Lemming 2.8: Awkward but Romantic Moments

A/N: This breaks my heart, but I don't think I'll be able to continue with this story. I have pictures for it, and I wrote this stuff ages ago, so I'm going to post the chapters anyway. Maybe my hard drive didn't crash like my husband now thinks. Maybe I can save something of this. At any rate, I've uploaded the Mitchell, Monique, Justin, and Jenny family, so I can maybe age up the kids. Still, to lose Emmett just kills me.

Since I've not been able to play on my desktop due to the crash/death of it, I've started playing a family on my laptop, and I love the youngest daughter Brielle. I know...the last thing I need is to start something new, but if I've lost the Lemming story due to my desktop crash, I want something to replace it.

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Emmett

     Jenny's step-mom, from her own financial troubles, has to stop sending her money to help pay Jenny's rent. Jenny could probably afford a tiny place on her own now that she has a steady income. Still, Katherine gives Jenny the option of moving back home, but when I hear about it, I offer another solution.
     "What if we rented a house together, sleeping in separate rooms?" I ask. I realize this is a huge step for her, for us both, but I know I'm ready to move. With both of us wanting and needing to move, we could possibly live together. After all, we were almost doing so in the duplex. This way, we have a single rent payment.
     Jenny acts like she definitely doesn't want to move back in with her step-mom and brothers. My recommendation sounds better to her with the pretty-much half a rent payment. I make sure she knows that we're roommates that happen to be dating. I won't expect anything of her that would make her feel rushed. If she still wants her space, I'll give it to her.

     This is how it looks when we move in. The Maker immediately gets rid of the TVs, not liking them in the bedrooms. My room is the one in the back, and hers is the one in the front. We get to redecorating it the way we like, only changing a few things.

     I'm really excited to try out a new career path, the scientist! It's right up my alley, and I immediately quit my job in the tech guru one. Justin acts bummed, and I try to get him to change with me. But he likes his job too much. I have to take a pay cut of 14 an hour, but I plan on rising quickly and getting back to the level I was. Thankfully, Jenny reaches level three in the painter career path.

     True to my word, I give Jenny her space. I spend a decent amount of time in my room either working on gaining my scientist-type skills or just reading books. Jenny, still the better cook of the two of us, cooks most of the meals. I try to lessen the task for her, but she just shrugs it off, saying that she'd have to cook for herself anyway if she lived alone.
     I'm going to take this moment to say that I...love...living with Jenny. I try not to get too gooey about it around her for fear of looking needy/pushy, but I truly love having her around, even simply knowing she's somewhere in the house. I wish I could describe this feeling a little better. Things just feel right.
     She comes in the room and tells me breakfast is ready. I smile. I hadn't even thought about eating, but it's probably a good idea. I close my book and eat with her in our pretty, little kitchen. Afterwards, since it's Saturday, she goes to work. My first day is on Monday.

     While Jenny's at work, Mom stops by for a visit to see my new place. The Maker created me as a teen, so my parents are closer to me in age than Jenny's.

     "Where is Jenny? I remember when she came over that day to introduce herself how sweet she was."
     I had to tell my parents that Jenny and I are living together. I know they've already jumped to conclusions. It's not like I wouldn't love for those conclusions to be perfectly true, but I also have to remind myself that Jenny's timetable and my parents' one don't match. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to hear my mom ask-
    "So, when am I going to have a grandchild?" She smiles brightly at me, and I'm eternally grateful that Jenny isn't home.

    I let out a nervous laugh. "Uh, Mom, it's not exactly like that."
    "You two have been dating for months, right? I keep waiting to hear that you've decided to get married. After all, you're living together..."
    "In separate rooms, Mom." I wouldn't call it months either, but I don't feel like explaining my romantic life to my mother. Jenny and Hugo broke up about six months ago, but Jenny and I haven't officially been dating but for a little while. We had that several months' time when we were just a little more than friends. Don't get me wrong: I loved that then too. It meant that I stood a chance with her, something I'd thought I would never have.
    "Suuure," she says in a leading way like she'll play along with some charade I'm doing.
    "No, really. Jenny needs it this slow after everything that's happened to her. It's a big leap for us to live together." Uh, parents! Are they all like this? Do they all have to try to get into our personal lives? I remember that night Jenny had her mom over for dinner and how she behaved.
     Mom lets me know she thinks it's really sweet of me to be so patient, but she also strongly hints that she'd love to have Jenny as a daughter-in-law. Her visit doesn't last too long, and she tightly hugs me before she leaves.

    I take a shower, eat leftover pancakes for lunch, and sit down to study rocket science for the rest of the afternoon. Jenny comes home, kisses me on the cheek, and says that she simply must go outside and paint something or she'll explode. She tells me she's not hungry.
    "Okay," I tell her with a smile. Then I have leftover pancakes for dinner.
     Speaking of Jenny and painting: Our house --Our house: that sounds nice-- is full of her artwork, all the art she doesn't want to sell. I love it. It's like living in a museum without the stuffy feeling. Maybe an art show would be a better description, a Jenny Keilani art exhibit. I don't have a speck of talent like she does, but I can definitely appreciate what she paints. She pours her soul into her paintings, and I see them as a clear expression of her inner thoughts and how her mind works.

     Speaking of paintings... It's back! Somehow, be it because of the move or the update, the painting that Jenny painted when we found out we were neighbors is back! The Maker is glad She didn't toss it and kept it in Jenny's inventory.
     I love this painting. I'll never forget that day. I'd figured out someone had moved next door, and I was so nervous about meeting someone new. Then, to my utmost surprise, I find out it's Jenny! --a much, much more beautiful Jenny than I remembered, even with the paint on her nose. It was at that moment that I wanted to bang my head into the wall several times and call myself a stupid fool for what I did when we were teens. The number one reason I turned her down was that I didn't want to have a girlfriend, but that afternoon, I realized that in turning Jenny down that I may have ruined future happiness.
     Now, that painting hangs in my room where I can see it, first thing in the morning, when I wake up. It stands as a reminder about how lucky I am that I'm getting a chance.
     And Mom and Dad are expecting to hear about wedding plans any day now. That, or hearing that they're going to become grandparents. Not that I wouldn't love that, but geez! My crazy parents need to slow down. If Jenny caught wind of the things they're thinking, she might panic. I'll go whatever pace she wants as long as we're together.

     More paintings. The Maker cringed in horror as the game revealed that Jenny was painting the clown picture that has been around since Sims 2. She can't stand that painting. That one got sold instead of kept.

    I spend Sunday morning with my new toy. Um, I mean, studying with my new analyzer. On the wall behind my desk, there's a picture of my mom that I took while she was here. The Maker wanted to test out the new portrait studio thing, and She's really looking forward to using that more often in the future. The fact that photography was part of the new expansion pack is what sold Her on it.
    "Whatcha doing?" Jenny asks after lightly knocking on my open door.
    I turn my head and smile at her. "You're home! I thought you had to work today."
    She shrugs. "I decided to take the day off and called in." She watches the analyzer do its thing in a curious manner.
    I remember I haven't answered her question. "I'm analyzing a rock I found, nothing special. Just practicing for tomorrow."
     That wonderful smile shows up on her beautiful lips. "You're excited. Looking forward to it?"

      Because she won't expect it, I take her hand and gallantly kiss it. She does a small gasp, but even in that small noise, I can tell she likes it. Jenny's a romantic, I've discovered, and she eats this stuff up.

     "Yes, I'm looking forward to tomorrow, so I thought I'd practice some skills. But that was before I knew you wanted to stay home today. I'm liking today more than I'm looking forward to tomorrow." I look up at her with a debonair grin and see that she's definitely eating this up.
     I remember that afternoon when I finally got to kiss her. I'd been wanting to in the worst way for weeks, but I held myself in check, thinking she wasn't ready for anything physical. Then, we cuddled while watching a movie for two nights in a row. Other than brief hugs, that was the most physical contact we'd had, and I liked knowing that she'd healed that much. I almost blew it the second night; I almost kissed her. It felt natural, like I didn't even think about it. I'm glad I stopped myself. It was better that I made sure she was okay before I kissed her the next day.
     The morning of the day I kissed her, at work, I nervously consulted my best friend...made all the more awkward that he's her brother. I'd never kissed anyone, and I didn't want to screw up should I get the chance to kiss Jenny later in the day. Justin was cool about me asking him for advice. He told me to just go with it, be myself, and put my emotions into it.
     Put my emotions into it? I was scared out of my mind that she'd freak out. So, I put 'scared out of my mind' into it? I panicked, afraid I'd chicken out, so I made myself quickly kiss her. I pulled back rapidly, worried she would freak out from shock. She didn't! When she stepped forward and kissed me on the cheek, I took that to mean that she was ready for more than what I gave her. Put my emotions into it, huh? I remember thinking. I think I did okay.

     Emotions into it... I think simply as I stand up and grab her around the waist. She looks momentarily surprised.

     But I don't give her much time to be surprised.
     Since that afternoon, Jenny and I have kissed many, many times. I've done my best to make each one special, even the little ones. I'm not as good as some at expressing myself, definitely no poet, so I use kissing her as a way to show her how much in love with her I am.
     She lets out a little, feminine noise that's probably supposed to tell me to give her a chance to breathe, but if she knew what that little sound did to me, she'd know that it does nothing but drive me wilder. She'd probably do it less, and that would be a shame. All the same, I do give her a chance to breathe while I kiss the neck of the absolutely beautiful woman in my arms.
     "Oh, Emmett, sometimes you get so romantic," she says airily while continuing to catch her breath.
      I do?! I think with an internal smile. Score!
      I pull up some so I can say down to her, "You do it to me. If it weren't for you, I'd just be a bookish geek, not interested in anything more than his next experiment or project." Yeah...That didn't come out quite like I wanted it to. Ugh! There's surely a better way to say it! "What I mean is, um," Stop talking and making this awkward. "You bring it out of me, make me want to be romantic."
     She smiles, and I feel a little less like a dork. "I'm glad."

     I turn and stand her on her own two feet.
     "I love you," she quickly says and kisses me before I can tell her the same.
     I grunt like I wanted to say something, but she doesn't pull back. Okay. I get it. Shut up, Emmett, and just kiss me. No problem at all.

     Justin comes over to check out our new place. Today, he has great news. He's engaged! He tells me Annalise has to work in her new store or she'd be here with him.

    To celebrate, Jenny makes brownies. Dam-, she can cook! Justin and I dig into them like a pack of wild hounds.
     "So, when's the wedding?" Jenny asks Justin right before he stuffs brownie in his mouth.

     "Whemer nyont goingato haff idfer a whale," Just replies with his mouth full.
     "Oh," Jenny says, looking a little disappointed. I guess she speaks 'mouth-full' because I have no idea what Justin just said.
    "I'm sorry, Jenny. Mind translating that for me?" I ask in a laughing manner.
    "Not for a while," she tells me.

     "Eager to have your brother married off?" I ask teasingly, but I closely watch her for her reaction. I'd love to ask Jenny to marry me, but I'd wager a very educated guess that that's quite a ways off. I'm okay, really. Still, it's a dream of mine right now.
    Jenny smiles a small smile. "Well, they've been together ever since your family and hers moved to town. Honestly, I'd thought they'd already be married by now."
    I inwardly laugh. She sounds exactly like my mother.
    Justin's head pops off to his left, looking out the window. I glance up to see what he looks at, and I see a very attractive woman walk by.

     Jenny sees her brother staring, and she looks at him and asks, "Really?" Her voice drips with exasperation like she can't believe her brother would look at another woman like that. I lean over a little to see the woman walk past the house and to the little fishing area.
    "What?" Justin asks innocently.
    I consider pointing out to Jenny that men frequently look at her like that, but I decide against it, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.
    "You're engaged," she reminds her brother.

     "So I can't acknowledge the fact that a cute chick just walked by the window?" Justin asks playfully, and Jenny glares at him. "Annalise is prettier than her, but that doesn't mean she's ugly. I was just looking."
     Jenny rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "Okay, Mom."
     I decide to defend my friend. "Jenny, it's sim nature. You see an attractive person, you look." I make a point to lean my elbow on the table and rest my head in my hand as I stare very hard at my gorgeous girlfriend, who blushes.
     Justin picks up from where I left off. "It doesn't mean I'm going to do anything or that I even want to do anything. I love Annalise."
    "And I love your sister," I get in. Jenny goes from pink to scarlet.
    I hear a grin in Justin's voice as he says, "And he was looking too. See? It doesn't mean anything."
    I kick him in the shin under the table. He laughs maniacally.
    "Sim nature," I remind her. "It's why I can't prevent myself from staring at you every chance I get."
    "Smooth, bro," Justin tells me, and I debate kicking him again. Jenny had started to pout but stopped, and I don't want one of my rarely-perfect romantic moments getting ruined.
    Thank goodness, Justin changes the subject to when he thinks his wedding will be, and we talk about that for a while. We find out that he plans on staying in the same house he grew up in, worried that Katherine may die before Mickey gets old enough to be on his own.

     Speaking of Mickey, he decides to visit us as well, and The Maker can't believe his ridiculous outfit. She goes in to fix that right away.
     Jenny starts doing some dishes, but I stop her.

     Mickey giggles when I sweep his sister into my arms and kiss her. I feel like a heel for even looking at that woman, and I need to make sure that she knows that I think she's the most beautiful creation that Sims 4 has ever seen. If I try to speak, odds are that I'll screw it up, so, I decide kissing her is the best way.
    Her little brother gets a brownie, and we sit down with him. He scarfs his brownie down in two bites. I have another one, but I eat mine much slower.

     "When are you two getting married?" Mickey asks innocently. I suddenly have difficulty chewing since my mouth has gone bone dry.
     Jenny answers for us. "We haven't been together as long as Justin and Annalise have."
     Mickey doesn't get the notion that he needs to stop asking awkward questions. "Aw, but they've been together forever! She's the only girlfriend he's ever had. Well, I guess Emmett is only your second boyfriend, but I like him better than that other one. I like how he helped us with you when you freaked out. You should've seen him. I'm just a kid, and even I could tell he loved you."
     I nervously look at Jenny. I always try my best not to remind her of those days, and I worry she'll get agitated. She smiles at her little brother in a happy way.
     "Well, I guess it's just a matter of time then," Jenny tells him, and I'd swear my chair starts floating a few inches off the floor.
     I finally manage to swallow my food, and Jenny reaches over to hold my hand. I wordlessly kiss her fingers, a feeling of tremendous hope filling me.

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Their house is Albergue Alfarero by lumosnox92