Context: The night Jamie realizes just how much Cathy means to him.
(Written by Gina)
Leaves Tend to Change in the Autumn (Halloween) - Part III
Amy had taken off her hat just a moment after the door closed behind her children. She sat herself down in the middle of the couch with her hands on her lap. Stuart offered her several drinks, but she continuously refused. She simply remained seated, shaking her head, and occasionally sniffling. She seemed very interested in the wooden coffee table in front of her, and she stared blankly at it, not looking anyone in the eye. She just stared off into space.
The only reaction Stuart was able to get out of her was when he silently placed a steaming mug in front of her, seating himself in a chair on the other side of the table. She shifted her attention to the hot tea, blinking twice. In between those blinks, her eyes flickered to the man across from her and then back at the cup.
Leanne had been chatting with Joyce, Denise, Rodney, Bob and Annie while Stuart tried, in vain, to get a conversation out of his ex-fiancée. She tried to explain to the other guests, as discreetly and politely as she could, that perhaps the party should come to an early end. Bob raised a hand to her half way through one of her rambles. She stopped, waiting for him to speak, but he simply nodded at her.
"Well then," he lifted himself from his seat with a small grunt, finding Annie's hand, "I think we better be off. See you at the next shindig then, eh?"
Annie cleared her throat, putting on a small smile. She hugged Leanne softly, but with a quick squeeze as she whispered. "Have a nice night, dear."
Leanne smiled at them in response as they made their way to the coat rack. Denise and Rodney shared a quick look, shifting on their feet for a while before saying their own goodbyes. Their small dachshund puppy had seized its squirming, and was now resting in Denise's arms, eyeing Leanne as Rodney grabbed their coats.
Stuart heard the clicking of the door, but he didn't turn to say any goodbyes. He let his head fall with a sigh, rubbing at the back of his neck, groaning softly to himself. Amy took the cup of tea in her hand, just slowly wrapping her fingers around it. She hesitantly looked back at Stuart. Her eyes were blank, but he saw just the tiniest trace of grief in her stare, and Stuart sighed again, leaning back in his chair.
Leanne watched Stuart with folded arms. She bit her lip, her own stare sympathetic, and all she wanted was to rub his neck and make him feel relaxed again. But the only thing she could do to be of assistance was bring Stuart his own cup of tea and to remain silent. She tried not to feel like she was interrupting, though she knew this was something the two of them needed to sort out on their own. She decided on stepping into the other room, waiting until Stuart needed her.
Amy suddenly turned her head, tilting her chin down and taking in a shuttering breath.
"Tyler's me boyfriend." She began with a soft voice. "We've been dating for almost two months now. He really is sweet – buys me whatever I ask." She smiled to herself, picking at her finger nails with a far-off look in her eye, before swallowing and wiping the expression from her face. "I told him I wanted to go to the bar since they were throwing a little Halloween costume contest. We went as cowboys…" she was staring at cup her when she trailed off. She swirled her spoon twice, taking a quick sip. Stuart continued to watch her unblinkingly, afraid that if he interrupted her now she'd stop speaking.
"We were passing by, there was a bit of traffic, and we stopped." She continued, staring straight ahead of her at a chair by the wall. "He told me a joke and I started laughing. When I turned my head to calm myself, I looked out the window… And I recognized your car."
Her sentence had already been fading, and the last part was a choked whisper. She stayed silent for a second, her cup raised to her lips, before she downed a long sip. She swallowed it quickly, staring off and lightly tracing her nails along the mug and its handle.
Stuart took in a deep breath through his nostrils, looking down at his folded hands. He leaned in his seat so his elbows were on the coffee table. It was time he started moving this conversation along before it got off topic. But just as he was about to say something, she started talking, smiling down at her mug.
"When he suggested we go as cowboys I just had to say yes. Little Jack running about, waving his little toy guns and parading the room."
She stopped after that. Not just vocally, but altogether she simply… Stopped. Her face fell, her hands loosened – even her blonde hair seemed to droop. Stuart watched her for a moment before looking down at the table.
"Why did you come here in the first place?"
She shifted her feet a little, biting her lip and looking to her right, before looking back at Stuart again. It wasn't a particularly hard question, not a question that one would need to really rack their brains for. And yet, Amy seemed to struggle with finding the right words, which, quite frankly, was starting to annoy Stuart. Before he had time to speak again, she beat him to it again, as she found her voice.
"Well, I… Well, when I saw your car, I was surprised…" she swallowed. "But I was even more surprised to find that I didn't recognize the place it was parked.
"I can't really explain what it was that drew me to stop. Told Tyler he could get me later. I didn't want to spoil his fun." She chuckled a little. "Though, I guess I kind of ruined yours, it would seem." She laughed feebly again, looking down at her wringing hands. Stuart didn't say anything, but looked down at his now folded arms as a sheet of silence covered the two.
"Why Leanne?"
It was such a softly spoken question that Stuart, for a moment, wasn't sure he had even heard it. He looked up from his arms and, sure enough, Amy was watching with him large, innocent eyes. He felt himself smile, though he didn't intend to, and sigh happily.
"Why anyone?" He chuckled. "Just … because."
"Because…?" she pried.
"Because she's perfect to me." Stuart grinned. "She's just this amazingly kind person, always putting her daughter and me above everything. I mean, I do the same, but she's just this constant worker. I can be like that too, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy myself, you know? But she's just… she's great."
He must've forgotten he was talking to his ex, and he shut himself up after that. Though, she stared at him with a vague smile, leaning forward with her arm balanced on her knee, and her face in her hand. Her mouth twitched after a while, and he saw her eyes change. He wasn't sure how they had changed, but they just had. She straightened her back, smoothing her skirt.
"So," she began. Stuart knew he had said something wrong, and her expression became a tad menacing, and her eye brows arched in a threatening way, and her eyes bore an intimidating stare into his own. "Leanne's pretty great, is she?"
Stuart knew not to answer, as it often saved him from too long a rant, but it only seemed to make her more enraged. And he knew he had upset her further, because her smile grew and she blinked rapidly for split-second, glaring at him.
"So, was I … ya know." She folded her arms and looked down at her knees. "Was Iever that important to you?" She arched her eyebrows and stared him down. Stuart's mouth was open a little, but no sound came out, as he was afraid that if he said the wrong thing she'd explode. But, if he didn't, she'd badger him and throw a fit.
It's a trap.
"Well…" Stuart searched for the right words. "Well, of course I did." He paused again. "But… I mean, not anymore. We've moved on – You got yourself aboyfriend," he gestured a hand to her. "And I'm… I'm engaged." He ended it on that. He'll admit, it was a weak closing, but he had slipped his way onto some thin ice as it was, so he might as well steer himself into the skid.
Amy cleared her throat and looked down at her lap again. When she looked back up she had a very forced smile and an ominous glint in her eyes. She arched her eyebrows and said, in a sickly-sweet voice.
"Well… That's just great." She grinned. "Great."
She folded her arms and smiled again, continuing to stare him down. Though he knew he shouldn't press on after that, his mouth seemed to betray him.
"Why, uh… Why are you asking me this?" He tried to ask the question coolly, acting as if he wasn't concerned for the answer. But he was sure she knew he did – and her mouth morphed from a casual grin to a pressed thin line.
She sighed. "No reason," she said, clicking her tongue once. "Just wondering." She paused for a moment. Stuart almost thought she was finished before she took a large intake of breath.
"It's just that you and Leah seem very… happy together." She ran a hand through the ends of her hair. "I just wanted to know about you guys is all."
"Well, yeah , but… Why?"
"What?" Amy struck back, a little too quickly. She tried to remain impassive. "I can't just check up on you and Leanne?"
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with us?" Stuart replied, leaning forward slightly in his chair.
"Well, because with Leanne –"
"I don't understand why you're bringing her into this."
"It's nothing, really, just asking how you and Leah –"
"And it's Leanne –"
"–Have been going lately."
Stuart, unconvinced, pressed on. "What does Leanne even have to do with anything?"
"Well, why do you not want me bringing her up," Amy shot, struggling to keep composed. She curled a strand of her hair around her finger, "Stu?"
"Because, if I remember correctly, you've never had anything specifically kind to say about her."
"Because it's her!" Amy shouted, her face growing slightly pink with anger. "It's allher with you!" She spat out her words venomously, not a second after Stuart finished his sentence. "You never acted like this with me!"
"Why do you even care anymore? And what's her fault then?" Stuart reacted sharply, shifting fiercely in his seat.
She did not reply to his question, but changed the subject, folding her arms tightly across her chest. "How long did it take you to decide you wanted to spend the rest of your life with her?"
"That doesn't even mat –"
"How long?"
"Why do you even care?!"
"Because if it took you a heartbeat for her, why couldn't it have taken that less for me?!"
Stuart stared at her, shocked, sputtering for a moment. "What are you even going on about?"
Amy shook her head, scoffing, and gripping her folded arms. "It's like you just had nothing holding you back. It took you no time at all to just… just jump to that decision of getting married like it was nothing!" she flew a hand up dramatically to emphasize her point. "When it took you so long to even propose, and then evenlonger to buy a ring –"
"You know why the ring took so long to get." Stuart reacted. "We're lucky I won the lottery–" He chuckled dryly. "Actually, we aren't at all," he scoffed. "but you're lucky I even could afford to get you a ring in the first place!"
"Oh, but price wasn't the only reason, was it?" Her voice was reaching the dry mocking pitch she would always use when she argued with someone. Stuart always thought she used it to make him feel as though he were below her.
"I think," she began, putting a hand to her chest, "that the real reason you could never give me that ring was because you never actually cared about me!"
"How could you even say that?" Stuart shot back. He had reached a level of actual, genuine offense, and he bellowed. "The woman who would next to never tell me she loved me, when I spent every hour of every day, of every week, working my ass off to even show I felt the same!"
"I-I –" Amy glared at him, unable to even form a sentence through her anger. "I told you plenty."
"Well if you even knew a thing about me," His voice matched the poisonous level of hers. "you'd at least know that I like to be reminded every once in a while!"
Stuart knew after he said this that the remainder of this argument would continue on in a colossal dump of words. And he had an arsenal of things he wished he could say to her when they were together, and he wasn't going to hold back. And he knew she'd bring her A game as well.
After a few minutes or so of overlapping shouting, they dropped the volume of their argument, as to not trouble those next door. But the quarrel remained intense, as neither contestant seemed to show any sign of backing down.
"Do you even realize how heart-broken I was when we ended?" Stuart poked his chest for emphasis. "About you just abandoning this family like that –"
"I felt just as horrible as you did and you know that!" Her hand was shaking and flying in her rage, as it always did when she was this angry, but Stuart continued on.
"Oh really?" He commented mockingly. "Because you didn't seem that upset about losing me!Now, my money on the other hand –"
"Don't you ever dare to say that!" she clenched her fists. "I cared about more about you than anyone in my life!"
"Then why would you just leave?"
He caught himself before he could say anymore, sinking more in his seat in an attempt to make himself comfortable and calm, gripping the arms tightly. Amy seemed like she was going to retaliate, but stopped herself. She still seemed to be fuming as she sat back and folded her arms tightly across her chest. Stuart sighed loudly, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand exhaustedly.
"You know… Jack and Daisy miss having their mum."
Amy must've still been upset, because she didn't look at him, but inhaled silently, heaving her whole body as she did so. "Oh, what, is Leah not enough?"
Stuart closed his eyes with a sigh, trying his hardest to ignore her comment. "You know what I mean."
He could've sworn he saw her eyes flicker out of the corner of her eye to his knee and then back at the wall, though she tried to pretend she hadn't.
"Well…" She sighed again before she continued speaking, studying her own knees. "I can't say I haven't missed them, either." She admitted with a sad smile. "But…"
Amy trailed off after that. She blinked twice, picking at her finger nail, before blinking twice again, fast, and turning to Stuart. "But it would just be so… hard." She started, her expression crestfallen. "Looking them in the eye… Telling them that they won't be seeing their mum all that much. I mean," She huffed as if she couldn't believe it herself. "That would just hurt."
Stuart saw her sad, pleading eyes, but he was already thoroughly convinced he was not going to let it get to him this time. He knew what was right, and he was sticking to that.
"Look, Amy," Stuart began, "I think it'd be best if you talked to them. And I can get you alone with them. I think it'd be good for –"
Suddenly she was hysterical, and she leapt forward in her seat, her eyes red and widening. She shook her head and choked out. "Oh no! N-No, I couldn't, it would – They'd–" she sniffed, searching for words. She softened her tone, though this did little to hide her worry, putting her hands together. "They'd hate me. C-Couldn't you – Just –"
"Amy, I can't just keep skipping around this, they need to hear from you–"
Her eyes were pleading, her voice begging and desperate, and her sentences hoarse and whispery. "Stu, please! Could you please, ju-just-just talk to them for me? Please, I couldn't… They'd listen to you."
"What?" It wasn't that he didn't hear her – he just couldn't believe what he'd heard.
"P-Please…" She begged him so quietly that she had practically mouthed it. Stuart was silent, eyeing her with a look of disbelief.
"Your own children–"
"I know it's a dreadful thing to ask–"
"Yes, yes it is!" he shifted harshly in his chair, now seated on the edge of it, with the same bewildered look. He laughed dryly. "I'm sorry," he shook his head. "But that's just… an awful thing to ask right now."
Amy's mouth was open as if she was going to respond. She stared at him with a wounded expression, before letting a shaky breath out. She shook her head once and breathed. "Please…"
Stuart calmed himself, leaning back in his chair again. He brought his hand to his mouth and shook his head again. For a moment he didn't speak, and the silence made Amy uneasy. "Stu –?"
"You know what the problem is here?"
Amy stared at him, shocked at how gentle his voice was now. He didn't look at her at first, but rather at a small pink bag with a curly D sewn onto it that was sat next to the coat rack. He started speaking.
"You try so hard to ignore the hard things and focus only on the things that benefit you." He looked at her now, but it made her wish she hadn't, for despite the calm tone he was attempting to keep, his eyes made his words feel like breadknives to her heart.
"You're so… afraid of-of any type of confrontation in which you know you can't manipulate."
Amy sniffed, trying to keep herself composed as her ex fiancé continued on after a deep breath.
"I can't believe I used to be so blind. I can't believe I never noticed how selfish you were." His tone was rising, his voice harsher. "You would never just do things because they're right. You'd only do them if you had to, or-or if you got something out of it –"
She felt herself detonate then, her pride getting the best of her. "Oh, and this coming from the man who robbed the place he worked?"
Stuart snapped back. "Now that was Jamie's idea, not mine!"
"You still went through with it–!"
"Because I wanted to make you happy!"
Stuart had risen from his seat and now towered above Amy, who gaped at him. Rarely in their relationship had Stuart so much as screamed over her, and never without apologizing for it at some time. She had expected herself to be scared, to cower away, but instead she was forced into a stupor. Never had she seen Stuart Bradley so enraged, to the point where his face had reddened and that a vein in his neck had popped out. He was never this livid – and never so much, in fact, that he'd have had to take a moment to calm himself down just enough to unclench his fists.
Stuart gradually lowered himself to his seat, clutching onto the arms of it again. Amy continued to gawk at him, though in a gloomy way, even though he refused to look back at her. He sighed, folding his hands, watching his fingers intertwine.
"And this is why you and I never worked out."
Luckily for them, most of Jamie's neighbors happened to be giving out treats this year. There were so many lit up windows, in fact, that Jack and Daisy had managed to fill almost half of their large bags before Stacy had even arrived.
"Oh, wow!" The blonde twelve year old awed at the two children. "How'd you get all that? I only managed to get about a quarter-way!" She held up her dark purple pillow case, poking the side. "And that's from three different streets!"
Jack giggled. "Uncle Jamie's got really nice neighbors!" he sauntered with a high chin, puffing out his chest. "And I don't mean to brag," he grinned goofily. "But I've got quite the way with the old ladies with poodles."
While Stacy mocked a much more impressed reaction than she actually had, high-fiving the young kid, Cathy chuckled, leaning to Jamie.
"Wonder who he gets that from." She whispered, winking.
It was Jamie's turn to chuckle this time. "Ability to impress? Dashing good looks? No idea." He winked back. "Ah, the mysteries of genetics!"
She laughed louder, and he grinned cheekily. The three kids ahead of them glanced back in question, but the two adults merely shook their heads.
"Uncle Jamie!" Daisy squeaked. "Can we go back to that girl Hannah and her husband? With the matching cardigans?"
"Oh yeah!" Jack's eye widened. "The ones who gave us the cookies? I think their daughter Susie might even be in my class!"
Jamie smiled at the two, shrugging his shoulders. "What the heck." He said. "But we have to finish the other flats first. We can pretend we forgot it was the same flat we'd already visited, and then toddle about until they offer us more." He smiled proudly, adjusting his coat.
"Oh!" Cathy piped in. "We can pretend to be new foreign neighbors!" Jamie lifted a brow at her and gave her a look, but grinned nonetheless.
"No, seriously!" Cathy continued excitedly, trying hard not to laugh, but keeping a smile on her face. "We can wear mustaches and speak in accents – everything!" she pat his arm enthusiastically, biting her lip to stifle some of her childish giggling. Jamie, on the other hand, couldn't help himself and laughed loudly, hugging Cathy to his side.
Jack and Daisy seemed all for it.
"Yeah!" Daisy bounced. "Uncle Jamie, can we please?"
"That'd be hilarious!" Stacy clutched her stomach, laughing.
"It could complete my costume!" Jack smiled toothily. Cathy and Jamie simply laughed again, and Cathy had to rest her head on her boyfriend's shoulder to calm herself down while he watched her with a smile. Jack pouted at them, but it vanished quickly as Daisy eagerly yanked Stacy's sleeve, begging her to take them to the next level of the building so they could complete their little route. Cathy went to follow the trio, before she saw that Jamie was still in his spot, his hands on his hips and a surprised grin on his face.
He shook his head with a small chuckle. "I cannot believe…" Cathy mimicked him and put her hands on her hips, giving him a confused look.
"Cathy, my goody-goody girlfriend, actually suggested that we lie to a sweet married couple that has done us no harm." He shook his head again in mock-disbelief. "I'm still in shock, is all." Cathy raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes, walking up to Jamie with a cheeky smile.
"Oh, shut it," she poked his stomach. "Besides, it's just cookies." Jamie put a hand to his stomach with another mildly shocked smile.
Cathy continued, lowering her voice and raising a hand by her mouth, as if she was gossiping. "Besides, did you see their wallpaper? It's harm enough. I mean, I'm sorry; they're nice people, but their choice of interior design – Not so much."
Jamie laughed, squeezing his girlfriend to his side again. Cathy laughed a little to, shaking her head. "Okay, obviously I'm kidding. Their wallpaper was actually quite lovely."
"It was, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, we'll have to ask where they got it."
Jamie ignored the light cramp in his mouth, but he found it near impossible to drop his smile. Cathy saw him watching her and winked playfully.
"But even so, I must say, Ms. Davies." Jamie commented, quietly enough for only her to hear. "You are being rather devious today."
Cathy giggled. "Thank you, Mr. Bradley." She whispered, chuckling again as she placed a warm hand on the side of his face, pulling him in for a kiss. When they separated, she was still smiling. "Coming from you, that's quite the compliment."
Jamie linked his and Cathy's arms and put his hands in his pocket for warmth. She placed a gloved hand on his arm and smiled at her feet with a blush, as if all her brashness had gone. She could feel him still looking at her, and when she looked up, his smile grew. She stared at his eyes and then quickly glanced down at his lips, a small smile still on her face. And when she looked him back in the eyes she couldn't help herself – she leaned forward, first touching his nose with her own redder one, which made them both chuckle softly. He poked her nose with his own, again as she had, and then kissed it, grinning widely when she hummed to herself with a smile.
"I love you." She said softly. It was such a soft comment that it sounded more like a sigh than anything. Her eyes fluttered half-closed just as he chuckled another time. She leaned in close enough for their lips to brush each other's.
"Of course you do." He smiled. They grew even closer to one another, and after a small pause he closed his eyes, only a second before their lips connected.
"Love you, too."
Amy stared at her lap with large sad eyes. She was taking slow breaths, which made up the only sound in the room for a while. Stuart was leaned forward, his head down and his eyes closed, and his folded hands on his forehead. After another second, he adjusted the placement of his hands a little. He then spoke quietly.
"I know I'm being a bit ruthless," he admitted, focusing hard on each word. "But –"
"But you're right." Amy interrupted. She stared right at him, though he was still looking down. She shook her head a little, her eyes still red. "Absolutely right."
She whispered the last part, and shook her head very slightly again. She watched him for a while, before sharply looking down, bashfully. She picked at her finger nail a little, just to occupy herself.
"And… I'm sorry about what I said about Leanne." She continued, calming her tone and wringing her hands twice. "And… just with everything I've said; everything about you two and your engagement." She stopped for a split second and watched Stuart's reaction. He was still leaning forward, his hands still folded, though they were now in front of his mouth, and his head was raised. He stared at the coffee table blankly. Amy took in quick breath and swallowed.
"And I know I'm just so upset by it, when I know that it's terrible of me to be." She added quickly. She paused again with another breath, wringing her hands a third time, looking down briefly at her fingers. She wasn't sure of what to say next, so the pair sat in silence for a moment. Stuart took in a large breath himself, before abruptly leaning back, and finally looking at Amy again. He sighed, and scratched the back of his neck.
"Yeah…" he said simply. His hand rested on his neck for a while before it slid down to his side. He closed his eyes again with another breath, just to fill the gap. When he opened them again, he found Amy looking at him, though her eyes darted away when he caught her eye. She swallowed, still looking at her fingers, and whispered.
"I just can't take it anymore, Stu." She shook her head. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm worked up, I'm exhausted, I cry for no reason. And in just tonight I've downed so much alcohol that I'm starting to forget how many fingers I have." Stuart chuckled a little and she looked at him with a small sad smile. After a second he decided to change the subject.
"Amy," Stuart started. "I really think… You need to at least talk to Jack." His hands were unfolded now and his palms faced upward in a pleading way. "I think it would help you – you may just have a guilty conscience.
"I could break it to Daisy, but you need to tell Jack about what things will be like now."
Amy listened to him with despair in her eyes. He waited for her reaction, but nothing changed from regular pout as if she were trying not to cry. The only sign of acknowledgment was when she shook her head with every word Stuart said to her. "Please –" he begged.
After that she must've gave in. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she covered her mouth with her trembling hand, sobbing once, which shook her shoulders.
And Stuart did something he hadn't done in a while. Sure, he was the hugging type, but he really only did something like this for comforting Leanne. But regardless, he brought himself to the couch across from him and put one arm around Amy, who sobbed into his shirt. He gave her a moment, reaching onto a side table for a tissue. When she separated from him, accepting the tissue and drying her eyes, Stuart asked again.
"Will you please, please," he put his hands together, "Talk to your son?"
What followed next was one of the longest silences in Amy's visit. She just stared at him. And when he watched her eyes, it was as if he could actually see the internal struggle. She'd lift her eyebrows a little every so often and open her mouth as if to say yes. But the next moment it was gone, and her eyes would just fall again, and her mouth droop. He hung on to every look, every expression change, every movement, begging with her to just accept. And after a sold half-minute she let out a quiet, shuttering breath, reaching a decision.
"I…" She said in a whisper, "H-Have to go."
She shakily rose from the couch, gliding across the room to the door. Stuart made a small movement, as if he were going to follow her, but for some reason he found himself stuck to the couch with just a blank face. He was not chasing her, but choosing to stay in place, where he knew exactly what would happen. He was afraid of being uncertain about everything again.
Amy paused with her hand wrapped around the door knob. She flexed her fingers, as if to let go, but continued looking forward. She was going to look fully over her shoulder – but instead she settled somewhere in between, afraid to look at him, though he wasn't at her.
Amy opened her mouth, prepared for a whisper, but could only managed to mouth the words I'm sorry. She had her thumb over the call button on her cell phone, right under the name Tyler. She gripped the knob tighter, finding the strength to turn it. She turned her head back, pushing the door open only a crack. Amy took in a deep steady breath and sniffed silently, not catching the tears down her cheek, and looking straight ahead with her chin raised a little.
"We've changed." She whispered. "Haven't we?"
Silence. Stuart stared fixedly ahead of him, away from Amy, but did not say a word.
Click.
"Gee, will you two lovebirds postpone the spit swap and hurry it up?" Stacy commented with a laugh, walking up to the kissing couple. They separated, slightly out of breath and turning to Stacy in unison. "Jack, Daisy and I already hit two flats below waiting for you guys."
The two of them hadn't even noticed, and they cleared their throats, separating from their clasp on each other. Cathy smoothed her hair as Jamie adjusted his pea coat sheepishly.
"Y-Yeah, of course." Cathy chuckled awkwardly. "Be right there."
Stacy folded her arms, chuckling to herself and shaking her head, walking off towards the kids who were about to knock on their fourth door since Cathy and Jamie's little break. Cathy cleared her throat again as Stacy disappeared, turning to Jamie and rubbing her arm.
"So…" she trailed off looking at her boot. Jamie blew some air out of his mouth. "So…"
The two sat in silence before giggling, which gradually turned into a quiet laughter. Cathy hugged her boyfriend around the neck, laughing into his shoulder.
"We got caught!" she whispered through her giggles. Jamie simply laughed in response, watching her double over. When she had calmed enough to walk, the pair followed after the children, catching up with them, but trailing a little behind.
They smiled at the adults at every door, Jamie shaking their hand while they welcome him to the building, followed by them dropping a few pieces of candy into each child's bag. Normally the people at the door would just marvel at the children's costumes (Stacy's Rock Star costume received a lot of praise) and smile at them. But when they reached one particular flat, decorated with orange flowers on the door, an elderly woman answered, grinning politely.
"Oh, hello there!" the woman smiled individually at each of the kids. "And what lovely costumes!" As she said this, she reached for an orange bowl on a tattered looking table, holding it out to the children. Jack and Daisy immediately reached for three a piece, but Cathy piped in.
"Only one, you lot!" she said, sticking out a hand. The two younger children pouted and dropped two of their pieces back into the bowl, though Jamie could've sworn the woman gave them all and extra piece with a wink. The lady turned her attention to Cathy and Jamie, glancing down at their hands, and then smiling sweetly at the couple. "Oh, aren't you two just adorable!"
Cathy saw that Jamie had intertwined their fingers, and that she had been rubbing his arm up and down for a while now. She blushed at him and he grinned goofily in response.
"Yes she is." He said, kissing her cheek. She rolled her eyes as he did so.
"You're so cheesy." She laughed, holding his face in her hand and kissing him sweetly, to which he replied. "S'my specialty."
The younger two of the kids "Ewwww"'d next to them.
"That's gross!" Daisy whined.
Jack stuck out his tongue disgustedly. "Yuck!"
Jamie, in response, stuck his own tongue out at them, hugging Cathy to him. The elderly lady chuckled, her hand on her stomach and her head tilted back. (Or, as Jamie called it, "old people laughter") She waved a hand. "Like I said, adorable!" she laughed again. "And what adorable kids!"
It took Cathy and Jamie only a split second to process the assumption the woman had made, and when they had, the two's cheeks grew red, though not at all from the cold. They sputtered over one another, denying that Jack and Daisy were theirs, shaking their heads.
"Oh, no –"
"Kids are way down the road–"
"Way down–"
"I mean, we're not even married yet!"
Jamie looked at Cathy as she said this, and she looked back at him, chuckling awkwardly. They shared a quick look, while the old woman chuckled again.
"Oh, good heavens!" she laughed. "I do apologize. Oh, and dear, welcome to the building." She smiled again, as if the previous moment hadn't happened. She looked down at the kids "Have a nice night, you three! Happy Halloween! Love the costumes!"
The children chorused a "Happy Halloween!" in response and hopped to the next door just as the lady closed hers. Jamie and Cathy stood in their place, gaping at the flowers hanging from the door. Cathy snapped out of it first, grabbing hold of Jamie's arm again, and yanking him with her to the next door so the kids could knock.
"C'mon, Jamie!" she laughed, pulling him with her. And though his feet followed, he still felt as though he were in a daze.
When the lady had made that comment, he was embarrassed at first – but he had also allowed his mind to wander a little. He had imagined, for a split second, the two of them lying naked in bed, snuggled against each other. He would be awoken from his half-sleeping state by a cry, and he'd put a robe on and wander into his newborn child's room, hugging him or her to his chest. And when Cathy had mentioned marriage, a white dress had fluttered across his eyelids, twirling around a suit of black as two faceless people danced in the middle of a large hall.
And so, even though he wasn't entirely out of the clouds, he still managed to follow the children around and greet the people at each door, even if he couldn't remove the large grin from his face. Cathy had given him questionable looks a few times, but he'd just look back at her, smiling wider and toothier, just as the next door would open.
Soon enough, Jack, Daisy, and Stacy's bags had been filled, and the group made their way back to Jamie's apartment. Jack and Daisy had skipped off in front of them, dragging Stacy with them, animatedly chatting with her about all their candy and treats.
Cathy had suggested they chase after them, but he had held her back, linking their arms again. When she asked him why, he simply kissed her, not saying a single word. She gave him a puzzled smile, and he returned it with that same goofy grin that just made her laugh uncontrollably at its adorableness.
"Oh gosh!" she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "Will you stop smiling like that? It's making me giggle." She kissed his cheek, which only made him smile wider and her chuckle again.
"Doesn't it hurt, smiling like that?"
Jamie shrugged. "I dunno." He said simply. Cathy gave him a strange look, giggling again.
"Well okay then."
"Hey Cathy?"
"Yes, Jamie?"
"Do you like jewelry?" he asked, still with a small smile. Cathy considered his question, shrugging.
"Well, if you think that you have to get me jewelry at some point, you don't haveto." She gave him a small smile. "You don't have to give me anything but your love."
Jamie chuckled. "Who's the cheesy one now?"
Cathy laughed as well, pulling him into a kiss. She was about to separate, when he stopped them in their tracks. He held her face in his gloved hand, deepening the kiss, and using his other to pull her closer. Cathy seemed taken aback, holding onto his shoulders, before lightly pushing away.
"Gee, Bradley, some of us need to breath." She gasped, smirking a little.
Jamie only grinned in response, kissing her quickly again. He moved to kiss her cheek, and Cathy looked over to see that they were almost at Jamie's door. Just as he went to kiss her cheek again, Cathy pat his arm. "Okay, hun, just a little bit more, we're almost there." She laughed.
Jamie, still holding both her hands, brought her quickly outside his door. Cathy couldn't help his smiley face and his lack of words, and put her hands on his chest. "Okay, seriously, what is up with you?"
Jamie's smile fell a little – it actually was starting to hurt now – and brought her closer to him. She watched him with half-lidded eyes, giving him her own small smile. Jamie kissed her forehead. "Nothing." He said. "I just love you. A lot."
Cathy hummed a small chuckle. "I love you too, hun." She kissed him lightly on the lips and he, unsurprisingly to her, grinned into it.
But it was because now he was imagining them kissing. At the park, on a bench. In a grocery store, with their son or daughter bouncing in the cart. In their house, passionate in bed. And in front of their families, dressed in their best. It made his heart flutter. And thinking about his heart fluttering made his heart flutter more.
If he had had any idea what these wandering thoughts would have helped him realize, and what they would have led to him doing, he would've hugged that old lady right then and there.
They separated and Cathy hummed again, her eyes still closed. "Well that was particularly passionate." She commented with a smirk, opening them now. Jamie's cheeks grew red in embarrassment. He must've wandered off in his own thoughts again. "S-Sorry…" he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck.
Cathy shook her head, kissing his nose. "I'm not complaining." she smiled. Jamie found himself staring at her eyes, and then at her nose, closely followed by her lips. She seemed to not have noticed, and she starting saying something about whether Amy was still here or not.
But, even so, Jamie wasn't listening. He was, once again, losing himself in his own thoughts. Putting up a Christmas tree, making tea, baking brownies. He and his family getting together to open presents, the shock and excitement on Cathy's face as she opened hers, thanking him with a kiss. And, just being him, he thought of pushing Cathy lightly against a wall and snogging her senseless, before pulling her to bed.
But his favorite thoughts had to be a tie between the kissing and dancing, with Cathy dressed in white, her finger reflecting off the ceiling lights. Or, perhaps it was the one where he'd hold his newborn child in his arms, lowering himself to a rocking chair and peeking through the blankets to see his child's face under no more than the lighting of an animal decorated table lap. Both included Cathy, who would either laugh at his inability to dance gracefully as he purposely made himself look like a fool to get a grin out of her, or pad up behind him in a fluffy robe like his, rubbing his shoulders before taking the baby from him.
He managed to, through his thoughts, see Cathy's lips moving, though he only caught part of what she was saying.
"… – here then I'm not sure if we should go in or not."
Jamie smiled again, and it took her a second to look back at him from her pointing at his door. She gave him a look for a while, but he continued to smile at her.
"Jamie?" she asked softly, snickering a little. "You alright? Did you hear what I sa–"
Jamie suddenly took her face in his hand, pulling her towards him and into a kiss. She was shocked for a moment, but went with it regardless, moving her hands to his shoulders. He brought his hand to her waist and the other to her back, and she moved closer so there were few gaps between them. For only a few seconds, they separated for air, in which Cathy managed to gasp. "J-Jamie?"
For some odd reason, hearing her voice made him want to grin like an idiot and squeal like a school boy, all while snogging her like a husband would his wife. "I love you so much." He replied, looking her right in the eye. She accomplished in getting out a full "I love you too." before Jamie connected their mouths again.
Their lips moved in unison, and Jamie continued to deepen the kiss in whatever way he could. Cathy did the same, managing quick breaths out of her nose while moving her hand to his neck and bringing his lips closer to hers. He opened his mouth a little, grazing across her bottom lip with his teeth. She moaned lightly as he pulled her lip slightly into his own mouth, biting softly. She parted her lips and he massaged her tongue with his own. She timidly brushed her tongue against his, and he groaned softly, continuously pulling her closer.
This continued for a short while, but Jamie knew his own limits. By the time they had broken the kiss his hand was tangled in her hair, the other on her waist, and hers on the side of his face and in his own hair. They held each other for a moment, panting lightly. He was looking at her, while she was looking more near his neck area, with droopy eyes.
"I wasn't… expecting that." She gasped a laugh, placing a hand on her chest. "Phew!"
"Yeah…" Jamie laughed himself. His eyes were trailing to her neck, and he had to stop himself from getting too eager. Luckily for him, Cathy just laughed some more and grinned at him, kissing his cheek, rather than making some big deal out of it, or questioning why he had done that. Because he wasn't entirely sure he'd even be able to answer such a question. Instead she blushed deep crimson, looking down at her feet, before looking back at him and kissing his lips softly.
"Well," she said, smoothing her jacket. "I think it's about time we headed inside, yeah? Unless you have some more snogging on the mind." She winked, playing with the long blue knitted scarf hanging loosely around his neck, which in turn pulled his head to hers, causing his lips to brush her forehead, making her chuckle. He bit his lip, closing his eyes for a moment to compose himself, before smirking.
"Well, in that case." You could practically hear the grin in his voice as he pulled her back to him. She squeaked and then chuckled, wrapping her arms around his neck. He continued to smirk against her lips, and when she shifted to deepen their kiss, he made the risky move of pinching her bottom affectionately. Instead of slapping him, or yelling and calling him a jerk, she just giggled, turning them around so her back was against a large pillar, dragging him closer so he could pin her there.
Goddamn he was going to put a ring on this girl's finger.
When they had finally gone inside, Jamie ruffled his already untidy hair. They wereboth grinning goofily this time with their hands glued together as they gave each other small pecks on their way into the flat. But just as Jamie had turned to greet his brother, he was met with Stuart staring down at the coffee table with Leanne rubbing his arm comfortingly.
"What's happened?"
Stuart looked back at him after a second, and without saying word, held up Amy's straw hat with a sad smile.
Jamie and Cathy had spent the next twenty minutes comforting him in whatever way they could, though he didn't show any signs of really caring all that much. In fact, he admitted that he felt as if a weight were lifted from his shoulders.
"A cowgirl clad, blonde headed weight." He chuckled. "But I'm fine now. Just in a bit o' shock. Had Stacy bring Jack and Daisy to your room to watch a movie, hope you don't mind." He shrugged a shoulder apologetically.
Jamie shook his head. "Don't think anything of it." He said, smiling a little himself. "I hope they pick Arthur Christmas. It's a holiday one, but it's still gold." Stuart laughed a lot at this, and watching him laugh made Leanne and Jamie laugh too. Cathy grinned, hugging Jamie's arm and pecking his cheek. He slung an arm around her, and they both smiled at each other before laughing together.
And the "party" continued on. Stuart and Jamie actually spent a good amount of time exchanging old memories of their past Halloween costumes. But Jamie kept glancing over at Cathy who was chatting with Leanne. This time Leanne was talking about something that, he assumed, was related to work. Cathy nodded every so often, looking very focused on her words. Jamie grinned, watching her eyebrows furrow right before she asked a question. It was one of the more adorable looks of Jamie's favorites. He wasn't sure if he liked her angry look, her half-lidded eyes, or her lip-biting cheeky look better.
He then felt someone poke his cheek, and he scrunched his nose up in his ownlook of mild annoyance. "Oi!" He looked over a Stuart, who raised his eyebrows and gave him a small smirk. "Distracted, are we?"
Jamie scoffed, folding his arms. "You don't need to know." He huffed stubbornly. Stuart chuckled. "So it's Cathy then? You can't even say her name without smiling."
Jamie took this as a challenge and arched an eyebrow, clearing his throat. "Cathy." He said clearly. And sure enough, his mouth turned into a small smile against his will. "Dammit!"
"Told you."
"Well how'd you know it was Cathy? Goddammit!"
"I didn't. 'Till now."
"Oh my God, you jedi."
Stuart laughed again, folding his own arms. "You love her, don't you?" he asked, watching his younger brother. Jamie tightening his arms with a deep blush.
"Shut up."
"Ooooh, my brother's in loooove –"
"So are you!"
Stuart smiled, shrugging. "True," he replied, "true. Only I actually did something about it." He rose from the couch, patting his brother's shoulder, who stared ahead of him with a suddenly far-off look.
"Well," he announced, turning to Leanne, "we best be off then." Leanne smiled, getting up from her chair, kissing Stuart's cheek. He grabbed her wrist before she could pull away, making her kiss his lips. She smiled as they separated and spoke softly. "I'll go get the kids then. Last I checked Daisy had fallen asleep."
They had all said their goodbyes after that, Stuart carrying his dozing kids in his arms as Leanne closed the door behind them. The flat grew quiet. Jamie and Cathy filled the silence with some talking, followed by a quick viewing of their new favorite holiday movie – Arthur Christmas.
After the movie had ended, Cathy sighed in contentment, snuggling into Jamie's side. "You know," she said. "Now that everyone's gone, we have a little privacy." She traced a finger along Jamie's chest and he smirked, playing with her hair before pushing it out of her face. "How about a little post-movie snogging, yeah?" She kissed his jaw, and his smirked widened, tilting her chin up so he could kiss her mouth.
"And what's with all the snogging today?"
"You're the one who decided to practically suffocate me with your mouth."
"You didn't seem to mind it –"
"–I didn't."
"–Aaand you were the one who made me pin you to the wall."
Cathy put her hands on her hips. "Now, see, you didn't have to go through with that." Jamie chuckled, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her close. "Oh, is that right?" he muttered.
"Yeah." Cathy smirked, closing the gap between their mouths.
After some enjoyable snogging and cuddling, the couple remained on the couch until about 9:30. Cathy was dozing off in Jamie's arms, before she glanced tiredly at the clock, suddenly sitting up.
"What's wrong?" Jamie asked softly, opening one eye.
"It's late." Cathy replied, frowning. "I should let you sleep."
"I'm fine," Jamie smiled, pulling her by her waist and back to his chest. "As long as you're next to me."
Cathy chuckled, giving him a quick kiss. "But really," she said, rubbing up his arm and up to his shoulder, "I should go." She rose from the couch and headed towards Jamie's bedroom, laughing as Jamie stretched out his hands, grabbing at the air.
"Nooo," he whined. "Come back."
"I will, I promise." Cathy winked, walking into the other room. Jamie leaned back, placing his hands behind his head. He stared at the ceiling, finding himself eagerly awaiting his girlfriend's return.
And after a short while, Cathy padded in from the next room, pulling on her jacket and mittens and jingling his keys in his direction. Jamie gave her a curious look, and was about to ask why she was rushing like that, before she said. "Hey, will you be able to drive me, or should I have Emma pick me up or something?"
"Wait, no!" Jamie jumped a little on the couch, his entire expression pouty. He realized that he had sort of shouted that, and blushed a little. "I mean, it's just –" He cut himself off and started again. "You-You want to leave so soon?" he asked, trying unsuccessfully to sound casual. He rose from the couch just as she went to grab his jacket.
"Wait! Why don't we…" He looked frantically around the living room, pivoting on his heel. Cathy watched him, amused, but equally as confused, before he dashed for the kitchen. She couldn't see what he was doing in there, but he was making quite a ruckus.
After ruffling around in there for a while, Jamie emerged from the kitchen clutching a small red box with a mildly desperate look. "Why don't we make brownies or somethin' first?" he shrugged a shoulder hopefully and smiled awkwardly.
Cathy chuckled, shaking her head. "It's getting late." She said. "Shouldn't I be leaving now anyway?"
Jamie frowned, placing the box on a nearby table, and folding his arms. He dragged himself like a child over to her. "Fine then." He said, shrugging. "You don't like me anymore, that's cool."
Cathy laughed. "No it's just –"
"If you don't want to hang out with me anymore, then fine, we'll just go."
Cathy laughed and put her hands on Jamie's chest, trailing to his shoulders and grinning up at him. "Look, Jamie, I have stuff I gotta do, working stuff." She smiled and poked his forehead. "Stuff that'd wrack your brain." She held his face and brought it to her lips, kissing right where she'd poked him and he pouted at her like a stubborn child. "No offense."
"Yeah, but that's way too much for one person, that's crazy." He commented. Cathy sighed with a smile, kissing his cheek. "Shouldn't I be leaving now?" she repeated.
Jamie gave her a small smile, pulling her closer to his chest, and placing a hand on her back. "You're crazy."
She hummed a small chuckle, smiling down at her shoes. "I know." She said quietly, flexing her foot up. Jamie watched her, and though his smile grew smaller, it stayed in place. He knew she knew he was looking at her, and she tried hard not to look back up. But she had to when Jamie took his first two fingers and very delicately lifted her chin, only a little, so she was at least able to look in his eyes, though she still had to glance as far up as possible to do so.
"You're so beautiful." Jamie said simply. His small smile grew only a little, but enough that it formed a little lopsided grin in her direction. He lightly brushed his thumb across her chin and she grinned a little herself, looking down, then glancing at him again, and then back down at her feet with a small blush.
Jamie's mouth cramped and his smile fell. He shook his head, looking down himself for a quick moment, with a small chuckle. He pulled her impossibly closer to him, and she just had to look at him now, as their noses were practically touching again. Her eyes were half-lidded and she was smiling a little bigger than before. She raised her eyebrows in question.
"You're so different from anyone else I've ever been with."
It was as if she had realized just how close they were now, and her voice quieted. She suddenly felt self-conscious and, rather than look him in the eye, glanced sheepishly at his slightly-parted lips.
"Shouldn't I be leaving now?" She repeated the question once again, and so quietly that Jamie had to strain to hear her. His own eyes fell half-lidded, and his lips brushed her nose as he whispered back his replied.
"Stay the night."
Cathy's eyes closed a little more, as she sighed out, a little above a whisper. "Jamie, I can't."
"Yes you can." He moved his hand up her back, running his thumb up and down before wrapping some of her hair around his first finger like a ring. Cathy's eyes were completely closed now, and she tilted her head up more so Jamie's mouth could move closer to her own.
"No…" she whispered. It was an unconvincing protest, and she moved her hand to his shoulder, and the other to the side of his face. "I…"
Jamie's eyes closed too, and he replied in the quietest whisper he could muster. "Please say yes."
Not even awaiting a response, Jamie closed the gap between their lips, pulling Cathy completely to him in a soft kiss. She moved her hand to the back of his head and brought him closer to her, running her fingers through his hair as she tilted her head a little, deepening the kiss. She could feel Jamie suddenly smiling against her mouth, and she smiled back. And when she went to tilt her head again, their noses brushed a little, and Jamie chuckled before completely separating from the kiss. Cathy gave him a confused smile as he loosened his hold on her, laughing, before pulling her to him once more in a hug.
He snickered in her shoulder. "Sorry, sorry." He apologized. "Really sorry about that." Cathy laughed herself, holding his arms. "Yeah, what happened, hun?"
"Nothing, nothing." Jamie laughed, moving his hands to her waist and kissing her forehead. He flicked his nose. "I just gotta big schnozz is all." Cathy laughed at this, kissing it. "Well I think it's cute." She smiled.
Of course, despite what he said, it wasn't just nothing. It was something. A levelten something. He was still processing the conclusion he had come to earlier that night. But even so, he was doubting. It wasn't Cathy, or making that commitment to her. It was himself he doubted. The "What Ifs" were starting to get to him. What if she wasn't ready? What if she decided they weren't right?
And that's why, when she said she was ready to go, he begged her to stay. He knew she wasn't actually walking away – he just couldn't help feel like she was. And when he held her in his arms, when she told him she couldn't stay…
But she kissed him anyway. She's not one to just up and leave. She cares for him just as deeply as he does her. And when she kisses him, touches him, takes his breath away, it reminds him that she is his and no one else's and that she would be more than willing to make the commitment.
Then why did he feel like shaking?
He clasped her hand in his and kissed the back of hers. She giggled at him and kissed his cheek. He kissed her nose, and then moved again to her lips.
"Just nothing." He muttered against her lips. When they separated, they stared at one another with large smiles before laughing simultaneously. Cathy kissed him quickly, and then once more, holding on a little longer. But Jamie broke this kiss again, hugging her to him with enough space so they could look each other in the eye.
"So?" he asked. Cathy raised an eye brow at him, separating and beginning towards the kitchen. "So what –?"
Jamie took a step towards her, reaching out and taking her hand in his own, stopping her in her tracks. He trailed his thumb over her fourth finger, tracing it. She waited or him to say something, and when he didn't, she sighed, smiling, and turned to him.
"Can I help you?"
"Are you going to stay over tonight?"
Cathy chuckled. "Well someone's persistent." Jamie laughed too, but pulled her softly to him, still holding her hand in his, swinging their arms.
"Answer?" he pried, raising an eyebrow. She smiled, chuckling again.
"Jamie, I have stuff to do –"
"Answer?" he repeated, smiling wider. He knew she was giving in, she just didn't want to admit to it. Her smile grew as well, but she shook her head. It wasn't a no, more like a "You're-A-Child" kind of reaction. His smile fell, but he continued to raise his eyebrows at her expectantly. "C'mon, Cathy." He pleaded.
Cathy sighed, looking down at their hands. She intertwined their fingers and put her thumb up against his, as they moved and pressed them together in unison. She looked back into his pleading eyes, and sighed again, putting their foreheads together.
"Yes."
Jamie grinned goofily, softly kissing her. But it was Cathy who broke this kiss this time, grabbing hold of both his hands and leading him into the kitchen. Once there, she darted out for a quick second, coming back with a small red box.
"Now, how about those brownies you promised me?"
Jamie laughed, and shortly after Cathy joined in. The two spent part of the night dancing around each other in the kitchen to some music on Jamie's phone, baking the most delicious brownies they could. And, when the brownies were baking, the two would pass the time by cuddling on the couch, watching TV. And sometimes… Not watching TV. Nothing bad – Just holding one another in their arms, smiling, pulling each other closer until their noses touched, and –
Well, now – I shouldn't have to tell you everything.