[A/N: Ahhh! Reviewers-I LOVE YOU! Hehe. I got some awesome reviews for
my last chapter and they totally made my day. Virtual hugs for everyone!]
html "Hey Mark, can I borrow that?" Roger asked Mark as he started getting his things together for his evening with Kelly at the park.
"What? This?" Mark handed his camera over. "What do you want that for?"
Roger grinned mischeiviously.
"I see that look. What are you going to do?" Collins asked.
"Well remember that time a couple months ago when Mimi stuffed tofu down my pants?"
Mark nodded and Collins cringed.
Roger gripped the camera. "Well it's payback time."
"You're getting her back /i? Isn't that a little late?" Mark wondered.
"Yeah. But this will still be fun. Mimi is in the shower right now. All I have to do is quietly open the curtain, get a little footage, and get out before she murders me."
"Wow . . .what are you using this footage for?" Collins asked.
"Porn," Roger joked. "No, moron, just for blackmail. I'm going in." He mimicked James Bond as he steathily entered the steamy bathroom.
"One, two, three," he whispered before tearing open the shower curtain and turning on the camera. "Surprise!"
What Roger found behind the curtain wasn't at all what he was expecting. He was greeted with a high-pitched sqeal. Roger blinked a few times before realizing who . . .and what. . . he was staring at.
"ROGER WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" Maureen screamed, covering herself. "YOU PERVERT! GET OUT AND TURN OFF THE FUCKING CAMERA! NEVER LOOK AT A PREGNANT WOMAN IN THE SHOWER! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU ROGER DAVIS!"
Roger emerged from the bathroom looking very pink. Mark and Collins waited for him expectantly. "It was . . .I saw . . ."
"We heard," Mark and Collins finished in unison. They could still hear Maureen swearing at him from behind the closed door. "How much did you see . . .?" Mark asked.
Roger covered his eyes. "Too much. Let's just say she's . . .well endowed?" He shuddered.
Mark nodded in agreement and Collins stared at him. "What? I dated her. I should know."
Mimi came from the bedroom. "What's Maureen screaming about?"
"Uhhh . . .you tell her, Roger," Collins said quickly.
"MIMI, YOUR BOYFRIEND IS A PERVERT!" Maureen yelled from the bathroom.
"I'll explain it when we go out tonight," Roger said as an attempt to save himself from being destroyed by two women at once. ---------------------------------------------------------------- "Kelly, you look /i," Mimi assured her as Kelly fixed her hair in the reflection of the metal toaster. "I swear if you mess with your hair one more time I'll cut it off." She grabbed a butter knife from the counter and held it next to Kelly's head to prove her point. "Where are you going, anyway?"
"Oh . . .just out."
"With . . ." Mimi promted.
"Well, Mark and I are going down to the park for a little while to film the sunset. He said there's a really great view." Kelly tried to sound casual, but nothing could fool Mimi.
She practically squealed. "You and Mark? No way! This is new. Of course we all knew that you two were bound to end up together sooner or later . . ."
"It's /i a date," Kelly insisted. "We're just going to film."
"Yeah . . .going to film a /b! In case you haven't noticed, when a guy asks a girl to watch a sunset with him it's an obvious sign that he's madly in love with her."
"I guess I didn't get the memo."
"It was announced over the loudspeaker," Mimi joked. "Well I hope you two lovebirds have fun on your date! I'm going out with Roger later tonight, so I have to get ready." She blew Kelly a dramatic kiss. "Tell Marky I said hi!"
---------------------------------------------------------------- Kelly helped Mark set up his camera stand at the park later that night. Not many people were out, and the city seemed to be unaturally quiet besides the muffled sounds of traffic in the distance.
"So what got you into filming?"
Mark shrugged. "I really don't know. I've been doing it for as long as I can remember. I just . . . I was always taught that you should live each moment as your last, and I wanted to capture those moments so that other people could be a part of them." He thought about what he had just said and blushed. "Sorry . . .I'm getting all corny."
"No, it's ok. I like it."
Mark's mind raced. Did this mean she liked /i too? "You do?"
"Yeah."
The sun was beginning to turn the sky shades of pink and orange when Mark finally turned on his camera and they sat on the park bench. Mark reached in his pocket. "Here. I got you these. I know they're your favorite." He handed her a bag of peanut M&Ms.
Kelly smiled at his thoughtfulness. "Thanks. How did you know?"
"I asked Mimi."
"Oh. That explains why she was teasing me about going out with you tonight." Kelly popped a green M&M into her mouth.
Mark rolled his eyes. "She was? Oh great. What else did she say?"
"Nothing . . .why?"
"Never mind. Kelly, can I ask you something?"
She stopped munching and turned to look at him. "Go ahead."
"Is this . . .well . . .is this a date?"
"Do you want it to be . . .a date?"
"Do you?" Mark practically held his breath.
"Yeah . . .I would really like that. We could do this more often . . .if you want."
"Sure. I mean . . .I would like that too."
They never got to see the brilliant shade of pink that seemed to ignite the horizon just before the sun sank below it. They were far too captivated by one another's eyes as their lips touched for the first, and not last, time.
Kelly never even heard her cell phone ring.
"Can I get another on the rocks?" Roger asked the bartender at the club.
"Comin' up."
"So Meems, how's work?"
Mimi groaned inwardly. It was the question she had been dreading all night that she knew Roger would ask. Mimi had hoped to distract him by making him tell the story of how he ended up seeing a little too much of Maureen in the shower, but her efforts were fruitless. She hated lying to him more than anything, and she still didn't know why she continued doing it.
"It's . . .fine. It's hard." Mimi figured she could at least be /i honest about how it was.
Roger put his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "You don't have to keep working if you don't want to. You can find another job that takes less time, or I could find another one that pays more. . ."
"No. Roger, you know we can't afford to do that. I know this is hard for us not being together as much as we used to. You know I'd do anything to change it, but I can't. It won't be long until some more money comes in. I promise." She kissed him back. "Hold on . . .what's that?" She could barely hear her cell phone ringing above the music.
"Hello?"
"Mimi?" Maureen's voice was faint.
"Wait, I can't hear you." Mimi moved away from the speakers. "Mo, what happened?" She could hear Maureen sniffling.
"Mimi . . .something's wrong. Something's wrong with the baby. I fell asleep and I woke up and . . . . I tried calling Kelly but she wouldn't pick up. Mimi . . ."
"Where's Collins? Isn't he with you?"
"He left a few hours ago. Just come . . .please. And hurry."
/html
[::plays scary music:: For those of you asking about when Roger will find out about Mimi's job, don't worry. You'll get what you want soon enough. For those of you waiting to hear from Joanne . . .well, you'll find out. Review and get free virtual hugs!]
html "Hey Mark, can I borrow that?" Roger asked Mark as he started getting his things together for his evening with Kelly at the park.
"What? This?" Mark handed his camera over. "What do you want that for?"
Roger grinned mischeiviously.
"I see that look. What are you going to do?" Collins asked.
"Well remember that time a couple months ago when Mimi stuffed tofu down my pants?"
Mark nodded and Collins cringed.
Roger gripped the camera. "Well it's payback time."
"You're getting her back /i? Isn't that a little late?" Mark wondered.
"Yeah. But this will still be fun. Mimi is in the shower right now. All I have to do is quietly open the curtain, get a little footage, and get out before she murders me."
"Wow . . .what are you using this footage for?" Collins asked.
"Porn," Roger joked. "No, moron, just for blackmail. I'm going in." He mimicked James Bond as he steathily entered the steamy bathroom.
"One, two, three," he whispered before tearing open the shower curtain and turning on the camera. "Surprise!"
What Roger found behind the curtain wasn't at all what he was expecting. He was greeted with a high-pitched sqeal. Roger blinked a few times before realizing who . . .and what. . . he was staring at.
"ROGER WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" Maureen screamed, covering herself. "YOU PERVERT! GET OUT AND TURN OFF THE FUCKING CAMERA! NEVER LOOK AT A PREGNANT WOMAN IN THE SHOWER! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU ROGER DAVIS!"
Roger emerged from the bathroom looking very pink. Mark and Collins waited for him expectantly. "It was . . .I saw . . ."
"We heard," Mark and Collins finished in unison. They could still hear Maureen swearing at him from behind the closed door. "How much did you see . . .?" Mark asked.
Roger covered his eyes. "Too much. Let's just say she's . . .well endowed?" He shuddered.
Mark nodded in agreement and Collins stared at him. "What? I dated her. I should know."
Mimi came from the bedroom. "What's Maureen screaming about?"
"Uhhh . . .you tell her, Roger," Collins said quickly.
"MIMI, YOUR BOYFRIEND IS A PERVERT!" Maureen yelled from the bathroom.
"I'll explain it when we go out tonight," Roger said as an attempt to save himself from being destroyed by two women at once. ---------------------------------------------------------------- "Kelly, you look /i," Mimi assured her as Kelly fixed her hair in the reflection of the metal toaster. "I swear if you mess with your hair one more time I'll cut it off." She grabbed a butter knife from the counter and held it next to Kelly's head to prove her point. "Where are you going, anyway?"
"Oh . . .just out."
"With . . ." Mimi promted.
"Well, Mark and I are going down to the park for a little while to film the sunset. He said there's a really great view." Kelly tried to sound casual, but nothing could fool Mimi.
She practically squealed. "You and Mark? No way! This is new. Of course we all knew that you two were bound to end up together sooner or later . . ."
"It's /i a date," Kelly insisted. "We're just going to film."
"Yeah . . .going to film a /b! In case you haven't noticed, when a guy asks a girl to watch a sunset with him it's an obvious sign that he's madly in love with her."
"I guess I didn't get the memo."
"It was announced over the loudspeaker," Mimi joked. "Well I hope you two lovebirds have fun on your date! I'm going out with Roger later tonight, so I have to get ready." She blew Kelly a dramatic kiss. "Tell Marky I said hi!"
---------------------------------------------------------------- Kelly helped Mark set up his camera stand at the park later that night. Not many people were out, and the city seemed to be unaturally quiet besides the muffled sounds of traffic in the distance.
"So what got you into filming?"
Mark shrugged. "I really don't know. I've been doing it for as long as I can remember. I just . . . I was always taught that you should live each moment as your last, and I wanted to capture those moments so that other people could be a part of them." He thought about what he had just said and blushed. "Sorry . . .I'm getting all corny."
"No, it's ok. I like it."
Mark's mind raced. Did this mean she liked /i too? "You do?"
"Yeah."
The sun was beginning to turn the sky shades of pink and orange when Mark finally turned on his camera and they sat on the park bench. Mark reached in his pocket. "Here. I got you these. I know they're your favorite." He handed her a bag of peanut M&Ms.
Kelly smiled at his thoughtfulness. "Thanks. How did you know?"
"I asked Mimi."
"Oh. That explains why she was teasing me about going out with you tonight." Kelly popped a green M&M into her mouth.
Mark rolled his eyes. "She was? Oh great. What else did she say?"
"Nothing . . .why?"
"Never mind. Kelly, can I ask you something?"
She stopped munching and turned to look at him. "Go ahead."
"Is this . . .well . . .is this a date?"
"Do you want it to be . . .a date?"
"Do you?" Mark practically held his breath.
"Yeah . . .I would really like that. We could do this more often . . .if you want."
"Sure. I mean . . .I would like that too."
They never got to see the brilliant shade of pink that seemed to ignite the horizon just before the sun sank below it. They were far too captivated by one another's eyes as their lips touched for the first, and not last, time.
Kelly never even heard her cell phone ring.
"Can I get another on the rocks?" Roger asked the bartender at the club.
"Comin' up."
"So Meems, how's work?"
Mimi groaned inwardly. It was the question she had been dreading all night that she knew Roger would ask. Mimi had hoped to distract him by making him tell the story of how he ended up seeing a little too much of Maureen in the shower, but her efforts were fruitless. She hated lying to him more than anything, and she still didn't know why she continued doing it.
"It's . . .fine. It's hard." Mimi figured she could at least be /i honest about how it was.
Roger put his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "You don't have to keep working if you don't want to. You can find another job that takes less time, or I could find another one that pays more. . ."
"No. Roger, you know we can't afford to do that. I know this is hard for us not being together as much as we used to. You know I'd do anything to change it, but I can't. It won't be long until some more money comes in. I promise." She kissed him back. "Hold on . . .what's that?" She could barely hear her cell phone ringing above the music.
"Hello?"
"Mimi?" Maureen's voice was faint.
"Wait, I can't hear you." Mimi moved away from the speakers. "Mo, what happened?" She could hear Maureen sniffling.
"Mimi . . .something's wrong. Something's wrong with the baby. I fell asleep and I woke up and . . . . I tried calling Kelly but she wouldn't pick up. Mimi . . ."
"Where's Collins? Isn't he with you?"
"He left a few hours ago. Just come . . .please. And hurry."
/html
[::plays scary music:: For those of you asking about when Roger will find out about Mimi's job, don't worry. You'll get what you want soon enough. For those of you waiting to hear from Joanne . . .well, you'll find out. Review and get free virtual hugs!]