"Favorite childhood memory." Michelle mumbled between bites of Lo Mien. They sat in the living room of Tony's apartment, on the floor, eating their Chinese and playing twenty questions. Michelle sat Indian style up against the wall. Tony sat with his back to the sofa, legs stretched out in front of him. They both had paper boxes of food and forks in their hands, just eating and spending time together.
Tony finished his mouthful of chicken teriyaki and answered, "Probably Christmastime when I was nine. It was the last one I had with my dad." Tony took another bite and asked, "Favorite school subject." It was Michelle's turn now.
"Algebra. I love solving problems and balancing equations. It's easy to just get lost in the work and leave the world behind. There's no subjectivity, just rules and orders and properties. Sometimes it's better than dealing with your life." Michelle sat silently, chewing on her food and contemplating her next category.
"The most," she paused. "The best person in your life." Tony smiled and let out a small sigh. Then he looked up at Michelle.
"She's sitting right here in front of me." Tony reached out and touched Michelle's cheek. She smiled, not wanting him to take his hand away. She wanted him to hold her in his arms. She closed her eyes, and Tony pulled her close to him like she wanted. She wrapped her arms around his torso. "Come on," Tony whispered, "Let's get some sleep." They stood up and walked down the hall to Tony's bedroom. Michelle sat on the end of the bed and looked up at Tony. He walked over to her and pushed the loose piece of hair out of her face. He knelt on the floor, not taking his eyes off her face, staring up at how beautiful she was, her long curly reddish-brown hair, her dark soulful eyes. He could get lost so easily in her eyes.
'Man, I wish I could make love to her,' he thought. She was always so untrusting, always feeling unsafe. Always splitting her attention. Whether it was between her work and her brother, or a nuclear bomb and Mason's condition. He had even noticed it during dinner. 'Sometimes it's better than dealing with your life.' He wondered what had happened to her during her childhood that made things so difficult for her now. He wished he could save her from her pain, wished he could show her what it felt like to be loved, that he could make her feel like she belonged.
He reached out and took her hands in his, kissing the top of it gently. Michelle smiled meekly. The exhaustion had finally caught up with her, and Tony could tell. He decided that she couldn't be very comfortable in those stiff pants and t-shirt. "I'll get you some clothes" he suggested, getting up and walking over to his dresser. He opened up the drawer, pulling out some clean sweatpants and a t-shirt.
"Tony," Michelle whispered, almost so softly that he could barely hear her. He turned around quickly and looked at her tear-stained face. She was crying. He closed the drawer and walked over, kneeling in front of her, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Michelle," Tony began, worry in his eyes. Maybe he had done something wrong. "Baby, what is it?" Michelle reached her hand up to his face, and was at a loss for words. "It's okay, you can tell me." Tony's concern grew with every passing second.
"Tony..." Michelle said, even more softly this time. "I...I d..do..." her voice kept breaking. He wiped away another tear and held her face in his hand. He leaned in towards her and kissed her softly, his hand caressing her face. She was taken aback, but reluctantly kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, cherishing the embrace, deepening the kiss. Michelle let Tony take control, his hands wandering up and down her back. She loved this feeling, and never wanted it to end. He pulled on her bottom lip, opening her mouth to him. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, exploring all edges of it. She felt the passion rising, and the second his tongue touched hers she put both of her hands on the back of his head, pulling him closer to her. She wanted all of him. She wanted to feel this man love her, cherish her. He made her feel so special.
Tony was the one that finally broke the kiss, placing his forehead on hers, looking into her eyes. "I..." Michelle began.
"Shhhh..." Tony quieted her, putting his fingers to her wet lips. "We can talk when we wake up. Come on, let's get some sleep." Tony climbed into bed and laid on his back. Michelle climbed in after him, lying on her stomach on top of Tony.
That day, they fell asleep in each other's arms.
