“Driving around.”
He nodded. “It has its place,” he said. I caught my breath as he brushed past me and stood there listening to him in the kitchen. However fleeting and pointless the contact was, I hoped it would happen again.
I fought the desire to follow him. This was unreasonable – it’s Stellan for Christ’s sake!
“You wanna’ walk down to the hardware store with me?” He asked from the kitchen. I could hear him cracking the top of a can of soda and despite my inner berating, I was hoping for the sound of his returning footsteps. He wasn’t moving.
“You don’t have to do that -” I called. He appeared at the dining room doorway. I jumped at the sight of him. He smiled as he always did when he snuck up on me.
He smelled good today – like clean laundry and soap. Why the hell does he have to smell nice today ?
“You coming?”
I’d been standing there silent while he waited. God damn it, Faye. Snap out of it! “Yeah, if you want.”
He swigged at his root beer, and disappeared into the kitchen. When he returned he had our jackets.
We walked down to the center of town, meandered through the hardware store on Main Street, Stellan scouring the screws and bolts and things and me looking at paint swatches, mentally paint shopping for the house in my dream. Stellan finished his shopping, and I followed him out, only to have him suggest we stop in the Boathouse Café for a cannoli. I love cannoli. Stellan could survive without them, and I knew this, but still he pressed the suggestion.
“I’m trying to avoid that stuff right now,” I said, avoiding eye contact like a twelve year old.
He nodded. “Ah, I forgot about that. Do you want coffee instead?”
He seemed quite adamant, so I accepted. It was a few doors down, a bistro style coffee and sandwich shop that made the neighboring alleyway smell of cookies and Italian subs on any given day. He ordered my Salted Caramel coffee and nothing for himself. I did notice, however, that he spent a good few minutes talking to the girl behind the counter. She was mid-twenties, auburn haired and quite lovely in a green hills and leprechauns kind of way. I stood back toward the door while he made her laugh.
I stared at the floor, my stomach churning and my throat tight. It was a fury I wasn’t accustomed to and without warning, I turned and walked out. I didn’t feel like waiting for Stellan to get some random girl’s number. Problem was, I didn’t think she was random. Stellan knew full well she would be behind that counter, and I was sure that was why he was so adamant to go.
Well, he can fucking stay all day for all I care, I thought.
“F-Bomb! Wait up!”
I cringed. His footsteps closed in quickly as he came after me. Now I would have to acknowledge that I’d left. How the hell do I explain that I didn’t like seeing him chatting up a girl?
“What’s up?” He asked as he matched my pace.
I shrugged and kept walking, throwing my coffee in a trash bin as we passed. I regretted it instantly, but I was a whirlwind of spite at that moment, so coffee be damned.
He nudged my arm softly. I pulled away from the touch. That would show him.
We walked back to my house in silence, Stellan a few steps behind me as I walked. I kept my head high, inspecting the leaves overhead as though they were the most interesting thing I’d ever encountered.
I would not acknowledge him.
I would not acknowledge him.
I would not acknowledge him.
Go let Miss MacGillacuddy acknowledge you, fuck bag!
We went inside, and I slumped down on the couch.
Stellan stood in the front room a moment, and I could feel him looking at me. Finally he went for the office and began fumbling around. I took the opportunity to turn on the TV, letting the familiar sounds of The Price is Right fill the room. Drew Carey hadn’t gotten halfway through revealing the first showcase when I found Stellan standing in front of me, blocking the TV completely. He was a big man, and big men
He nodded. “It has its place,” he said. I caught my breath as he brushed past me and stood there listening to him in the kitchen. However fleeting and pointless the contact was, I hoped it would happen again.
I fought the desire to follow him. This was unreasonable – it’s Stellan for Christ’s sake!
“You wanna’ walk down to the hardware store with me?” He asked from the kitchen. I could hear him cracking the top of a can of soda and despite my inner berating, I was hoping for the sound of his returning footsteps. He wasn’t moving.
“You don’t have to do that -” I called. He appeared at the dining room doorway. I jumped at the sight of him. He smiled as he always did when he snuck up on me.
He smelled good today – like clean laundry and soap. Why the hell does he have to smell nice today ?
“You coming?”
I’d been standing there silent while he waited. God damn it, Faye. Snap out of it! “Yeah, if you want.”
He swigged at his root beer, and disappeared into the kitchen. When he returned he had our jackets.
We walked down to the center of town, meandered through the hardware store on Main Street, Stellan scouring the screws and bolts and things and me looking at paint swatches, mentally paint shopping for the house in my dream. Stellan finished his shopping, and I followed him out, only to have him suggest we stop in the Boathouse Café for a cannoli. I love cannoli. Stellan could survive without them, and I knew this, but still he pressed the suggestion.
“I’m trying to avoid that stuff right now,” I said, avoiding eye contact like a twelve year old.
He nodded. “Ah, I forgot about that. Do you want coffee instead?”
He seemed quite adamant, so I accepted. It was a few doors down, a bistro style coffee and sandwich shop that made the neighboring alleyway smell of cookies and Italian subs on any given day. He ordered my Salted Caramel coffee and nothing for himself. I did notice, however, that he spent a good few minutes talking to the girl behind the counter. She was mid-twenties, auburn haired and quite lovely in a green hills and leprechauns kind of way. I stood back toward the door while he made her laugh.
I stared at the floor, my stomach churning and my throat tight. It was a fury I wasn’t accustomed to and without warning, I turned and walked out. I didn’t feel like waiting for Stellan to get some random girl’s number. Problem was, I didn’t think she was random. Stellan knew full well she would be behind that counter, and I was sure that was why he was so adamant to go.
Well, he can fucking stay all day for all I care, I thought.
“F-Bomb! Wait up!”
I cringed. His footsteps closed in quickly as he came after me. Now I would have to acknowledge that I’d left. How the hell do I explain that I didn’t like seeing him chatting up a girl?
“What’s up?” He asked as he matched my pace.
I shrugged and kept walking, throwing my coffee in a trash bin as we passed. I regretted it instantly, but I was a whirlwind of spite at that moment, so coffee be damned.
He nudged my arm softly. I pulled away from the touch. That would show him.
We walked back to my house in silence, Stellan a few steps behind me as I walked. I kept my head high, inspecting the leaves overhead as though they were the most interesting thing I’d ever encountered.
I would not acknowledge him.
I would not acknowledge him.
I would not acknowledge him.
Go let Miss MacGillacuddy acknowledge you, fuck bag!
We went inside, and I slumped down on the couch.
Stellan stood in the front room a moment, and I could feel him looking at me. Finally he went for the office and began fumbling around. I took the opportunity to turn on the TV, letting the familiar sounds of The Price is Right fill the room. Drew Carey hadn’t gotten halfway through revealing the first showcase when I found Stellan standing in front of me, blocking the TV completely. He was a big man, and big men
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