For The Love of a Greaser
Chapter 26
Golden Sunrise
The next morning I was seated outside on the porch, knees spread slightly apart as I stared at the morning sky. It was beautifully painted, with pinks and oranges, the sun peaking out behind the clouds slowly. The sun itself was a bright neon orange, pulsing with light as the rays reached out through the sky, lining the clouds in the same color. I rarely took time out to watch things like this anymore.
"Abigail?"
I turned around upon hearing the tired voice, finding Darry standing inside the doorway, a hand on his face as he rubbed his eyes.
"Darry," I whispered, a small smile pulling at my lips.
"What are you doing outside so early?" he asked, stepping outside with a yawn.
I smiled at him, patting the spot next to me as I turned my eyes back toward the sky, the colors changing little by little.
"I was watching the sun rise," I explained, feeling him sit beside me, his hand scratching lightly at the stubble on his chin.
"I can't remember the last time I sat back and watched the sun rise," he breathed, his eyes looking toward the sky.
I could see the light reflecting off of his eyes like a mirror, the colors melding and changing as though being put together and painted by a master.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I asked, turning my head to look at him.
I watched as the corners of his lips tugged up into a smile, eyes shifting in my direction.
"It is," he agreed, an affectionate look in his eyes as he reached over, placing his hand on my cheek.
For a few moments we merely stared at one another, his thumb running lightly over my cheek, painting a feeling of warmth across it. I found myself closing my eyes as I sat there, enjoying the feeling of his touch. He was always so gentle, not once rough with me. He was sweet in his own way.
If it weren't for current circumstances, we would have taken advantage of this opportunity alone. Soda was in bed and Eden would likely be waking up in a couple more hours over at her friend's house. When she got back, I'd be having a word with her. She'd been absent from the house far too much as of late. I wasn't sure the reason for her actions, but it was starting to bother me.
T
After about a hour and a half we were back inside, sitting on the couch together after eating breakfast. Soda was also up at this point, taking his time in the shower. After he was done he came back out, clad in a pair of pants, before plopping down in Darry's armchair. He had a grin on his face as he looked over at us.
"What's so funny?"I asked, letting out a small yawn as I laid there against Darry's side, pulling my eyes away from the TV.
"Nothin', just the two of you is all," he chuckled.
Darry gave him a dry look at this, before shaking his head.
"Why don't you go put a shirt on and leave us alone?" he grumbled quietly, leaning his head back into the couch a bit more.
"Why, you afraid she'll find me more attractive?" he joked.
I narrowed my eyes half heartedly at this, before throwing the couch pillow at him, watching as it hit him in the head. He still had a smile on his face though as he sat there.
"Sorry about your luck kid, but I'm stickin with your brother," I said firmly, wrapping my arms around Darry and keeping him close.
Both brothers chuckled, Darry's arms wrapping around me in return, squeezing me lightly.
"See? She's mine," Darry said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Now was my turn to laugh, shaking my head at the two of them.
"You two are definitely brothers," I breathed, closing my eyes for a moment as my head rested against his chest.
"Nothin better than having a Curtis or two around," Soda grinned, before standing up, making his way upstairs.
I shook my head once more, simply laying there, my fingers curling around the front of Darry's shirt like always. I could feel the warmth of his body through the slight chill in the house, curling into it. He chuckled at this, rubbing my arm gently.
"You remind me of a cat," he chuckled, playing with my hair for a moment, curling a lock around one of his fingers.
"A cat?" I asked skeptically, raising a brow in question.
He just grinned at me, before nodding his head.
"And how is that?" I asked, waiting for an answer.
"Well, for one," he started, leaning forward until his face was about two inches from mine. "You always have your claws in," he grinned, his hand coming to rest upon my cheek, fingers going beneath my chin to raise it ever so slightly.
"Any other reason?" I asked, tilting my head to the side slightly.
"I'm sure I can think of a few more," he mumbled, pulling me closer until our lips met, pressing into a pleasant kiss.
"I never knew he was such a lady killer," Soda called, laughing all the while.
Darry pulled back, a sliver a pink dusting his cheeks.
"Soda!" his voice was quick and full of annoyance.
"See ya later, I'm gonna go meet up with Steve," Soda called over his shoulder, before running out of the house, and leaving the two of us alone.
T
After a while, we left the house, driving over to the store for groceries. We were low on food, so I reminded Darry, dragging him along with me.
Darry followed me throughout the store, walking either beside or behind me. With the money that I made, it allowed us to buy better food, giving us fruits and vegetables. It was fresh instead of canned, something that I preferred when cooking or making dinner.
"So, what should we fix for dinner tonight?" I asked, turning my head toward Darry as I pushed the cart.
He scratched his cheek for a moment in thought, before meeting my eyes.
"Sweet potatoes?" he suggested.
I smiled at this. It had been a while since I'd fixed sweet potatoes, but it was also something that I was good at.
"We're going to need brown sugar though," I told him, earning a curious look. "What do you say to candied sweetpotatoes?"
I watched a smile form on his face at my words, his eyes alight.
"Sounds good to me."
So with that, we continued our journey through the store, picking up some more flour and brown sugar. I also picked up some whole wheat bread and cereal, placing them in the cart with everything else. I even grabbed some chocolate, a toothy grin on my face when Darry looked over at me.
"What? I want something sweet," I said, pushing the cart along.
He chuckled after a moment, gently wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
"You better not start bouncing off the walls later," he teased, making me shove him slightly.
"Oh, stop it," I laughed, pushing the cart toward the checkout.
He merely followed beside me, pulling the cart up to the counter.
"Ready to check out?" the man asked, looking between the two of us.
We nodded in unison, before placing things up on the counter until the cart was empty. I then went and put it away, walking back up beside Darry, my head coming to lay against his shoulder as we watched the man ring everything up.
A few minutes later, everything was rung up and the money was placed in his hand, our things now in paper bags. I merely grabbed a couple of bags, heading out to the truck and placing them in the bed. Darry followed a minute later, holding the rest in his arms.
"Here," I said, taking two of them and placing them in the back.
Darry placed the rest in as well after he was free enough, before walking around to the other side and getting in. I got in as well, shutting the door behind me as I leaned back in the seat. Within seconds, the engine roared to life, and Darry was pulling out of the lot. He then slowed to a stop as we rounded the corner, watching the light turn red. We watched as cars flew passed us, speeding down the street. Watching this reminded me of my life. It just flew right on by as the years kept going. Although, sometimes it couldn't seem to move fast enough.
"Abigail?" Darry called, his voice breaking me out of my train of thought and making me jump.
"Yeah?" I asked quickly, blinking a few times as I turned my head to look at him.
"You okay?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in question.
"Y-yeah, I was just thinking, that's all," I said quiet, trying my best to push a smile onto my face.
I never was that happy when thinking about my past, but I suppose it's to be expected. After all, why would I be happy with abuse, both physical and mental? Luckily, I'd been old enough at the time to know that it was wrong. Otherwise, I could only imagine where I would be at.
"You sure?" he asked, reaching a hand over and placing it on top of mine.
I gripped it lightly in my own, turning it and interlocking our fingers together with one another.
"Yeah," I said quietly.
He still seemed a bit unsure though, but still nodded, pressing his foot on the gas once the light turned green. I just closed my eyes, feeling the faint tug from the truck as it moved, turning and stopping every now and then. I didn't even bother opening my eyes until we came to a final and permanent stop, Darry's hand raising with mine for a moment.
"We're home," he whispered in my ear, making me shiver, a small smile forming.
After that, he killed the engine, pulling the key from the ignition and pushing open his door. He stepped out of the truck, walking around the front and opening my door for me, holding his hand out. I took it without hesitation, jumping out and coming to stand before him.
"Come on, let's get this inside," he said, moving and grabbing a couple bags from the back.
I followed after him as I did the same, following him through the metal gate and up onto the porch where he pushed the door open for me. I just walked in and went to the kitchen, sitting the bags down on the counter.
"I'll grab the rest," I announced, walking back outside to grab the remaining two bags, a kid riding passed me on his bike.
I nearly dropped everything because how close he had been, shaking my head afterward and walking back inside.
"I swear, some kids have no manners," I voiced, coming to stand beside Darry as I placed the last two bags down.
"Well, hopefully, you don't think the same of me?" he joked, earning a playful glare from me.
"Oh yes, you're down right terrible," I said with a straight face, trying my best not to laugh.
"Really now, am I so bad?" he asked, placing a hand on either side of the counter, leaving me with no place to go as I leaned back against it a bit.
"Yes," I nodded, watching the corner of his mouth twitch slightly.
"I am?" he leaned forward a bit, slowly bringing his face in front of mine.
"Yes," I said once more.
"Really?" he inquired softly, before pressing his lips to mine, his left hand coming up to rest upon my cheek as he put his weight on the other.
We stood there for a few moments, merely getting lost in the mess that was us. I could feel his lips twitching into a smile after a moment, same as mine.
"Am I still terrible?" he joked, a chuckle escaping his lips, his breath lightly brushing my skin as he spoke.
"I don't know, maybe you should try again," I said with a shrug, watching as he leaned forward once more, my arms wrapping loosely around his neck as he kissed me again.
"You know, you should be careful, I might just get used to this," he chuckled between kissing me, his arm finding its way around my waist, pulling me a bit closer to him.
"Is that such a bad thing?" I asked, a smile on face as I ran a hand through the back of his hair.
"I guess it depends," I whispered softly, closing his eyes as he brushed noses with me.
"On what?"
"I don't know," he chuckled, his lips coming back down to capture mine again, their warmth giving me a feeling of bliss.
I could feel myself smiling into the kiss as my eyes closed, savoring the feeling that it gave me. I wished that this could last forever, but alas, we needed air. So after a moment, we finally pulled back, staring into each others eyes.
"Perhaps we should start fixing supper?" I suggested, playing with a piece of his hair.
He seemed a bit disappointed, but nodded nonetheless. Although, not before brushing my lips one more time.
"Alright Casanova," I laughed, kissing him on the cheek.
I then maneuvered out of his grip and grabbed stuff out of the bags, placing various items in the refrigerator, while laying others out on the counter. He merely stood there watching me as he leaned backwards against the counter, a soft look in his eyes.
"Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to help me?" I asked, trying not to laugh.
He just grinned, before stepping forward and helping me, grabbing a pot and filling it with water. After that, he placed on the stove, turning the burner onto medium high to heat it to a boiling point. Once it started bubbling, I carefully dropped the sweet potatoes in, standing back and placing the lid over it. It wouldn't take very long to do, so I started working on the rest, pulling the strings from the green beans and cutting them. I smiled as I watched him do the same, being careful not to cut himself. He wasn't too bad at this.
"Where did you ever learn to cook anyway?" I asked, feeling like I already knew the answer even after asking.
"My mom," he told me, tossing a bad one to the side.
"Wow, manners, charm, grace, she taught you everything didn't she," I smiled, watching as he moved a bit closer.
"Don't you know it."
T
After everything was said and done, the food was finished and we ate, Darry setting the table while I took care of everything else. Eden had even returned home, sitting down to eat with us, same as Soda. Everyone seemed to enjoy their food and before we knew it, dinner was over, and it was time for bed. That left Darry and me alone in his room on the bed, me curled up against him like usual. That's how it always was.
"Do you think he's okay?" Darry asked quietly, his arm wrapped around me as he laid there on his bad.
"Huh?" I turned my head to look at him.
"Ponyboy," he said, biting his bottom lip slightly.
"I'm sure he's fine," I said, bringing my hand up to rest on his face.
"What if he never wants to talk to me again?" he asked, his brows furrowing together in worry.
I just sighed, propping myself up a bit so that I could look at him better.
"Darry, stop that," I said firmly. "I'm sure that Ponyboy realizes that you didn't mean to hit him," I said.
"But…"
"No buts," I said pointedly.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, closing his eyes with a sigh.
"I promise, when he comes back, we're going to get this straightened out," I told him, my fingertips brushing his cheek, before sliding down his jaw.
He chuckled after a moment, opening his eyes to stare up at me. He then reached up, placing a hand on the back of my head. A moment later, he was pulling me down, placing a kiss to my lips. I had expected this much, even though my cheeks were then painted a light pink.
"Perhaps we should get some sleep," I suggested, feeling him pull me to him as he laid there, leaving me laying on top of him.
"Perhaps," he nodded, keeping me where I was in his arms.
"I'm gonna be stuck like this all night, aren't I?" I asked.
"That was the plan," he chuckled.
"Well, then you'd better hope that I don't have to get up in the middle of that night to pee," I laughed.
"If you do, then you're just going to have to hold it."
I stuck my tongue out at him at this, before setting my head down and snuggling in his arms. After that, it took no time at all before my eyes grew heavy, his warmth lulling me to sleep.
Yay! Chapter 26 is finally done! I hope that everyone liked it? I gave Darry and Abigail a few more intimate moments to that their minds off of thinks. Please don't forget to REVIEW and MESSAGE me with your thoughts, ideas, opinions, and feelings on this chapter/story. I LOVE hearing FEEDBACK on this. It helps me write. Also, with the help of a friend, GreaserGirlie, I'll be starting another OUTSIDERS story. This one will be for Dally. Don't worry though, I won't forget about this story.