If One of Us Had Been a Frog
Chapter Twelve: So... Good
Disclaimer: Duh.
Summary: It happened so fast. Was it really happening?
A/N: In case you haven't noticed, I'm not doing this in order. Where's the fun in that anyway?
Please review.
She turned over and watched him sleep. His face was close to hers. His arm was around her waist. His hair was in her face. His fingers were touching her bare back.
He was asleep.
She was tired. She hadn't had a good night's sleep in weeks. She didn't remember sleeping alone being so cold. But, it was. It was freezing. It was like the North Pole, at midnight, in the middle of January, wearing nothing but a super tiny bikini. That... times ten.
She snuggled even closer to her man. God, she had missed him. She missed this. She missed having someone, having him.
"Go to sleep." He mumbled. How did he always know?
"I can't sleep." She whispered back.
He pulled her closer, but then took his hand off her back. She didn't like that. He ran his fingers through her hair. She loved that.
She loved the look he got on his face, when he played with her hair.
"It's OK." He told her, as if he knew exactly what she had been thinking.
"Is this really happening?" She asked. It had happened so fast. It didn't seem real.
He nodded. "It really is." He told her.
"I'm afraid that I'm going to wake up and my bed will be empty again." She told him. She didn't usually like being that girl. The one that was insecure, and scared. The one that needed reassurance. The one that needed anything, or anyone.
But she was. She was that girl.
She needed Luke. And that was OK with her.
"You won't." He told her, stroking her cheek.
"Promise?" She asked, in that little girl voice of hers.
"Yep." He told her.
She sighed. "OK." She said, getting comfortable on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her stomach again, and she finally closed her eyes.
The past few weeks had been horrible. She was lonely. She was bored. She was exhausted. She was cold. She was missing him.
Her morning showers never seemed warm enough. Her coffee didn't taste right. No matter how many hours she actually slept, she always felt tired. Her hair just never looked right. She couldn't watch an entire 30 minute TV show without getting distracted. The days seemed to go by so much slower.
She couldn't go anywhere without thinking of Luke. Everything reminded her of him.
She'd wake up and see his pillow, lying beside hers. She open up her closet and see his shirts hanging beside hers. She'd walk downstairs and see his Sports Illustrated sitting on the coffee table. She'd start making coffee and see the box of tea bags sitting on the counter. She go outside and see the loose porch railing that he was going to fix. She'd go towards her car and see her half-finished, blue & pink garage that was missing a boat. She'd get in the car and find his Jimmy Buffet CD in between the seats. She'd drive to work and pass the diner. She'd pass by the spot near the gazebo, where they had danced together. She'd pass by the bench where she had her Meltdown in the Park. She'd pass by the Black, White & Read, where he had told he needed time. She'd pass by Doose's, where he told her he was out. She'd pass the apartment they had looked at when Jess was still living with him. She'd pass by the corner they were standing on when he gave her the necklace. She'd pass by the lake, where they had taken a midnight swim, just when they had begun dating. She'd get to the Inn and walk on the porch they had first kissed on. She'd pass by the closet she had sat in when she told him that it was a good kiss. She'd pass by the shelves he had built before Christmas. She'd get coffee from the kitchen and remember how she hadn't had Luke's coffee in weeks. She'd see the sympathetic looks on Sookie's face and remember how much she missed him. She'd go into her office and see the bookshelf he built and painted for her last month. She'd sit at her desk and see the picture that Kirk had taken of her, Luke and Rory at the End of the Summer festival. She'd throw something away and see the Luke's To-Go cups she still hadn't gotten rid of. She glance over at the couch, in the corner, that they had sex on, one night, once everyone had gone home. She'd see the vase that once held the flowers Luke had given her before they were together. She'd go on her lunch break and remember she had nowhere to go. Then, she would go home, as late as she possibly could, and remember that his car wouldn't be in the driveway, and the porch light wouldn't be on because he hadn't fixed it. She'd remember that the bed would be cold and she wouldn't sleep well that night.
It had been a hard month.
But, it hadn't been much easier for Luke.
"I used your toothpaste last night." He whispered. She looked up at him, and smiled. She understood.
"It's growing on you, isn't it?" She asked, attempting to make this all less painful.
"How can you use that stuff?" He began. She felt a rant coming on. "It's like all these fruity flavors that no one likes by themselves, all mixed into one. Then, they put a picture of Hello Kitty or Bert and Ernie on it and think people will buy it, even though it takes like a gum ball machine and one of those Cinnamon Pop- Tarts had a baby."
She grinned. "I missed this." She told him.
The way she said it, made his stomach hurt. He hated that they had wasted all this time. He hated that it had taken so long. He hated that he had hurt her so badly. He hated that she had hurt him. He hated that they had been apart. He hated that he didn't know what had been going on in her life the past few weeks. He hated that he hadn't been there for her. He hated that they couldn't have talked about all of this sooner. He hated that they had stood in her garage, yelling at each other and talking about everything except what was actually going on with them. He hated that he let Emily and Christopher mess with his head. He hated that she hadn't said anything to make him think otherwise. He hated that she lied. He hated that he pushed her away and didn't let her explain. He hated that they had both been so miserable.
He would do anything to just erase the past few weeks.
"Me too." He told her.
"Mm... tired." She said, while yawning.
"Go to sleep." He told her.
"Will you be here in the morning?" She asked. She had to make sure, just one last time.
"I'll be here." He told her.
"When do you have to work?" She asked, already drifting off to sleep.
"It doesn't matter." He told her. "I won't go until after you wake up." He promised, knowing that she'd ask him.
"OK." She told him, moving closer to him, as they both began to fall asleep.
"Luke?" She asked, quietly, moments later, with her eyes still closed.
"Mm?" He mumbled.
She wanted to make sure he knew. She didn't want him to ever have any doubts.
"You're the forever guy."
Yeah... I always wished we could see what had happened after they kissed in So... Good Talk. I know, I didn't really write it, but c'mon, there are like 5 billion of those types of stories. I wanted to do something a little different, and I always wanted her to reassure him, you know? I really wanted the "you're the forever guy" line, so I wrote it. Now... if only LL could stop being stupid and ASP could stop being mean, and they could be forever... sigh.
You know what to do.
Please review. I haven't been getting very many. I'd just like to know people are reading & liking this.
Thank you.