Clash Of The Rockbands
Skinny Dipping or Folding Universe?
Melrose’s POV
“How was school?” I asked Daphne the instant she sidled gloomily through the front door. I smiled down the hall at her, having just walked out of the kitchen the instant I heard the faintest click of the door opening. As expected, she didn’t return my smile.
“Unhh.” Her grunt of an answer echoed down the hall, reaching my ears. She walked over and began to tread up the stairs silently, out of my range of vision.
I sighed and stepped back into the kitchen to finish washing the dishes. As I plunged my hands back into the scalding hot water, I thought about her behavior over the past couple of weeks. Ever since Jay had broken up with her, Daphne had been sullen, gloomy, and unnaturally silent. Even at the dinner table, Daphne chose not to share words with us, except when asked a direct question. She rarely participated in the open conversations we shared every night.
Daphne wore a frown more than she wore clothes nowadays. I hadn’t seen her smile in two weeks. Not even a flicker of a grin, not a slight curvature of the lips upward, nothing. She always looked sad, and dead and shriveled up inside, and her eyes didn’t reflect light anymore. Light just absorbed into her eyes, and was probably extinguished in the darkness clouding her brain.
I worried about her a lot. I didn’t officially know if she was depressed or just suffering from the post break-up blues, but whatever it was, it made me very worried about her. I trusted her enough, and knew her enough, to know that she would never consider suicide as an option. I just worried that she would never be happy again. Because to me, happiness equals life.
Behind me, I heard the barely audible swishing sound of jeans.
“Hey, James,” I said without looking up from the dish I was scrubbing.
“Fuck, how did you know it was me?” I heard James ask. I smirked and looked over my shoulder at him.
“I didn’t. You just told me.” I answered. He laughed as I turned my attention back to the coffee mug in my hand. Seconds later, I felt James snake his arms around my waist and rest his chin on my shoulder.
“I had a vision.” he announced, his voice slightly louder since it reverberated directly into my ear.
“Of what?” I asked, putting the soapy coffee mug in the other sink where it would await rinsing.
“It is foretold that we shall go on a date tonight.” James continued, drawing an invisible circle around my belly button with his finger.
“A date to where?”
“Nice dinner, a movie, then skinny dipping in the ocean,” he answered. I laughed.
“It all sounds okay, except for the skinny dipping.” I told him.
“Do you dare to go against the vision?” I nodded boldly. “Are you aware of what happens when you go against the vision?” I shook my head no. “Well, the universe collapses in upon itself. Before that, though, all the volcanoes on Earth erupt. Before that, tsunamis from all the oceans slam against all shores. Before that, earthquakes rock every earthquake-prone place on Earth. Before that, tornados destroy entire cities all across the world. Before that, acid rain falls, burning away anything and everything. Before that, you become hideous and covered in warts, like a witch, minus the green skin. Before that, all your band members grow to hate you and kick you out of the band, replacing you with a Tickle-Me Elmo. Before that, Mythbusters goes off the air...forever. Before that, everyday becomes a bad-hair day. AND, last but not least, before that, you don’t go skinny dipping in the ocean with me after the movie.”
“Damn,” I commented, still scrubbing away at the dishes. “Sounds like an awful lot of horrible consequences if I don’t go skinny dipping with you.”
“Yeah,” James agreed, nodding so that his chin dug momentarily into my shoulder. “It’s pretty scary shit. I wouldn’t go against the vision.”
“I think I’ll take my chances.” I replied with a grin.
“Fool,” James breathed. “Eh, it’s your funeral.”
“But if all those things happen, it’s yours as well.”
“I know, but at least I’ll be living it up by skinny dipping.”
“You know all this is just because you want to see me naked.”
James stayed silent, not denying, not agreeing. I just smirked as I began to rinse the soap off of the dishes.
“Well, you don’t have to put it so bluntly.” James finally said after a few moments. I laughed, nearly dropping the slippery plate.
“How would you phrase it?” I asked.
“Seeing your lovely body glimmer in the moonlight,” he answered instantly. I felt color instantly spread across my cheeks. “Aw, you’re blushing.” He pressed his lips against my flaming cheeks. They felt pleasantly cool.
“Well, what did you expect?” I asked, going back to rinsing off the dishes.
“Swooning,” James answered.
“Tough break, I guess,” I told him.
“Yeah...So, how about it?” James continued.
“Sure, a date sounds fine.”
“Awesome, pick you up at six?”
I glanced over at the clock on the wall and nodded. I still had two and a half hours left to get ready.
“Alright, see you then.” And with one farewell peck on the lips, James silently left the room.
**********
“I guess we won’t go skinny dipping.” James sighed as he drove me back home.
“Okay,” I replied with a grin.
“I know I really just ruined the date for you.” he continued. “But I really think it would be quite awkward.”
“Now you’re making it sound like I suggested skinny dipping!” I exclaimed. James smirked.
“Shush, no one must know.”
“Know what?”
“That I suggested it.”
“Oh.” I closed the zipper over my mouth and threw away the key. “My lips are sealed.”
“Okay, that’s good.” James replied, patting my knee.
A few minutes later, he pulled into the driveway of the house. I couldn’t see any lights on, except for the one in the parlor. They’d probably kept that one on for me so I could see when I came home. I smiled over at James. He grinned back before leaning in for a kiss.
And another kiss.
And yet another kiss, until I sat pressed up against James, his fingers flowing through my hair, my hand glued to the back of his neck. We pulled reluctantly away, staring into each other’s eyes.
“Well, good night,” I said.
“Good night,” James replied. He pressed one more kiss to my lips before I scooted back over to the passenger side of his Camaro and climbed out. I blew him a kiss before walking towards the front door. “Melrose, wait!” I whirled back around to see James standing next to his car. I walked back over, and he instantly pulled me into another kiss.
“Sorry, the few we had just weren’t enough.” he told me after we had pulled away. I laughed.
“I love you,” I said.
“I love you, too.” We shared one last kiss before finally pulling away. I walked back to the house as he drove away.
“How was school?” I asked Daphne the instant she sidled gloomily through the front door. I smiled down the hall at her, having just walked out of the kitchen the instant I heard the faintest click of the door opening. As expected, she didn’t return my smile.
“Unhh.” Her grunt of an answer echoed down the hall, reaching my ears. She walked over and began to tread up the stairs silently, out of my range of vision.
I sighed and stepped back into the kitchen to finish washing the dishes. As I plunged my hands back into the scalding hot water, I thought about her behavior over the past couple of weeks. Ever since Jay had broken up with her, Daphne had been sullen, gloomy, and unnaturally silent. Even at the dinner table, Daphne chose not to share words with us, except when asked a direct question. She rarely participated in the open conversations we shared every night.
Daphne wore a frown more than she wore clothes nowadays. I hadn’t seen her smile in two weeks. Not even a flicker of a grin, not a slight curvature of the lips upward, nothing. She always looked sad, and dead and shriveled up inside, and her eyes didn’t reflect light anymore. Light just absorbed into her eyes, and was probably extinguished in the darkness clouding her brain.
I worried about her a lot. I didn’t officially know if she was depressed or just suffering from the post break-up blues, but whatever it was, it made me very worried about her. I trusted her enough, and knew her enough, to know that she would never consider suicide as an option. I just worried that she would never be happy again. Because to me, happiness equals life.
Behind me, I heard the barely audible swishing sound of jeans.
“Hey, James,” I said without looking up from the dish I was scrubbing.
“Fuck, how did you know it was me?” I heard James ask. I smirked and looked over my shoulder at him.
“I didn’t. You just told me.” I answered. He laughed as I turned my attention back to the coffee mug in my hand. Seconds later, I felt James snake his arms around my waist and rest his chin on my shoulder.
“I had a vision.” he announced, his voice slightly louder since it reverberated directly into my ear.
“Of what?” I asked, putting the soapy coffee mug in the other sink where it would await rinsing.
“It is foretold that we shall go on a date tonight.” James continued, drawing an invisible circle around my belly button with his finger.
“A date to where?”
“Nice dinner, a movie, then skinny dipping in the ocean,” he answered. I laughed.
“It all sounds okay, except for the skinny dipping.” I told him.
“Do you dare to go against the vision?” I nodded boldly. “Are you aware of what happens when you go against the vision?” I shook my head no. “Well, the universe collapses in upon itself. Before that, though, all the volcanoes on Earth erupt. Before that, tsunamis from all the oceans slam against all shores. Before that, earthquakes rock every earthquake-prone place on Earth. Before that, tornados destroy entire cities all across the world. Before that, acid rain falls, burning away anything and everything. Before that, you become hideous and covered in warts, like a witch, minus the green skin. Before that, all your band members grow to hate you and kick you out of the band, replacing you with a Tickle-Me Elmo. Before that, Mythbusters goes off the air...forever. Before that, everyday becomes a bad-hair day. AND, last but not least, before that, you don’t go skinny dipping in the ocean with me after the movie.”
“Damn,” I commented, still scrubbing away at the dishes. “Sounds like an awful lot of horrible consequences if I don’t go skinny dipping with you.”
“Yeah,” James agreed, nodding so that his chin dug momentarily into my shoulder. “It’s pretty scary shit. I wouldn’t go against the vision.”
“I think I’ll take my chances.” I replied with a grin.
“Fool,” James breathed. “Eh, it’s your funeral.”
“But if all those things happen, it’s yours as well.”
“I know, but at least I’ll be living it up by skinny dipping.”
“You know all this is just because you want to see me naked.”
James stayed silent, not denying, not agreeing. I just smirked as I began to rinse the soap off of the dishes.
“Well, you don’t have to put it so bluntly.” James finally said after a few moments. I laughed, nearly dropping the slippery plate.
“How would you phrase it?” I asked.
“Seeing your lovely body glimmer in the moonlight,” he answered instantly. I felt color instantly spread across my cheeks. “Aw, you’re blushing.” He pressed his lips against my flaming cheeks. They felt pleasantly cool.
“Well, what did you expect?” I asked, going back to rinsing off the dishes.
“Swooning,” James answered.
“Tough break, I guess,” I told him.
“Yeah...So, how about it?” James continued.
“Sure, a date sounds fine.”
“Awesome, pick you up at six?”
I glanced over at the clock on the wall and nodded. I still had two and a half hours left to get ready.
“Alright, see you then.” And with one farewell peck on the lips, James silently left the room.
**********
“I guess we won’t go skinny dipping.” James sighed as he drove me back home.
“Okay,” I replied with a grin.
“I know I really just ruined the date for you.” he continued. “But I really think it would be quite awkward.”
“Now you’re making it sound like I suggested skinny dipping!” I exclaimed. James smirked.
“Shush, no one must know.”
“Know what?”
“That I suggested it.”
“Oh.” I closed the zipper over my mouth and threw away the key. “My lips are sealed.”
“Okay, that’s good.” James replied, patting my knee.
A few minutes later, he pulled into the driveway of the house. I couldn’t see any lights on, except for the one in the parlor. They’d probably kept that one on for me so I could see when I came home. I smiled over at James. He grinned back before leaning in for a kiss.
And another kiss.
And yet another kiss, until I sat pressed up against James, his fingers flowing through my hair, my hand glued to the back of his neck. We pulled reluctantly away, staring into each other’s eyes.
“Well, good night,” I said.
“Good night,” James replied. He pressed one more kiss to my lips before I scooted back over to the passenger side of his Camaro and climbed out. I blew him a kiss before walking towards the front door. “Melrose, wait!” I whirled back around to see James standing next to his car. I walked back over, and he instantly pulled me into another kiss.
“Sorry, the few we had just weren’t enough.” he told me after we had pulled away. I laughed.
“I love you,” I said.
“I love you, too.” We shared one last kiss before finally pulling away. I walked back to the house as he drove away.
♠ ♠ ♠
Heyloo.Filler, yes. Practically useless, yes. But the next chapter will be much more interesting, I promise!
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