A/N: Well, this chapter's a little shorter, but, don't worry I'll post two to make up for it. And for all you guys hating Colin, I actually based him off of one of my best friend's old boyfriends. I swear I'm not making him up entirely. It took about two years for her to realize he wasn't good. Thankfully, since I'm writing this one, I can save Claire a whole lot of hurt. That being said, on we go. Again, thanks for reading!
For the second time in one day, my temple was being knocked on like it was a door. Groaning pitifully, I cracked an eye open. Abby was looming over me, huge smile on her face, just-showered hair dripping on me. She was holding up a number of DVDs. "Claire, do you want to watch a movie with me?"
Blinking a few more times, I finally got around to nodding, "Sure. Where's everybody else?"
"Mommy and daddy went to the store with Harry a bit ago after we got our baths. They said you and Quil could watch me. And they said we could watch movies even though it's eight and my bedtime's in an hour!" Wow, I'd been asleep for almost three hours.
I smiled, "Ok." I sat up on Emily's couch and felt the inescapable discomfort of wet jeans. I hated that feeling. I turned back to the girl, "I'm going to throw on some pajamas really quick though." After getting her excited affirmative, I went searching for my bag. My pajamas were rumpled and thrown at the bottom but I didn't care a bit.
People find my pajamas amusing. I'm not sure why but when I'd walk the halls of my dorm to go to the bathroom or something, I got snickered at constantly. I loved my pajamas and totally considered them bad ass. How could black pants with Tinkerbells and lime green stars all over them with "Pixie" across the butt and a lime green tank top not be bad ass? Honestly?
After letting my hair down, I emerged from the bathroom and flopped down on the floor next to Abby where she had all her DVDs laid out in an array before her. "What should we watch, Claire?" I put on a pensive expression. She had every classic princess movie I'd ever heard of. She even had Thumbelina and The Princess Bride. It was a tough choice.
But I knew exactly what we had to watch when I saw it. It was my favorite one, always had been, although I couldn't remember the last time I watched it. Whenever we saw it in the store growing up, I remembered that I loved it. My mom would never get it for me, though. I had the soundtrack, which was usually my sad day music. Yes, I know I am pathetic. I snatched up Tarzan and held it up. "Will this one work?"
"Ok! I haven't watched that one in forwever!" She skittered to turn on the TV and put in the DVD.
It suddenly occurred to me that I was hungry. Popcorn sounded an apt choice at the moment. "Hey Abby, do you like popcorn?" She nodded readily. Smiling, I replied, "I'll go make some."
The little girl had her own bowl and was curled up in one of the recliners and I had an even bigger bowl on the couch with me within ten minutes. Quil walked in the front door just as the Disney logo was ending. He shook his head like a dog, getting all the water out I assumed. I laughed at first but upon second look I noticed that he looked exhausted. Concern in my voice, I asked, "Jeez Quil, you look like you just ran to Canada or something. Are you ok?"
I thought I saw a moment of fear as he froze but seeing my worry he changed his expression. His smile emerged and he laughed reassuringly, "Hey shut up, exercise is good for you. What're you guys watching?" When he just stood there in front of the couch, I rolled my eyes and pulled him down next to me.
Abby answered, "Tawazan! Claire picked it out!"
He froze again and I shrugged at his weird look. "What? I love this movie." I thought I heard him mumble with a smile "I know" as the main credits began but I wasn't sure over the music. Surprisingly, Quil didn't complain about the selection. Every time I attempted to watch a Disney movie with Colin, not even princess ones, he blew a gasket. On more than one occasion he refused to suffer through it for me. He usually just left and we had to watch an anime movie that he recited verbatim. I never pouted and went home…
Dammit, why was it the more time I spent with Quil the more I decided that all Colin's faults weren't so acceptable anymore? It was beginning to annoy me. Well, not annoy me…it was beginning to plant little seeds of doubt into something I'd held so much confidence in. I didn't know if Quil liked me like that and yet he was making me think my first relationship wasn't all that great anymore. Despite the inescapable unknowns in this scenario, he was making me begin to think that I'd rather be dating him than Colin. And I liked him too much, even just as a friend, to stop hanging out with him to make the qualms stop.
I just pure and simple loved being with Quil too much already. He just fit me.
We started out just sitting there on the couch together. I was on leaning against one arm, he was in the middle. I offered him the bowl of popcorn. Big mistake! It was half gone when I got it back. Rolling my eyes, I just smiled. The guy was a pig but at least he was a cute, sweet pig.
By the time Tarzan had met Jane, the popcorn was gone and Quil had laid down with his head in my lap and his feet hanging over the other arm of the couch. Abby and I both belted out "You'll Be in My Heart" like it was an aria and we were the best opera singers in the world. Quil was grinning up at me the entire time, his little kid laughter washing over me. Along with that distant familiarity that I could never place, a warm tingling starting in my stomach rushed through my body.
As of Tarzan deciding if he should leave or not, I had shifted so my legs were up on the couch, one on each side of Quil. His head had made my stomach into a pillow. I looked down to see him blinking to stay awake more than once.
I looked down as Jane threw herself into the ocean to go back to Tarzan. Quil had turned onto his side and wrapped his arm around my waist, making me his life-size teddy bear. His mouth was slightly open but only a slight wheeze-like snore came out. I could see his eyes fluttering beneath his lids.
Oh my god, he was so cute! I know that makes him sound like he was two or something but I couldn't come up with a better word for it. He looked younger, yes, but it was more than that. He seemed peaceful and happy and as I looked down at him I truly believed that there couldn't possibly be anything bad in the world.
After the movie was done, I told Abby in whispers to go put on her pajamas and brush her teeth if she could. She was about to pout but as soon as she saw Quil, she put her hands to her mouth and held back a giggle. She ran from the room and I soon heard laughter from the bathroom.
She was in her room, supposedly in bed, with the light out after about twenty minutes. She gave both me and Quil kisses on the cheek before running off down the hall. She was going to grow up like Emily I thought. She was caring like her mom.
Quil didn't stir as I just sat there watching him. At one point or another, I noticed that he was really heavy and my back hurt but he was better than a heated blanket by far. I should have gotten bored but…I didn't. He mumbled in his sleep once, his face burying itself in my shirt. I reached down and ran my fingers through his hair and, after more indistinct mumbling, he turned his head back. I leaned back and turned off the light. Thou shalt not wake up Quil had become the Eleventh Commandment.
Eventually, I fell asleep too. My fairly upright position didn't make that the most comfortable but the ridiculously warm and fuzzy feeling the whole situation was giving me canceled out any discomfort. I remember waking up once.
Emily and Sam were getting home. I was groggy when I chastised, "Shhh, Quil's sleeping!" I fell back asleep immediately after. I was warm and happy and loved.
I dreamt of a wolf that night. It was the one from my other dreams. Except this time, I knew it was a chocolate brown and it lay down and cuddled me. We sat there on the ground, its fur keeping me warm as I hugged it. It licked my face right before I woke up.