Okay, I know it's kind of pathetic that I updated almost every day, but
hey, I live in "hick-ville USA", and I have no life, so, here ya go.
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As she looked around the room, she noticed that unlike the other rooms they'd passed in the hall, this one had two beds rather than multiple bunks. There was a thin night stand next to each bed, and one large, half empty closet.
"Well, this is it," Mush said, waving a hand around in front of him, as if putting it on display. "I thought Kloppman said this room was empty?" Mush suddenly wrinkled his face in confusion. 'He's so damn cute when he gets all confused!' Laina thought, smiling to herself. Mush, not paying much attention to it, said, "Hm, he musta forgot or somethin'."
He walked over to look in the closet, trying to get a sense of who was currently occupying the room. All Mush needed was a quick glance and he instantly knew whose room it was.
"Oh yeah, this is Jack's new room. Kloppman probably forgot since Jack just switched rooms yesterday b'cause we got a new newsie named Twiggy. Donts worry, you'll like Jack, he's real easy to talk to. Best of all, he keeps his mouth shut. You could tell him just about anything and he'll take it to the grave."
Mush finished, sitting in a chair, gazing out the window with a combined look of trust and gratitude on his face. Obviously he and Jack had spent a few late hours talking in the past, and Jack must have lived up to his reputation for Mush to be speaking so highly of him.
"Well," Mush continued, "since you's a newsie now, you should probably pick a job. You can do a whole bunch of stuff. You can just stick to selling papes, or ya can take up child watchin', washing dishes, cleaning houses, office woik, whole bunch of stuff. Then again," with these last two words Mush's voice had changed from thoughtful to mischievous.
"If I had my way, you'd sell papes with me." A seductive grin was now playing across his strong face, which obligated Laina to answer with a short, witty tone. "And why is that, Mush?" She said this with an unusual airiness in her voice, and the look in her eyes was playing evil games with his senses.
Mush wanted her back in his arms. He wanted her petite yet strong body cuddled against his chest, and her head buried in his neck. He knew there was only one way to keep himself from doing something that would jeopardize their blossoming friendship--walk away.
He had just tipped his hat to her as he told her he'd let her get settled, and was headed towards the door. Laina opened one of the night stand's drawers, revealing a pair of tan pants, an off-white shirt, and a pair of socks with black boots.
Suddenly, a thought came to her: 'Wait!' Mush was almost at the door when he felt Laina grab him by the arm, turning him back around to face her. She didn't want to be alone. What if Jack showed up, how would she explain to him why she was there? Besides, she wanted to spend some "quality time" with Mush.
After talking with him for those many hours before they had "innocently" cuddled themselves to sleep, she knew his soul. She knew how he felt about her, whether he said it or not. Laina knew he would probably be a mirror of her haunting past, and was ready for it. But at the moment, she wasn't thinking about that. Right now, all she was thinking about was him.
She wanted to feel like he wanted her, needed her. As she turned him around, and saw the longing and deprived look in his eyes, her heart melted. "I donts wanna be alone," she said, only now there was a strong hint of desperation and pleading in her voice. "Okay," Mush said softly. And after closing the door with his foot, he gingerly reached up and placed a hand on her cheek.
He slowly moved closer to her, moving his hand from her cheek to under her hair and to the nape of her neck, sending fresh chills all over her body.
Laina, a thought popping into her head, placed a hand on Mush's chest. "What abouts Jack, won't he come in? After all, this is his room too." Mush's lips went to the corner of his mouth in thought. "I have an idea," he said, leading her to a spot in the middle of the room. "Close your eyes." She did so, and she could hear him moving various items around the room.
When she heard the window open, she instinctively put her hands out, searching the air for his presence. "Mush?" she cried out softly, getting a little annoyed by his lack of noise. She was about to open her eyes when she felt soft fingers cover them up again.
"Not yet," Mush whispered deeply in her ear, then slid his hands from her eyelids down the sides of her neck, and onto the tops of her shoulders. She tilted her head to one side and leaned back into his chest as he softly kissed the curved area her neck made as it met her shoulder before returning to what he had been doing previously.
She whimpered as she felt the heat of his body disappeared from behind her. But when things fell silent, she put her hands out again. Only this time there was something there to meet them. She inwardly grinned when she felt Mush's hands guide her over to the other side of the room.
Laina hesitated when Mush led her up onto the window sill, the cool breeze meeting her face. Seeing this, Mush went over first, and she felt a rush of relief when her feet met the roof outside. After just a few more steps, Mush released her hands, and went around behind her. A small stroke of her cheek told her it was okay to open her eyes.
When she had completely opened them, she gasped. She could hardly believe the scene before her eyes. In a corner over looking the city, Mush had taken the cushions off of a bench on the roof and placed one long one on the ground for them top share. Also in the corner was a blanket. It wasn't even close to being cold outside at that moment, but since it was late summer/early fall, evenings were beginning to get extremely chilly. Laina looked up at the position of the sun. 'It can't be later than 3:30' she thought to herself. 'How long is he planning on staying out here?'
He took a piece of her hair and pulled it behind her shoulder. After one final sweep of her back with his hand, he walked towards the cushion. Half way there, he turned around to look at Laina, and when he began to approach the corner again, she followed him. Now ALL she wanted was to be held. She didn't care if they were complete strangers. (Oh wait; they DID hold each other when they were strangers..hehe). She just wanted to feel loved.
As she looked around the room, she noticed that unlike the other rooms they'd passed in the hall, this one had two beds rather than multiple bunks. There was a thin night stand next to each bed, and one large, half empty closet.
"Well, this is it," Mush said, waving a hand around in front of him, as if putting it on display. "I thought Kloppman said this room was empty?" Mush suddenly wrinkled his face in confusion. 'He's so damn cute when he gets all confused!' Laina thought, smiling to herself. Mush, not paying much attention to it, said, "Hm, he musta forgot or somethin'."
He walked over to look in the closet, trying to get a sense of who was currently occupying the room. All Mush needed was a quick glance and he instantly knew whose room it was.
"Oh yeah, this is Jack's new room. Kloppman probably forgot since Jack just switched rooms yesterday b'cause we got a new newsie named Twiggy. Donts worry, you'll like Jack, he's real easy to talk to. Best of all, he keeps his mouth shut. You could tell him just about anything and he'll take it to the grave."
Mush finished, sitting in a chair, gazing out the window with a combined look of trust and gratitude on his face. Obviously he and Jack had spent a few late hours talking in the past, and Jack must have lived up to his reputation for Mush to be speaking so highly of him.
"Well," Mush continued, "since you's a newsie now, you should probably pick a job. You can do a whole bunch of stuff. You can just stick to selling papes, or ya can take up child watchin', washing dishes, cleaning houses, office woik, whole bunch of stuff. Then again," with these last two words Mush's voice had changed from thoughtful to mischievous.
"If I had my way, you'd sell papes with me." A seductive grin was now playing across his strong face, which obligated Laina to answer with a short, witty tone. "And why is that, Mush?" She said this with an unusual airiness in her voice, and the look in her eyes was playing evil games with his senses.
Mush wanted her back in his arms. He wanted her petite yet strong body cuddled against his chest, and her head buried in his neck. He knew there was only one way to keep himself from doing something that would jeopardize their blossoming friendship--walk away.
He had just tipped his hat to her as he told her he'd let her get settled, and was headed towards the door. Laina opened one of the night stand's drawers, revealing a pair of tan pants, an off-white shirt, and a pair of socks with black boots.
Suddenly, a thought came to her: 'Wait!' Mush was almost at the door when he felt Laina grab him by the arm, turning him back around to face her. She didn't want to be alone. What if Jack showed up, how would she explain to him why she was there? Besides, she wanted to spend some "quality time" with Mush.
After talking with him for those many hours before they had "innocently" cuddled themselves to sleep, she knew his soul. She knew how he felt about her, whether he said it or not. Laina knew he would probably be a mirror of her haunting past, and was ready for it. But at the moment, she wasn't thinking about that. Right now, all she was thinking about was him.
She wanted to feel like he wanted her, needed her. As she turned him around, and saw the longing and deprived look in his eyes, her heart melted. "I donts wanna be alone," she said, only now there was a strong hint of desperation and pleading in her voice. "Okay," Mush said softly. And after closing the door with his foot, he gingerly reached up and placed a hand on her cheek.
He slowly moved closer to her, moving his hand from her cheek to under her hair and to the nape of her neck, sending fresh chills all over her body.
Laina, a thought popping into her head, placed a hand on Mush's chest. "What abouts Jack, won't he come in? After all, this is his room too." Mush's lips went to the corner of his mouth in thought. "I have an idea," he said, leading her to a spot in the middle of the room. "Close your eyes." She did so, and she could hear him moving various items around the room.
When she heard the window open, she instinctively put her hands out, searching the air for his presence. "Mush?" she cried out softly, getting a little annoyed by his lack of noise. She was about to open her eyes when she felt soft fingers cover them up again.
"Not yet," Mush whispered deeply in her ear, then slid his hands from her eyelids down the sides of her neck, and onto the tops of her shoulders. She tilted her head to one side and leaned back into his chest as he softly kissed the curved area her neck made as it met her shoulder before returning to what he had been doing previously.
She whimpered as she felt the heat of his body disappeared from behind her. But when things fell silent, she put her hands out again. Only this time there was something there to meet them. She inwardly grinned when she felt Mush's hands guide her over to the other side of the room.
Laina hesitated when Mush led her up onto the window sill, the cool breeze meeting her face. Seeing this, Mush went over first, and she felt a rush of relief when her feet met the roof outside. After just a few more steps, Mush released her hands, and went around behind her. A small stroke of her cheek told her it was okay to open her eyes.
When she had completely opened them, she gasped. She could hardly believe the scene before her eyes. In a corner over looking the city, Mush had taken the cushions off of a bench on the roof and placed one long one on the ground for them top share. Also in the corner was a blanket. It wasn't even close to being cold outside at that moment, but since it was late summer/early fall, evenings were beginning to get extremely chilly. Laina looked up at the position of the sun. 'It can't be later than 3:30' she thought to herself. 'How long is he planning on staying out here?'
He took a piece of her hair and pulled it behind her shoulder. After one final sweep of her back with his hand, he walked towards the cushion. Half way there, he turned around to look at Laina, and when he began to approach the corner again, she followed him. Now ALL she wanted was to be held. She didn't care if they were complete strangers. (Oh wait; they DID hold each other when they were strangers..hehe). She just wanted to feel loved.