"You have a nice place." Trent said as he took in the shiny wood floor of the foyer. There was an antique dresser with a mirror that held a lamp with a beaded shade and pot of plants near the door, and a light blue runner with white tassles on the floor. There was a set of open French doors that led into the living area, which had a large white rug and lots of cherry wood furniture.
"Very nice." Trent said out loud as he thought, 'Yep, WAY out of my league.'
"The kitchen's back this way." Lauren said as she walked to the back of the house. Trent watched her and watched the way the overhead lights in the ceiling made her short hair glint gold. Grim, he followed her til they entered the kitchen. There was a large, stainless steel refridgerator, sink, and plenty of stainless steel appliances atop the smooth, clean counters, and the island had a large bowl filled with fruit on it. He watched as she stood on tiptoe and tried to reach one of the frying pans in the middle of the ceiling pan holder. He came up behind her and got it for her, his body pressing against her back.
She came back down, and turned, her face tilted up towards his, his down towards hers. "Thanks." Lauren said quietly, and looked down. Trent moved backwards and took off his jacket and took a seat at a booth chair behind the island. He watched her put the skillet on the stove and turn the burner on, then turn and hold onto the wall to unzip her boots. She set them outside the door, and Trent stared at her feet. She was wearing blue socks with ducks and bubbles all over them.
She really was full of surprises.
Lauren walked over to the far counter and clicked play on the small radio, and Sarah Vaughn's mellow voice floated out of the radio singing about what Lola wanted. Lauren began to sing with it, making Trent smile, and he watched her grease the pan then retrieve the fish and a mango.
She put the fish on the counter then got out a cutting board and a knife, still shaking her hips and singing, and handed them to Trent. "Don't this lunch is free, Dahlin." She winked at him.
Trent chuckled and gave a small smile and started peeling the mango, watching her. He watched as her long arms unwrapped the fish, her long, smooth hands take a strip and set it on the skillet. He smiled and looked down at his own hands as he began to cut the mango into sections.
"Oh, my Lordie how this smells wonderful, doesn't it dahlin?" Lauren said enthusiastically as she retrieved two plates from a cabinet. She moved to the next one and then turned and looked at him. "You want tea, wine, water...?"
"Um... whatever you're having." He said, and sliced another piece of mango.
Smiling, she got down two crystal wine glasses them moved to the island and disappeared behind it. He heard her open a cabinet, then close it and come up with a bottle of berry wine. "My favorite." She told him. "You will not regret comin' here for lunch, sugar. I guarantee it."
Smiling, Trent replied, "Let's hope your right. Don't burn the fish."
Lauren gave him an evil eye then turned back to the stove to turn the fish over. "You are truly a smartass, Trent Grey."
"Yeah, I was born that way."
Grinning, she turned back towards him and grabbed a corkscrew out of the drawer. She popped the top of the wine then poured it slowly into each glass. "This is what I love about the kitchen. It has a built in refridgerator thing for wine. I love it!"
Trent looked at her as she handed him the glass of wine. "Yeah. What do you want me to do with this?"
"You need to cut up some strawberries and grapefruit. And then I'll give you a bowl to put it all in." She winked at him and turned towards the fridge.
Trent took a sip of his wine, then his eyebrows rose. "This is great." He took another sip.
"You like it? God, that stuff is wonderful. I got it for like thirty bucks, such a buy. I'm addicted to it. I have like nine bottles." She took a sip of her own wine then slid the fruit over to him.
"What is it?" He asked as he opened the carton of strawberries.
"Blackberry wine." She grabbed a plate and scooped some fish onto it. She did the same with the other plate. "So, Trent, how old are you?"
"What?"
"How old are you?" She turned towards him, the two plates in her hand. "It's a relatively easy question."
"Why?" He sliced a strawberry.
"Curiosity." She set the plates down and picked up her glass of wine and leaned forward.
"I'm twenty-five. Twenty-six in April. How about you?" He slid the cut strawberries to one side and the tops to the other and reached for a grapefruit.
"I'm twenty-three. Twenty-four next month. Um... how long have you lived in Sacramento?" She raised an eyebrow and took a sip of wine.
"My entire life."
"Ah. And," She said before he could ask anything, "How many piercings do you have in your ears? That's what I'm most curious about."
Trent gave a laugh and looked down at his hands as he peeled the grapefruit. "I have three in my left ear, five in my right. How about you?"
"Three in my left ear, two in my right. Five of those my parents don't know about." Lauren grinned at him and poured more wine.
"Now, have YOU lived in Sacramento your whole life?" He inquired.
"Nope. I've lived here almost four years. I moved here with Felice from Lousiana." Lauren reached over and topped his glass off. He thanked her with a glance.
"Well, now. I remember Felice saying something like that once." He waited a beat, then asked, "What made you move here?"
"We visted once when I was sixteen. I loved it. I wanted to go to college but nothing like Harvard or Yale, so I decided on Sacramento State. I was thinking maybe Orange County, but I love Sacramento. It's nice. Plus, there's a clothing store on every corner and a Starbucks right next to it. How could it be any better?" She smiled at him as she sipped her wine.
"What do your parents do?" Trent asked as he sliced the grapefruit pieces.
Lauren's smile faded and she looked down into her glass. "Well, my father is the Senator of Baton Rouge. He's great, you'd like him. His name is Jake. My mother," Trent noticed her tone got a tinge bitter as she spoke. "Meredith, stays at home and has tea parties with her friends every Wednesday. She works with charities, holds balls, yadda yadda. What about you?" She asked desperately. Desperate to change the subject.
"I don't have any parents." He said without looking at her. Usually he would have cracked a joke or inquired if she was serious when she told him what her parents were, but he took her seriously.
"Oh... I'm so sorry." Lauren said earnestly. "I had no idea."
"It's okay, don't worry about it. I didn't know them myself. They died in a car accident or something like that when I was five. I was raised by my older sister Alex, whose about thirteen years older than me, and her boyfriend Orlando. That guy was wacked but he was cool - he taught me to play the guitar. That's basically my whole life story." He looked at her, his eyes filled with such emotion that she had no idea how to perceive it. Along with something she hoped was a sort of trust and also some sort of hope. Lauren realized Trent didn't open to people, and that he was hoping she wouldn't betray him somehow. How secretive he is, she thought.
"You've had a hard life." Lauren stated quietly.
"It wasn't too bad or anything. I mean, I went to school and always had clothes and food. Whatever I needed, basically. Alex was great. She worked her ass off at JC Penny or the Gap or where ever she was working. She always looked great. I owe her so much." He said quietly. "Anyway, where do you want me to put the fruit?"
Lauren looked startled for a moment and broke the stare she had on him, and moved to the cabinet to retrieve a large glass bowl and then grabbed a large spoon from a canister on the counter. "Here you go. Thanks for cutting that up. You did a really good job."
"I used to be a chef - believe it or not. I worked down at The Olive Garden and then at this fancy restaurant that I can't even pronounce for a while. But then I met Jon and he was able to get us money by preforming and I quit. Cooking sucks when you HAVE to do it." He said, and took the fork she handed him.
Lauren slid him a plate, and watched him spoon fruit salad onto his plate then shove the bowl towards her. "Thanks."
They sat and ate, asked a few more nonimportant questions, and had a good time.
"Will you pass the salad?" Trent asked, and as Lauren slid it over she accidently knocked his glass over. Berry wine spilt all over his clothes and face, and Trent remained perfect still until the glass fell with a clank. It didn't break, and he let out a breath of relief. "God, I was worried about the glass." He let out a laugh.
"Oh, my God, Trent, I'm so sorry, dahlin, I didn't mean..." Lauren grabbed a towel and rushed around and began to towel at his face. "Do you want to take a shower or something?" She rushed on.
Trent then realized he hadn't showered and he was probably going to start stinking soon, so he nodded, the wine giving him a good excuse. "Sure, why not?"
"Okay, okay, hold on. I am so sorry." Lauren set the towel down shakily and looked around nervously, her hands almost starting to shake.
"Hey, hey." Trent grabbed her hands in his, berry wine still dripping down onto his forehead. "Calm down. Don't worry about it."
Smiling at him, she said, "I know, I'm just so embarrassed." Lauren laughed, "Come on, there's a bathroom up the stairs." She led him up the stairs into a large bathroom with a huge tub and a walk-in shower stall. Trent watched as she opened some cabinets and got out some large, soft white towels and handed them to him. "I'll go and see if my roommate has anything that'll fit you."
Before Trent could ask anything, she was gone with the door closed behind her. He stripped quickly of the wine soaked clothes then grabbed a mirror off the sink counter. He looked in the stall and saw a razor and shaving cream and then turned the water on hot and stepped in.
Lauren entered Robbie's room and went straight to the closet. She walked in and began searching through the shirts and finally came up with a short sleeve gray and white striped shirt and a pair of jeans on a hanger. She walked out and grabbed an undershirt, then set them on a chair outside the bathroom door and went and finished her meal. She stopped eating when she heard the shower shut off, and rushed up the stairs as Trent emerged wearing only a towel. And then he saw her.
'And those scars are repulsive, too!' She had said as the door slammed.
Trent looked suddenly angry, and withdrew, but not fast enough that she couldn't see the scars crisscrossing his body.
Lauren's smile faded. "Oh, my God, Trent, what happened to you?"
"Nothing. Look-..."
Lauren rushed over and grabbed the clothes and held them out. "These are Robbie's. They're new, so he won't notice they're gone or anything."
Trent reached out and grabbed them, and started to close the door until he heard Lauren start talking quietly. "Trent. What are you angry about?"
"Nothing." He just about hissed the word out and started to close the door until her hand on the door stopped him.
"Is it about that?" Lauren looked pointedly at his chest then up at him. The concern mixed with other emotions in her eyes made him stop breathing and something inside him clicked into place. He let go of the door.
"Yes, I'm sorry. They... Things happen. Thanks for the clothes." He closed the door gently, leaving Lauren standing there looking bewildered, her stomach and chest aching.
"Very nice." Trent said out loud as he thought, 'Yep, WAY out of my league.'
"The kitchen's back this way." Lauren said as she walked to the back of the house. Trent watched her and watched the way the overhead lights in the ceiling made her short hair glint gold. Grim, he followed her til they entered the kitchen. There was a large, stainless steel refridgerator, sink, and plenty of stainless steel appliances atop the smooth, clean counters, and the island had a large bowl filled with fruit on it. He watched as she stood on tiptoe and tried to reach one of the frying pans in the middle of the ceiling pan holder. He came up behind her and got it for her, his body pressing against her back.
She came back down, and turned, her face tilted up towards his, his down towards hers. "Thanks." Lauren said quietly, and looked down. Trent moved backwards and took off his jacket and took a seat at a booth chair behind the island. He watched her put the skillet on the stove and turn the burner on, then turn and hold onto the wall to unzip her boots. She set them outside the door, and Trent stared at her feet. She was wearing blue socks with ducks and bubbles all over them.
She really was full of surprises.
Lauren walked over to the far counter and clicked play on the small radio, and Sarah Vaughn's mellow voice floated out of the radio singing about what Lola wanted. Lauren began to sing with it, making Trent smile, and he watched her grease the pan then retrieve the fish and a mango.
She put the fish on the counter then got out a cutting board and a knife, still shaking her hips and singing, and handed them to Trent. "Don't this lunch is free, Dahlin." She winked at him.
Trent chuckled and gave a small smile and started peeling the mango, watching her. He watched as her long arms unwrapped the fish, her long, smooth hands take a strip and set it on the skillet. He smiled and looked down at his own hands as he began to cut the mango into sections.
"Oh, my Lordie how this smells wonderful, doesn't it dahlin?" Lauren said enthusiastically as she retrieved two plates from a cabinet. She moved to the next one and then turned and looked at him. "You want tea, wine, water...?"
"Um... whatever you're having." He said, and sliced another piece of mango.
Smiling, she got down two crystal wine glasses them moved to the island and disappeared behind it. He heard her open a cabinet, then close it and come up with a bottle of berry wine. "My favorite." She told him. "You will not regret comin' here for lunch, sugar. I guarantee it."
Smiling, Trent replied, "Let's hope your right. Don't burn the fish."
Lauren gave him an evil eye then turned back to the stove to turn the fish over. "You are truly a smartass, Trent Grey."
"Yeah, I was born that way."
Grinning, she turned back towards him and grabbed a corkscrew out of the drawer. She popped the top of the wine then poured it slowly into each glass. "This is what I love about the kitchen. It has a built in refridgerator thing for wine. I love it!"
Trent looked at her as she handed him the glass of wine. "Yeah. What do you want me to do with this?"
"You need to cut up some strawberries and grapefruit. And then I'll give you a bowl to put it all in." She winked at him and turned towards the fridge.
Trent took a sip of his wine, then his eyebrows rose. "This is great." He took another sip.
"You like it? God, that stuff is wonderful. I got it for like thirty bucks, such a buy. I'm addicted to it. I have like nine bottles." She took a sip of her own wine then slid the fruit over to him.
"What is it?" He asked as he opened the carton of strawberries.
"Blackberry wine." She grabbed a plate and scooped some fish onto it. She did the same with the other plate. "So, Trent, how old are you?"
"What?"
"How old are you?" She turned towards him, the two plates in her hand. "It's a relatively easy question."
"Why?" He sliced a strawberry.
"Curiosity." She set the plates down and picked up her glass of wine and leaned forward.
"I'm twenty-five. Twenty-six in April. How about you?" He slid the cut strawberries to one side and the tops to the other and reached for a grapefruit.
"I'm twenty-three. Twenty-four next month. Um... how long have you lived in Sacramento?" She raised an eyebrow and took a sip of wine.
"My entire life."
"Ah. And," She said before he could ask anything, "How many piercings do you have in your ears? That's what I'm most curious about."
Trent gave a laugh and looked down at his hands as he peeled the grapefruit. "I have three in my left ear, five in my right. How about you?"
"Three in my left ear, two in my right. Five of those my parents don't know about." Lauren grinned at him and poured more wine.
"Now, have YOU lived in Sacramento your whole life?" He inquired.
"Nope. I've lived here almost four years. I moved here with Felice from Lousiana." Lauren reached over and topped his glass off. He thanked her with a glance.
"Well, now. I remember Felice saying something like that once." He waited a beat, then asked, "What made you move here?"
"We visted once when I was sixteen. I loved it. I wanted to go to college but nothing like Harvard or Yale, so I decided on Sacramento State. I was thinking maybe Orange County, but I love Sacramento. It's nice. Plus, there's a clothing store on every corner and a Starbucks right next to it. How could it be any better?" She smiled at him as she sipped her wine.
"What do your parents do?" Trent asked as he sliced the grapefruit pieces.
Lauren's smile faded and she looked down into her glass. "Well, my father is the Senator of Baton Rouge. He's great, you'd like him. His name is Jake. My mother," Trent noticed her tone got a tinge bitter as she spoke. "Meredith, stays at home and has tea parties with her friends every Wednesday. She works with charities, holds balls, yadda yadda. What about you?" She asked desperately. Desperate to change the subject.
"I don't have any parents." He said without looking at her. Usually he would have cracked a joke or inquired if she was serious when she told him what her parents were, but he took her seriously.
"Oh... I'm so sorry." Lauren said earnestly. "I had no idea."
"It's okay, don't worry about it. I didn't know them myself. They died in a car accident or something like that when I was five. I was raised by my older sister Alex, whose about thirteen years older than me, and her boyfriend Orlando. That guy was wacked but he was cool - he taught me to play the guitar. That's basically my whole life story." He looked at her, his eyes filled with such emotion that she had no idea how to perceive it. Along with something she hoped was a sort of trust and also some sort of hope. Lauren realized Trent didn't open to people, and that he was hoping she wouldn't betray him somehow. How secretive he is, she thought.
"You've had a hard life." Lauren stated quietly.
"It wasn't too bad or anything. I mean, I went to school and always had clothes and food. Whatever I needed, basically. Alex was great. She worked her ass off at JC Penny or the Gap or where ever she was working. She always looked great. I owe her so much." He said quietly. "Anyway, where do you want me to put the fruit?"
Lauren looked startled for a moment and broke the stare she had on him, and moved to the cabinet to retrieve a large glass bowl and then grabbed a large spoon from a canister on the counter. "Here you go. Thanks for cutting that up. You did a really good job."
"I used to be a chef - believe it or not. I worked down at The Olive Garden and then at this fancy restaurant that I can't even pronounce for a while. But then I met Jon and he was able to get us money by preforming and I quit. Cooking sucks when you HAVE to do it." He said, and took the fork she handed him.
Lauren slid him a plate, and watched him spoon fruit salad onto his plate then shove the bowl towards her. "Thanks."
They sat and ate, asked a few more nonimportant questions, and had a good time.
"Will you pass the salad?" Trent asked, and as Lauren slid it over she accidently knocked his glass over. Berry wine spilt all over his clothes and face, and Trent remained perfect still until the glass fell with a clank. It didn't break, and he let out a breath of relief. "God, I was worried about the glass." He let out a laugh.
"Oh, my God, Trent, I'm so sorry, dahlin, I didn't mean..." Lauren grabbed a towel and rushed around and began to towel at his face. "Do you want to take a shower or something?" She rushed on.
Trent then realized he hadn't showered and he was probably going to start stinking soon, so he nodded, the wine giving him a good excuse. "Sure, why not?"
"Okay, okay, hold on. I am so sorry." Lauren set the towel down shakily and looked around nervously, her hands almost starting to shake.
"Hey, hey." Trent grabbed her hands in his, berry wine still dripping down onto his forehead. "Calm down. Don't worry about it."
Smiling at him, she said, "I know, I'm just so embarrassed." Lauren laughed, "Come on, there's a bathroom up the stairs." She led him up the stairs into a large bathroom with a huge tub and a walk-in shower stall. Trent watched as she opened some cabinets and got out some large, soft white towels and handed them to him. "I'll go and see if my roommate has anything that'll fit you."
Before Trent could ask anything, she was gone with the door closed behind her. He stripped quickly of the wine soaked clothes then grabbed a mirror off the sink counter. He looked in the stall and saw a razor and shaving cream and then turned the water on hot and stepped in.
Lauren entered Robbie's room and went straight to the closet. She walked in and began searching through the shirts and finally came up with a short sleeve gray and white striped shirt and a pair of jeans on a hanger. She walked out and grabbed an undershirt, then set them on a chair outside the bathroom door and went and finished her meal. She stopped eating when she heard the shower shut off, and rushed up the stairs as Trent emerged wearing only a towel. And then he saw her.
'And those scars are repulsive, too!' She had said as the door slammed.
Trent looked suddenly angry, and withdrew, but not fast enough that she couldn't see the scars crisscrossing his body.
Lauren's smile faded. "Oh, my God, Trent, what happened to you?"
"Nothing. Look-..."
Lauren rushed over and grabbed the clothes and held them out. "These are Robbie's. They're new, so he won't notice they're gone or anything."
Trent reached out and grabbed them, and started to close the door until he heard Lauren start talking quietly. "Trent. What are you angry about?"
"Nothing." He just about hissed the word out and started to close the door until her hand on the door stopped him.
"Is it about that?" Lauren looked pointedly at his chest then up at him. The concern mixed with other emotions in her eyes made him stop breathing and something inside him clicked into place. He let go of the door.
"Yes, I'm sorry. They... Things happen. Thanks for the clothes." He closed the door gently, leaving Lauren standing there looking bewildered, her stomach and chest aching.
