Red Hot Omelets

William Terry Louis Andrew Carrick Jonathan Dredge Hams Reading Roger Southwark Alwick Plymouth Junior Regison III is a wealthy man visiting Waffle Island in the hopes of finding reliable business partners. Gill just can't be bothered.

It was an unusually bright day, but surprisingly mild weather. Gill was feeling pretty bright himself—he had an excuse to come home late that evening. Maybe by the time he got home, the others would be asleep, he thought. He hoped. That evening he had dinner plans with Angela. They weren't best friends or anything but she did seem to understand him well after only a short period of time. He couldn't say the same for her though. Besides, why should Will have all the action? He bowed his head behind an open folder, slightly ashamed at that last thought.

Work was slow for a weekday, though he was pleased to see there were three new faces prowling around town. They came in from the mainland to spend the week, or so he heard. Not like he had time to mingle with every breathing creature on the island.

Speaking of breathing creatures, Elli called in sick that day, so he was alone in the building. It didn't seem so weird when she went on vacation, but calling in sick randomly like that…it was a little lonely, even if Gill wouldn't admit it. Thankfully it soon came time to close.

The fact that he didn't have to go home elated him; he felt like a helium balloon! He zoomed right by his house and straight eastward toward Angela's farm, pleased to see that her tomato plants were sprouting quite nicely. Strangely enough, where Soufflé Farm and Brownie Ranch seemed to have problems, the work of both entities seemed to come naturally to Angela. Maybe within another year or so the island could spring back to life. Keep dreaming, he sighed, sinking into his usual facet of pessimism.

Her brown hair and pale green outfit popped into view as she stepped out of her barn and he immediately went to greet her, only to freeze in his tracks seconds later. Following her out was a tall, suave young man with a charming smile and clean-cut blond hair. The man spotted him and appeared to be equally stunned. Angela slowed her yapping long enough to glance around for what her guest was freaking about and smiled obliviously at Gill.

"Gill! You're here early!" she chirped, running up to him to give a friendly bow.

Will came up behind her, patting her on the shoulder, "What's this? You're having a guest over, Angela?"

"Oh yes!" the girl clapped her hands together, sounding much like Gill's sanity snapping. She went on, "I invited him over to dinner….is something wrong?"

"No," his eyes flashed for a moment, but otherwise showed no signs of dissent, "Well, then, please take care of Arthur for me."

"O—of course" Angela stammered, waving goodbye as the man went along his way. She turned to Gill with a smile as bright as that afternoon's sun. "You're actually pretty early, so I didn't have time to prepare… do you mind waiting?"

Gill stared at his retreating form until Angela impatiently pulled him inside. Puzzled? Sure, he was puzzled. Lately he couldn't figure anyone out; there's really no point in trying, is there? He sat at the small wooden table and watched Angela busily move about the kitchen, to and fro. She worked with a trained skill unlike anything he'd ever seen. Sometimes he wondered if it was because she was a girl and that girls are just inherently good at cooking? No, there were plenty of girls that couldn't cook. She was just talented. And that's something coming from Gill.

It really took no time at all to prepare, and before he knew it he was staring down at a delectable looking tomato risotto. "It's the season for tomato, wouldn't you say?" she giggled, taking a seat across from him.

Gill smiled, she really did know all his soft spots. "You're a surprisingly good cook, Angela."

"Now what's that supposed to mean?" she huffed playfully, taking a bite out of her food.

It was times like these that he was grateful to the new farmer girl. Sure she could be an annoying klutz sometimes but she had the remarkable ability of making you feel better. He took a bit of his risotto and smiled, "It's good. As expected."

"Don't you think! Anissa taught me," she seemed quite proud of herself.

Gill couldn't deny, Angela could be cute when she wanted to be…. Oh God. His stomach began to knot up in a twist. Oh Goddess, Oh God. Isn't this a date? No matter what, this looks like a date, doesn't it?

Angela just went on and on about a cow or goat or something, but the tinge in her cheeks only made him more and more uncomfortable and his mind wouldn't slow down. Is that why he looked at me that way? Was he jealous of me? But what about Luna? What about Angela?

"…ll…Gill!" The man snapped to his senses, his fork held in midair with the risotto already having slid off. Angela stared at him, clearly worried. "Are you ok? Is it the food?"

"N—no!" How could he possibly go on like this without knowing for sure what this was? Gill scratched the back of his neck nervously, not quite wanting to ask, but knew that he had to. "Angela…is this supposed to be a date?"

Angela gasp, her milky brown eyes widening in shock. "Oh, no! Is that what you thought?" Her cheeks lit up, causing a chain reaction and soon the both of them were brighter than a Christmas tree.

"Ok, good! I'm sorry it got a little weird, there."

"Not at all," though her cheeks were still pretty red, she managed to laugh a little. "I'm surprised you would think of something like that. I mean, I can't imagine you on a date."

Gill scoffed, a small smile dancing on his lips. "You have no confidence in me, do you?"

Angela laughed again and went back to whatever it was she was talking about, and Gill relaxed. Though it embarrassed him, he was still glad he asked. He remembered hearing once that men and women couldn't be friends, and he always wondered if that were true. Maybe? Maybe not. Who said that again? He mentally shrugged and returned to his meal.

Angela waved from her doorstep, watching him amble down the road until he disappeared from sight, and closed the door.

In the far recesses of his mind, he was still afraid to go home. But his spirits were high and his short-time memory momentarily swiped. He barely even noticed the fixed smile on his face as he entered.

"Did you have fun?"

High tides must eventually fall. Gill slumped against the door, staring lazily at Will relaxing on the sofa. "I had a wonderful time, thank you," he said in a drawl. It was the truth, why hide it? It's not like he had anything to hide. He didn't do anything wrong.

Will nodded knowingly, swirling a glass of wine around in one hand. "So," he started; his eyes thoughtfully downcast, "it's not Luna, but Angela?"

A rising flame ascended Gill's throat as his face began to heat up. He could feel his ears burning, but he knew he needed to stay cool. "So what if it is? I don't see what that has to do with you." It really didn't have anything to do with him! This guy supposedly came to check out the landscape and enjoy a little time in the sun, and instead he's constantly getting into confrontations and flirting with anything in a skirt. If anyone deserved to be teased, it was him! Gill smiled slyly, "Did you go on a date with Luna? You do so fancy little girls, don't you?"

"That's going too far," Will's voice was quiet but curt, a soft warning.

A bead of sweat trickled down Gill's neck as he sidled to the kitchen slowly. "You do, don't you? How far did you go?" Thank the Goddess his father was asleep, because he honestly couldn't stop the filth from spilling out.

Will stood up so fast he jerked back in surprise. The blond set the glass of wine on the coffee table, dusted off his pants, and made a shockingly swift approach. Gill backed up so fast his head thudded when he bumped against the wall, the distance between them closing faster than a cat on a mouse.

Gill wavered, his breath catching in his throat in that pivotal moment. And then he was crushed. He couldn't feel anything but the hot sensation on his lips, he couldn't think anything. That beautiful, light cologne sent him into the skies, and he couldn't move a finger. Warm to hot to cool as their lips parted and he could feel warm puffs of air brushing his tongue.

Then cold; cold, crisp air as the body up against his suddenly moved away and disappeared. It was unbelievably cold, shocking him back to reality. His knees felt weak, his head felt light, but alas, he regained his mind.

What the hell just happened.