfway through the film, my attention shifted from the plot to Vaughn's presence at the other end of the couch. I noticed, too, the excessive amount of space between us.
Trying not to draw any attention to myself, I reached over and rested my hand on Donovan's warm back, pretending to pet him for awhile, before giving him a rather unceremonious shove.
He whined softly as he rolled off the end of the couch, landing on all fours like a cat.
Vaughn glanced down at the dog in surprise, then directed his eyes toward me.
I shrugged, feigning surprise at the dog's sudden departure, directing my attention back to the TV, as a knowing smile spread slowly across Vaughn's face.
Without a word, he reached across the couch towards me, taking my arm gently in his hand and pulling me to his side of the couch, his eyes glittering. I grinned at him as I settled back against his chest. He chuckled at my willingness to be so close to him, and I felt the rumble of his laugh in his chest.
"You stood up to my dog," he said softly. I giggled.
"Yeah." He paused, shifting slightly.
"I like you a lot, Syd," he whispered, his breath brushing over my neck and ear. I shivered at the sensation, almost embarrassed at the effect he had on me. But not quite.
Obviously thinking that I was cold, Vaughn reached behind me, pulling the blanket from the back of the couch, and draping around my shoulders and legs.
"Thanks," I whispered. He responded by pulling me closer to him, and planting a light kiss on the top of my head.
I sighed in contentment, feeling more comfortable than I ever had before.
The movie forgotten, I focused my mind on Vaughn's fingers, which were absently stroking strands of my hair. I glanced back at him, not entirely surprised to find his green eyes focused not on the television screen but on me.
I smiled at him, my mind searching for words to express how much I trusted him, needed him, loved him at this moment, but I realized that there were no words powerful enough to express what I felt for him.
"I love you," I whispered, settling for the simple words and hoping that he would understand the rest.
And he did.
"I know," he replied, leaning down to brush his lips over mine. He pulled back only centimeters. "I love you too," he whispered, so quietly that I almost felt the words instead of heard them. His lips claimed mine again, longer this time, before pulling back, wrapping his arms around me, and pulling me into his lap. I giggled, not expecting the sudden position shift, and he blushed slightly at his own forwardness.
I snuggled against him, warmth and contentment sweeping over me in a sudden wave.
Before I had a chance to realize it, I began to feel sleepy, and I soon drifted off, Vaughn's heart beating in slow, constant time with my own.
Heehee. Hope you all liked it. I'm busy thinking of what to write next, and as always, I'm open to suggestions!