Fighting by Cat Phoenix Page A

surprised to hear she could carry a tune.  I'd seen her swaying her hips
to music only she heard in her head many times.  It figures that she would have
an affinity for music.
    She
glanced up and smiled at me, and I smiled back right before I turned and left
for my room again.  I snagged my stereo and mp3 player from my desk and went
back to the kitchen.  She watched curiously as I plugged in the system to the
outlet in the counter and set my mp3 player on the base. 
    "What
are you in the mood to listen to?" I asked her.
    She
looked surprised that I was even here at all as I'm sure she was used to
working alone, so she just stared at me for a second.  And then a small smile
developed on her lips and she said, "What do you got?"
    "Anything. 
Internet radio," I said.
    She
smiled bigger and tapped her finger to her nose twice in a gotcha gesture.  "How about some Motown?"
    "Definitely,"
I agreed.
    The
first song to come on was Think by Aretha Franklin.  I washed my hands
and walked back up to her with my hands in front of my face like I was a
surgeon prepping for a heart transplant.
    "Where
do you want me?" I asked.
    She
looked shocked again, but in a good way. 
    "You
can help me patty these out and then while I'm frying them, you can cook the
fries and slice up some tomatoes and onions."
    I
nodded and set off to work.  She was humming along with the music, but as soon
as the next verse came around, she bumped her hip against mine gently and was
singing.  I always liked Gwen, but never really had a chance to talk in depth
with her before.  This was way better.
    I
had a huge smile on my face as we worked together, and I turned the music up so
loud, we would have trouble hearing each other speak.  This, of course, drew
attention to us.  Spencer ducked his head in the room with an eyebrow cocked
disbelievingly.  I laughed at his expression and he walked farther inside.  He
sat on the stool in front of us and Gwen started singing to him like he was her
disrespectful man.  Always active and up for a challenge, he acted the part,
going all out with his hands over his heart like she was wounding him.  I
laughed out loud and threw a piece of lettuce at him.
    I
walked away to wash my hands again as the next song came on.  She placed the
burgers in the pan and I made Spencer a glass of sweet iced tea.  He drank all
of it nearly at once, but after weeks of dining with him, I anticipated this so
I had the pitcher ready to pour him a second glass.  Done with that, I picked
up the tomatoes and start slicing them up and Ollie and August walked inside. 
He was already smiling and shaking his head at us.  Gwen was belting out lyrics
to a different upbeat song and I was arranging the slices of tomato on a
plate.  Afterward, I fixed a glass of tea for the rest of us.  They each sat at
another stool and Ollie propped his head in his hands, watching avidly. 
    I
slipped the pan of fries into the oven and Gwen, hands freed now, swung an arm
around my shoulders and tilted her head against mine like we were singing a
duet.  I laughed and wrapped an arm around her waist, swaying to the music
dutifully.  Brooks and Murphy wandered in next, smiling and leaning against the
counter on their elbows.  There was no way I'd be singing, especially in front
of a crowd, but Gwen carried on like it was just me and her.  I loved that she
could just let go like that. 
    I
started in on the onions and felt a vaguely familiar swelling in my chest.  It
took me a hot minute, but I remembered feeling like this before, a long time
ago with my parents.  It felt warm and comfortable, and recognizing that made
my chest tighten in a weird, pleasant but also unfamiliar way.  I paused my
knife and looked around at my people, taking them in.
    Shit. 
I had people.  How did that happen? 
    I
glanced at Brooks and saw he was watching my face with a knowing twinkle in his
eye.  Damn that man and his super annoying quirk of just knowing things. 
I