Skittery followed royal to the doors, dropping his tray in the garbage as she had done and catching up to her a few feet ahead, slipping his arm around her waist.
Royal picked up his hand gingerly and let it fall back down by his side though she remained smiling and her eyes continued to glint.
"Not now, on the roof ok?"
Skittery nodded comprehensively, his strides becoming a little larger and his pace quickening.
Five minutes later they were on the roof of the building, the hot April sun scorching the gravel that paved the ground.
Royal squinted at the sun, shielding her eyes with her hand. She glanced around the broad stretch of turf.
About twenty young children were spread about the main area of the roof, playing various games such as marbles and baseball with stick and can. Every so often a couple would emerge from the stairwell and hurry off behind the shelter of a wall, most likely to make out.
Royal grasped Skittery's hand and pulled him past several stockades, finally stopping at a gate near the back of the roof.
She sat down cross-legged next to him, her hand migrating casually to his thigh. She saw a smile flicker across his lips as he stared at her hand.
He looked up, his eyes reflecting the sun.
"So how was ya foist day?" she asked finally.
He shrugged, tilting his head slightly to one side. "Surreal… but the days not done yet any way. What do I 'ave next?"
"Um…" royal shuffled through the papers in his bag, which he had discarded next to her before sitting down. "We both 'ave literacy again cause I got a double today."
He sighed despairingly, leaning his head back against the gate. "I barely know how to write the alphabet."
Royal attempted to comfort him; "It shouldn't be to hard for you though… I mean all you have ta do is read a book and try ta understand it... When you think about it, it could be a lot like bein' a newsie … reading shit then analyzing it and putting it your own wor…"
Suddenly Skittery grabbed her chin with his hand, forcing her into a kiss. He pulled away moments later, studying her baffled expression before looking down at his feet, dumbfounded.
"I… I just needed to… remember why I came here." His voice had lowered an octave and he seemed taken aback by his own actions.
Royal placed her hand on his thigh once more, though farther up his leg this time. He turned towards her, studying her face resting his wandering gaze on her eyes.
She bent forwards to kiss him, steadying her self on his thigh, pushing harder and harder with her tongue all the while.
Skittery with drew for a breath, sliding down against the gate until his head was level with Royal's shoulder. He leaned his head against it, picking up one of her hands and inspected it playfully, tracing the curve of her delicate fingers with one of his own more masculine ones.
Royal could tell that their 'fooling around' had put him in a better mood for the scorn in his face had disappeared all together.
"So," Skittery said, still toying with her fingers, " I didn't see you mixing with many kids…"
Royal sighed inwardly "Yeah… I wasn't great friends with many kids my age…I always hung out with the older kids when I was younger so… when they left the orphanage…I was still here…and…I guess I just never made friends after that…kinda kept to my self"
He starred at her irreverently, finally taking his eyes off her hand.
"What?" she asked, playfully punching his shoulder.
" No wonder you were so incredibly miserable here… who did you talk to all day?" He chuckled to him self, placing his eyes once more on her limp hand still in his grasp.
"I had some… friends I guess… they were more like acquaintances though."
Skittery sighed, patting her hand mockingly. "Well I'm here now so… there's no need ta be lonely no more."
She laughed, placing a kiss on his head lovingly.
"Hey, who are ya goin' ta invite for visiting day dis month?" royal asked, changing the subject.
Skittery sat up straight, contemplating on an answer.
"I dunno… figured I would send da boys a letter bout it and they could just choose for themselves." He shrugged uncaringly, "you?"
Royal paused not having prepared an answer. "Maybe Mush, … he was the one who saw us last and all… before we left ya know."
Skittery nodded agreeably.
A moment of silence passed between the two of them.
Skittery checked his pocket watch for the time, nodding to himself as he took in the information.
"Listen we only have like 5 minutes left so…"
His hand made its way to her breast, where it rested uneasily.
Royal looked down at it then back up at Skittery who was smiling pettily at her. She gently lifted his hand off her chest, placing it on her thigh instead.
Skittery's newly relocated hand began to inch its way up her leg, pulling her dress up along with it. It stopped just below her hip, the fabric of her dress now gathered under its grasp.
Royal looked down at her exposed leg and then back up at Skittery who was still smiling. She shifted her position beside him so that she was now partly on his lap, her knees on either side his legs.
He leaned towards her, his mouth begging a kiss. Royal complied happily and bent forwards towards Skittery's awaiting mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck and playing gently with the hair on the back of his head. He began to wrap a lock of her hair around his finger as their tongues twisted with fiery passion.
Suddenly a loud whistle blew, summoning the children's return to the main roof.
Skittery sighed, leaning his head back against the gate in frustration.
Royal stood up from his lap, straightening out her dress from its crumpled position by her hip. She could see other couple standing up from behind the short walls, each in a disheveled state though some more then others.
Skittery stood up next to her, flattening down his tousled hair and looking around as well.
They approached the main area of the roof, their bags swung around their shoulders and their hands in each other's grasp.
