Crayons Page 9

  Carl laughed at that at least.

  “Alright, I get when I'm the third wheel. So, give us a call? Dinner on the twenty-second? At seven?”

  Josh didn't want to go, not overly, but nodded anyway. There were obligations in life and family was one of them, or so he'd heard somewhere. A bit mean of his dad to set the date for then, that being the day he'd originally left, but... It hadn't really been an issue before, not for years, but things changed. At least they did if you ever wanted anything to get better.

  “Will do.” Josh didn't gesture toward the door, but he took a step that direction. It got his dad to step that way himself.

  They made the normal holiday pleasantries and after a minute he got to shut the door behind the man. He looked at Amy, who still hadn't let go of his hand.

  It was nice.

  It felt all awkward and odd, not knowing what to do at all, not wanting to push their friendship or anything, but knowing that her reaction the night before might not be indicative of... anything, having been worked up at the time. He started to move toward the living room, but she stopped, looking around first.

  “You don't do Christmas? I didn't even think to ask... I...” It was hesitant and nervous seeming. She was Catholic and he wasn't but that didn't seem a huge issue with her, at least it hadn't been before.

  “Actually,” he said, gesturing at the computer which had gone to the screen saver. “I was just deciding on the decorating theme. Want to help?”

  The second he said it he felt silly, but she pulled in to his side, head resting on his shoulder gently. “OK. That sounds nice actually. Not what I thought we'd be doing at all. I really just figured I'd come over and you'd try to get me into bed or something. You really are a good person, aren't you? That's just one of the things I love about you.”

  He stalled by walking across the room, still holding her hand, not knowing how to answer her. She stood upright to walk, smiling a bit.

  “Well, honestly I kind of didn't think you were going to show at all, or even remember we talked about it, so I'm pretty happy with just that. As for the rest, I hadn't thought about it. I mean, don't get me wrong, now that you mention it, I have, I'm totally trying for at least second base today. Right after I look that up and make sure I know what that is. Feel free to slap my hands if that isn't welcome though. I get the whole...well, actually I don't really, the thing with break ups and all. But...”

  She laughed and kissed his cheek warmly.

  “You are so sweet. Decorating first?”

  “Yeah, I don't know when you have to be home...” Josh got her a chair, a nice padded one on rollers. They had two of them at the computer table. Only one computer, but it worked for situations like this, when everyone was gathering around to see something. She lowered herself into it gracefully.

  When he sat Josh decided to be daring and let his leg brush up against hers. She didn't shy away from the touch, which baffled him each time it happened, but then she still clung to his hand. Amy leaned into him and sighed softly enough he nearly missed it and would have if he couldn't feel the movement of her body.

  “Not until seven or so. If I leave at six it should be fine. Bill has guests coming in again tonight. Meridith and I aren't needed for it, but this way he can show he's a good family man. Political stuff. Warren Jeffreys and some people. Did you get to meet him last night? Tall man, thinning hair?”

  “Yeah, seemed...” Josh shrugged. “Really, he seemed like a politician, so I guess he picked the right career path.”

  “Heh, yep, that's about the size of it.”

  Tapping the space bar got the screen to come back up, and he flipped through the different views he'd selected. Gesturing at the screen lazily, trying to get his racing heart under control.

  “Really I'm torn between this one,” he brought up a gold and cream scene with golden lights twinkling. “And this one here.”

  The second one was more traditional, pine boughs, cones and red ribbons. It was also the classier of the two, easily. Especially for the space he wanted to put it in. The room was pretty white already, so green, red and brown would accent well. Cream and gold would look classy, true, but also like a giant wedding cake.

  “The problem is that I have no clue how to tie bows like that, and the white one is mainly just something I can do with sticky tack and a few staples. So that's probably the one to go with.”

  Amy leaned toward the screen a little, reached over him and took the mouse out of his right hand, going back to the green and red screen.

  “I can do that. I can even teach you how to do the bows. I need to change though if we're going to go get pine branches. Hmm... Shopping then that? You need a tree too...”

  It was a point. Normally he told her, he just walked down the street to the lot for that, not having a car.

  “You,” she said, kissing his cheek sweetly. “Are very lucky that we met up last night then. I have the car. Meridith let me have it for the day, since, you know, I'm avoiding home. She's a decent sister. I mean, I hate her of course. Nearly as bad as mom is when it comes to stealing the guys I like. I told her if she made a play for you she wouldn't wake up one day. She just laughed at me.” Amy shook her head sadly, slowly, a very dramatic thing. “Well, it's her fault if I have to go to prison, isn't it? You'll smuggle me a file?”

  The line got a chuckle.

  “Heck no. I'll just avoid Meridith in that regard and save trouble all the way around. It makes loads more sense.”

  That decided she just moved, never letting go of his hand, not until they got to her car, which was a bit run down, an old station wagon with wood panel siding. She waved at it looking embarrassed.

  “I think the point is to make us look bad so that no one will want to date us. So far it hasn't worked too well. Even with mom making her own play for every third guy. She's... Really she only does that when she drinks. When she's sober she's... better.”

  The inside of the car was clean, not sparkling, but tidy and vacuumed. It even smelled good. No one had stuck a sandwich between the cushions in the back or anything. Amy fussed with the mirror for a second and made sure he had his seatbelt fastened first, before carefully backing up. It wasn't a smooth job of it, but she didn't hit anything. Josh could have done as well, he thought. Once he knew the car at least.

  “Don't worry, I do better going forwards.”

  She did. She kept looking at him though and slowing down as if he were a cop about to give her a ticket. It was cute.

  They went to the big fabric shop in town, which was a local one, also the one that Kristine managed, looking for ribbon. It was a big enough place that he didn't really think it would be a problem and he was just there to shop, not bug the woman. Though Josh decided to thank her in person for the candies and stuff she'd sent, if he saw her. That was polite, right? Technically he should send a thank you note, but that seemed a bit old fashioned.

  And like they might bond if he did. That... Would be awkward. Not that Kristine was a bad person, just, Josh always felt so shy and...

  Right.

  He'd decided to stop letting that rule him. New happy and friendly Josh wouldn't hide like that. Thank you letter it was. He'd send it off the next day, if he could.

  Amy draped herself in a soft and shining white cloth at one point, holding the roll of it, the look was... good. Hot. She wore black under it, with bits of green peeking out, but the feeling was of a woman draped only in a bed sheet, he smiled and stared at her until giggling she asked him what he thought.

  “Um?” He looked around, then whispered.

  “That I really need to look up what getting to second base is? If it involves anything like that with less clothing underneath, then I'm in.” As soon as the words left his mouth he winced.

  “Ugh. Sorry, we're just friends and I shouldn't be saying things like that to you. I'll just be over here, thinking them instead.” Josh pretended to tip-toe away, making a joke of it.

  “Hmph!” She said, looking at him a
s if hurt suddenly, doing a good enough job his stomach fell.

  Then she wrapped the cloth back onto the roll and put it away. The movements were stiff and angry seeming.

  She didn't say anything for a long time. Just when he got to the point that Josh realized he'd blown it with her, possibly forever, she turned to him and shook her head mournfully.

  “I don't do dress-up fantasy on the first date, thank you very much.” The primness was fake though, and she nearly doubled over laughing after saying it, she fought making too much noise so it looked like a small seizure of some kind. Tears actually came to her eyes.

  He smiled, but went wide eyed.

  “Hey, I wasn't asking you to dress-up, not really...” Then he winced again as she hugged him close and put her lips almost to his ear.

  “Alright. Still, not that either, not on the first date.”

  “Does this count as a date? I thought it was just hanging out...” Not that he didn't want to date her, but, issues were what they were. Denying that wouldn't help, not in the long run. Even he knew that.

  “Good point. I'll keep that in mind for later. Now, ribbon...”

  They shopped for a while, getting some nice green ribbon to go with the red, all in dark velvet colors. That was so they could tie the pine boughs together. That and some craft wire, also a deep green. The shopping took about two hours, all told, since traffic was pretty solid, it being only four days before Christmas already. The tree fit in the back though, since the Beast, what Amy and Meridith called their vehicle, had room and the tree was a traditional one for Josh and his mom, a four footer. It was about what would go up the stairs without ripping half the branches off when carried alone by one person.

  For the rest of the greenery they just pulled off the road, a dirt and gravel access off the main highway. It was surrounded by trees, all evergreens. They just picked up likely looking things from the ground, Amy pretending to be a little fussy about it as first, and finally just grabbing stuff.

  “I really should have changed. Now I'll go home smelling like a pine tree and Bill will have a fit trying to figure out what we were doing that made that happen. I have some stuff with me, well, at your place now. Before we set things up?”

  “Deal. Or a plan. Whichever makes me sound less lame for just having said it.” Josh wanted to touch her, but she was driving. He had a license himself, having taken Drivers Ed and then faked his way through the test well enough that the people at the DMV had given him a license the second time he took it. Josh didn't really think it would help him drive any better if someone was trying to sit on his lap or pawing at him, so he held back. Barely. It was like she'd hidden a magnet inside her somehow that called to him no matter where he was. Hardly fair.

  When she looked at him and smiled a bit he realized he was staring. Oops.

  Amy did go to change in his room while he unloaded the car at least. That was always a pain with all the steps in the way, but Josh was used to it. Luckily it only took five trips. When he made the last one and pushed the front door shut behind him with his right foot he found Amy already clearing the table. She'd changed into a pair of sweats in all black, which was her favorite color on any given day. She looked really nice in greens too though. When she picked up the brown paper covered notebook she turned to him and nodded.

  “I haven't gotten it... I saw it when Sarah had it though, she said it was something secret, but you know me, I pry. Which color are you?” She said as if trying to be subtle about it. Apparently ready to read the book when he wasn't looking.

  “Purple, but I've just gotten caught up. I haven't written anything yet. I'll show you what I wrote when I'm done if you want. It will probably be half about you anyway. If Sarah can admit having feelings for you to your face, I can too, and oops, that was my big secret. Well, that and the other thing, but no one believes that.” He moved to help set up the ribbon, making sure everything got set up where she pointed. She was pretty efficient once she started working, he noticed. She also didn't ask about the other secret. Given everything she probably thought he was bi-sexual. That whole bit with his dad might just be confusing to her and it wasn't like no one else she knew swung that way.

  For that matter, she'd dated a girl.

  It could really be that. Josh almost said something but it occurred to him that he'd rather Amy think he liked guys than to explain his feelings for Joanie. They didn't compare to how he felt about her, but bruised as she was right now, would she understand that? Besides, in her world it wasn't totally impossible for a young guy to get with an older woman for sex. That it was in his probably wouldn't make any difference to her mind, would it?

  The bows and “swaths” bundles of pine boughs tied together first with wire and then green and red ribbon started being generated. He'd worried they didn't have enough greenery at first, but in the end the small apartment smelled like a forest and looked bright and cheery. The table got a center piece which was just a clear glass bowl filled with pine cones, that they scented with cinnamon oil.

  Looking around Josh had to nod. It was good. Better than good. It looked like someone had actually cared about trying. It had taken a lot longer than he'd thought, but it wasn't that bad, being only about five-thirty. He guided her over to the sofa, which was a soft cream color, picked by his mom as if he weren't a teenage boy, and matched the chairs in the small space. He ate at the table, never in front of the TV. It was simple survival really. Anything dropped would stain.

  He reached for her as they sat side by side, just putting his left hand out gently, she took it though, making him blush again. That she was willing to be here with him at all was so odd that he couldn't believe it even as it happened. Josh found himself staring into her eyes. Her lovely, unusual, amber colored eyes. Suddenly he felt himself being drawn to her again, and moved in slowly, to kiss. Her lips were warm and soft. Gentle on his. He didn't try anything fancy, just touching her lightly, mouth soft and relaxed, but her tongue found his somehow and then tickled the inside of his lower lip, after a bit he tried the same move on her, probably not as well, but by paying attention to what felt good to him he figured out what should work. He sat back and swallowed, hoping he hadn't done too badly.

  If so Amy was going with a positive encouragement model, because she moved back in for more. They just sat doing nothing else for over half an hour, which left him hard, of course. He was about to be embarrassed, because she was looking at his crotch, but she didn't blush. Her right hand started to reach for him, touching firmly. Then she stopped. It was a sudden and deliberate thing. She moved back a little.

  Right, they were just friends, he moved back himself, trying not to be a jerk about it. He barked internally at his hormones to back off. They didn't want to listen, but he'd live.

  “Crud.” She said looking at the clock. “I have to go. Um, do you want to, I mean we could, some time, see each other again? If you want?”

  He had to fight blinking rapidly instead he was about to say that he'd call her and then shook his head, which got a hurt look.

  “Oh...” She sounded devastated.

  “What? Oh!” He had to look down at the floor for a bit, there were pine needles all over the carpet. He'd have to vacuum.

  “I was just thinking that I could say that I'd call you, trying to sound all suave, but, well, I don't want to wait that much. Needy and desperate no doubt, but there you go, so, yes, I would like to sometime, as soon as possible. Tomorrow if you're free, or whenever after that. I kind of have plans on the twenty-second, in the evening, you heard? Which... is... something I won't subject you to, my dad and his new wife and their daughter, half-sis. On Christmas... Well, we just do presents in the morning. Maybe something else, since Joanie is going to be joining us this year, so she might bring traditions with her. I need sleep in there sometime, but you can have any of the rest of the time you want.” He shrugged. “For that matter I'll skip sleep for you if it's an option at all. I want to get as much of you as I can before you figure o
ut I'm just me and not special at all.”

  She shook her head and winked, which was horribly cute.

  “Stop that. You're about the most special person I know that doesn't have to ride the short bus.”

  “Oooh... harsh.” Josh didn't feel hurt by it though, the tone hadn't been mean. Amy touched his arm gently.

  “Seriously though, I want to see you too. Well, Bill and my mom have some stuff, more parties lined up, and I'm getting together with Rick and Sarah to go to Multnomah falls tomorrow, Anthony was supposed to go, but... I mean if you wouldn't be uncomfortable?” She reached out and held his hands in hers. It wasn't manipulative, just... sweet. He nodded.

  “Alright. What do I need to bring?”

  “Just you. We'll meet you here at about nine? I'll call later, if... you know, that isn't too desperate and needy?”

  She really did have to leave if she was going to drive safely, Josh noticed looking at the clock. He nodded.

  “A bit needy, but I'm all into that this year, so it works, obviously. Of course those two might not want me to go, which is fine too, but if that happens, I want to re-plan. I waited too long by far to tell you how I felt.” He kissed her again, with tongue and bit more fiercely than he'd intended, passion pouring off of him.

  “I love you by the way. Just thought I'd mention that. I really do.” And always have.

  Probably always will.

  Luckily he was smart enough not to dump all that on her. Pressure right now couldn't help her at all. Amy was being incredible, but that whole thing with her mom and Anthony had to be about as raw as anything could be.

  “Hmmm... Well, I think you're all-right...” She kissed him again and stood. Grinning. “OK, I love you too, but don't tell anyone, you know, other than the whole world. So, basically no aliens or anything. We have to watch out for that sort. Who knows what they could get up to? All that probing I hear about... creepy. They don't even fix you dinner first. No flowers, just out the window, probe and then drop you off without even a good night kiss...”