319 replies to this topic

[MsBarrows]

deagh said:

Cadiva said:

I just snorted my Coke Zero thank you very much MsB :rofl:

Yeah, Coke Zero almost went out my nasal orifices when I read that, too, especially since that gave me an earworm of it for at least an hour - so I effectively got a verbal RickRoll. :D

:lol:

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William reached over and turned off his alarm clock, then got up before he could be tempted to lie down and go back to sleep. (0035)

Not that he needed to get out of bed first thing in the morning today, but... he wanted to. After neatly making his bed, he hurried across the hall to the washroom, going through his usual morning routine of brushing his teeth and showering before changing into clothes for the day. By the time he was done and headed downstairs, he could hear Robin singing quietly to herself in the kitchen, and smell pancakes cooking. She looked up from the stove as he went through the kitchen door.

"Morning!" she said cheerfully. "You're just in time - I made enough batter for two, and mine are just cooked through."

"Thanks," he said, picking up the nearby bowl as she slid her pancakes onto her plate, then turned to present him with the spatula. He watched her leave the room before turning to the stove to pour the remainder of the batter in circles in the waiting pan.

He joined her in the dining room a few minutes later. "So how's work been going?" she asked him as he took his seat. (0036)

"Oh, pretty good. I got another promotion yesterday."

"Oh, wonderful! Congratulations!" she exclaimed, giving him a brilliant smile that made his heart beat faster.

William smiled back, then ate a couple bites of his own pancakes. Finally, he cleared his throat and looked across the table at her. "So, since I was promoted yesterday, I actually have today off."

"That's great," she said, looking up to smile at him again. "I wish I could say the same, but Beth called me last night to say she's coming down with something, and beg me to take her morning class at the studio today." (0037)

"Oh," he said, feeling disappointed. "That's too bad.. I was hoping we could, errr... play some more chess. Or something."

She nodded, but he could tell she wasn't really paying attention any more - she had the slightly glazed look that meant she was deep in thought. "Beth forgot to tell me which morning class," she suddenly exclaimed. "The 8am or the 10... and I was taking my time since I was thinking it was the 10. I'd better call her," she said, abandoning her breakfast and hurrying upstairs.

By the way she came hurtling back down them a few minutes later, and rushed out the front door without stopping to say good-bye, he figured it must have turned out to be the 8am class after all. He sighed, and finished his own breakfast, then cleared their plates. Maybe she'd at least get home early enough that they could do something. Maybe he'd finally work up the nerve to let her know that he... liked her. No, more then liked her, he admitted to herself.

"Maybe pigs will fly," he muttered, and went out in the back yard to try out the executive putter that had been one of his bonuses along with the promotion and raise.

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•  0036.jpg   54.52K   49 downloads
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[deagh]

MsBarrows said:

Maybe he'd finally work up the nerve to let her know that he... liked her. No, more then liked her, he admitted to herself.

"Maybe pigs will fly," he muttered.

Aww, poor William...dying to say something, afraid it will blow up in his face if he does...been there, done that. :o

[MsBarrows]

David picked up his cell phone, and methodically dialed the number he'd made a point of looking up earlier that day. It had taken him several hours to work up the nerve to actually use it, but... (0038)

"Good afternoon, Barberella Hair Design, how may I help you?" a pleasant male voice asked. Must be the half-alien guy he'd seen at the desk when he'd gone in for his haircut, unless it was the other stylist.

"Hi - could I speak to Jane please?"

"Sure, one moment..." the man said. He didn't put the phone on hold, but merely covered the handset with his hand - David could hear his voice, muffled, calling to Jane that it was for her. He waited patiently; after what seemed like forever but couldn't really have been more then a few seconds, he heard the scratchy noises of the handset being passed from one person to another.

"Hello?" Jane asked.

"Hi, Jane... it's David."

"Oh, hi, Mr West," she said, the smile he could hear in her voice making up for the formality of her response. "Calling to book a maintenance trim?"

"Not yet. Actually I, errr... wanted to ask if perhaps you were free tonight. For dinner."

There was a short silence. He was just starting to think that he was an idiot, and had misread her level of interest in him, when she finally responded.

"I'd like that," she said, softly. "Dinner out or in?"

"Out, if there's somewhere good around here, or we'll have my housemates sharing the meal with us," he said, ruefully.

"There's a couple of places. The best is just around the corner, actually - or if you'd rather not dress for dinner, there's a couple places in tourist country down by the lake..."

"Dressing up is fine," he assured her. "What time should I pick you up?"

"I'll meet you there," she said. "Around six? I have a long-hair perm starting at four..."

"Six o'clock is fine," he assured her. "What's the name of the place?"

"Framboise - it's French for..."

"Raspberry," he said along with her. "All right - see you at six then," he said.

"Later!" she responded, and hung up the phone. He grinned happily, then hurried upstairs to check that his suit was clean and wrinkle-free, and his dress shoes well polished.

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David looked around. No sign of Jane yet, but it was still lacking a few minutes until six. He looked up the street towards the intersection again, the hair salon's sign clearly visible at the corner, and wondering if she'd be coming from that direction, or if she lived somewhere down the other direction.

A tap on his shoulder made him jump, startled, and spin around.

"Holy cow," he breathed, staring at the vision in front of him.

Jane smiled demurely. "You like?" she asked.

"Very much," he assured her, taking in the lovely vintage black-and-cream dress and the sleek up-do. (0039)

She smiled, obviously pleased with his reaction to her outfit, and gave him a once-over in turn.

"Do I pass?" he asked.

"Oh, I suppose you'll do," she said, and smiled. "You clean up well."

He snorted, and smiled back, then offered her his arm. "Shall we go see about a table?" he asked.

"Yes, we shall," she said, and slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow, letting him lead her inside.

The service inside proved to be excellent, unobtrusive, and fast - in less time then he'd have expected it to take, they'd been seated, orders taken, and drinks brought, followed in short order by their meal.

David breathed deeply of the delicious odours rising from his place, then took a cautious bite. (0040)

"What do you think?" Jane asked.

"It's fabulous!" he exclaimed once he'd swallowed the first bite. "Makes my taste buds want to stand up and dance."

Jane laughed, then started in on her own plate. They paid their food the ultimate compliment of enjoying it in silence for a while, savouring each flavourful bite.

"Here, you should try this," David said after a while, gesturing at his plate and cutting a bit of the steak free. Before he could offer it to her, she reached over and stabbed it with her own fork, giving him a mischievous smirk as she stole the tidbit.

"Hey!" he exclaimed quietly, glanced around, then frowned at her in disapproval. Jane giggled. He glanced around a second time, then suddenly reached over to her plate with his own fork and snagged one of her remaining shrimp.

"Hey! I was about to eat that!" she hissed in mock outrage.

"Too late! All mine now," he told her, and popped it into his mouth, smiling happily as he chewed.

"Bah," she muttered, then put down her utensils and leaned forward, smiling. "You know, you're the first person to steal a bite back from me." (0041)

"Don't tell me you make a habit of making off with other people's food?"

She made an innocent, butter-wouldn't-melt-in-my-mouth face. "What, moi?"

"Yes, you. Do you see some other steak-stealing female at this table?"

"Hey, you offered it to me! I never offered you any of my shrimp..."

"Which is clearly terrible manners on your part," he said, shaking his head regretfully. "I don't know, here I thought you were a very proper young lady..." (0042)

"And it turns out I'm actually highly improper," Jane sighed, leaning forward with her chin cupped in one hand, elbow resting on the table.

"Oh, really?" he drawled, raising one eyebrow. "And just how improper is 'highly', might I inquire?"

Her eyes sparkled as she sat back in her seat again. "Oh, well... that would be telling. But maybe you'll get a chance to find out some time," she said, and winked.

David laughed, and the two grinned at each other. David looked down at their now-empty plates. "Dessert?" he suggested, not wanting the date to end.

"Mmm... no, I'd better not. But I'll let you take me upstairs to the bar and buy me a drink," she said, equally loathe to bring things to a close.

David nodded. "I'll meet you up there - I'll just pay for this first."

Jane nodded. "Excellent! Gives me an excuse to sneak off and powder my nose first," she said, and rising to her feet, whisked out of the room.

David watched her go, then signalled the waiter for their bill. The cost of the meal made him wince; it was a lot, by his old standards, though not so bad now that he had a steady income. He handed over cash, including a generous tip, then decided to make his own detour to the men's room before heading upstairs.

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Attached Files

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•  0039.jpg   69.55K   61 downloads
•  0040.jpg   52.61K   52 downloads
•  0041.jpg   53.64K   54 downloads
•  0042.jpg   54.22K   53 downloads

[MsBarrows]

The upstairs was nearly deserted, just a couple of elderly diners enjoying solitary meals at different tables. Jane was already seated at the bar, chatting to the bartender and laughing at something he'd said in response. She turned and smiled at David as he slid onto the stool beside hers, and gestured at the bartender.

"Can you believe it? He tells me they're out of peach schnapps. How can I have a fuzzy navel when they're out of peach schnapps!?!" (0043)

"I'll refrain from biting that obvious straight line," he said gravely, and was pleased when she laughed again.

Several minutes of back-and-forth debate between Jane, David, and the bartender ensued before they decided on a suitable substitute cocktail for Jane. David kept things simple and just had a draft beer, which turned out to be supplied by a local small brewery and quite tasty.

As much as they talked, and as slowly as they sipped their drinks, within a distressingly short time they'd both finished their drinks. David paid, and the two rose to leave. Halfway across the room, he reached out and touched her arm, stopping her,

"I've... really enjoyed tonight," he said. "I don't want it to end." (0044)

She smiled wistfully at him. "I've enjoyed it, too, but... let's not take things too fast, okay?"

"Sure," he said, subdued, and silently followed her downstairs and back outside. As they reached the sidewalk, she suddenly stopped and turned to face him. "I'll choose the spot for our next date," she said firmly.

David felt his heart lift. At least she definitely wanted there to be a next date. "Sure," he said again, in a much happier tone of voice. "Shall I walk you to your door?" he asked.

She made a face, putting her hands behind her back. "You pretty much already have," she said, and smiled, nodding her head towards the buildings across the street. "I live just there - in that little apartment building beside the Thrift Shop. So we might as well part ways here... but you can kiss me first," she added, eyes twinkling.

"Gladly," he told her, and suited action to words. (0045)

He felt like he floated home afterwards, rather then walking the short distance.

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[deagh]

Slow is good, means more time to get to know each other, and us to know them. :) Love the banter between the two of them. :D

[MsBarrows]

James smiled down at the top of the head resting on his chest. He leaned over enough to sniff delicately at the thick black hair.

"You always smell so nice and clean," he murmured. "Like shampoo." (0046)

Noel laughed softly, opening his eyes and craning his head back to look at James. "Side effect of working in a beauty salon all day," he said. "Though as energetic as you were last night, I'm surprised I don't reek of sweat."

"Speaking of which, you'd better get a move on and go jump in the shower - sun's almost up."

Noel made a face, and sighed. "Too bad... I could have happily stayed here like this for a while yet," he said, and rose to his feet, grabbing up his discarded clothes and heading off to the bathroom.

James sat up on his elbows and admired the view as Noel walked away, then lay back down again. That was actually one of the things he liked most about Noel as a bedmate; that he liked to stay the night and cuddle. Few of James' special friends were willing to stay any longer then it took to do the deed, and he liked the pleasant feeling of sharing his bed with a warm, vital body.

He was still lounging in bed when Noel re-emerged from the bedroom, hair still wet, the drips from it plastering his shirt to his shoulders and upper body.

"Yum," James purred, eyeing him hungrily.

Noel laughed. "Call me again soon?" he said wistfully, before putting one knee on the bed to lean over and kiss James. James put his hand behind Noel's head, holding him close and concentrating on the kiss for several seconds before finally releasing him and answering.

"Once you're recovered enough," he promised, gravely.

"I recover fast."

"I know. I promise, I'll call you soon."

"Good," Noel said, giving him a warm smile, then turned away. "Don't lie around in bed all morning!" he called back over his shoulder as he left.

James laughed, and rose to his feet, taking a moment to straighten the sheets before heading to the washroom himself. (0047)

He had emerged, wrapped in a towel, and was debating whether to get dressed or change into clean pyjamas when he heard a knock at the door. That made the choice easy - get dressed. He leaned out the bedroom door. "Just a minute!" he called out, then hurriedly changed.

When he reached the door a few minutes later, he was mildly surprised to find Robin waiting patiently out on the fire escape. "Morning!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "Come on in - what brings you by so bright and early?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just... needed someone to talk to, and thought you'd be the best choice."

"Oh?" he said, then remembered his manners. "Please, have a seat."

Sensing that she'd be more comfortable with some kind of barrier between them, he walked over and sat down at the chess table, still set with a problem he'd been studying before Noel arrived the night before. Robin didn't quite manage to conceal her look of relief as she took the opposite seat. (0048)

"You play, don't you?" he asked. Inane conversation - he knew she played, and played well, having seen her game against William more then once, but it would set her at ease.

"Yes," she said, glancing over the setup on the table. "White or black for next move?" she asked curiously.

"White."

"Ahhh," she said, and frowned, studying the table for a moment before recalling that she'd had a reason for coming here.

"This is awfully presumptuous of me, but... I know you have a lot of, errr... friends with benefits... and I was hoping you might be able to give me some relationship advice."

James felt his eyebrows rising. "Possibly. Depends on what sort of advice you need," he said, sitting back and crossing his arms as he gazed thoughtfully at her.

"Well... it's... oh, dear, this is even more embarrassing then I thought it would be," she blurted, turning bright red, unable to meet his eyes.

James smiled kindly at her. "Take your time," he said quietly, calmingly, and pretended to resume studying the table. (0049)

There was an extended silence while she gathered herself, then Robin coughed. "It's... how do you tell when someone is interested in you?" she asked suddenly. "Or... let them know you're interested in them?"

"Ahhh. Well... it varies a lot, from person to person. Eye contact is a good one... if they're interested in you, they'll watch you. And find excuses to spend time with you. Reasons to be near you, or touch you. Is there... someone you think is interested in you?"

"Yes," she said quietly, but didn't expand further. She sat staring down at the chess table, toying with the hem of her hoodie and biting her lip.

"And you're interested in him?"

"Oh, yes," she breathed, then suddenly looked up. "It's silly of me, isn't it? To be able to ask you advice about it but not... not... but not to just come out and let him know, right?" (0050)

He smiled, reached across the table just long enough to touch her hand lightly. "It's not silly," he assured her. "It's... human. You're scared that things might not work out with him, and that if it didn't... you might lose a friend you value deeply. And that's true. But it's only one possible outcome. If you never let him know... don't you think you'll come to regret it, someday? Better to live without regrets, is my motto."

She nodded, slowly. "You're right," she said. "I'll... have to find the nerve to let him know, I guess. Though the thought of it scares me speechless."

He smiled again. "Ever consider that maybe he feels just as scared?" he suggested, then rose to his feet. "Anything else?" he asked.

"No," she said, also rising. "And... thank you," she said, and surprised him by leaning forward to give him a quick peck on one cheek.

"No, problem, my dear... and good luck."

He saw her out, then yawned prodigiously and decided it was past time to go get some real sleep.

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Attached Files

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[YrS92]

Great story MsB, I love the characters and as usual, your phenomenal writing :nw: Can't wait for more...

[MsBarrows]

YrS92 said:

Great story MsB, I love the characters and as usual, your phenomenal writing :nw: Can't wait for more...

Thanks! Glad you like it :D

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David carefully smoothed down the sheets on his bed, smiling as he did so, remembering how caustic his mother had been the few times in his life when he'd neglected to make his bed (0051). She liked things neat and tidy and in their proper place - oh, not to the point of fanaticism, she didn't act like she thought her home should be ready for a House Beautiful photo shoot at the drop of a hat, but beds were to be made, dirty clothes put in the hamper, clean ones put away as soon as they came out of the laundry, toilet seats and lids must be put down, and drifts of stubble from shaving were to be cleaned up as soon as the shaving was finished.

As he headed out to the balcony to do his early-morning calisthenics, he found himself thinking that her rule of "do it right away, or it'll be more work later" was true; dishes washed up easiest before food had a chance to dry or bake on, and doing a lot of small cleaning tasks over time prevented you from being faced with a major mess later. Not that he'd really valued that particular advice until he'd been out on his own for a while, and had to endure the mess created by less tidy dormies and, later, roommates.

Thankfully his great-uncle Padraig had enforced the same rule here at the boarding house - possibly the rule, like the pancake recipe, was another hand-me-down from David's indomitable great-grandmother Bertha. Though William seemed the type to keep things neat and tidy anyway; he was certainly always neat and tidy in his own appearance, right down to keeping his nails faultlessly manicured and his hair perfectly coiffed. Robin was a little more slipshod, but even when she spread out and took over a corner of the living room or one end of the dining table with her notebooks and binders and sketches related to one or another of the dance productions she was involved with, it was an organized mess, and only there as long as she was actively going over the materials; as soon as she was done, everything would be swept back out of sight, put away neatly in a book-bag and stashed in her room. He suspected Jane would be similar in her habits - making temporary messes, but not leaving them around for others to trip over or have to work around.

Thoughts of Jane made him pause in his calisthenics and look around. That lower building of dirty beige brick to the left was definitely the rear view of the Thrift Shop, so the taller red brick building just beyond it must be her apartment building (0052). The property actually abutted his in back; from his balcony, he could look down over the rear fence of his property and into the small swimming pool area in back of hers. He wondered if she ever used the pool. Then he looked at the building and wondered which windows were hers, and if maybe even now she was looking out at him. He grinned at the thought, and resumed his exercises with extra gusto.

After a while, pleasantly tired and more then ready for his morning shower, he headed back indoors. He paused just inside the door, and breathed in deeply. His room smelled of roses; the bouquet of them that she had sent him after their date. Memory of how flabbergasted he'd been to find them waiting on the front stoop the next morning made him smile. He'd been planning to send her flowers himself; to find that she'd beat him to the punch had amused him greatly.

He walked over to the desk and leaned down to take a deeper whiff of them, then frowned as he noticed the small leather-bound ledger sitting on the desk beside the glass vase. He still hadn't entered in the record of the July rents he'd collected yesterday, on the first of the month. Nor brought James' share up to him. His shower could wait a few minutes until he'd taken care of the paperwork, he decided, and picked up the ledger.

He sat down, opened the ledger to the bit of ribbon marking the current entries, and penned in the relevant information at the bottom of the current page. There was a noticeable difference in the entries done by him in his own somewhat blocky penmanship, and his great-uncle's graceful copperplate script higher on the page. He almost regretted that they didn't teach real penmanship in school anymore; it would be nice to be able to form his letters so beautifully. He flipped back through the ledger, admiring the writing, pausing to read the occasional entry. Names of tenants long gone, mainly, the rent amounts growing smaller and smaller the further back in time he looked. Occasional notes about amounts spent on repairs and upkeep. (0053)

A familiar name at the start of one entry caught his eye - "James authorized the re-finishing of the roof, the old slates being much cracked and in poor condition, monies for it to come out of his pocket and be re-paid at the usual rate."

He wondered if this was the financial help Padraig had needed that had brought about James' part ownership of the house... then frowned as he looked at the date on the entry. Almost twenty years ago; surely James wasn't old enough to have been loaning out money twenty years ago - not unless he'd been a very precocious teenager. And... "the usual rate"?

His curiosity caught, he skimmed through the ledger, looking further back in time, seeing the name James crop up again and again. Finally he flipped all the way back to the first entries. And there it was, on the second page, an entry about James Erickson having paid for repairs to the front porch caused by a fight among the tenants, some 70-odd years ago.

Was it the same James? Or was he perhaps a James, Jr., or even a James the third, and the financial relationship with great-uncle Padraig something that had been inherited by him?

He put the ledger aside and hurried off to shower. Bringing James his share of the rent later today would give him an opportunity to ask.

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[MsBarrows]

It was early evening before David made it up to James' apartment. The day had been a hectic one - Robin had shown up in a lather, having been asked on very short notice to substitute in a performance this evening for a dancer who'd fallen ill; the dancer's understudy had unfortunately shared the same meal that had made the dancer sick, and was similarly afflicted. The producer knew Robin, and knew she'd recently performed the same role in a much smaller local production, so he'd turned to her for help rather then cancelling the performance. This could be a good break for her, and he was a friend she valued, so of course she'd agreed. And then spent the morning and early afternoon frantically getting together her things and seeking reassurance from David that she'd made the right choice in agreeing to do the demanding role. William, after getting home from work, had undertaken to drive her in to the city, the two of them borrowing David's truck for the purpose.

He knocked on James' door, reflecting that this was the first time he'd actually come upstairs to deliver James' share of the rental income; he'd caught James downstairs the previous few times it had been due. (0054)

"It's open!" James called from somewhere inside.

Taking that as an invitation to enter, David opened the door and stepped through. He found himself in a small sitting area, decorated mainly in green and white, with touches of cream. A half-height wall separated it from a kitchen area, where James was just taking something off the stove, the kitchen filled with vintage appliances and cabinetry in cream and gold.

"Have you eaten yet?" James asked, looking over at him as he deftly arranged food on a plate.

"No, not yet," David admitted.

"Good, join me then - I made far too much," James said, and took out a second plate, gesturing at a small table tucked in along the half-wall. "Have a seat."

"Thanks," David said, sitting down as James carried the plates out to the table and put them down. "This smells delicious," he added, looking down at the generous serving of fried chicken and assorted vegetables on his plate. (0055)

James smiled. "I like cooking, especially when it's not just for myself," he said. "But I rarely indulge."

David nodded, and the two ate quietly for several minutes. Finally David decided to broach the subject of why he was here.

"I've brought your share of the rent," he said.

James nodded.

"And I... ummm... had question," he added. And in trying to think of how to phrase it, felt like a fool - James couldn't be more then 30-something, and by the look of him, low 30-something at that.... maybe 40-something at the outside if he was aging particularly well - so how could he possibly have been paying bills here at the boarding house 70-some years ago? It must be his father or grandfather.

"Your question?" James prompted as the silence stretched out.

David looked down at their empty plates for a moment, then decided to just ask, and get his curiosity satisfied. As James rose to his feet to clear the table, he finally forced the words out. "I noticed an entry in the ledger today... that a James Erickson had paid to repair a front railing broken in a fight between tenants," he began. (0056)

James, in the middle of picking up their plates, paused and smiled. "I remember that. I paid because it was my fault the fight had broken out in the first place; I'd made the wrong suggestion to the wrong man," he said, and laughed, turning away to carry the plates into the kitchen.

Stunned, David rose to his feet and followed. "The entry was over 70 years old," he said faintly, wondering if maybe there was a second, similar, much more recent entry.

"Yes, I know," James said, bending down to put the plates into a thoroughly modern dishwasher panelled to blend in unobtrusively with the vintage cabinets. "I'm a vampire - we don't age the same way unmodified humans do, you know."

David stared at him, not believing what he'd heard. "A vampire?" he said, hearing the disbelief in his own voice. Oh, sure, he knew they existed - but that James was one? James, with his laid-back, bed-hopping personality, and light and airy green, white, gold and cream apartment?

"Yes, a vampire," James said, sounding amused. "What, you expected we only lived in dark gothic haunted-looking castles? Only hunted by finding fair maidens in underwired nightgowns who slept with their balcony doors open? Or maybe that we'd have no self-control, and go for the throat at the least provocation," he added, then suddenly lunged at David, fingers curved like claws, mouth opening in a rictus that gave a clear view of his canines extruding from his gums, visibly lengthening to project well beyond the height of the surrounding teeth. (0057)

"Hellfire!" David exclaimed, badly startled, almost falling over backwards in his shock.

"Geez, man, don't hurt yourself," James exclaimed as he caught him by the wrist and upper arm, steadying him, his horrific grimace already melting into an apologetic smile. "Man, if you could only have seen your face... sorry, I shouldn't have startled you like that. I have a low sense of humour sometimes." (0058)

"You're really a vampire," David said, wonderingly.

"Yup, really really. Come on - have a seat. I'm sure you have a million questions - Padraig certainly did when he first found out," James said, amused, and led the way back to the living room.

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[MsBarrows]

James sat down at one end of the sofa, and David, after a slight hesitation, sat down at the other end. (0059)

"I still find it hard to believe, even after seeing your fangs," he said, staring at James, who was making some odd facial expressions, like a man trying to get a particularly stubborn particle of something out of his teeth. "I mean... I've seen you around in daylight, and everything."

James nodded, and held up one hand in a "just a minute" motion while he finished whatever he was doing. "Sorry," he said after a minute. "It's a little difficult sometimes to get my fangs to retract again without feeding first. Even retracted they're rather more prominent then human canines, but the feeding position makes it difficult to even close my mouth properly, you know? And I hate biting my own tongue. Anyway, sunlight... it's a myth that exposure to it kills vampires. Okay, yeah, sure, direct exposure does use up a lot of our energy, and prolonged exposure can damage, and eventually, kill us, but that whole shtick of bursting into flames or turning into ashes, or falling apart in clods of dirt? Total fabrication. Maybe back before some bright guy thought up UV-protection sun cream I'd have worried more, but I've always liked the sun; I've never avoided it any more then I absolutely had to. I've always figured that half the problem most of the older vampires claim to have with sunlight is because they've avoided it for so long they're not producing melanin any more. I, as you may have noticed, already have a slight tan for the summer," he added archly, holding out one arm and twisting it from side to side.

David found himself smiling at that. As pale-complexioned as James was, the slight darkening of the skin on his forearms compared to the marginally paler skin on the underside was only barely noticeable; hardly what most people would bother calling a tan. "Okay, so, you definitely have the fangs, and sunlight killing you is a myth, but... why? Why this?" he asked, gesturing vaguely at the apartment and, by implication, the house, and James' position here and in the community. (0060)

James smiled. "It's easy," he said. "I needed a place to live. I liked this area... it was just about tailor-made for discrete hunting and feeding; miners were unbelievably superstitious back in the day, you know? They believed in so many different supernatural creatures that lived down the mines - a few of which they were even more-or-less right about - that the odd time some guy would wander off down a side shaft and be found unconscious later with no memory of what happened was... accepted, as long as no harm came to anyone. And I gave back for what I got, and made sure the really dangerous critters stayed away from my hunting grounds. I'd been here a while before I ever encountered your great-uncle. Padraig was the first to figure out that I was more then just another miner. He... noticed things, just little things, but enough to make him suspicious."

"You were a miner?"

"Yes, it was the easiest way to have unquestioned access to the tunnels. Anyway, Padraig and I had become friends - I've always liked people, and he was a gregarious sort of fellow - and being the honest person he was, once he got suspicious of me he, like you, just came and asked me about it. And I admitted to him what I was, and answered a lot of questions, and we stayed friends. Good friends." (0061)

"How good?" David blurted before he could stop himself, thinking of James' other 'good friends' that visited him so regularly.

James laughed. "Not that close, though not for lack of trying on my part - he was a fine-looking young man in his youth. Padraig wasn't interested, though he at least took it well and turned me down politely. And didn't let the suggestion or his refusal of it harm our friendship. He was... a very special friend, in many ways closer to me then any other friend I've ever had. So when he was blue-skying one day, and told me how he wished he had the money to buy up the boarding house and switch from being a miner to being a landlord - it had just been put up for sale, the previous owner having decided he'd made enough money and wanting to go off somewhere more civilized and marry his childhood sweetheart - well, I offered to loan him what he needed for it, in exchange for a place to live."

"So you've lived here ever since," David said slowly.

"Yes," James said, rising to his feet and gesturing at the apartment around them. "This is my home (0062). This is my town. Anyone who's lived here for any length of time knows what I am - and knows that I only feed from those who freely offer themselves to me for the purpose. I'm... accepted, rather then feared. Not that it was always that way, when people first began to figure out what I was... that was a rough time. But Padraig got us through it, 'us' he-and-me and 'us' the community as a whole. Oh, it wasn't easy, and it was a very long time before I went from 'known' to 'accepted', but once it reached the point that most people in town had grown up knowing who and what I was, and that I wasn't to be feared... it got easier."

"So you don't... go out hunting to find, err... food sources?" David asked.

"No. People know who and what I am. They come to me, out of curiosity, to seek a thrill, because they've heard of how... enjoyable, I make the feeding. Some enjoy it enough to continue coming. Some become real friends. And, eventually, for whatever reason, most of them leave me again. Sometimes they just... lose interest, for others it's because of a change in their life - marrying, or moving away, most commonly - and I sometimes lose them to age, too. Like Padraig," he added, quietly, his voice pained, "who for all he was never one of my 'special' friends, was a very special friend; I loved him as dearly as a brother. I miss him still."

"Oh," David said, quietly. "Well... thank you for answering my questions. It's... a lot to absorb."

James smiled. "I probably should have let you know, myself, sooner then this. But it's good to see that you're as intelligent as Padraig was; and I hope that you, too, will be able to accept me for what I am."

"I'll... try," David said, and rose to his feet. "I'd better go."

"Of course. Good-night, David."

David nodded, and turned to leave, suddenly stopping and reaching into his pocket. "Almost forgot your share of the rent," he explained, handing over an envelope.

James smiled. "Thanks," he said, accepting it.

David headed out and down the fire escape. Part of him still found it unbelievable, that he had a vampire living in his attic; he snorted, and smiled. A vampire that was entirely unlike what he'd ever pictured vampires as being like. (0063)

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[jsf]

I'm loving this story! I instantly thought of Robert Pattinson when I saw James :lol:
I love the way you write.
May I ask you where I might find the jeans that David was wearing when descending the fire escape?
I hope this story lasts a long time, I get so involved with them and look forward to reading them everyday.
Thanks, MsB :wub:

[deagh]

jsf said:

I'm loving this story! I instantly thought of Robert Pattinson when I saw James :lol:
I love the way you write.
May I ask you where I might find the jeans that David was wearing when descending the fire escape?
I hope this story lasts a long time, I get so involved with them and look forward to reading them everyday.
Thanks, MsB :wub:

They're an Aikea_Guinea, from Club Crimsyn. I have those same jeans, didn't even have to go look them up :lol: She has some similar ones on TSR as well.

Funny...I didn't think of Robert Pattinson...but then I'm allergic to all things Twilight ;)

ETA: Yeah, I think you're right MsB - she has some using those same shoes that aren't on TSR, though, and I was looking at those. Of course, I have six million pairs of A_G jeans. O.o And yeah, Judi, she's not one to drop a story. Actually she and I are the two most prolific people on the story forums :lol:

[MsBarrows]

jsf said:

I'm loving this story! I instantly thought of Robert Pattinson when I saw James :lol:
I love the way you write.
May I ask you where I might find the jeans that David was wearing when descending the fire escape?
I hope this story lasts a long time, I get so involved with them and look forward to reading them everyday.
Thanks, MsB :wub:

I'm glad you're enjoying it! Had to go peer at screenshots and then double-check my downloads to identify the jeans - they're one of several sets of recolours I have for aikea_guinea's AG40 "Jeans with Sneakers" mesh - mesh is in this set and I think the particular recolour of them he's wearing are one of the "tucked" blue denims from this set. Though yes, they're also available on Club Crimsyn :)

Most of my stories last ages, so I don't think you'll be disappointed - my Soups took three years to write, and the Fishers the same (though that was more because I ended up updating very infrequently for the final year+ of it).

P.S. - if you love the way I write, you'll also enjoy deagh's stories - we first became friends from having a "holy crap, that's written just the way *I'd* write it!" reaction to each other's writing.

*points Judi at the nearby Sound Decision story thread*

[MsBarrows]

Jane glanced up at the sky as she came out the back door of her building. The sky was still blue and sunny overhead, but she could see a cloud bank scudding in from the west. Rain, soon - possibly even a thunderstorm, judging by the height and darkness of the clouds.

She draped her towel over one of the loungers, then stepped up onto the diving board (0064). It was nice that her building had a pool, even one as tiny as this. You couldn't swim proper laps in it or anything, it was far too small for that, but at least it was a place to relax, and a refuge from the heat later in summer. Today, it was just warm enough to make a plunge into the pool pleasant.

She swam idly back and forth for a while, sometimes pausing to float on her back (0065). Glancing at the large house overlooking the pool, she found a smile coming to her lips. David. He was so like Padraig had been, in some ways - and very different in others. Of course, she'd only ever known Padraig as an old man - a very old man, he'd already have been in his 70s in her earliest memories of him - and perhaps he'd been more like David when he was younger. The two of them looked somewhat alike, enough so that she might have guessed David for Padraig's relative even if she hadn't known who he was; something about the jawline, and the shape of the eyes.

Padraig had always been a gallant with anything female, including 'impertinent young women' such as herself, and she'd often wondered why he'd been a bachelor his whole life. From gossip among her more elderly customers, she knew it hadn't been due to a lack of interest from the female half of the population; they often spoke of how handsome he'd been, or brought up old stories about how so-and-so had 'set her cap for him' and been disappointed. And even as a child, she'd been observant enough to know that the reason most often suggested - the presence of the decidedly bi-sexual James in his house - wasn't the reason either. No, there was a very deep friendship between the two men, but the love between the two of them hadn't been more then brotherly at best. At least from Padraig's side, anyway - from a chance comment she'd overheard between the two once, she knew James had briefly pursued him in his youth, information which utterly failed to surprise her even at the comparatively young age she'd been then.

As if conjured by thoughts of him, she heard James' voice calling her name. She looked around, and spotted him out on his balcony, looking down at her. While she'd been lost in thought, the overcast had moved in, and it was just starting to rain. (0066)

"Hey, girl-chick, you're going to turn into a prune if you stay in that pool much longer," he called down once he had her attention. "You'd be an ugly wrinkled hag."

She laughed and climbed out of the pool, stepping over to the fence and looking back up at him. "And you're going to get soaked to the skin, standing out in the rain like that, and ruin your clothes, and catch a cold, and act like you think you're going to die." (0067)

"No more soaked then you are. And I don't catch colds."

"I, as you might have noticed, am properly dressed for being wet," she pointed out. "And you do too catch colds, and then try to make everyone around you feel as miserable as you do.

"You'll catch cold if you stand out in the rain like that talking back to me," he said warningly.

"Oh, piffle, you know I'm stupidly healthy and don't get colds," she responded. "Unlike a certain empty-headed bed-hopper I know."

"Oh, fine, I'll go back indoors. Come visit me sometime, sweetie?" he asked wistfully. "Me, not just that handsome boy downstairs."

She gave him a severe look. "You keep your hands off that handsome boy," she told him.

He gave her an injured expression. "As if I would!"

She snorted. "Don't give me that innocent act; if it has a pulse, you're interested in it."

"I don't poach, sugar-pie."

"Unless they want to be poached, yes, I know," she said dryly, then smiled up at him, their mutual teasing over with. "I promise I'll visit soon."

"Call first," he reminded her.

"Yeah, yeah, as if I'd forget - see you, James," she called over her shoulder as she walked backed towards her towel and the entrance to her building.

"Later, sweetheart," he called back, before disappearing indoors.

It was getting distinctly chilly, she had to admit, the rain being a cold one. She'd have a nice hot shower, she decided, and lunch, and then call David and invite him over for the afternoon.

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[MsBarrows]

"So this is the foyer to my palatial residence," Jane said, gesturing at the lobby of her apartment building. "As you can see, there's areas for socializing, entertainment, and nutrition," she continued, pointing in turn at the small seating area, the upright piano, and the snack machines in the elevator lobby. (0068)

"It's fabulous," David said. "Like something right out of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Should I attempt playing something operatic on the piano? My mother made me take lessons when I was younger."

"I wouldn't recommended it," she said gravely. "It's badly out of tune. Come on, let's go upstairs," she finished with a smile.

She led the way up to her apartment, and smiled to herself as she heard David mutter "Third floor, front," to himself, as if to fix its location in his mind. She thought about teasing him with the information that his morning calisthenics were keeping the female population of her building highly entertained, but decided against it - what if it made him stop exercising on the balcony? She enjoyed the view as much as anyone else, even if her windows were too far forward to have a particularly good angle.

"You're smiling about something," he said, looking at her curiously. "Me, I hope."

She laughed. "In a way. Come on in. This is the place - it's not much, but it doesn't cost much either, which is good."

He looked around the tiny room. There was a couch in one corner, facing some bookshelves, one of which had a TV occupying one shelf. Against the opposite wall was an old-fashioned roll-top desk, with an elderly looking PC occupying most of the available surface. Two stained glass doors led away from it; one, by the glimpse he had through the clearer panels, to a bathroom, and the other must be the bedroom.

"No kitchen?" he asked.

"There is what's meant to be a communal one, downstairs, but almost no one ever uses it; we all have horribly unhealthy diets of snack foods and take out. We're not supposed to have any sort of cooking done in our rooms, but I suspect everyone has at least a hot water kettle, and in some cases a toaster oven or microwave, squirrelled away somewhere in their unit."

David nodded. "I'm guessing you for a kettle person."

"Yup," she said, grinning. "With a decent stock of instant hot chocolate and instant soup and instant noodles..."

David made a face. "Instant bad nutrition. Remind me to feed you up properly more often."

Jane smiled. "Happily. So... how are things over at the boarding house?"

"Oh, good. And weird."

"Weird?"

"Well, I'm sure it's something you knew already, but it came as a shock to me yesterday to learn that James is a vampire."

Jane looked at him in surprise. "Didn't Padraig let you know?"

"No, he didn't," he said dryly.

She couldn't help it - she laughed at the expression on his face. "Oh, dear... then it must have come as quite a shock. How'd you find out? Did James say something, or did someone mention it in passing, or...?"

"I found an entry in the ledger that mentioned him by name. A 70-some-year-old entry. So... I asked him about it. And he told me. Certainly never would have pegged him for a vampire, he's nothing like the stories about them - no big swirling cloak or anything like that." (0069)

She laughed again. "Yeah, James is... different. There are vampires that do the whole I-am-the-king-of-the-night thing, but I don't think he thinks much of them. He's always been... rather unique. I sometimes think it's because he's never let himself forget that, once, he too was merely human."

Just then her cell phone rang. She frowned at the screen. "Speak of the devil - it's James. Mind if I take this?"

"No, go ahead," he said, and decided to go make use of the facilities while she was occupied on the phone. (0070)

"James? What's up?" Jane asked. "And make it fast, I have company."

"You've kidnapped my landlord, haven't you," James said accusingly.

"He came of his own free will. Come on, what are you really calling about."

"Ummm. Well, it's about Noel."

"Oh, gods," she groaned, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "If you've overdone it with my one decent stylist again, I swear I'll come over there and spank both of you."

"Promises, promises. No, it's nothing like that. I just need to know when his next day off is, without actually asking him myself."

"You're plotting something."

"Yes, yes I am. Something nice, I promise. Come on, sweetie-pie baby girl, you know he's someone I care about," he said, voice softening.

She smiled at that, she couldn't help it. She knew he cared to some degree for anyone who he took to his bed, but ones that he cared for as a real friend - those were sadly rare. "All right. He's off next Thursday. You return him to me healthy and happy or I will be unhappy with you."

"Yes, darling girl. And thanks!" he said, then hung up.

David had returned towards the end of the conversation. He gave her a considering look as she returned the phone to her pocket.

"You, err... you have a really close relationship with James," he observed.

She smiled warmly. "Yes, I do," she agreed, then stiffened, folding her arms in disapproval (0071). "Oh. You don't think that he and I...! Oh, no-no-no, David, it's nothing like that at all. I forgot, you wouldn't know," she said, smiling at his confused - and noticeably relieved - expression. "He's my grandfather, David."

"Your..." he said, sounding stunned, jaw visibly dropping.

"Grandfather. People do have them, you know. Come on, sit down, and I'll tell you about it," she suggested, sitting down on the nearby loveseat and patting the seat beside her.

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[deagh]

Ah, nice to see I pegged that right, then. I was getting a "haven't ever been involved" vibe from them, although I didn't necessarily think they were related. :) It's cute to see David and Jane getting acquainted, enjoying reading this.

And yes, MsB and I do have a very similar writing style. We poach each others readers all the time, but we happily share, so all is well :D

[MsBarrows]

"You have to remember, James hasn't always been - like the way you see him today. He used to have to be a lot more discrete about what he was, and whom he got involved with. At the time when he met my grandmother - well, women were expected to be chaste. And if they weren't, then they were considered to be... contemptible. Ostracized, if not worse. So James mainly preyed on men, at the time, and the few times he had voluntary partners, well, they were also almost all male as well. Grandmother was one of the very few exceptions." (0072)

She smiled at a random memory. "I didn't know her for very long - she passed away when I was about 9 or 10 - but my, was she ever a strong personality. She was already a 'ruined woman' before she came to Pentland - she'd fallen in love with someone socially beneath her, become involved with him, had the relationship discovered... her father paid the boy off to go away, and fool that he was, he took it and went. Well, grandmother wasn't any too happy about that, or about how her family treated her afterwards - like she was a leper, or a madwoman - so she decided she'd had enough, disguised herself as a boy, and ran away from home to find a better life for herself."

"Disguised herself as a boy? I thought that only happened in plays." (0073)

"Oh, no, it was done with surprising regularity since forever, actually - there's been well-researched books written about things like how some women, with no other way to live the life they wanted, ran off and became cowboys and things like that. Anyway, grandmother ended up in Pentland, working in the mines. And since she was strong for her size and flat as a board anyway, as she liked to say, she passed as a boy quite successfully for years."

"And then what happened?"

"And then someone figured out that something was odd about this boy who after several years was still showing no sign of growing a beard or getting a deeper voice, and lured her off down a side corridor in the mines. Where James had a nice snack off of him, and became friends with grandmother. I don't know how long they knew each other before the friendship turned physical, but knowing Granny, I doubt it was very long. And given that birth control was nearly non-existent at the time, and that vampires aren't entirely sterile - well, after a while grandmother discovered she was expecting."

"And then what happened?" David asked, fascinated.

"And then the miner boy left Pentland, and a new woman moved to town, a pregnant young widow. Not that her being a 'widow' probably fooled anyone," Jane added dryly, "But a small rough town like Pentland was then, was much more accepting of so-called 'grass widows' then the more civilized places were. And she had enough money - her own saved up wages, and some help from James - to buy a small house and set herself up in business. As a fancy dressmaker, of all things - she'd grown up making all her own clothes, and doing fancy needlework - samplers, mainly - and claimed they were among the very few skills she learned as a girl that were of any use to her as a grownup. And eventually gave birth to my mother, and raised her."

"Did she know James was her father?"

"No, not for many years - Granny remained friends with James all her life, but she had decided she needed to be a 'respectable woman' for the sake of their daughter, and mother was in her 30s before she was told of the connection. And in her 40s before she had her own lapse of judgment in turn and had me," she added dryly.

"Oh, dear. That doesn't sound like a happy ending," David said, putting his arm around her shoulders. (0074)

Jane laughed. "Oddly enough, it actually was; mother had given up on ever marrying and having children by then. She was just that nice spinster-ish woman who owned the beauty salon and whose personal relationships all ended poorly. When she pulled off the cliche of falling for a travelling salesman, and ending up having a little love-child of her own nine months later, well, as she always told me, it had been her own free choice to sleep with him, she was glad she'd done it, and she wouldn't have given me up for all the tea in China."

"Anyway, I grew up knowing James was my grandfather, and that I could go to him about anything - which I often did. We don't have a typical grandfather-granddaughter relationship, of course," she said, the fondness in her voice evident. "It's more like he's my brother - sometimes an older, responsible brother who looks after me and bandages my scrapes and listens to me wail about what a mess my life is, and is my best friend in the whole entire world, and sometimes he's the naughty baby brother who needs a good talking to, or a thump on the ear, or his own ouchies kissed and a shoulder to cry on. I love him dearly; I couldn't imagine my life without him being a part of it."

David smiled at her. "I'm glad," he said suddenly. "I do like James, but I'll admit the thought of you maybe being just another of the bodies passing through his bed was... distressing to me. I can't understand the revolving-door attitude he has towards his... er..."

"Special friends," Jane said gravely. "I know, to an outsider, his lifestyle must look pretty questionable. It's... part of the adjustment he made to being known for what he is. He'll sleep with and feed from anyone who presents themselves at his door as willing; anyone. He considers that in return for being accepted for what he is, and giving the freely offered opportunity to feed, he has the duty to accept anyone who has the courage to show up. There are those few among them who truly are special to him, but... in some ways, for all the people who pass through his bed, I think he's still an intensely lonely person," she finished quietly.

David thought back to James' words, about friends leaving him. "I think you're right," he said slowly, then gave her a warm hug. "I'm glad he has someone like you as part of his life. Everyone needs at least one good friend."

"Yeah," she said, and smiled warmly back at him. "Enough about James. How would you like to take me down to the beach this weekend? The forecast is for sunny and hot."

"I think I'd enjoy that," David said.

"Good. And now we'd better say good-bye, or your tenants will be wondering where their suppers are."

"Oh, damn, is it that late already?" David exclaimed. "You're right - I need to run," he said regretfully, but took the time to exchange a kiss with her before he left. (0075)

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[jsf]

Ahhhhh, love the kiss! The broccoli wallpaper also caught my eye :lol:
Thanks for the link, I got a few different pairs of jeans. I had only one pair in my wardrobe for men. Now there are three. Jeans must come with cowboy boots in my families.:D

[fizz bomb]

hmmm well I didn't see that coming

but I do like how your fleshing the characters out :nw: :nw:

[MsBarrows]

fizz bomb said:

but I do like how your fleshing the characters out :nw: :nw:

Glad you like it - I enjoy trying to flesh out my characters, it's easiest to write about them when they have a very strong 'voice in my head'. David and James have been strong since before I even started writing; they woke up back when I was building a new 'hood for deagh to use in her De La Sangre legacy. Jane appeared not long afterwards, since it was obvious to me that David would need a love interest. Robin appeared when I was building Pentland - she started out as a test character I'd randomly thrown together to try out some new CC on, and use to test newly built apartment buildings, though the seed idea for her character had been in my mind for a while ("ballerina tenant"). William didn't turn up until I was populating the boarding house before starting play, and only recently finally developed a real voice and back story for me.

There's been some others that have appeared, but you'll meet them soon enough :)

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William frowned in thought as he sat on the exercise bike, legs pumping away (0076). When he'd volunteered the other day to drive Robin in to the city for her dance performance, he'd hoped it would give him a chance to talk to her, to let her know that he liked her. He hadn't wanted to raise the subject before her performance - not and risk upsetting her, and making her have problems with it - so he'd said nothing on the drive in. Instead he'd listened to her worry aloud about whether or not she was prepared, about whether she could perform adequately with the male lead when they'd have a grand total of one hurried pre-performance rehearsal of the trickier bits to get in sync with each other before having to do the real thing.

He'd enjoyed the performance, even if the seat that had been found for him at the last minute hadn't been the best. He'd been enthralled by Robin's graceful dancing as the female lead. And he wasn't the only one - afterwards she'd been surrounded by people wanting to talk to her, offer her congratulations, and deluge her with flowers, everything from single blooms and modest posies to vast bouquets; apparently she'd been a hit. Then the producer had wanted to thank her, and the male lead compliment her, and on and on until after midnight.

On the drive home, she'd started out elated over how well things had gone, and verbally re-playing the whole evening, before pretty much crashing as her adrenaline finally gave out, sleeping the rest of the way home. And, naturally, he hadn't had the heart to wake her until they were back, after which she'd thanked him again and headed straight to bed, it being well after midnight by then. So while he'd spent hours in her presence, and had her to himself for at least two of them... he'd once again missed his chance, he grumbled to himself, while waiting for the one perfect time to appear.

"It'll never be the right time," he muttered to himself, and climbed off the exercise bike, wiping the sweat off his hands and the back of his neck before returning indoors.

Robin was in the kitchen, just finishing making herself an omelette. "That looked like a pretty strenuous ride," she said, smiling cheerfully at him. "No wonder you're always so fit."

He smiled back, feeling a slight blush tinge his cheeks. That had been a compliment, hadn't it? She'd noticed that he kept himself in shape, anyway. "Yes - sitting behind a desk all day at work like I do, if I didn't work out regularly, I'd swell up like a balloon," he answered, and set about preparing his usual breakfast of cereal.

She was dawdling over her omelette when he joined her in the dining room, having only eaten half of it. As he put down his bowl, and sat, she put her cutlery down on the table and smiled warmly at him. "I wanted to thank you again for chauffeuring me around the other night - I felt so bad when I woke up late the next morning, and realized that you'd already had to get up and go off to work already, not having the luxury of sleeping in the next day like I did." (0077)

"It's okay," he assured her. "I slept well, and wasn't in the least tired. And I loved your performance; I thought you danced it very nicely."

She made a face. "Oh, I felt like dying of embarrassment that night, I missed my marks with Kevin at least twice, but he's such a good dancer he managed to cover for me and rescue the performance. It was kind of him to say later that I'd done such an excellent job of it on such short notice."

Robin, William could tell, was a perfectionist about her dance. No matter the accolades she'd been given, the positive mentions in the papers the next day - he'd made a point of looking for reviews - the thanks and compliments from the producer and the other dancers - she only focused on the faults she knew she'd had with the performance. He suspected that was part of what made her such a wonderful dancer in the first place, but further suspected it couldn't be easy on her self-image.

"Whoops, I better run," she exclaimed. "Dance class in half an hour - see you!"

And just like that she was gone again, whisking her still half-full plate off to the kitchen before vanishing out the front door herself. William sighed and slowly finished his cereal.

----------

He had showered and changed and was sitting lost in thought at the chess table when David came in and plunked down into the chair across from him. He was smiling, but the smile changed to a quizzical expression as he looked at William. "You look morose," he pointed out.

William gave a short laugh. "I suppose I do," he agreed, and gestured at the table between them. "Have a game?" he asked.

"Sure," David said, and they quickly set up the pieces and made their first few moves. "So why the long face?" David asked after a while. (0078)

William grimaced, then sighed. "I'm just... disappointed with myself. When it comes to business matters, I'm self-confident, decisive, on the ball, at ease, able to pick out and use the opportune moment... put me in a social situation and I stiffen up and turn into a klutz. I have no conversation, except about business and... and... and chess, of all things!"

David gave him a surprised look. "Really? I've never noticed you having any problems socially."

William snorted. "You've never seen me at a company dinner. Or at a party - I don't do parties if I can at all avoid them, but sometimes I have to go because of who is throwing it. And," he added, voice softening, "I fail totally at talking to females. I have to admit, I'm envious of you."

"Me?" David looked up from studying the board, surprised. "Envious of me? Good gods man, what do I have to be envious about?" (0079)

William snorted again. "You can do it - talk to women easily, I mean. I've seen you chatting with people who stop while you're working on the yard, and... well, hells, you were only here, what, maybe one week before you'd found yourself a girlfriend? I've been living here almost five years and the best I can do with the girl I like is the odd breakfast and playing chess..." he broke off, realizing how much he'd inadvertently revealed in his bitterness with himself.

"You mean Robin, don't you?" David asked. "I didn't realize you liked her that way," he said.

"Neither does she," William admitted, glumly.

"So why don't you tell her?"

"I want to tell her," William exclaimed, loudly. "Sorry. I do want to tell her, but... it's never the right time. And the odd time when I've manage to work up my nerve to try to say something, she's busy or has vanished off to practise, or to work, or just... I don't know. My timing just really sucks, I guess."

David laughed. "Stop waiting for the right time, and just pick a time," he advised. "Any time at all. Hells, you think it was easy for me to approach Jane? Especially as a stranger in a new town with no idea as to whether or not she might even already have a boyfriend? But I figured I'd never know if I didn't try, and... I was lucky. Things are working out okay between us so far," he said, smiling happily.

William gave him a look. "I'm still envious," he said. "But... I suppose you're right. She's never going to know if I don't let her know, and I'll never know unless I ask."

"Do it, man... it's not something anyone else can do for you," David said quietly. "How long have you known you liked her that way, anyway?"

"Oh, since about two minutes after I met her. Came to Pentland to see about rooms for rent - I was just a mail clerk back then, money was very tight, and a co-worker had mentioned how he'd lived out here until he could afford better. First place I passed with a sign in the window was this one. Robin answered the door. By the time Padraig came downstairs to greet me and take me up to see the room, I knew I didn't even need to see the room to know I wanted to live here," he said, smiling softly. "And once I got to really know her, after moving in, well, I've been head-over-heels for her for five long years. I could have afforded a better place ages ago, but... no place is better then where she is."

David grinned. "You're definitely a hopeless case. Let her know, you idiot. Or one of these days you'll look up and find someone has beaten you to the punch," he added gravely.

William nodded.

"Hrmm... either I'm getting a lot better at this, or you're too distracted," David said, surprise in his voice. "Checkmate!"

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Attached Files

•  0076.jpg   54.99K   32 downloads
•  0077.jpg   62.89K   34 downloads
•  0078.jpg   56.13K   29 downloads
•  0079.jpg   58.78K   28 downloads