"Christmas is All Around"
Chapter 5
Tuesday evening…
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"— It's all most enough to make you feel patriotic. So here's one for our arse-kicking prime minister. I think he'll enjoy this. A golden oldie for a golden oldie," the woman's voice on the radio faded out as the song 'Jump For My Love' came on.
"Christ, he isn't that old," Clementine mumbled to herself, clacking away at the computer's keyboard. "That is quite catchy."
She then began tapping her feet to the music, unknowingly typing to the rhythm as well.
Before she knew it, she was up and dancing about the room to the music.
'I'm such a moron!' she laughed at herself, spinning out the door and into the hallway.
She practically hopped down each step, leaping over the last four and then shuffling into the next room where she plowed right into something sturdy.
"Oh fuck! Wanker, bugger, shitting, arsehead and hole!" she groaned, instinctively putting both hands over her forehead. Once she opened her eyes, she immediately felt her face heat up as it began flushing a mortified pink. "David?" she exclaimed, wincing from the pain as she raised her eyebrows with surprise.
"Come here often?" he chuckled nervously.
"No, I was just working late and- and I was coming down the stairs too fast I suppose…" she mumbled, getting from off the floor and onto her knees. "AH!" she yelped, bowing her head down and putting her left hand back over it.
"Are you all right?" he asked, lifting her chin up to get a look at her forehead. "My god, you're bleeding!" he gasped, helping her up to her feet. "Come on, I'll get you fixed up."
He led her through the nearby room and up the other flight of stairs, glancing over at her every few seconds.
"Really, it's fine. I'll walk it off."
"No, no. I insist," he said, ushering into his bedroom and on into the bathroom. "I'm terribly sorry for this," he pointed to the cut on her forehead. "I guess my nose is pointier than I previously thought," he tried to joke. "That's what I get for inheriting most of my mother's side of the family, God bless her."
"I suppose," she mumbled, holding her head straight so he could apply the bandage. "Apparently everyone's still abuzz about your recent patriotic little speech two weeks ago," she said in effort to make conversation.
"Yes. I guess this means they like me."
"And to show their appreciation, they dedicate a song to you on the radio. 'A golden oldie for a golden oldie', I believe were the words."
"Ah, yes, well…" he smiled, finally applying the band-aid over the cut. He held his hand in position for a moment, his fingertips upon her forehead.
"What were you going to say to me yesterday… about that song I told you I loved?" she asked bluntly, this having been nagging at her ever since. He remained silent. "All right, don't answer then. It was only a harmless question after all," she said, making to walk out of the bathroom. But she stopped, a hand resting against the doorframe.
She turned back around, looking him right in the eyes.
"Hope that doesn't get infected, or anything like that," he said.
"Yeah. Thanks for the band-aid too," she said with a polite smile.
At that moment, she got the impulse to leap forward with her arms wrapped around his neck and plant a kiss right on his lips. She didn't really know why, but it was as if something had been awoken within her… something that had been asleep all her life.
"I better be off," and with that, she left.
He watched her leave, suddenly getting the urge to chase after her and carry her in his arms back into the room. But he didn't. He just switched off the bathroom light and walked over to the bed, falling onto it face first then mumbling something that sounded like 'Absolutely pathetic'... or 'Affolooly paffeffic'.
"Hey angel, what's that on yer forehead?" Cleavon asked his daughter as she got into the car.
"Just a little scrape. Nothing to worry yourself about," she assured him.
"How'd it happen?" he asked, still persistent.
"I merely bumped heads with someone, that's all. Their nose must've been pointier than they though," she said, a small smile creeping along her lips.
"Musta been," he commented, turning the steering wheel to head down the next street. "How was work today, besides that a'course?"
"Just fine, even that little calamity wasn't so bad…" she trailed off, smiling slightly bigger out the window.
Clementine lay on her bed, facing upward to the white ceiling. One hand was resting on her forehead over the band-aided cut, her fingertips running over the places where his had once roamed. She could still see the concentrated look on his face as he went about the simply task of applying the band-aid.
Fuck and damn me for dancing down those stairs like a complete fool, she cursed herself. God only knows what he must have thought of me… 'what an utter and complete fool she is', that's what! she closed her eyes. "Damn love and all. Just damn the whole bloody thing…" she muttered.
Since she'd gotten home, all she could think about was David and that charming face of his… and those sweet eyes…
"Fucking hell!" she grumbled, bouncing her legs into the air then letting them fall back down onto the bed. "Why him?" she questioned oratorically.
In no way, throughout her many dating experiences, had she ever felt this strong about any one man. David was just like any other man his age, or any age. But there was that certain something… the something that seemed to make her want to wrap herself within his embrace and never leave it. There was, however, no possible way at the moment for her to find out how he felt in return. She had to know if she was in pursuit of a 'grail', or if he felt the remotely the same way about her as she sincerely did for him.
"That settles it!" she sprang straight up, now sitting upright on her bed. "I'll do it tomorrow, when most everyone's gone home of course… but I will do it," she pledged.
Just then, the phone rang. She picked up right away.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Hi, Clem! It's Karen," the female voice on the other end responded cheerily.
"Oh, how are things?"
"Same old, same old, I suppose," Karen paused for a moment. "How are things at work?" she asked, seeming harmless.
Without thinking anything through, Clementine blurted out what she never intended to tell a soul until much later on.
"I've fallen for your brother."
"I'm sorry?" Karen said in disbelief.
"Oh, Karen, how am I going to tell him?"
"Just tell him right out. That's the only way to get through to that man, I can tell you," Karen advised.
"That's all? Really?"
"Really, really."
"Oh…" Clementine looked at the mouthpiece as if it were something extremely odd. "What did you call about?" she asked.
There was another pause on Karen's end.
"Oh, nothing after all… you just concentrate on that talk with David. And don't delay it! These things can't afford to be put off in the least!"
And with that, Karen hung up.
Author's Note : Tee hee hee, Clementine was dancing and bumped into David, tee hee hee. Anyways… Karen is just the crafty little thing, ain't she? Can you now see why she is one of the best characters in the movie? Can you? Huh, huh? ….. that's what I thought in the first place. :D Well, let us just see what happens next, shall we? What lies ahead for Clementine and David? You'll just have to wait until the next chapter, so there. (I'm such a jackarse, huh?) Okie-day, on with the normal routine: Read/Review/Flame (optional). Cheers! :D
