If that Mockingbird Don't Sing
Mississippi Heat
"Could you let me in, Rogue? The mosquitoes are eating me alive."
She stood in the doorway, her face fragmented by the tiny wires of the mesh screen, her body frozen by the mere sight of him. Of all places, she had least expected to see him in sweltering Mississippi. He hated the heat usually, though his body had always remained cool to the touch and she knew how his skin felt from experience.
He was surprised to see so much bared skin on her. Without the elbow-long gloves, the trailing scarves, and the dark clothes, she looked different. Not at all like Rogue. She could only be called Marie. And he liked it, liked her looking flushed from heat and something else.
"Marie!" a voice from inside called. "Who's at the door honey?"
A woman with a rich mass of lush brown hair appeared by Marie's side and with their faces beside each other, he noticed how they shared the same wide, opaque eyes and the same spilling mane of cocoa color.
Slowly, Marie said, "Bobby, this is my momma."
Her mother smiled merrily toward Bobby before looking again at her daughter expectantly. "Honey, introduce the young man. Is he your --- "
"Mom!" Marie cut in sharply, her cheeks tinting an even deeper shade of red, as was the usual reaction of teenage girls embarrassed by their mothers.
Bobby however, grinned and reached forward to shake the mother's hand. "Yes, Mrs. d'Ancanto, I'm her boyfriend."
In his mind, he recalled the first time he had said those words to Logan and remembered how blatantly possessive he had been. But he had also been proud of the fact that he was her boyfriend and he was proud now to say those words again.
Marie on the other hand, still seemed stunned by his arrival and as she wordlessly led him inside into the kitchen, her glances at him were questioning, as if to ask, 'Why are you here?'
"Marie didn't tell me that anyone was comin' so Ah don't have anything cookin' on the stove right now," Mrs. d'Ancanto told him, sending her daughter a playfully scolding look while placing a stack of plates onto the tiled counter. "Ah do have some pie however. Do ya like pecan?"
"Never tasted it before, ma'm," Bobby replied. "But I've heard it's pretty delicious."
Swiftly, Mrs. d'Ancanto carved out a generous slice of pecan pie and deposited it onto a plate in front of him. Across the table, Marie watched him as he took a bite and savored it.
"Well?" she asked softly. "Do ya like it?"
He met her gaze. "I love it, Marie."
She looked down and hearing her true name on his lips only made her fall in love with the color ice blue all over again.