Homely

Karla's voice jolts Kip from his sleep. He hadn't intended on taking a nap, but after he'd laid on his bed for a while, sleep had taken over. Sitting up, he tries to shake the fog from his mind. His hair was a little matted on one side and his eyes were red, proving he'd been sleeping.

Getting up, he shuffles to the door in his bare feet, his t-shirt a bit wrinkled and his jeans hanging loose without a belt. Pulling on the knob, he looks out at Karla and spies the McDonald's bag. His stomach growls again but he seems less than enthusiastic as he yawns. He does muster up something close to a smile though and sleepily rubs a hand over his face. "Hi." His voice was gravely and he clears his throat before backing up and letting Karla through. "Come on in."

Returning to the bed, he flops down on his stomach, hiding his face in his pillow. He knew Karla wasn't stupid. She probably already sensed something was more wrong than his lie of being sick. The smell of the french fries tempts him and his stomach growls again. Gram had been trying to feed him all day, and he'd refused. Unfortunately, Karla knew his weakness. He remains stubborn though and doesn't move.

"What I got's probably catching," he mumbles into the pillow.


Susanne didn't want to feel Chuck's words the way she did. She didn't want to feel that tingle that ran down her spine or that warmth that spread through her veins. His voice was like an embrace itself, wrapping her in the most peculiar state of mind where she felt far less control than what was comfortable. She finds herself gripping his hand just a little tighter as if trying to remember this was reality and not some dream that would always have a happy ending.

He really did want to get to know her? Why? His mention of fifteen years ago makes Susanne wonder what he must have been through. He seemed so gentle and kind with a dash of danger about him... what kind of a woman would abuse that? She feels a bit of sympathy for Chuck now, realizing that he was indeed human as well.

As he stops again and looks down at her, Susanne looks up this time, willing to fall into those eyes once more. Why did he want to open his heart up to her? After one look? One glance? She wanted to believe him, but it just seemed so impossible. He admitted that he knew nothing about her, so how could he possibly want to share himself with her like that after she'd simply walked through the door? If he was telling the truth, it couldn't be her... it had to be something in his imagination or he was just in the right mood or something.

"I don't have the presence or looks or personality to deserve such compliments," she responds quietly. "It's like my father used to say when I'd try to dress up for a school dance. He'd say, 'Suzy, don't put so much work into looking good. The guys are going to ignore you anyway.' And he was always right. I'd go, sit in the corner, unnoticed and be miserable the whole time. Then when the next dance or party came around, I'd do the same thing all over again." She chuckles. "Until one day I realized that nothing I did would change any of that. My dad would introduce me to others as his 'homely child' and I came to realize he was right. There was never anything special about me... then or now."

Pausing, she shakes her head, the defeated smile still on her lips. "So you see why I can't believe you? It's all just a game and none of it is real. But because you're such a gentleman, no, I won't just write you off. I plan to have a fun dinner and maybe by the time we get back to town, I'll even like the motorcycle ride."

Lifting her eyes, she sees that Chuck's hair had been matted down in his helmet and she grins. Standing on her toes and reaching up like she had that morning, she runs her fingers through his hair to mess it up again. This time though, she takes just a little longer doing it, feeling the soft locks between her fingertips.

Taking back her hand, she swallows hard, her eyes resting on his again. She wondered if the tingle than ran through her was what chemistry felt like. "Shall we... keep walking?"


Trey's comment makes Ariel laugh, her eyes sparkling by the light of the nearby fire. "Yeah well... party hearty, right?" She was anything but, and she was sure Trey sensed that.

Accepting the beer, she smiles at him. 'Thanks. One's my limit but I haven't had any yet."

Just standing a moment to take a swig, she give him a sidelong glance. "So... how's it going?" She nods towards the beachside. "Wanna walk and talk?"