Elizabeth and Robert went downstairs to clear the plates from her table. It was getting late, but with the both of them having an open schedule tomorrow, neither of them was looking to call it a night. They settled into the living room after cleaning up. Despite their closeness on Elizabeth's bed moments before, they sat rather stiffly on opposite sides of the couch. The silence was deafening.
"So…" Elizabeth said trying desperately to break the tension.
"…a needle pulling thread." Robert answered dryly.
"What?"
"Sound of Music." He answered. "I quoted… nevermind."
Elizabeth glanced over to Robert who was staring straight ahead, his hands on his knees. He didn't look at all comfortable. He looked as nervous as she felt. There were times when she would have interpreted his stature as anger or withdrawal. After all these years she was much more confident in being able to read him. Attempting to ease the weight of the room she stood from the couch, "Robert, would you like something to drink?"
"Tea would be great." He spit out eagerly. He stood to join her. But as she walked passed him she touched his chest with her fingertips.
"No, I got it. You stay here." She told him pushing him gently back down to the couch.
"Right, I'll just… make myself… comfortable…" he said softly, but Elizabeth had already closed the door to the kitchen behind her. Romano looked around the room breathing heavily. He realized that he had been more or less holding in his breath the entire time they were on the couch together.
He looked down to his feet and smiled at the fact that he had left his shoes upstairs. He hadn't even noticed. "No time like the present," he said to himself. He walked up the stairs, two at a time, and back into Elizabeth's room. This time he turned on the lights. Her room was sparsely decorated making it look both elegant and impersonal. Romano wondered if his own bedroom gave the same impression.
He carried his shoes back down to the living room not bothering to slip them on. He placed them to the side of the couch and sat back down in his corner of the couch. This time though he refused to let himself appear so unapproachable. He leaned against the arm and kicked his legs up onto the couch grabbing a magazine from the coffee table. He flipped to the cover article titled "The First Six Weeks: Creating a Responsive Classroom." He had just about completed the piece when Elizabeth came into the room with a couple of teacups.
"You know, Robert, there are more appropriate reading materials for you here."
"No, this is fasssssssssscinating." He held sarcastically. "This here suggests that academics in the classroom should be gradually introduced in the fourth through sixth weeks of class. The dumbing down of our school system at its finest." He finished tossing the magazine back onto the table. Romano lifted his legs off the couch so Elizabeth could sit comfortably. Once settled, he boldly placed his legs back in her lap.
Pushing his legs aggressively to the floor she answered. "I don't know Robert, as an only child I need to worry about how Ella will get along with her peers in school."
"Sure, but look where running with scissors has gotten the both of us." He kicked his legs back up to her. But after she gave him a stern look he smiled and placed them back on the floor himself. He turned his body so he was facing forward on the couch again.
"Regardless Robert I prefer she learn to work well with others."
"You say that now…" Romano trailed off, taking a sip of his tea.
Elizabeth turned to face him argumentatively but then changed her mind and leaned against the arm of the couch closest to her. She lifted her legs up and placed them across Robert's lap. He looked over to her through the corners of his eyes and flashed a half smile. He let her legs remain in place and positioned his crossed hands on top of them.
"So Robert… tell me how you got Ella to sleep so quickly earlier tonight."
Romano considered a snarky reply but settled on the truth. "I sang to her."
"You what?" Elizabeth laughed. "Robert, I had no idea. Was it too from the Sound of Music? Sing a little Lonely Goat Herder, did you?"
Romano looked at her through squinted eyes and then taking advantage of their physical proximity her squeezed the lower part of her knees causing her to squeal and recoil uncontrollably away from his tickle. But Robert was clearly the stronger in this position. He let go of her knee and grabbed a hold of her feet. With one hand holding them together the other began tickling crazily. Elizabeth squirmed, twisting her body around trying to break free all the while protesting between the giggles, "no… stop… Robert… stop… don't… please."
At 'please' he dropped her feet and held his hands frozen in the air. With her feet free then flung forward and she nearly feel off the couch. "What? What did I do?" she asked confused, shocked at his sudden yielding.
"You said please." He answered honestly.
She looked at him perplexed, "you sure you didn't go to one of those bleeding heart liberal schools where they teach you how to behave, yourself."
Robert shrugged and gently lifted her legs back up onto his lap calmly. Elizabeth was silent for a moment trying to process how quickly he was able to move between emotions. She blushed as she thought about how enticing that could be in the bedroom. "So you sang to her… what did you sing?" she finally asked trying to get her mind off of the track it was heading.
"Uh… nothing. You wouldn't know it."
"Come on Robert, try me. I've been living in America for five years now. And part of that time, I lived with a teenager. I know my pop."
Romano looked over to her and smiled, "oh, I'm sure you do. But no, this song is more than a few years old. It was from a movie I enjoyed as a teenager."
Elizabeth thought for a moment and then outlandishly guessed between giggles, "Beauty School Dropout?"
Romano turned his face to her and stared directly into her eyes completely inexpressive. Elizabeth's smile faded and she shook away chills. In lightning speed he lunged forward and ticked her sides frantically. She fell to the floor and tried to catch her breath. "Please" she exhaled.
Romano pushed the table further away from the couch to keep them from getting hurt. "Oh no… that only works once," he replied climbing down to the floor pinning her arms near her head and sitting straddled on her hips. She tried to kick her legs hard enough to buck him off. Romano countered by scooting further down her legs. Keeping his hold on her arms caused his body to lower onto her own. She stopped moving her legs once he became close enough for her to inhale his clean scent. He looked down to her legs and saw them relax and then looked forward at her. Their lips were inches apart.
"Hmmm… interesting position you have gotten yourself into here," he spoke in seductive control.
Elizabeth leaned forward to kiss him but he pulled up from her. "Now, now Elizabeth, haven't you learned anything about the magic word."
"Please." she answered as he lowered his lips onto hers.