Remember to read Ch. 7 & 8 before reading this. 7 has been reworked and 8
is brand new!!
****************************
Morning has come again to this strange little household. Clover walked out of the bedroom, yawning. She was wearing different clothes then the ones she had been brought here in. Alex had also stockpiled clothing, her size. For that she was grateful, her original clothes wouldn't have lasted this long.
Alex was no where around. She looked around the entire cabin, but she didn't find anything. She sat at the small table in the kitchen area, her elbows on the wood, her face in her hands. She sighed heavily. The clock on the wall told her that she was up two hours earlier than usual, which was no surprise; she had been so drowsy last night that she went to bed before 9:15. Alex usually knocked on her door at 8 am, so she was up and ready by 8:30. There was a single bathroom with a tub where she was able to bathe in the evenings. The plumbing around here was excellent, hot water whenever she wanted, and there was never any trouble with the pipes. If there was, Alex assured her that he could take care of most problems.
Back to Alex, she thought. Where is he? She looked across into the living room. The sun was just beginning to come up, the shadows fading into the light. One shadow, however, did not change. She stared at it. The shadow was outside the window, against a tree. She got up from the table, the chair scraping against the floor. Carefully, she made her way to the window. The shadow, it turned out, was a rope tied to the tree, and a hammock hanging from the rope. She almost smiled when she saw the now shaggy dark hair. She went outside. His hammock swayed slightly in the breeze. His hair had grown longer in the time they had been here, and it hung over his brow. In the back, it curled up to his neck. He had yet to awaken, he was sleeping so soundly. Clover looked down at him, the sunlight beginning to caress his face. His features were softened, and he looked so sweet and innocent lying there. Like a little boy, his arms were crossed defiantly. A woven blanket lay across his legs, just shy of his stomach. His shirt was worn in places, but it covered his top half, keeping him warm.
A small smile graced her lips. She leaned over, coming in close to his face. She brushed the bangs out of the way and kissed his forehead gently. He shifted in his sleep, murmuring something that she couldn't make out. It was times like this that she couldn't bring herself to hate him. And times like this were becoming more and more frequent. Impulsively, she leaned in again, this time kissing him on the lips. His eyes opened a crack, and then he awoke with a start. Clover backed away, a little frightened. Alex stared at her, dumbfounded. His mouth was moving but no words were coming out. She turned around and ran back into the cabin. She didn't stop until she was back in the bedroom and the door was shut securely. She sat against the door, scared of what she had done. She had, VOLUNTEERILY, kissed her captor. And even more, she had liked it. His lips had been firm, but soft enough too, a little chapped, but what could you expect after spending the night outdoors in the cold? She touched her fingers to her lips. I can still feel the heat, she thought. She jumped a little when she heard the front door open. Footsteps sounded throughout the cabin. Closer and closer they came until they stopped outside the door. A light knocking followed.
"Y-yes?" she croaked out.
"Clover, are you ok?" he asked gently.
"I...I'm fine, I swear," she replied. She laid her head on her knees. Her heart was pounding and her palms were slightly damp. She rubbed them against her pants, breathing in and out slowly, trying to calm herself. Softly, so that Alex couldn't hear, she whispered, "At least I think I am."
On the other side of the door, Alex stood there with his forehead pressed against the finished wood. She kissed me, kept running through his head, followed by his reaction. Damn it all! Why did I have to go and scare her! He banged his head against the door.
"What was that??" Clover asked anxiously.
"N-nothing, just me...being me. If you want to stay in there, I'll understand. I'll be starting breakfast." His hand trailed down the door and he walked over to the kitchen. He wanted to scream, he was so mad at himself. Instead, he sighed and went down the stairs to the storage area. He had grabbed a basket and he started to gather ingredients: carton of eggs, some fruit and some flour. They were running low on these items upstairs. Every fresh thing down here was either frozen or dried. The eggs would thaw over the next few days and be ready to eat then. The fruit had been bought and then dried in a special machine. Alex trudged his way back up the stairs. He closed the door behind him and put the items in their proper place. He got out the unfrozen eggs and cracked them in a bowl to be made into an omelet. Clover had been saying yesterday that she was craving an omelet for today. He remembered what kind too, a mushroom and four cheese omelet. Maybe if he made it for her, to perfection, she would talk to him again. The thought gave him a ray of hope and he did his best with the meal. He added a small bowl of the dried fruit and some juice to the array on the table. He surveyed the job he had done, two omelets, one for her and one for him, a single bowl of the fruit, two glasses of juice and utensils. It had been a little more than half an hour since "the event". He thought for a second and then ran outside. He looked around for several minutes before finding the pink and yellow wild flowers that Clover liked. He carefully picked the flowers and took them back to the cabin, intending to put them in a vase to set on the table. However, when he came in through the door, he stopped short. There she was, waiting for him.
Clover stood there, just in front of the door, looking straight at Alex, with no expression on her face. She walked towards him slowly. He held his breath, afraid to do anything. Her touch was gentle as she took the flowers from him. She brought them to her nose and sniffed them delicately.
"Lovely," she said and laid them on the side table.
"I know you like those kind, that's why I brought them," Alex said lamely. She kept her eyes on the flowers, not looking at him at all.
"Alex?"
"Yes, Clover?" he asked anxiously.
"Do you know why I ran away from you earlier?"
"Because I scared you with my reaction," he said, looking down at the floor.
"No..."
He looked back up, "No? Then why?"
She came incredibly close to him, almost but not quite touching him. Her face was turned slightly down, as if looking at his shirt.
"Because...I was afraid of what I felt."
A sharp intake of breath was heard. "And what was it that you felt?"
She looked up at him, her eyes sharp and sparkling. In one quick movement, she grabbed him and pulled him forward to kiss him fiercely. At first, Alex was overcome by shock. Then, as the kiss lengthened, he relaxed into it. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her with all his might. She was soft against him, her arms around his neck. She tasted like cherries, but then her preferred chapstick was Natural Ice, Wild Cherry. In the heat of it all, she managed to get two words out.
"The bedroom."
****************************
Morning has come again to this strange little household. Clover walked out of the bedroom, yawning. She was wearing different clothes then the ones she had been brought here in. Alex had also stockpiled clothing, her size. For that she was grateful, her original clothes wouldn't have lasted this long.
Alex was no where around. She looked around the entire cabin, but she didn't find anything. She sat at the small table in the kitchen area, her elbows on the wood, her face in her hands. She sighed heavily. The clock on the wall told her that she was up two hours earlier than usual, which was no surprise; she had been so drowsy last night that she went to bed before 9:15. Alex usually knocked on her door at 8 am, so she was up and ready by 8:30. There was a single bathroom with a tub where she was able to bathe in the evenings. The plumbing around here was excellent, hot water whenever she wanted, and there was never any trouble with the pipes. If there was, Alex assured her that he could take care of most problems.
Back to Alex, she thought. Where is he? She looked across into the living room. The sun was just beginning to come up, the shadows fading into the light. One shadow, however, did not change. She stared at it. The shadow was outside the window, against a tree. She got up from the table, the chair scraping against the floor. Carefully, she made her way to the window. The shadow, it turned out, was a rope tied to the tree, and a hammock hanging from the rope. She almost smiled when she saw the now shaggy dark hair. She went outside. His hammock swayed slightly in the breeze. His hair had grown longer in the time they had been here, and it hung over his brow. In the back, it curled up to his neck. He had yet to awaken, he was sleeping so soundly. Clover looked down at him, the sunlight beginning to caress his face. His features were softened, and he looked so sweet and innocent lying there. Like a little boy, his arms were crossed defiantly. A woven blanket lay across his legs, just shy of his stomach. His shirt was worn in places, but it covered his top half, keeping him warm.
A small smile graced her lips. She leaned over, coming in close to his face. She brushed the bangs out of the way and kissed his forehead gently. He shifted in his sleep, murmuring something that she couldn't make out. It was times like this that she couldn't bring herself to hate him. And times like this were becoming more and more frequent. Impulsively, she leaned in again, this time kissing him on the lips. His eyes opened a crack, and then he awoke with a start. Clover backed away, a little frightened. Alex stared at her, dumbfounded. His mouth was moving but no words were coming out. She turned around and ran back into the cabin. She didn't stop until she was back in the bedroom and the door was shut securely. She sat against the door, scared of what she had done. She had, VOLUNTEERILY, kissed her captor. And even more, she had liked it. His lips had been firm, but soft enough too, a little chapped, but what could you expect after spending the night outdoors in the cold? She touched her fingers to her lips. I can still feel the heat, she thought. She jumped a little when she heard the front door open. Footsteps sounded throughout the cabin. Closer and closer they came until they stopped outside the door. A light knocking followed.
"Y-yes?" she croaked out.
"Clover, are you ok?" he asked gently.
"I...I'm fine, I swear," she replied. She laid her head on her knees. Her heart was pounding and her palms were slightly damp. She rubbed them against her pants, breathing in and out slowly, trying to calm herself. Softly, so that Alex couldn't hear, she whispered, "At least I think I am."
On the other side of the door, Alex stood there with his forehead pressed against the finished wood. She kissed me, kept running through his head, followed by his reaction. Damn it all! Why did I have to go and scare her! He banged his head against the door.
"What was that??" Clover asked anxiously.
"N-nothing, just me...being me. If you want to stay in there, I'll understand. I'll be starting breakfast." His hand trailed down the door and he walked over to the kitchen. He wanted to scream, he was so mad at himself. Instead, he sighed and went down the stairs to the storage area. He had grabbed a basket and he started to gather ingredients: carton of eggs, some fruit and some flour. They were running low on these items upstairs. Every fresh thing down here was either frozen or dried. The eggs would thaw over the next few days and be ready to eat then. The fruit had been bought and then dried in a special machine. Alex trudged his way back up the stairs. He closed the door behind him and put the items in their proper place. He got out the unfrozen eggs and cracked them in a bowl to be made into an omelet. Clover had been saying yesterday that she was craving an omelet for today. He remembered what kind too, a mushroom and four cheese omelet. Maybe if he made it for her, to perfection, she would talk to him again. The thought gave him a ray of hope and he did his best with the meal. He added a small bowl of the dried fruit and some juice to the array on the table. He surveyed the job he had done, two omelets, one for her and one for him, a single bowl of the fruit, two glasses of juice and utensils. It had been a little more than half an hour since "the event". He thought for a second and then ran outside. He looked around for several minutes before finding the pink and yellow wild flowers that Clover liked. He carefully picked the flowers and took them back to the cabin, intending to put them in a vase to set on the table. However, when he came in through the door, he stopped short. There she was, waiting for him.
Clover stood there, just in front of the door, looking straight at Alex, with no expression on her face. She walked towards him slowly. He held his breath, afraid to do anything. Her touch was gentle as she took the flowers from him. She brought them to her nose and sniffed them delicately.
"Lovely," she said and laid them on the side table.
"I know you like those kind, that's why I brought them," Alex said lamely. She kept her eyes on the flowers, not looking at him at all.
"Alex?"
"Yes, Clover?" he asked anxiously.
"Do you know why I ran away from you earlier?"
"Because I scared you with my reaction," he said, looking down at the floor.
"No..."
He looked back up, "No? Then why?"
She came incredibly close to him, almost but not quite touching him. Her face was turned slightly down, as if looking at his shirt.
"Because...I was afraid of what I felt."
A sharp intake of breath was heard. "And what was it that you felt?"
She looked up at him, her eyes sharp and sparkling. In one quick movement, she grabbed him and pulled him forward to kiss him fiercely. At first, Alex was overcome by shock. Then, as the kiss lengthened, he relaxed into it. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her with all his might. She was soft against him, her arms around his neck. She tasted like cherries, but then her preferred chapstick was Natural Ice, Wild Cherry. In the heat of it all, she managed to get two words out.
"The bedroom."