Chapter 15-January 6
Samuel opened his eyes. What a headache. That's the last time I get drunk for a while.
He felt rather than heard a feminine groan from on top of him. "Delia?"
"Shh! Not so loud."
He closed his eyes for a few seconds. What was Delia doing in bed with him? Oh, yes. She came over last night and offered that one night with no strings attached. Then, if he remembered rightly, they got drunk.
"Samuel."
"Yes."
"Did anything happen last night?"
"I don't know."
She ran a hand up and down his chest. "Are you dressed?"
He reached under the covers and felt his boxers. "Um, yes."
"Am I dressed?"
"Can't you tell?"
"At the moment, no. I can't feel much below my neck."
He ran his hands down her back. "Your short your bra."
His hands came to finally rest on her butt. "But you have your panties."
"Mind keeping those there?"
"I thought you said you couldn't feel anything."
"I can feel that." Her eyes widened. "And that."
She scooted to the edge of the bed and sat up, holding her head and Samuel propped himself up on his elbows. "Why did you get us drunk?"
"I was hoping to get a little further than we did, but then we passed out."
"You didn't have to get me drunk for that."
"Now you tell me. Oh, my head. I need a shower and some aspirin, and not necessarily in that order."
Samuel lay back in bed staring at the ceiling until he heard the water turn on. You could practically see the light bulb go on over his head. He quickly and quietly moved from the bed and shucked off his boxer shorts. He slipped into the shower behind her and whispered in her ear. "Mind if I join you."
No sound was heard for a few seconds and then…
"Samuel!"
!ELDERSHIPPING!
Delia stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her. She looked herself over in the mirror. What any man finds desirable about me, I'll never know.
"You know, I think that's the best shower I've had in a long time Sam."
He stuck his head around the shower curtain and smiled cheekily at her as he brushed his hand forward through his hair, flinging water at her. She glared at him.
"You're not so big that I can't take you over my knee, Samuel Oak."
He wiggled his dark eyebrows. "Please do!"
She stood there, her arms akimbo. "Just because you're almost twenty years younger doesn't mean you can act like a randy teenager."
He stuck out his bottom lip and gave her his best puppy dog eyes. She sighed and leaned in to kiss him. He pulled back after a bit. Delia opened her eyes to give him a bemused look.
"Hold that thought for a minute." He ducked back into the shower. Delia slipped on the terry-cloth robe that hung on the back of the door and went out to make some tea.
A few minutes later as she sat on the couch with a cup of tea, Samuel opened the door to glare at the back of her head. "Hey, that's my robe!"
Delia smiled into her tea and glanced back over her shoulder at him storming naked across the room.
That man has a great butt.
She turned and went back to her tea. When she finally looked up she had to blink. Samuel was wearing a pair of fire-engine-red pajama bottoms. Where he'd dug those up from, she had no idea. He just stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking at her. It unnerved her a bit.
"Aren't you cold without a shirt."
"I'm actually pretty warm." On the outside Samuel appeared calm and a little bored. On the inside though, he could have sworn that a flock of Butterfrees were doing barrel rolls in his stomach and a wild Tauros was stampeding through his chest. Ever the scientist, he was trying to figure his chances if he would live through the experience.
She looked up at him, clearly confused. "What's wrong with you?"
"You."
"Huh?"
He dropped down on the coffee table in front of her and looked her in the eye. "Delia, what have you done to me?"
She smiled evilly. "You don't remember? And here I thought you were conscious the whole time."
He just smiled. He slowly slid off the table and on to one knee in front of her. He was going to do this right. He took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. "No, you've done so much more for me."
She ran the fingers of her free hand through his unkempt hair. "Samuel, I haven't done anything that any other concerned neighbor wouldn't have done for a dear friend."
He returned her evil grin. "What about…"
She rolled her eyes. "Except that."
He let out a sigh and moved forward. "You offered your help when I needed it and when others would have probably blown me off as a senile old man."
"You don't look so old to me."
"Will you hush, woman? You're making this harder than is has to be."
She stared quietly down at him a bit perturbed. Samuel took a calming breath and continued. "You stayed when it was better for you to go home. You pushed on, even when the odds were against you. You forgot about your own well being when I was in trouble. I'm still not too happy about that part though."
Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes and as she laughed at his last statement, one sneaked out and rolled down her cheek. He reached up and gently brushed it away with his fingertip.
"You gave me my life. You gave me youth. You gave me a new purpose, and you took something in the process."
"What are you talking about?"
"You stole my heart and my will to think straight when I'm around you."
She giggled a little and leaned down so they were forehead to forehead and gently rubbed her nose against his. "It's only fair. You never gave me my heart back."
"Then I only have one more thing to ask of you."
"Ask away. What do you want from me?"
He pulled a ring from his pocket and slipped it on her finger. "Commitment, love, and maybe a few laughs along the way. I want everything."
She stared with astonishment at the ring on her hand. "You…you're asking a lot of me, Sam."
He waited a few seconds and when she didn't make a move or say anything he hung his head in defeat. All his hopes and dreams were flushed down the toilet. He went to stand up and was immediately knocked down. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds and then picked his head up. Delia was sprawled out on top of him.
"Delia, you're crazy!"
She looked up at him with a wide smile on her face. "Only for you."
She scooted up him and was about to plant a kiss on his lips when he grabbed her shoulders and held her just far enough away. "You still haven't answered my question."
She chuckled a little and laid her hand against his heart. "You know, for being a so called genius, you can be really dense sometimes."
He placed a searing kiss on her smiling lips and chuckled as he wrapped his arms loosely around her. "What happened to your proposition of a one night stand with no strings attached?"
She settled onto his chest with her chin resting atop her hands. "Unfortunately, when I made that proposition I had a few strings attached. You already had your strings wrapped around my heart."
Samuel ran his hands up and down her sides. "I think a bit of celebrating is in order. How about we…"
Bang, bang, bang!
Delia tried to get up and Samuel held on to her a bit tighter.
"Just ignore it Delia."
"But it could be something important."
"What if it's a neighbor? What'll they say?"
She wiggled the fingers of her left hand in his face as she squirmed out of his grasp. "They'll have to congratulate me. I'm an engaged woman."
He stuck his hand out. "Well then, help this old man up."
She giggled as she heaved him up and patted his bare chest. "Go put a shirt on…Honey."
He smiled as she walked away, rubbing his hand over where she'd patted his chest. Honey? I think I could get to like that.
!ELDERSHIPPING!
Delia opened the door to find Ash and his motley crew.
"Ash, what are you doing here?"
Samuel joined her at the door and seeing who it was, ushered the kids in before they caught colds. They all moved to the kitchenette upstairs where Brock made some of his excellent hot chocolate.
Tracy smiled at the older couple. "So, Mrs. Ketchum. Did you find what you were looking for?"
She fiddled with the band on her ring finger. "Something like that."
"So, I take it you guys liked my gift?" Brock poured the hot chocolate.
"Actually, we forgot about it. What was it?"
Brock almost turned purple he blushed so dark. "It's a surprise."
Ash looked Samuel straight in the eye. "So, when's the happy day…Dad?"
Delia and Samuel's mouths dropped.
Misty sipped her hot chocolate. "We may be just teenagers but we're not that dumb…Well, okay. Ash is still that dumb…"
"Hey!"
Delia spoke up before World War III broke out. "Aren't you jumping to conclusions. He only just asked me."
Tracy drummed his fingers on the table before speaking. "Actually we entered the pool the town's got going on when you'll get hitched."
Brock bumped Tracy's shoulder with his own. "We're gonna win for sure."
Samuel rolled his eyes skyward and shook his head. "How about we open that present from Brock?"
Brock choked on his hot chocolate and tried to catch Samuel before he left. But he was too late. Samuel slowly shuffled up the stairs staring in the pouch Tracy had given Delia the night before with a slightly dazed look. Ash, Misty, and Tracy ran over and peered inside. All three of their jaws dropped.
Delia's cup smashed on the floor at what Tracy said next. "Holy shit! He gave you condoms!"
