A Coloring Storybook and Long-Playing Record

A week had passed since her post-ballet practice meal with Craig at the 50s diner and already, Jezebel found herself craving his company more. Whenever she got off work or finished with her ballet practice for the day, Craig would always pick her up for long drives through Rochester, listening to the various mixes he kept stashed in his glove compartment for such journeys. She found herself away from home more and more now that Craig was in the picture, trying her best to put off the inevitable misery that awaited her when her reality break was over with.

It was finally Friday night, the beginning of the weekend since she had no Saturday classes and she was more than ready for a lazy weekend of lounging around on her sofa and watching movies all night. Gavin took the closing shift at the café and Henderson was working late at the office, allowing Jezebel the entire house to herself to do what she liked. It was perfect. She was able to use the living room to practice a bit before she decided to cook herself some dinner in the kitchen.

In the middle of making the spaghetti sauce, she faintly heard her phone buzzing away on the counter top, the newest ringtone blaring loudly from the speakers.

"Cuz the boyz in the hood are always hard. You come talkin' that trash and we'll pull your card. Knowin' nothin' in life but to be legit, don't quote me boy, cuz I ain't said shit ..." the phone played loudly from the counter.

Jezebel couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous ringtone, especially since she knew it was Craig that was calling. He had taken her phone and programmed his own ringtone into it, explaining to her that it was something to explain how hardcore he was in real life. She retaliated by programming Weezer's 'Troublemaker' into his phone, claiming it was a reminder of what she really was.

She flipped the phone open, ceasing the music blaring, and put the receiver to her ear, walking back over to the stove where her sauce was currently cooking away.

"Hello Craig," she said simply into the phone.

"How are you so sure it's me? I mean, aside from the obvious ringtone that alerts you that I'm the one calling? Someone else could have taken my phone and decided to call you at random," he replied.

"I doubt anyone else would think to call me aside from you. You're the only one that thinks I'm interesting enough to call on a daily basis," she said.

"Ahh, fair enough," he chuckled. "What're you up to?"

"Not much. I've got the house all to myself for a change so I'm cooking myself some dinner before I settle down to watch some Disney movies," she told him. "You?"

"Reading this book called 'The Alchemist'. It's a pretty good book but I've already read it before. I'm just so bored," he whined.

"Craig Owens bored?" she scoffed. "I don't believe it."

"I get bored from time to time. It's usually rare because I'm so easily amused but you caught me on an off day," he said.

"Well, you can join me for dinner and some Disney flicks if you're that bored," she suggested, adding a dash of basil into her sauce.

"Depends. What's for dinner?" he asked.

"Spaghetti and meatballs with homemade sauce," she replied. "I have enough to feed an army because I know that the boys will eat it for leftovers when they get home. There's plenty for you as well," she explained.

"Sounds delicious," he said. "Alright, I guess I'll stop by."

"You make it sound like you're doing me this big favor by stopping by," she laughed.

"I might be," he replied. "Gas prices are outrageous these days."

"Like a five minute drive is gonna drain your wallet of its funds," she said sarcastically. "Just walk in when you get here. The door's unlocked."

He just chuckled, "I'll be over soon then."

"Looking forward to it," she replied, snapping her phone shut and shoving it in her back pocket.

She paused stirring the sauce, deciding that she needed some music to fill the silence of the empty house to keep her company until Craig's arrival. Quickly, she skipped to the stereo just outside of the kitchen and pressed 'play' on the CD player, immediately hearing the familiar melancholy No Doubt song blaring through the speakers. Finding her mixed CD satisfactory for the time being, she walked back into the kitchen, nodding along to the music.

She added chopped oregano leaves to the sauce, stirring it in as she moved to the music. The sauce was nearly complete and she still had to cook the pasta. She walked to the cabinets near the sink and pulled out a large pot, filling it with water and placing it on the stove to boil. She grabbed the container of salt and added a bit to the water for flavoring and waited for the water to boil.

She decided that since it was supposed to be a relaxing evening, she could treat herself to an ice cold beer she kept stashed in the back of the fridge, if Henderson hadn't wiped her out yet. Opening the door to the refrigerator, she noticed that there was plenty of beer available, meaning that Henderson had stocked up or slowed his drinking down. She really hoped for the latter because at the rate he was going, he'd need a new liver before he hit thirty. All Jezebel wanted was for her roommate to get out of the depressive slump he was in and move on with his life before he did something stupid, like hurt himself.

She grabbed a beer from the back of the top shelve, wrapping her slender fingers around the green glass bottle and shutting the door. She twisted off the metal top with ease and tossed it into the trash near the kitchen sink. Leaning against the counter, she took a swig of the amber colored liquid, relishing in the refreshing taste that the alcohol brought as well as feeling her eyes water a bit from the carbon bubbles that ran down her throat. This was exactly what she needed after a week of non-stop activities.

The song had changed to a new song, Placebo as she recalled. She sighed deeply, realizing that this band used to be her favorite band. The painful reminders of her departure tugged at Jezebel's heart, slowly gnawing at the little strength she had left to keep herself together. There was something about the melancholy tone of this song that just made the memories worse, adding to her loneliness. Tears formed in the corners of her blue eyes, threatening to spill over and down her rosy cheeks but she did her best to hold her emotions together. She wasn't going to allow herself to cry, not now. Crying would only make her weak and she couldn't afford to be weak right now.

"Hello?" Craig's voice called out over the music as the sound of the front door opening snapped Jezebel out of her state of mind.

"In the kitchen," she replied, setting her beer on the counter and stirring the sauce once again.

Craig could hear the loud music playing from the stereo as he walked through the living room and into the kitchen, familiar with the layout of her home after only one prior visit. He observed the scarlet painted walls as he passed, wondering which of the inhabitants chose that particular color for the living room. The art on the wall was also very eye-catching, splotches of bright, vibrant colors splattered and smeared across the white and black canvases in the most distinct ways. Craig loved everything about Jezebel's house, right down to the piles of DVDs and sheets of paper strewn across the coffee table. Her house actually looked as if people lived there compared to the bare, plain apartment Craig owned a few minutes away.

He strolled into the kitchen, noticing that Jezebel was dressed comfortably in a pair of red pajama bottoms and a black, long-sleeved hoodie shirt that clung to her skinny frame. Her long black hair was down for a change, messy around her face and shining beautifully in the light. She was breath-taking without even having to try and it astounded Craig. Many of his past girlfriends always put so much effort into their appearance and weren't nearly as attractive as Jezebel was on what she considered to be an 'off day'. He couldn't help the comparison, though he knew that she was to remain nothing more than a friend to him.

"Hey," she said, glancing at him with a small smile.

"Hey," he waved standing awkwardly in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Um, you want a beer?" she asked. "You can help yourself you know."

"Thanks," he nodded, walking closer to the fridge.

He tugged the white door open, removing a Heineken from the top shelf and shutting the door. He twisted off the metal cap and tossed it away in the garbage, leaning against the counter near the sink. He took a gulp of beer, watching as she moved around the stove, stirring the sauce and adding the pasta to the boiling pot of water. He could never tire of watching her graceful movements, finding something unique about every little thing she did.

Jezebel was glad that her back was to Craig at that particular moment. She was still struggling with her emotional state brought on by the familiar music. Something so silly like a familiar little song caused her to feel so crushed all of a sudden and she hated it. She was glad that Craig showed when he did because if he hadn't, she was sure that she would've lost it. At this point, she needed someone around her that would make her laugh, even if it was at something stupid.

"Um, Jez?" he asked tentively, setting the beer bottle on the counter beside him.

"Yeah?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

"Hmm, you can slice up some sourdough bread if you want or set the table," she suggested.

"How about I demonstrate my helpfulness by completing both tasks?" he said in a joking manner, though he really would do both of the things she asked.

"Show-off," she scoffed playfully, letting her lips turn up into a tiny smile.

She heard him chuckling behind her, most likely shaking his head at her comment as the sound of drawers opening was heard loudly. She figured he was looking for a knife and a cutting board for the bread so she thought she would save him the trouble of searching. She turned around and grabbed all the necessary items such as plates, utensils, napkins, the cutting board, and a bread knife, placing all the items in front of him on the counter. She looked up at him, noticing that he was taller than her by at least five or six inches since she was eye level with his left shoulder, and smirked at him.

"I would've found this stuff eventually," he informed her, looking into her oceanic eyes.

"Well, I just saved you from wasting about two minutes of your life looking for things," she shrugged."Consider it a favor."

"Well thank you oh generous one," he chuckled, rolling his eyes at her.

"You're welcome," she grinned cheekily before bouncing back towards the stove.

The song on the stereo changed to Shiny Toy Guns, something a little more upbeat than the previous tracks that boomed through the living room speakers. Jezebel felt her mood lifting with the poppy acoustic guitar accompanying the male voice singing of rainy Mondays, glad that she was shifting her emotions back to the positive. She bounced on the balls of her feet in front of the stove as she stirred the sauce and the pasta, quietly singing along to the song.

Craig heard her voice faintly against the background of the music, her voice right on point with the singer. He glanced over his shoulder at her and noticed that she was jauntily moving her body to the song as she sang, causing him to smile. It seemed like she was really enjoying herself as she danced and Craig loved that.

"So, I take it that this is one of your mixes?" he said unsurely, slicing the bread.

"What makes you so sure of that?" she asked.

"I highly doubt a guy like Gavin would listen to music heavily synthed like this," Craig replied.

"It could be Henderson's," she shrugged indifferently.

"As I recall, you told me he was a fan of indie music and this definitely isn't the kind of indie music I picture him listening to," he told her.

"And what exactly do you picture him listening to, considering you have nothing but an imaginary version of Henderson to picture in your mind?" she laughed, turning around and staring at his broad back as he continued slicing bread.

"Hmm, let's see," he said, pausing his actions and turning to face her, stroking his chin thoughtfully with his hand. "You know, I'm not really sure. I just imagine him on college campuses, watching the local bands performing their little heartfelt rock songs with cheap instruments and microphone feedback," he shrugged. "I'm not so familiar with the indie rock scene."

"Well, Henderson definitely listens to some bands that are out there but he also likes to listen to some contemporary music, mainly whatever's on the radio for him to listen to on drives home from work," she explained. "Some of his favorite bands are Vampire Weekend and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs."

"I'm familiar with The Yeah Yeah Yeahs," Craig said.

"Stuff like that is the stuff he likes," she smiled.

"Oh," Craig nodded. "Maybe one day I'll actually get to meet this mystery roommate of yours and I'll get a better read of him."

"Maybe," she said quietly, turning back to the stove.

Henderson was a touchy subject with Jezebel, mainly because she was so concerned with how he was holding up. He barely made it through his days at work and then when he got home, he'd check out by drinking whatever he could get his hands on and locking himself away from everyone else in his bedroom. It wasn't healthy and it frequently worried Jezebel because she had to make sure he was ok. She was the one that cleaned up his puke on the carpets the mornings he woke with a hangover. She was the one that poked her head in his room from time to time to check his pulse, making sure he was still breathing. He wasn't getting any better with his moods and he refused to seek treatment. It was hopeless.

Craig sighed quietly, knowing that speaking of her roommate was upsetting for whatever reason. He really had no idea what was going on aside from the little things she told him from time to time. It was rare that she mentioned anything about her life outside of the basics. He wanted to know more about her, maybe even help her if that was possible. Her eyes just screamed that she was suffering silently through something awful and he just wanted to make it stop for her. No one with such a spirit should have to deal with their pain alone.

"Well, dinner's just about ready," she said, stirring up the noodles in the pot.

"Good. I'll set the table then," Craig said, lifting the plates.

He carried all the plates and utensils to the small kitchen table near the sliding glass door. There were only four black chairs surrounding the mahogany table, just enough for the roommates and a guest to enjoy a meal. Since the table was square as opposed to rectangular, the sides were proportionate in width and length so Craig decided that sitting on opposite ends of the table would allow for conversation to flow easier rather than sitting beside one another. He set their places so the window was still visible to the both of them.

Jezebel drained the pasta through a metal strainer in the sink before grabbing a large serving dish to place it in. There was quite a lot of pasta and sauce to feed the couple thrice over but she knew that Gavin and Henderson would demolish the leftovers whenever they got home so she made sure to include them in her thoughts when she was cooking. Once the pasta was in the dish, she covered the noodles with spaghetti sauce and medium sized meatballs. The aroma of the tomato sauce was mouthwatering, especially since she was hungry from her ballet exercises earlier in the afternoon.

"So, are we sticking with beer for dinner?" Craig asked, wandering back into the kitchen for their beverages.

"Sure. I'm not too fussed," she replied, opening the fridge for the parmesan cheese.

She sprinkled a little bit of the cheese over the spaghetti sauce before putting it back into the fridge. Craig grabbed two more bottles of beer and the basket containing the sliced sourdough bread and carried it out to the table. Jezebel followed, carrying out the dish of pasta and placing it in the very center of the table. She took a seat, opening up her new bottle of beer and smiling at Craig, already seated across from her.

"So, bon appétit," she said with a shrug, offering Craig the pasta dish first.

"Thanks," he smiled, taking the serving utensils and forking some of the pasta and meatballs onto his plate.

She grabbed a few slices of bread and placed them on her plate, ripping off a tiny piece and popping the bread into her mouth. Craig held out the plate of pasta for Jezebel once he finished serving himself, which she gratefully accepted with a smile and small head nod. She shoveled some of the pasta and meatballs onto her plate before placing it back in the center of the table.

Craig twirled the noodles around his fork until he had a clean bite, raising the pasta to his mouth and shoveling it into his mouth. Jezebel watched him expectantly, waiting for some kind of reaction out of him whether it be repulsion or enjoyment. After a moment of chewing and swallowing the food, Craig's lips turned upwards into a smile, nodding his head with approval.

"This is really good," he said.

"Really?" she asked with brief shock.

"I have a feeling that I'll be coming here when touring ends to get my home-cooked meals," he chuckled.

"You say that like my kitchen is open to free meals," she replied with a fake glare. "Who says that I would be willing to do such a thing for you?"

"I do," he grinned in a child-like manner.

"Well, I'd be willing to share some of my Lucky Charms with you but that's it. I'm not a short-order chef," she laughed, taking a bite of spaghetti.

"Lucky Charms are fine with me," he smiled. "Actually, I happen to like Lucky Charms a lot."

"Good cuz that's the only brand of cereal we have in this house, aside from Gavin's disgusting Fruity Pebbles. I don't understand why he enjoys that brand of cereal so much," she said, making a face of disgust when she mentioned Gavin's favorite cereal.

"A lot of people would say the same about Lucky Charms just because of the marshmallows that are in it."

"They just don't know about the sugary goodness that comes from eating a bowl of marshmallows every morning."

Craig laughed at her response, shaking his head a bit. Jezebel couldn't help but smile at Craig's reaction, twirling her fork around in the pasta. She was grateful that she had the company on her lonely Friday night. At first, she was happy to have the house all to herself for a change until her mood started to shift downward into a negative spiral. Now that Craig was here, she was happy for the most part. He always brought out the bright sunshine on her cloudy days.

The pair continued to eat their dinner, chatting a bit about other food items they were both capable of cooking, Jezebel quite impressed that Craig was able to cook a multitude of meals for himself. Many of the men in her life were quite incapable of cooking anything for themselves so it was a nice change to discover that maybe she might get the opportunity to have meals cooked for her for a change. It seemed to her that she was growing fonder of Craig and his good-natured personality though she was unsure if it was because he was compensating for her lack of positivity.

Once dinner was finished, the two of them took the dirty dishes into the kitchen, Craig immediately getting to work and washing them off in the sink. Jezebel had protested, claiming that he was a guest and didn't have to do that but Craig countered the argument with his defense of enjoying the meal so much that she spent time making, the least he could do was help clean up the mess. Jezebel sighed in defeat, grabbing some plastic containers to put the remainder of the spaghetti in before handing the dirty dish off to Craig in the sink. She put the plastic container of leftovers into the fridge and put the rest of the sliced bread in a large plastic bag to maintain freshness.

"So, now that the dirty work is done," Craig started, drying his hands wish a dish towel, "you said something on the phone about Disney films, correct?"

"I did but we honestly don't have to watch them," she said, walking out towards the living room.

"Nonsense. It's been a while since I've seen some Disney. It'll be like reliving childhood," he smiled.

"Alright," she nodded. "Since you're guest, you get to choose the first Disney movie then."

Craig walked over to the DVD collection, looking over the different titles that were lined up in rows on the shelves. It seemed that Jezebel had quite a few Disney films, all of them stacked next to each other. Finally, Craig settled on 'Aladdin', pulling out the DVD case from the pile and handing the disk to Jezebel, who was kneeling down near the player. Craig walked over to the couch, grabbing the navy blue blanket from the back of the sofa and putting it around his shoulders before taking a seat, making himself toasty warm.

Jezebel had put the DVD in and flipped the light switch, making the room completely dark aside from the dim glow of the medium sized television against the back wall. She walked toward the couch, standing near Craig and glaring at him. Craig just smiled innocently at her, his grin spreading wider across his face when she crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot on the hardwood floor.

"Yes?" he inquired curiously.

"What do you think you're doing with that blanket?" she asked seriously.

"Making myself warm," he replied simply, watching the screen for the previews.

"That was my blanket," she huffed.

"Just grab another one," he shrugged, enjoying the cute expression on her face from her annoyance with him.

"But I don't wanna! It's all the way upstairs and I'm too lazy," she said dramatically falling onto the couch next to him, her head in his lap so she was looking up at his face. She grabbed the ends of the blankets, pulling it around her shoulders and making her body shiver for effect, "So cold," she said weakly.

Craig laughed at her antics, shaking his head at how awful her acting was and sighed with defeat. He pushed her up so she was sitting on the couch and then stood, unwrapping the blanket from his shoulders and taking a seat beside her once again. He spread the blanket out so it was covering both of their bodies up to their necks, clutching the end of the blanket that barely covered his right shoulder.

"What're you doing?" she asked as he scooted closer.

"Sharing the blanket," he replied. "In order to do that and stay warm, we need to be a little closer to each other."

She her mouth formed into an inaudible 'Oh' shape, slowly nodding her head once in understanding of what he was doing. She moved closer to him as well, both of their arms touching as they sat side by side underneath the blanket. She pulled her knees up to her chest, arms wrapped around them as she kept a firm grip of her end of the blanket in her left hand so it would stay wrapped around her.

Craig reached over to the table, grabbing the remote and handing it to Jezebel, trying to distract himself from the enjoyment of their limbs touching one another underneath eh blanket. Craig couldn't deny his desire to wrap his arms around her and pull her to his chest so he could just hold her close while the movie watched but he fought the temptation, not wanting to cause weird tension by a possible unwanted gesture. His fear of rejection heavily influenced his decision to stay right where he was without trying to get her closer to him.

The movie began not long after they made themselves comfortable. There was a slight tension between them that neither of them could really explain. Jezebel didn't understand why but she felt inclined to get as close to Craig as possible. She thought that it had something to do with the fact that his presence was always so comforting. She wasn't willing to admit anything more than that, especially why the way her heart sped up the moment Craig wrapped the blanket around the both of them. Romantic feelings were foreign to her for the most part. She never really dated much in high school or currently, aside from a few serious relationships in the past but when it came to experiencing such feelings for someone new, she never knew how to process them. She did what she normally did, which was shove them away so they wouldn't be an issue.

If it was anyone else, she would have no problems pushing aside her feelings and getting over it so they wouldn't affect the friendship that was forming but because it was Craig, it was just so hard to do that. She couldn't explain why he was so special to her but she also wanted to find out. Times like this required someone to talk to about such issues but unfortunately for her, she no longer had that.

Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she just focused on the screen before her, watching Jasmine and Aladdin riding around on the magic carpet through the night sky, singing about discovering a new world with one another. That's exactly what it felt like with Craig. She thought that spending time with him was opening up this whole other reality she wasn't aware of until now. This was the kind of experience Henderson always talked about, which she never understood until she started watching this Disney film at this particular moment. Craig was her Aladdin, trying his best to open her up and enjoy the world around her. She really liked this notion.

"You know," Craig said, pausing a moment to look down at Jezebel, "this has to be one of my favorite Disney movies."

"Really?" she asked with a smile. "Why's that?"

"It just seems to have everything incorporated into it: comedy, romance, friendship, adventure, excitement, and an excellent array of musical numbers," he said with a chuckle. "Besides, I admire the fact that this Disney princess is headstrong and capable of doing things for herself. Too often, Disney tends to make the princesses too helpless and uninvolved in the stories for my liking," he explained.

"That's why I like Belle from 'Beauty and the Beast'. She's not interested in anyone else's opinions about her and she's an avid reader," Jezebel smiled. "I like to think that sometimes, Belle and I are the same person."

"Well, you two do have a lot in common," Craig mused, scratching the top of his head. "Tell me, do you often fall in love with beasts the ways she does?"

She laughed, shaking her head, "Not that I know of. I don't think I've honestly ever been in love before. I mean, I love Henderson and Gavin but that's more of a sibling kind of affection I hold for them. Love is something that's never really come up in my life," she said thoughtfully.

"I find that really hard to believe," he replied.

"Why's that?" she inquired curiously.

"I would've thought someone as amazing as you would've found someone that makes you happy. I mean, you're intelligent, funny, extremely kind, a very talented dancer, and on top of all that, you're completely gorgeous. I guess I'm saying that it wouldn't take that much for someone to fall in love with you," he explained, a slight blush creeping on his cheeks from his indirect admission.

She also blushed at the flattery in his previous statement. Jezebel was never the type of girl that received many compliments growing up, especially since her parents were the type of people that felt the need to point out all her flaws rather than the attributes. Hearing people complimenting her and offering such terms of endearment was also foreign to her. She was never really sure how to respond to such compliments.

"Well that's not really the problem, is it?" she asked after a moment of silence. "It's more of a matter of me falling in love with that person as well. I've never even been close to that. I guess I haven't found that special someone, as cliché as that sounds."

Craig couldn't help but smile for a moment at her cliché statement, finding some kind of unexplainable joy that she had yet to experience such happiness with someone else. He hoped that maybe she'd be able to give him a shot at making her happy. He wasn't lying to her when he said that it was easy to fall in love with her because it was; he found himself growing more attached by the second but he also didn't want to risk their newfound relationship on his emotions, especially when his emotions have led him into many horrible experiences in the past. He wanted to wait until that defining moment where everything felt right. He wanted to make sure that if he was to be rejected, he could handle it.

Suddenly, there was a loud commotion outside before the door was thrown open, nearly putting a hole in the wall from the force. Jezebel and Craig both looked towards the source of all the noise, watching a darkened silhouette swaying back and forth unsteadily in the doorway. Jezebel knew right away who it was and cursed under her breath. Craig was straining to get a better look at the stranger in order to gage whether or not he would have to protect Jezebel from an unwanted intruder.

"-it now, here he come! And he doesn't look a thing like Jesus but he talks like a gentleman, like you imagine when you were young!" a male voice sang loudly, slightly slurring his words together as he walked further into the house.

Stumbling over his own feet, he tripped and fell face first onto the ground, laughing hysterically as he landed. There was a loud clanking noise as the bottle of Jamison clutched in his left hand hit the ground as well, thankfully remaining intact rather than shattering.

"Shit," Jezebel muttered, throwing the blanket off her body quickly and rushing to the man's side.

"Jezzi baby! You're home!" the man squealed happily, raising the bottle to his lips for another drink.

"Damn it Henderson. You're supposed to be working late. What happened?" she asked, snatching the bottle of whiskey away from him.

Craig also stood, slowly making his way to the two of them. He took a good look at the man lying on the ground, his dark, curly hair slightly disheveled. His dark brown eyes were bloodshot, dark circles surrounding them like he had gotten into a fist fight. His bottom lip was also split with dried blood on the corner of his mouth, signaling that he was in an actual fist fight at some point during the evening. His red tie was loosely hanging from the neck of his half-untucked white collared shirt, a few drops of blood stained on the front of the shirt. His body radiated the smell of alcohol, a smell that nearly made Craig gag as he drew closer to them.

"I was at work!" he said in defense, trying to grab the bottle once again but struggling to make use of his limbs. "But some co-workers treated me to some drinks for happy hour!" he slurred.

"And what about this?" she asked, poking his injured lip.

"Dammit Jez! That fuckin' hurts!" he bellowed, pushing her hand away harshly.

"Just please tell me that you didn't drive home like this," she sighed, squeezing her eyes shut and trying to get a grip on her emotions.

"Who else was gonna take me home?" he asked seriously as she let out another audible sigh. Henderson glanced in front of him, taking notice of the unfamiliar blonde man standing awkwardly before him. "Who the fuck are you?"

Jezebel's eyes snapped open, suddenly remembering that she wasn't alone. Craig was still here and witness to her roommate's drunken display. She felt utterly embarrassed that these were the circumstances under which Craig would meet Henderson for the first time. She wished that she could've at least made Henderson a little more presentable rather than allow Craig to meet him when he was like this. She couldn't imagine the thoughts that were running through his head at the moment.

"I'm Craig," he replied simply.

"Oh, so you're the rock star that thinks he can just get into Jezzi's pants?" Henderson asked bluntly, trying to pick himself off the ground.

"Henderson!" Jezebel gasped angrily.

"I'm not trying to get into anyone's pants. I'm just a friend," Craig replied calmly, resisting the urge to punch him in the face.

"That's what they all say," Henderson scoffed. "But then someone always wants more, don't they? You just better not fuck her over or I'll kill you. I don't care who you are," Henderson slurred in a threatening tone.

He tried to stand but wound up crashing back onto the ground, unable to move due to his current state of intoxication. Jezebel knew from experience that she needed to get him upstairs into his room before he passed out in front of the door. She stood up beside him and grabbed his arm, trying to pull him off the ground enough so she could slip underneath his arm and help him walk up the stairs. He wouldn't budge though. He just kept groaning and mumbling incoherently in response.

"C'mon Henderson. We need to get you to bed," she said.

"Here, let me," Craig offered, taking hold of his other arm.

With little effort, Craig was able to get Henderson on his feet with his dead-weight of an arm slung around his neck in order to keep them balanced. Jezebel shut the front door and walked past with the bottle still in hand, glancing back and gesturing for Craig to follow her. He started following her, causing Henderson's feet to walk forward as well, dragging along the floor as they walked.

Jezebel reached the top of the stairs and opened up his bedroom door, flipping on the light and getting everything in the room situated for the next morning. She turned on the radio, adjusting the volume so Brand New could be heard softly through the air. She placed the bottle of Jamison on the nightstand, figuring he would probably finish it off in the morning to cure his hangover. She grabbed the wastebasket just as Craig helped settle him into his unmade bed, setting it beside him just in case he got sick and couldn't make it to the bathroom.

Craig stood back and watched as she took a seat on the bed, carefully slipping off his shoes and placing them near the foot of the bed. Henderson was nearly unconscious, his arm slung over his face to shield his eyes from the light. Then, she ran her fingers through his curls, whispering to him things that were completely inaudible to Craig. It amazed him the way she was with him, even after the way treated her when he got home. He could see, however, that she did not enjoy this aspect of her relationship with Henderson and this concerned him.

After a few moments, Henderson finally passed out, allowing Jezebel to retreat from his room. She signaled to Craig to flip the light, which he complied with, as they both walked out of the room. Once the door closed, Jezebel let out a big sigh, running her hands through her dark hair and glanced at Craig.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"Hey, there's no need to apologize," Craig said, placing his hand on her upper arm reassuringly. "He's kind of a mess right now, isn't he?"

"Yeah," she replied, looking to the ground. "I don't know what to do to snap him out of this phase though. All I can do is offer him support like this without pressuring him to get some help."

"At least you're here for him," Craig said. "That's all that matters."

Jezebel glanced up at Craig, taking in the sincerity that his eyes offered and desperately wanted any kind of comfort he was willing to offer. Before she could stop herself, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, catching him slightly off-guard at first. His body tensed at the sudden physical contact but quickly relaxed when he realized that she was hugging him. He didn't hesitate wrapping his arms around her and holding her the way she needed to be held.

Craig's emotions surged through him as they stood in the hallway, still wrapped around each other. He was desperately trying his best not to take any further actions that would only make the situation uncomfortable for the both of them. He wouldn't dare take advantage of Jezebel when she was in this kind of emotional state. He had better sense than that.

"Thank you Craig," she whispered.

"For what?" he asked, glancing down at her.

"For not running away when it got awkward and for sticking around afterwards," she replied, pulling away from him slightly. "I'm really sorry about Henderson. Usually he's not that hostile and rude."

"It's fine Jez. Don't stress. I'm sure I'll get to have a more civilized conversation with him when he's sober," he replied. He took a moment to look at her, noticing the pain shining out through her blue eyes and his heart ripping apart at the sight of it. He didn't like that she was hurting right now but also knew that it couldn't be helped. She would tell him eventually what was going on but until then, he had to rely on what was available. "So, should we go watch another movie?" he asked.

"Are you sure? If you want, you could go," she said unsurely.

Jezebel didn't want his sympathy. If Craig was offering to stay just because he felt sorry for her for whatever reason then she'd rather just deal with her emotions alone. Though, she couldn't deny the fact that watching another movie with him sounded completely wonderful. She liked the thought of being around him right now, especially after their upsetting interruption. Being close to him was the only thing that was keeping her from losing her mind at this point.

"If I wanted to leave, I would already be gone," he replied seriously. "I'm not gonna leave you now Jez so come on, let's get our Disney on," he smiled.

She let out a small laugh at his lame comment and nodded. He laced his fingers with hers, grasping her hand tightly as he led her down the stairs. She glanced at their entwined hands and realized that they were a perfect fit for each other, like jigsaw puzzle pieces. They were the perfect match. She couldn't help the tiny smile on her face as she thought about how her skin tingled underneath his warm touch and how her heart fluttered at the thought of how perfect they fit.

Craig led her to the couch, letting her take a seat while he went to change the DVD. He took out the copy of 'Aladdin' and placed it back in its rightful case, before grabbing the next movie selection. He took out the shiny disc and placed it in the player before rejoining her on the couch. Jezebel had the blanket draped over her lap, waiting patiently for Craig to return so she could share with him.

He took his seat once again and felt Jezebel scoot closer to him until she was leaning against the left side of his body, resting her head on his shoulder. He didn't expect her to move this close to him but he wasn't one to push her away either, especially when she wrapped an arm around his waist. He just reciprocated the actions by wrapping his arm around her shoulders so she was resting comfortably against him. He wrapped the blanket over the both of them so they would remain warm as the movie began to play.

Jezebel smiled when she heard the narration for 'Beauty and the Beast' begin, realizing that Craig had put in her favorite of the Disney movies she owned. She glanced up at him quickly, taking notice that he was already focused on the screen but with a small smile on his lips as he rubbed her arm soothingly. She just snuggled closer to him and let her eyes fall back onto the movie, letting out a small sigh in contentment.

Before the disturbance of her roommate coming home drunk, the evening had overall been great for both of them. Craig realized that his feelings for her weren't going to die down anytime soon and Jezebel was inches closer to admitting that she felt something more for him. It was only a matter of time before one of them made a move but the question remained, which would it be?