Chain Reaction 3.1.50: Life Gets Better

Michael

     Let's face it: I may as well be loaded. Uncle Alex jumped at the chance to help me buy a bigger house. I think that not only is he still eternally grateful for me helping Aunt Em, he now hates that it was his son who ruined me.
     Darrin is even easier to convince. And now it's official. He
     moves
     in
     with
     me.
     FINALLY!

     The Maker hasn't gotten a picture of the front of the house. That would make too much sense, but here is the back. It's not even in Eden, officially. I own a house in the 'burbs. It's in a little village called Brookhaven. The Maker likes that name.

-------------------------
:P lol

and update: I got a pic of the front since writing this.

-------------------------

     It comes unfurnished. Darrin doesn't mind, even if the Maker does. She especially doesn't like how the greenery cuts through the wall, and she ends up deleting huge chunks of it.

     It's really too big of a house, but I don't know... There was something about it that made it feel like home, like some silly 'destiny' kind of thing. It has four bedrooms--far too many, but you can see what we do with it.
     And then the decorating, some of it, occurs.

     Bless her heart, the Maker tries.
     Also, note that Darrin still has his own bed in the corner, but it is a bed and not the cot. He's still in the same room--but not sleeping with me. I still have nightmares where I wake up screaming and thrashing around, trying to fight the black shadow monster off me.

     We've been here a couple of weeks when I hear this coming from downstairs:

     "Aw, ootie wootie nooboo!"
     Wait a minute... NOOBOO?
     Darrin comes upstairs before I can dash down them, worried he'd adopted a baby without even consulting me first. (No idea how he'd do that, but that doesn't get rid of the worry.)

     Oh. THAT'S the 'nooboo.' I'd already told Darrin we could adopt a puppy. I decided to let him pick the breed. A pug, huh? I thought he'd pick something bigger.
     "You got a puppy." Nothing like pointing out the obvious.
     He's laughing because the little fella never stops licking his face. "Yes! hahahahaha This is hahahahaha Bug. hahahaha Bug the Pug!" Then, to the dog, he says, "Go meet your new daddy." He hands me the squirming rascal.
     "Daddy?"

     I'm laughing. A lot. Really, really laughing for the first time in I don't know how long. The little bugger fits right into my palm! How can something so small have such a far-reaching tongue? And his little curl of a tail bobs back and forth like mad.
     "If I'm... Daddy. Then... who are... you?" Puppy breath is wonderful.
     "Well, I figured that out. I'm Papi."
     I laugh again. It's all so wonderfully ridiculous.

     Bug immediately brightens my entire outlook on life. Darrin is brilliant... in everything but for how he starts spoiling him.
     "Hey! I made that omelet for you."
     Darrin grins. "He likes it, though."
     "He likes everything. I saw him eat dirt yesterday."
     "Well, I'll bet it was very tasty dirt." Darrin has started going back to work.

     He claims he's working on a big case, but he doesn't provide me details. It's fine. I remember Dad never could, either.

     As for me, I'm not ready to go back to work. Instead, I busy myself with things around the house, one of them being taking care of Bug. Like I'm a stay-at-home dad. I'd almost feel pathetic about it, but I'll never hurt for money, and Darrin is now contributing as well.
     Looking in the mirror, I wonder if I'll ever be able to model again. The only damage that snake did to me hides in my boxers, and even though it's horrendous, on the outside, I look just fine--if a little tired. I've even started back on my yoga and exercise.

     Then one day before Darrin comes home from work, 'following doctor's orders' actually does something. I felt it!
     I smile... until I realize how pathetic I am.

Alaric

       Last night, the world stood still.

      Kyra looked so plumbing hot, and it drove me mad all evening. I kept thinking 'how could she do this to me?' and 'stop thinking she dressed up for YOU.' Stuff like that. To keep myself from getting all over her, I wound up tickling her instead. At least my hands got on her. That must've made her mad, so she started storming off.

      Then she said she wanted to be more than friends. She SAID it. I know I didn't imagine that. I asked her, and she denied it. Then her face fell...

     ...and she ran away.

     I did chase after her later, but I only went as far as making sure she got safely to her car. At the time, I didn't know what to make of what just had happened.

     But I thought about it all day today, and I came to a decision. She blurted out the truth, and she lied when she felt cornered.

     All of a sudden, I was on the proverbial cloud nine, walking around with a huge grin on my face all day. I tried calling her, but it would be sent to voicemail. I'm not giving up yet, though.

      I drive to her house.

Come downstairs to your front door 

     I shoot her a text. If she doesn't answer, I know which room is hers, and I'll go get the guitar I brought and stand under her window singing until she finally acknowledges me in her embarrassment.

Why?

    I grin.

Because I'm standing just outside of it.

    She doesn't reply. I'm not surprised.

You could come down, or

     I pause for effect.

 I could stand under your window and serenade you until you do ;)

     She knows I'm not kidding.

     Before I can say a word, she launches into an explanation. "Alaric, I'm sorry. You were trying so hard not to make things weird, and I ruined it. If we could just forget I said that, that would be great."

      Nope, I'm not buying a word of it.

      I'm distracted from replying by staring at her hair. I've never seen it like this, so wild and untamed. For the first time in a long time, I get inspired to write again. This is also the first time I've seen her sans makeup. She's gorgeous. 

     "What?" she asks because I AM weirdly staring at her and saying nothing.

     "You're beautiful," I answer simply.

     "Like THIS? No. My hair is a disaster, and my face lacks any kind of definition. Plus, this is just ordinary pajamas." The more she talks, the wider my smile becomes.

     I don't reply to her dissing her looks. "Back to what you were saying earlier, I'm calling bull-plum."

      "Huh? Why? Look, it's a silly, little crush that I can just get over."

      With her admission, my confidence soars, and I step forward and take her hands.

       "Alaric..."

      "Do you have any idea how long I had a crush on YOU?" My thumbs caress her hands. "Years."

     She's speechless.

     "And right after we turned teen, I tried to tell you." I think back. "No. Wait, I DID tell you."

     She whispers my name and tries to take her hands back.

     "I don't think I ever truly got over that rejection." I smirk. "And Chaz, that bastard, knew it." I'm referring to that time at the ruins when Chaz brought out the green-eyed monster when I saw him with her, even though I was with Kate.

     "I don't want to talk about Chaz." She brings her hands back, but all she ends up doing is taking my hands with her.

     I smile. "Good. Neither do I." She and Chaz dated a few times. I never really found out why they broke up.

     She sighs. "Alaric, I wasn't ready for a boyfriend right when we'd aged to teen."

      "I know." I gently pull her back in my direction, and I get more daring.

     She breathes in quickly when I kiss her petal-soft hands.

     "But you said last night," kiss, "that you wanted," another kiss, "to be more than friends." I glance up at her. Yes! She looks practically hypnotized. My lips meet the inside of her elbow, and she exhales in a shaky way. Next, her hair calls to me. "And so do I."

      I let out a low sound when I find skin under her magical hair. Soft, sweet skin. She smells so good, too. I release her hands and wrap my arms around her. Oh, Kyra. How many times did I dream of something like this when I was younger? I never imagined it would be this good. She feels so perfect in my arms that I simply MUST find out how it feels to claim those lips.

      She lets out a little noise that I'd swear means, 'dammit, I can't resist you.'

      This. Her. This her. She's meant for me. Somehow, we've always known that. I'm hers, and she's mine. Nothing has ever felt so perfect in my life. I treasure this memory, even though I'm living it right now. My Kyra.

       My arms tighten around her, and I quickly come to the realization that she's not wearing a bra of any kind. And I'm not so sure on the panties, either. I certainly don't notice anything when my hand runs across her butt. Hot. Damn.

       The heat turns up, and my body urgently reacts. I want to push her backwards into those bushes and pull her clothes off.

      Then she pulls back, and I realize I was losing my mind. No, this isn't how I wanted it to go. Not like this.

     She's breathing quickly when she looks at me. As for me, I'm back in control. And ludicrously happy.

     "Don't get over your crush--because I never will," I tell her. 

     "You'd better not," she answers, and she steps forward for what she thinks will be a quick kiss.

      Not a chance.

---------------------------------

[this will be updated with a link to Mike and Darrin's house--if I can find it]

---------------------------------

In loving memory of my beloved pug, Suzy Q. 11-2003 to 10-2011. It still feels like yesterday.