Well, the bubble bath seemed to go over well lol I'm glad. Here's part #
14... Same night, again lol
Oh, I'm not taking notes from Joy, but we both seem to like Gabe as a sweet guy. I do kinda have her influences, though. My gargoyles just doubled today, so I have two. Where? You guessed it, the bedroom. They were by the computer LOL so now I have 10 photographs and two sculptures. LOL
Gabriel looked across at Sara, who was lying on her side and propped up on one elbow at the foot of her bed. He was sitting Indian style at the head of it, a pillow between his back and the concrete wall. Spread between them was one large mound of miniature garments. The suitcase that had contained the virtual explosion of colors and fabric was resting on the floor, wide open and ready to receive the clothes that had to be washed. On the other side of the bed was a small garbage pail, ready to receive the clothing that they deemed too worn, stained, or damaged to attempt cleaning. "This is a whole lotta clothes," he said as he took a handful and let them drift back onto the mound.
"They were pretty packed in there." She looked at the clothes and blinked. "We will be done with this before the New Year, right?"
"Gods, I hope so. I have plans for then," he told her. Deciding to just dig in, he grabbed a couple of the minute outfits and inspected them, tossing all but one over the side of the bed to the suitcase.
"Oh? Anything in particular?" Sara asked, obviously fishing for some hints as she followed his example and grabbed a few scraps of cloth.
"Yeah, but I'm not gonna tell you. Don't even bother to try."
Sara shrugged, knowing better than to push him. Gabriel may seem like a pushover because of his looks and easy-going personality, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. He could stand his ground just as tenaciously as Sara herself could.
"Am I going to get rewarded tonight?" The question broke into her thoughts and she looked over at him. "Food," he spelled out, smiling when he saw a faint redness steal over her cheeks. Who knew that Sara Pezzini could and would blush?
"Oh, sure. What sounds good?" she asked as she turned her attention back to the sorting.
"Greek?"
Sara considered it for a moment before nodding. "I know a good restaurant that delivers. Want to call now or after we finish this?"
"After. Can you imagine trying to eat while we did this?" Gabe shuddered in horror.
Sara laughed and shook her head.
Finally, the clothing was divided. Sara left Gabriel looking at a folded paper menu to the Olympia Flame* while she lugged the suitcase down to the basement where the washing and drying machines were located. Dumping them in, she slid the correct amount of change into the machine, turned the water on cold, and added the soap. Leaving it then, she made her way back to her apartment with the now empty suitcase. "Think of anything?" she asked as she walked through the door.
"Their gyros** any good?"
"Some of the best I've found," she answered as she stowed the suitcase by the door.
"Two gyros with fries, Greek salads, and a bottle of their house wine sound good?"
"Good as anything else," she agreed. "Don't forget the baklava and some bread pudding. It's to die for." He was picking up the phone to dial the number when she remembered something else. "Oh, and can you get extra sauce?"
"Would you just like to order for both of us?" He asked in an exasperated voice as he turned to her and held out the phone.
"No. I trust you to get it right," she told him sweetly as she grabbed the two mugs and rinsed them out for coffee before turning on the oven timer. She wasn't baking, but she found it to be helpful in letting her know when her laundry was done so she didn't forget it. After putting both cups of coffee on the coffee table, she flopped down on the couch.
"Hi, yeah," he spoke into the phone as someone picked up. "Do you deliver? You do? Great. I'm at." He paused while the person on the other end of the line spoke. "Oh, already in the computer. I really should have known that," he told himself as he looked over at Sara who was sitting quietly. He concluded the phone call with their order and was told that the food would be there in forty-five minutes to an hour. When he sat down on the couch next to her and glanced her way, she shrugged.
"I don't do a lot of cooking. You know that, Gabriel. Much as I love pizza, it can get old just like anything else," she pointed out.
"Oh, I know. I'm just wondering how many places have you in their computer because you order from them so much," he teased as he reached out to her.
Rather than evading his hands, as she would have even a few days ago, she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "A lady never tells."
"Well, then, it's a good thing you aren't a lady, isn't it?"
She lightly slapped his chest with the back of one hand. "That's no way to talk to me," she warned him.
He grabbed hold of the hand that hit him and lifted it to press a kiss on the back of it. "Sorry, love. You did walk into it."
"I guess I did at that," she sighed. "This is nice."
"Being finished with the fashion parade? I agree. Even if I did have a different type in mind," he joked.
Sara laughed and shook her head before leaning over and resting it on his shoulder. "That too, but I meant this. Sitting here, having someone to talk to. Not having to worry about saying something or doing something, having to be somewhere."
"So this is like a mini vacation?"
"With some really great company," she teased, giving him a quick kiss before putting her head back.
"Well, I'd hope you thought so!" Shifting so they could both be comfortable, he leant against the arm of the couch and drew her closer as he settled himself more firmly. The scent of wildflowers from the bubble bath earlier was faint on her skin, a small wisp of memory to the permeating smell in the bathroom. He nuzzled his face into her neck, breathing in the sweet scent. "You smell good," he murmured to her.
Sara tilted her head to one side to give Gabriel more room. "I normally smell bad?" When his head lifted for him to answer her, she turned her own to give him a quick kiss and a smile. "I know, I know. You don't have to say anything," she told him.
"Hey, up until a while ago, I never got to be this close to you. I had to content myself with just the occasional hug between buddies or the teeniest scent of our shampoo while we were sitting next to each other." He nuzzled into her neck again. "I like being this close to you."
Sara tilted her head again and leant it back against his shoulder. "I like being close to you, too," she answered in a whisper.
"You do realize that we're going to have to sort everything out again, right?" He asked a while later.
Turning around and staring up at him with widened eyes, Sara shook her head. "Surely you jest."
"Sorry," he shook his head. "You don't want to give her a bunch of identical outfits, do you? I saw a bunch that were the same when we were sorting earlier. Besides, you don't want to give them to her looking like they were fished out of the trash," he pointed out.
"Who would have guessed you had a problem with dumpster diving?" she joked before sighing. "You're right, though. What am I going to do with all the extras? Do you have any nieces?"
"A couple. I can take some for them, I guess. They're always looking for more clothes. They'd have daily trips to Toys R Us to update Barbie's wardrobe every day if their parents would take them. Luckily they have more sense than to do it," he chuckled as he ran his fingers up and down one arm before resting his hand at her waist.
"Sounds fun," she mock grimaced. Before he could respond, the timer on the oven began beeping for attention. Getting up and shaking her head slightly at the cold feeling she had, she went over to shut the timer off. Grabbing her wallet from the counter, she pulled out $40. When Gabriel refused to take it, she physically opened his hand and put the cash into it. "My apartment, my treat," she explained before giving him another kiss and heading down to the basement where the mini clothes awaited.
TBC
*The Olympia Flame is a real Greek restaurant in my area. Their gyros and bread pudding are some of the best I've found in my area, and so is their rice pudding, among other things. Of course, in my family, we call it Family Square, which totally confuses everyone.
**For those of you who don't know, gyro (gyros is plural) is a sandwich of lamb and beef served on a thick pita with onions and tomato. The sauce is usually cucumber yogurt.
Oh, I'm not taking notes from Joy, but we both seem to like Gabe as a sweet guy. I do kinda have her influences, though. My gargoyles just doubled today, so I have two. Where? You guessed it, the bedroom. They were by the computer LOL so now I have 10 photographs and two sculptures. LOL
Gabriel looked across at Sara, who was lying on her side and propped up on one elbow at the foot of her bed. He was sitting Indian style at the head of it, a pillow between his back and the concrete wall. Spread between them was one large mound of miniature garments. The suitcase that had contained the virtual explosion of colors and fabric was resting on the floor, wide open and ready to receive the clothes that had to be washed. On the other side of the bed was a small garbage pail, ready to receive the clothing that they deemed too worn, stained, or damaged to attempt cleaning. "This is a whole lotta clothes," he said as he took a handful and let them drift back onto the mound.
"They were pretty packed in there." She looked at the clothes and blinked. "We will be done with this before the New Year, right?"
"Gods, I hope so. I have plans for then," he told her. Deciding to just dig in, he grabbed a couple of the minute outfits and inspected them, tossing all but one over the side of the bed to the suitcase.
"Oh? Anything in particular?" Sara asked, obviously fishing for some hints as she followed his example and grabbed a few scraps of cloth.
"Yeah, but I'm not gonna tell you. Don't even bother to try."
Sara shrugged, knowing better than to push him. Gabriel may seem like a pushover because of his looks and easy-going personality, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. He could stand his ground just as tenaciously as Sara herself could.
"Am I going to get rewarded tonight?" The question broke into her thoughts and she looked over at him. "Food," he spelled out, smiling when he saw a faint redness steal over her cheeks. Who knew that Sara Pezzini could and would blush?
"Oh, sure. What sounds good?" she asked as she turned her attention back to the sorting.
"Greek?"
Sara considered it for a moment before nodding. "I know a good restaurant that delivers. Want to call now or after we finish this?"
"After. Can you imagine trying to eat while we did this?" Gabe shuddered in horror.
Sara laughed and shook her head.
Finally, the clothing was divided. Sara left Gabriel looking at a folded paper menu to the Olympia Flame* while she lugged the suitcase down to the basement where the washing and drying machines were located. Dumping them in, she slid the correct amount of change into the machine, turned the water on cold, and added the soap. Leaving it then, she made her way back to her apartment with the now empty suitcase. "Think of anything?" she asked as she walked through the door.
"Their gyros** any good?"
"Some of the best I've found," she answered as she stowed the suitcase by the door.
"Two gyros with fries, Greek salads, and a bottle of their house wine sound good?"
"Good as anything else," she agreed. "Don't forget the baklava and some bread pudding. It's to die for." He was picking up the phone to dial the number when she remembered something else. "Oh, and can you get extra sauce?"
"Would you just like to order for both of us?" He asked in an exasperated voice as he turned to her and held out the phone.
"No. I trust you to get it right," she told him sweetly as she grabbed the two mugs and rinsed them out for coffee before turning on the oven timer. She wasn't baking, but she found it to be helpful in letting her know when her laundry was done so she didn't forget it. After putting both cups of coffee on the coffee table, she flopped down on the couch.
"Hi, yeah," he spoke into the phone as someone picked up. "Do you deliver? You do? Great. I'm at." He paused while the person on the other end of the line spoke. "Oh, already in the computer. I really should have known that," he told himself as he looked over at Sara who was sitting quietly. He concluded the phone call with their order and was told that the food would be there in forty-five minutes to an hour. When he sat down on the couch next to her and glanced her way, she shrugged.
"I don't do a lot of cooking. You know that, Gabriel. Much as I love pizza, it can get old just like anything else," she pointed out.
"Oh, I know. I'm just wondering how many places have you in their computer because you order from them so much," he teased as he reached out to her.
Rather than evading his hands, as she would have even a few days ago, she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "A lady never tells."
"Well, then, it's a good thing you aren't a lady, isn't it?"
She lightly slapped his chest with the back of one hand. "That's no way to talk to me," she warned him.
He grabbed hold of the hand that hit him and lifted it to press a kiss on the back of it. "Sorry, love. You did walk into it."
"I guess I did at that," she sighed. "This is nice."
"Being finished with the fashion parade? I agree. Even if I did have a different type in mind," he joked.
Sara laughed and shook her head before leaning over and resting it on his shoulder. "That too, but I meant this. Sitting here, having someone to talk to. Not having to worry about saying something or doing something, having to be somewhere."
"So this is like a mini vacation?"
"With some really great company," she teased, giving him a quick kiss before putting her head back.
"Well, I'd hope you thought so!" Shifting so they could both be comfortable, he leant against the arm of the couch and drew her closer as he settled himself more firmly. The scent of wildflowers from the bubble bath earlier was faint on her skin, a small wisp of memory to the permeating smell in the bathroom. He nuzzled his face into her neck, breathing in the sweet scent. "You smell good," he murmured to her.
Sara tilted her head to one side to give Gabriel more room. "I normally smell bad?" When his head lifted for him to answer her, she turned her own to give him a quick kiss and a smile. "I know, I know. You don't have to say anything," she told him.
"Hey, up until a while ago, I never got to be this close to you. I had to content myself with just the occasional hug between buddies or the teeniest scent of our shampoo while we were sitting next to each other." He nuzzled into her neck again. "I like being this close to you."
Sara tilted her head again and leant it back against his shoulder. "I like being close to you, too," she answered in a whisper.
"You do realize that we're going to have to sort everything out again, right?" He asked a while later.
Turning around and staring up at him with widened eyes, Sara shook her head. "Surely you jest."
"Sorry," he shook his head. "You don't want to give her a bunch of identical outfits, do you? I saw a bunch that were the same when we were sorting earlier. Besides, you don't want to give them to her looking like they were fished out of the trash," he pointed out.
"Who would have guessed you had a problem with dumpster diving?" she joked before sighing. "You're right, though. What am I going to do with all the extras? Do you have any nieces?"
"A couple. I can take some for them, I guess. They're always looking for more clothes. They'd have daily trips to Toys R Us to update Barbie's wardrobe every day if their parents would take them. Luckily they have more sense than to do it," he chuckled as he ran his fingers up and down one arm before resting his hand at her waist.
"Sounds fun," she mock grimaced. Before he could respond, the timer on the oven began beeping for attention. Getting up and shaking her head slightly at the cold feeling she had, she went over to shut the timer off. Grabbing her wallet from the counter, she pulled out $40. When Gabriel refused to take it, she physically opened his hand and put the cash into it. "My apartment, my treat," she explained before giving him another kiss and heading down to the basement where the mini clothes awaited.
TBC
*The Olympia Flame is a real Greek restaurant in my area. Their gyros and bread pudding are some of the best I've found in my area, and so is their rice pudding, among other things. Of course, in my family, we call it Family Square, which totally confuses everyone.
**For those of you who don't know, gyro (gyros is plural) is a sandwich of lamb and beef served on a thick pita with onions and tomato. The sauce is usually cucumber yogurt.