Begin Again Season Two
Episode 2: Bad Luck Blues
Lily sat at the conference desk with Chuck, gently tapping her foot against the desk. It was a rainy, dreary Friday the thirteenth. They were waiting with the accountant, a couple lawyers, and a few other members of the Bass Enterprise team. The only one missing was their new client.
Chuck looked at his watch. Mr. Gregory is five minutes late. "I do detest tardiness." He drummed his fingers on his desk.
"How long should we wait for him before we assume he's not coming?" Harris, the accountant asked.
"I'll give him another ten minutes. If he's not here by then, then I'll take it he's not coming." Chuck said.
Just then, Chuck's secretary, Tammy, buzzed in on the intercom. "Excuse me, Mr. Bass? Your one o'clock appointment just called. He has decided to go with Franklin Industries instead. He won't be coming."
"Thanks for letting me know, Tammy," Chuck said. "Damn it!" he then snapped, slapping his palm down hard on the desk. "We really needed that deal."
"Don't worry, Charles. There will be others," Lily assured him.
Chuck glanced at her. "We could have made millions if he had let us build the new mall. "Ugh! I knew that scum was going to reel him in! Everyone at Franklin Industries is scum." Chuck slapped the desk again, angrily.
"Don't take it out on the desk," Lily said with a laugh.
Chuck shot her an unamused look.
Lily sighed. "Look, instead of getting angry, do something to get even. Steal Mr. Gregory back. If I know you, you have plenty more things up your back."
Chuck thought about it for a moment. "I need to first find out what Franklin used to reel him in, and go from there."
"I'll get on that right away," Melinda, Chuck's right hand woman stated. Melinda was a tall, Asian woman who wore glasses, and always wore suits. She was tough as nails, and more ruthless than any of the men that worked at the company. Heck, Melinda was more tough and ruthless than anyone Chuck knew other than Blair of course. Well, maybe even more so than Blair, but Chuck would never admit that to Blair.
Chuck nodded at her. "You do that. You find out, and there will be a hefty bonus in your next paycheck."
Melinda grinned. "You can count on knowing by the end of tomorrow."
Chuck knew that he would have the info tomorrow as promised. After all, when Melinda promised something, she delivered. He was very happy to have found Melinda and to have gotten her on his team. He was also glad that Blair trusted him. Blair didn't get jealous of any woman in his life. He loved that Blair trusted him so much. After all, a relationship couldn't last without trust.
The rain started pouring so hard then, it almost sounded like gun shots against the glass.
"Looks like someone made God angry," Lily joked.
"Yeah, Mr. Gregory," Chuck said dryly.
Lily smirked.
Just then, the lights flickered, and the power went out for just a second before the generators kicked in.
Chuck sighed. "You're all dismissed early. I have no other meetings for today, so there's no use sitting around here doing nothing when I could be getting home to my wife and son."
They all stood up, and gathered their things.
Lily stretched. "I think I'm going to go home and take a nap! The rain always makes me tired."
"Do you want my driver to take you home?" Chuck asked.
Lily smiled at him. "If it's not too much trouble. I walked here, but I really do not feel like walking in the rain, or trying to hail a cab in this mess."
Chuck grabbed his rain jacket. "Let's go. We'll drop you off along the way."
So, they headed out of the office and out of the building, then into the waiting limo. Giles, Chuck's driver, held the door opened for Lily.
"Thank you, Giles, Lily said, slipping into the heated limo.
Chuck slid in beside her. "Take us to Lily's place first please," Chuck requested.
Giles got in the front, and soon they were off.
Lily placed a hand over her son's shoulder. "I really wouldn't worry about it, Charles. I have faith in you. If there's one thing I know about you more than anything else other than your love for Blair and Henry is that you don't take no for an answer when it comes to business. You always find a way to come out on top!"
Chuck smiled at her. "You're right of course. However, you forgot to mention someone I love."
"And who would that be?" Lily asked, a smile on her face.
"My mother," Chuck said simply. He kissed her cheek. "I'd be lost without you."
Lily had tears in her eyes. She knew Chuck loved her, but as all mothers did, she loved hearing him tell her so. It never got old.
She kissed his cheek in return, and hugged him tightly. "I love you too, Charles. More than you could ever imagine."
Chuck smiled at her, tears in his own eyes. "You know," he told her, "I always wanted a parent who loved me. For the longest time I never had one. Now that I have you in my life, I finally do."
Lily kissed his cheek again in response, then, an arm still around him, rested her head against his.
They arrived at Lily's place shortly after.
"Thanks for the ride. Tell Blair I said hello, and give my grandson a kiss for me!" Lily said as she climbed over Chuck to leave.
"I will. I'll bring him by to see you soon," Chuck promised.
Lily kissed his cheek. "You do that. Goodbye, my Love."
"Goodbye, Mom," Chuck replied.
Lily smiled. Oh how she loved it when he called her Mom instead of Lily!
She said a quick goodbye to Giles, who had held the door open for her, then she dashed into her apartment complex, greeting Vanya as he opened the door for her there. Then, she took the elevator up to her apartment.
When she got in, she tossed her purse on the kitchen island, then headed up stairs. All she wanted now was a nice warm bubble bath, then a nap until Rufus got home. However, when she got to the bathroom and tried to turn the light on, she realized the power had gone off at their place as well. She sighed. They didn't have generators because she hated the sound. Also, the power rarely went out.
She reached underneath the kitchen cabinet and pulled out some candles and a lighter. Oh well, she figured. At least the candlelight would make her bath more relaxing. However, when she went to turn the bath water on, she couldn't get it warm.
She cried out in frustration. "Well, so much for a nice warm bath!" she muttered. She'd have to call the landlord and complain about the water heater. However, right now, she was far too tired to do so.
She let out another cry of frustration, then headed to bed. At least nothing could screw up her nap, she figured.
She slipped off her went clothes, keeping only her underwear and bra on. Then, she climbed into bed, and closed her eyes.
Bam! Crash!
Lily opened her eyes and sat up straight in bed like a rocket. "What in Heavens was that?" she asked out loud. She then realized that the big replica painting of Starry Night had crashed down onto her dresser, causing her perfume bottles to fall to the floor. The only good thing was that they had gotten their room carpeted, which allowed for the bottles not to break.
Lily looked at the mess, then lay back down on her bed. She was far too tired to deal with the mess right now.
~Begin Again~
Rufus looked out the window of his gallery, and watched the raindrops fall on his freshly washed windows. He had just washed them the day before, and now the rain had come, ruining his work. He knew come morning, the windows would be streaky.
He sighed. The worse thing about it was he had only had a total of two customers today, and only one of them had bought something. He guessed the rain was scaring all the customers away.
He turned around and sighed as he plopped himself down onto the couch he had in the gallery for waiting customers. He was bored out of him mind.
His mind started to wander to Lily. He loved her so much. He knew they had gone through the big talk about waiting to get engaged, but now, he was wondering if he had made a mistake in waiting. Did he really want to wait? He wasn't quite sure. Lily made him laugh. Lily always made him feel better hen he was down. His heartbeat skyrocketed to ten times its normal rate every time he simply just heard her name. Lily made him feel alive. He couldn't marry Lisa because he was madly in love with Lily. Rufus' heart knew what it wanted then, and he knew what it wanted now. It wanted Lily and only Lily, and Rufus knew that was never going to change. Ever since he had met Lily, it had always been about her. He had tried to love other women in the past, and it had worked for a while—whether it be days or even years. However, non Lily relationships always ended, and it was always because he couldn't stop loving Lily. Lily was always the end result. So why wait to propose? he figured.
He wouldn't. He grabbed his on break sign, hung it on the door, then locked the gallery up, and headed for the jewelry store.
~BA~
I knew it was a quick turn around. I mean, I had gone from not wanting to marry Lily just yet, to being absolutely sure I wanted to marry her, all in a matter of two days. But sometimes it just hits you out of the blue and you don't even see it coming. The mind is an amazing thing. Sometimes you don't have any idea you're ready for something until the day you're actually ready.
I parked down the street from the jewelry store, then I looked around to make sure there were no nosy cab drivers spying on me before I ran into the jewelers.
"Ah, you're back! I take it you've decided?" Geoffrey asked with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes.
There were no other customers in the store, and for that, I was grateful.
I grinned. "I have. I want to marry her, Geoffrey. As I told you before, Lily's my world. I'm suddenly more sure than I've ever been. I want to propose to her, and I want to propose to her tonight!"
"Ah, a very brave man you are, proposing on Friday the thirteenth!" Geoffrey told me with a wink and a smile.
"Pf!" I hit the air with my hand. "I don't believe in silly superstitions." I raised an eyebrow at Geoffrey. "Surely you don't?"
"Well, from my experience, nothing is ever a hundred percent right on a Friday the thirteenth. Something always seems to go wrong," Geoffrey stated.
I smirked. "Nothing is ever a hundred percent right on any day—not just on a Friday the thirteenth."
Geoffrey laughed. "I suppose you're right. Don't listen to me. I'm sure your proposal will go perfectly. I'm just a silly, slightly superstitious old man."
"That's pretty. How about that one?" I pointed to a beautiful diamond ring. It was a fourteen karat white gold setting. The ring was meant to look like a flower. There were eight leaves—four smaller leaves layered on top of four bigger leaves. The leaves were all covered in diamonds. The band had three rows made of tiny diamonds with a thin sliver of white gold between each layer for a total of two white gold slivers. The base of the ring was pure white gold without the diamonds. The white gold setting was between the top layer of leaves, and it held a round diamond.
"We just got this one in!" Geoffrey said, unlocking the case, then pulling out the ring, and handing it to me. "It is a beautiful and unique ring, isn't it?"
I nodded. "It's a flower. It kind of reminds me of a Lily even though it doesn't really look like a lily."
"It's 1.37 carats in weight and 1.50 carats in size," Geoffrey explained.
I looked over the ring in the light again after making sure no one was peering through the window from a cab. After a moment of pondering, I decided it was the one. It was perfect for my Lily.
I looked at Geoffrey, and handed the ring back to him. "I'll take it!"
Geoffrey grinned. "Excellent choice! I'm sure Lily will love it! I'll get this all set for you. Would you like a blue box, a black box, or a red box?"
"Red please. Red for love," I said with a smile. Now that this was actually happening, I felt nothing but excitement. I was going to make Lily my future wife tonight! Well, technically she already was. I was just going to be making it official. I was so excited. I knew then that without a doubt, I was a hundred and ten percent making the right decision.
~BA~
"I'm sure she'll say yes," Geoffrey said as Rufus finished paying for the ring, and took the bag from him.
Rufus grinned. "I know she will. She told me that, if I were to propose to her, she'd say yes."
"Well, there you go! That takes the pressure off of proposing, doesn't it?" Geoffrey asked with a kind smile.
Rufus nodded. "Even so, I'm still a little nervous. She wants the proposal to be romantic, and I want to make sure it is."
"I'd say picking out a beautiful ring like that is a good start," Geoffrey said with a wink and a smile at him.
Rufus grinned. "Thanks. I'll keep you posted!"
"You do that!" Geoffrey said.
Rufus then headed back outside to his car. He looked around and still saw no sign of Jimmy.
"Good!" he said. "At least this time, it will actually be a surprise." He grinned. Lily wouldn't be expecting him to propose this soon. He could hardly wait to see the look on her face when he proposed! Now, there was only one thing left to do—figure out a way to make his proposal romantic.
He drove away. If the gallery was still dead, he could spend the rest of the day thinking up something while he waited for customers who didn't arrive.
~Begin Again~
Serena pulled her raincoat closer around her as she headed to the loft. She was just about to head up to the apartment when she saw a little black cat with no collar, looking sad. It was wandering around. It looked like he was looking for food.
"Aw, you poor baby! Are you lost?" Serena asked, scooping the kitty up.
The little cat meowed. It was a tiny little thing. It wasn't a baby, but it didn't look much older than a year.
"Don't you have a home?" Serena asked.
The cat just looked up at her with sad little eyes.
"Come on in with me. You'll catch a cold out here!" Serena said, tucking the cat underneath her raincoat, then slipping into the apartment. The landlord didn't allow pets, but Serena couldn't just leave the poor thing outside in the cold—especially not when the poor little thing was hungry.
"Sh..." she quietly warned the kitty as it meowed. "I'm not allowed to have you in here. You got to be quiet, okay? I'll get you something to eat."
The cat, as if understanding her, began to purr.
"Aw! You are so cute!" Serena cooed.
She got to the hers and Dan's loft, and knocked on the door.
Dan opened it up. "Hey, did you forget your key?" he asked.
"No, I just couldn't open the door while holding this little cutie," Serena said, stepping into the loft, and pulling back her rain coat to reveal the tiny black kitty she had underneath. "Isn't she cute?"
"She's adorable, but she can't stay here. Jerry is super allergic," Dan said, referring to their landlord. He sneezed. "My sinuses aren't exactly happy with her either."
"Jerry never has to find out, does he? And you can just take some allergy medication," Serena said. She set the cat down on the couch, and took off her rain coat. She draped the coat over the couch, then picked up the cat again, and began to gently stroke its head.
The cat started purring again.
"Aw!" Serena cooed. "She's just so dang cute!"
Dan rolled his eyes. "She probably has fleas."
"She does not have fleas!" Serena held the little kitty close. "He didn't mean it."
Dan rolled his eyes. "She can't stay here."
"Whatever. I just brought her in to get him some food anyway." Serena set the cat down, then walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a can of tuna. She popped it open, then took out a small plate and dumped the tuna onto the plate. Then she set the food down on the floor, and put the can in the recycling bin.
"This isn't a girl, by the way," Dan said, walking over to her with the cat. He set the cat down in front of the plate, and the cat started eating immediately.
"Poor baby. He probably hasn't eaten in days!" Serena said, watching the little cat with pity.
Dan sneezed. "See? I'm allergic."
"It's your own fault for picking him up," Serena stated.
"At least now we know that she is a he," Dan said.
Serena pulled out her cell phone. "I'm going to call the vet and see if I can get an appointment for today. I just want to have the little cutie checked out. Then I'll see if Mom wants her."
"Whatever gets her out of here," Dan said.
Serena stuck her tongue out at him. "Cat hater!"
"Dog preferrer," Dan corrected her.
Serena rolled her eyes, then turned her attention back to her phone call once whomever was on the other line answered.
A minute later, Serena was off the phone. "I was lucky! There was a cancelation, so I can get him in in an hour!"
"I'm going back to my writing." Dan kissed her cheek. "You do what you have to do. Just remember, after the vet, he's someone else's problem."
Again, Serena rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."
~Begin Again~
Lily was in a terrible mood. She hadn't been able to sleep well. Once the rain had stopped, the construction down the street had started up again. The sound of a jackhammer wasn't exactly a lullaby. Maybe if she and Rufus ever did move, getting out of the main part of the city would be nice after all, she figured.
When Rufus arrived home, he had a new bouquet of roses for her. These ones were pink.
Lily smiled weakly. "Thank you, my Darling." She quickly kissed his lips, then headed to the kitchen to put them in a vase with water. "Roses two times in one week? What did I do to deserve them?"
Rufus hugged her from behind, and kissed the side of her neck. "I just wanted to show you how much I love and appreciate you."
Lily turned around and hugged him. "I love and appreciate you too, my Darling." She kissed the side of his neck, then buried her nose in it. He smelled so good. She loved his Hugo Boss cologne.
"So, I was thinking," he said. "Why don't you and I go some place special for dinner tonight?"
Lily yawned, and positioned herself so that her face was now resting against his chest. "Oh, Rufus, do you mind if we just stay in tonight for dinner?" she asked, looking up at him. "I'm so tired. I don't know what it is, I just can't seem to get enough sleep lately. Maybe we can just cuddle up with a good movie and some Chinese food."
Rufus gently stroked her hair, then kissed the top of her head. "All right. Why don't you order our usual, or whatever it is you want? I'm going to go shower and change quick."
Lily yawned again. "All right." She took his face between her hands, and gently kissed him on the lips. "Thank you for understanding."
Rufus' eyes lowered, and he gently stroked her cheek, then kissed her again. "If you're happy, I'm happy."
"You make me very happy," Lily told him, her own eyes lowered.
They kissed again, then Rufus went to take his shower.
Lily sighed, then went to order the Chinese. She loved Rufus so much. This time, she wasn't going to let him go. He was hers and only hers whether they ended up getting married again or not!
~Begin Again~
Rufus had wanted to surprise Lily with a rooftop dinner where he would then propose to her underneath the stars. Lily being too tired kind of thwarted his plan. But now that he had the ring, he didn't want to wait another day to propose to her! It had to be tonight.
He turned on the water for the shower. He would shower and get all clean and nice smelling for her. He would maybe even change into something nicer even though they would just be eating in.
He felt the water with his hand, and waited for it to get warm. It didn't. He turned the water off, and headed down stairs. Lily was just hanging up the phone.
"The food will be here in forty minutes," she announced.
"Lil, did you notice our hot water isn't working?" Rufus asked.
"Oh! I forgot all about it. I was going to call the landlord after my nap, and I forgot all about it. I'm sorry," she said.
"It's all right. I'll call her." Rufus then called the landlord, who informed him that hot water was out in the whole building. She wouldn't be able to get someone out until tomorrow morning.
"Well, that's not good," Lily said once Rufus had hung up the phone and told her what the landlord had said.
"Thankfully I'm not too sweaty," Rufus joked.
Lily grinned. "Don't worry. Neither am I." She walked over to him, and held him close. "I love the smell of your cologne anyway. I could smell you all day."
Rufus laughed. "That's not something you here every day. 'I could smell you all day.'"
Lily grinned.
"So, what movie should we watch?" Rufus then asked. He figured maybe he could get her to pick a movie where he knew there was a proposal in it. When the guy proposed, he could too.
"I'm in the mood for something scary. Remember how we used to go to horror movies all the time when we were in our twenties?" Lily grinned.
Rufus felt his heart sink a little. It wasn't very romantic to propose during a slasher movie. "Hey, Lil, you know how her husband's trying to kill her? Well, with me, I'd never try to kill you. All I want to do is propose to you and marry you." Yeah, no.
"Are you sure you don't want to watch something romantic, like The Notebook?" he tried.
Lily laughed. "Yeah, right! I know how much you hate chick flicks. Besides, that movie's a bit much even for me."
"Horror it is!" Rufus said with a weak smile. Well, he could still make it special. He could put her ring in his drawer, and ask her to get his glasses out of the drawer. Or, better yet, he could write Will You Marry Me? on a fortune sized piece of paper and try to slide it into her fortune cookie.
"Thank you!" Lily kissed his lips. "I have to go to the bathroom. I'll let you pick the movie. Just make it horror."
"All right," Rufus agreed.
So, when Lily went to the bathroom, Rufus surfed through the horror movies on Netflix. He decided upon My Bloody Valentine. At least it had a romantic holiday theme in it, he figured. Even if it did end in a bloody massacre.
When Lily got back from the bathroom, Rufus pat the seat beside him on the couch.
Lily smiled, and cuddled up next to him. He pulled a blanket over them, and took her hand in his. He kissed it. Maybe, he figured, he could just propose to her. It could still be romantic, just the two of them, alone together under a blanket. She'd never expect it. He had the ring in his pocket.
He stroked some hair out of her eyes. "Lil, you're my everything. My happiness depends on you. I could never live without you. I tried it before and it just didn't work," he began.
"Oh, Rufus, I feel the same way about you!" she told him. "You're my world. I've never been so happy with anyone as I am with you."
"I'm glad to hear you say that," Rufus began. He started to reach for the ring, but the doorbell rang just then.
Rufus held back a sigh as Lily got up to answer the door.
It was the delivery guy with their food.
Rufus got up and dug for his wallet. He got it out, then pulled out the cash and handed the food money plus a tip to the delivery man.
"Thank you kindly," the delivery guy said. Then, he was gone, and Lily shut and locked the door behind him.
Rufus was suddenly struck by genius. He would sneak the ring box into the fridge, then ask Lily if she'd mind getting them their drinks!
He luckily headed to the fridge, and put the ring box in the fridge while Lily was busy taking the food out of the bag, and setting it on the coffee table.
He shut the fridge. "Lil, will you get the drinks out for us please? Now I have to go to the bathroom."
Lily looked up at him. "Sure."
"Thanks!" Rufus said, slowly walking in the direction on the bathroom.
Lily started to head to the kitchen, but then there was another knock at the door, so she headed over to the door instead.
Rufus held back a cry of frustration.
"Who is it?" Lily called out.
"It's me and Dan," Serena called from the other side of the door.
Lily smiled, and unlocked the door.
Rufus silently cursed. Why were they here? They weren't invited!
Lily opened the door, and in walked Serena, Dan, and a little black cat.
"What is that?" Rufus asked, walking over to them, and pointing to the cat.
"It's a little thing called a cat. It walks on all fours, eats, goes to the bathroom, sleeps..." Dan teased.
Rufus rolled his eyes. "I meant, what is it doing here?"
"What a precious little baby!" Lily said, taking the cat from Serena and kissing it. The cat cuddled up against her, and started to purr. "Aw! It's adorable! Is it a girl or a boy?" Lily asked.
"It's a boy," Serena replied.
"I didn't think Jerry allowed pets at the loft," Rufus said to Dan.
Dan shook his head. "He doesn't. We want to know if you guys want him."
Rufus was just about to say there was no way in hell when Lily spoke up.
"I'd love him!" Lily exclaimed.
Rufus sighed. Maybe Friday the thirteenth was bad luck after all.
~Begin Again~
"Are you sue he doesn't have a home?" Lily asked as she stroked the little black cat's head. He was so cute!
Serena nodded. He had no collar. I just bought him that one. I ran into a neighbor and she said that the cat has been wandering around outside for weeks. She thinks he was abandoned. She said he never let her get close enough to grab him, and she didn't want to call animal control since nowadays, most of the animals that go to shelters are euthanized because of lack of room. It's weird because he came right to me. He didn't even try to run! I took him to the vet and he is in good health other than being a little malnourished. He had fleas too, but they put some good flea medication on him to take care of those. They also gave him all his shots. He's just over a year old. He's been neutered. The vet says he might have been abandoned. She has seen many people in New York just abandon a pet when they move to a place that can't have pets. It's really sad. I don't know how people can just abandon a pet like that."
"I don't either. I used to have a cat when I was growing up, but I never had one since! I've always wanted another one though." Lily turned to Rufus. "Rufus, do you mind if we keep him? It would mean so much to me."
Rufus smiled weakly. "Sure, I guess. We'll need a little box and all that though."
"We can just put newspaper down until we can get one tomorrow," Lily said. She could tell Rufus wasn't thrilled with the idea of getting a cat, but she really wanted this cat. It had been so long since she'd last had a pet, let alone a cat. She had forgotten how good it felt to have one, or how much her heart melted with love when she had one in her arms. She kissed the little kitty's head.
"I bought some good kitty food at the vet. I left the bag out in the hall," Serena said. She then headed over to the door, unlocked it, then opened the door, and brought the food in. "I didn't want to bother with a litter box until I was sure he had a home."
Dan shut and locked the door for Serena, who had forgotten to shut it behind her.
Lily kissed the kitty's nose. He was so darn cute! "What should I name him?" she asked. "I don't think I want to go with the typical Blackie or Midnight. I want something different and unique."
"Inky?" Serena tried.
"Maybe," Lily said, considering it.
"Well, we hate to cut out so soon, but we have dinner reservations in a half hour, so we better be going," Dan said.
"What were you going to do with the cat if I said no?" Lily asked with a smirk.
"We were going to ask you to kitty sit," Serena said with a blush.
Lily laughed. "Enjoy your dinner."
"Thanks! Have a good night!" Serena said with a wave. She and Dan then left, via the elevator.
"What should we name our new baby?" Lily then asked, turning to Rufus while still stroking the cat's head.
Rufus shrugged. "You can name your baby whatever you'd like. I'm not a big cat lover. I've always preferred dogs. Jenny always wanted a cat, but I'd never let her have one. Hey, maybe she can have that one!" he said hopefully. He pointed to the black cat in Lily's arms.
Lily shot him a look. "Nice try, Rufus, but you already said I could have him. He's mine." She kissed the top of the cat's head, then held him out to Rufus. "Come on, just give him a kiss! I'm sure once you get to know him you'll love him."
Merare! The cat cried out, and quickly swiped Rufus across the face.
"Ah!" Rufus cried out, holding his sore cheek, which now held a long red scratch mark. "Yeah, don't count on that," he grumbled.
Lily buried her face in the cat's neck to hide her giggles.
~BA~
"There, is that better?" I asked Rufus as I finished placing the Band-Aids over his scratched cheek. I had first dabbed it with a cool, wet cloth, then I had dabbed it with Neosporin so that it would heal faster.
"I suppose, but I'm going to look like an idiot with these bandages on my face. I'm not wearing them to work tomorrow," Rufus grumbled.
I smirked. "Well, at least keep them on for tonight. Let your scratch heal overnight uninterrupted." I gently stroked his cheek. "He was just scared, you know."
"He didn't scratch you," Rufus replied.
"Well, sometimes animals don't like men for some reason. I'm sure he'll be better once he gets used to you," I assured him. I felt bad, but I really did think the cat would adjust once he was around Rufus more.
"I doubt it," Rufus grumbled.
I sighed. "Look, if it's going to be a problem, then Jenny can have him. I just really thought it would be nice to have a pet again. Especially a cat. I just love cats! I had forgotten exactly how much until I held that little guy in my arms."
Rufus looked at me, and his expression softened a bit. "If you really want him, then he's yours. I'm not going to take him away from you. I'll just learn to steer clear of him whenever possible."
"Are you sure?" I asked. "I don't want him causing problems for us. I don't want this to hurt our relationship."
Rufus smiled. "If we could survive William van der Jerk, we can surely survive a little black cat!" He eyed my new little baby. "Even if he is a little black bastard." He gave the cat the evil eye.
I laughed. I knew he and my cat would bond soon enough. I could feel it! After all, who didn't love cats? And honestly, who didn't love Rufus? I know I did. I loved them both with every fiber of my being.
~BA~
Lily made a spot for the cat next to her on the couch, making sure the kitty had its own blanket to lie on. She had even put out a small bowl of his food, and a small bowl of water in case he got hungry or thirsty.
Rufus had found an empty cardboard box, which he filled with shredded old newspaper. He had then placed it in the bathroom.
Lily had showed the kitty where the box was so he'd know, then they had sat down to eat their dinner after Rufus had reheated it for them.
"Sorry I never got the drinks," Lily said as Rufus sat down with their drinks and the newly reheated food. "I was side tracked. Hey, didn't you have to go to the bathroom?"
"I went when I put the box in the bathroom. Don't worry about the drinks. I love taking care of my beautiful girlfriend." He kissed Lily's cheek.
Lily kissed his lips. "You're the best boyfriend a girl could ask for," she said.
"Well, you're the best girlfriend a guy could ask for, he told her. His eyes lowered, and he kissed her sweetly on the lips.
Lily sighed with contentment as she hungrily kissed him back. She was so in love with him. She really wanted to get engaged as soon as possible, but if Rufus wanted to wait, then she would wait. She wasn't going anywhere. After all, he was worth the wait!
~Begin Again~
Dinner had been good, and the movie had been pretty good as well.
"We never ate our fortune cookies," Lily said with a stretch and a yawn once they had finished the movie. She both looked and sounded tired.
Rufus remembered his idea to plant in her cookie the fortune asking her to marry him. He supposed it was too late to do that now. The ring was still in the fridge. Even so, he could still propose, he figured.
"Let's open our cookies up!" he said.
So, they did.
Lily read her fortune and smiled. "You will soon come into a lot of money," she read. "I hope that means Charles gets Mr. Gregory back."
Rufus opened up his fortune cookie. "If you don't take a chance, it will never come to be," he read out loud.
"Hm, that's odd," Lily said, looking over his shoulder at it. "I wonder what that could mean?"
Rufus smiled. It was as if his fortune cookie was telling him that the time to propose to Lily was now! He looked at Lily. "Who knows? These cookies are always so cryptic."
Lily laughed. "I know, right?" She yawned again, and stretched some more. "Mm, I'm ready for bed."
"I want to get another drink first. Do you want one?" Rufus asked her.
"Mm, no, I'm good, thanks," Lily said, gently petting her now sleeping kitty's head.
Rufus headed to the fridge to get the ring. He was going to propose to her now. He knew just how to do it, too.
He grabbed the ring, and shut the refrigerator door. He then took out a new Champaign flute, and quietly put the ring in it. He then filled the glass with Champaign, and headed back towards Lily. "Lil, there's something in my glass. Look! What is..." he trailed off when he saw Lily sleeping peacefully on the couch, her arm around her little kitty. He sighed. "It?" he finished. "Well, I guess tonight isn't the night," he then added sadly before heading back to the kitchen. He fished out the ring, then drank the Champaign in the glass in one go. He put the bottle back in the fridge, and the glass in the sink. Then, he put the ring back in the box, and the box back in his pocket.
He walked back over to Lily. The cat hissed, then jumped down, and ran off toward his bed.
"Yeah, the feeling is mutual," Rufus grumbled at him. He then picked Lily up, and carried her up to bed. He supposed Geoffrey had been right after all. Friday the thirteenth really was bad luck!