The Movies Make It Look Easy

Chapter 35

Shannon's P.O.V:

When we finished eating, the rest of my family slowly drifted away from the table.
My mother began to clean up, dad went back outside and both Adrian and Ryan sauntered out of the room, until Nick and I were left sitting slumped in our chairs.
I laid my head down on the table and groaned.
Nick sat back and clutched his stomach, 'why can't you cook like that?'
I poked him, 'I'm a good cook' I said, 'I just choose not to use my vast range of skills most of the time'
He smiled feebly, 'It's probably a good thing, we'd both be rolling in and out of the apartment if we ate like this all the time'.
My mother had continued to fill his bowl and hand him fresh slices of bread, saying he was a "growing boy" - whatever.
'You two, out!' my mother's voice roused me from my thoughts.
I raised my head to see her making shooing motions at us from across the room, 'I need to clean'
I managed to pull myself with great difficulty out of the chair.
Swinging my hair over one shoulder, I grasped Nick's hands and helped him stand. He looked faintly green and I couldn't help but smile - my mother liked to feed people and the rest of us had learned the beauty of the word "no", so she tended to pounce on unsuspecting visitors like Nick - no wonder Adrian had said that we didn't get visitors often, I thought with a slight chuckle.

I led him back out the door into the hall, both of his hands still in mine behind my back as we made our way to the stairs.
'If I ever become like my mother, you have to shoot me' I told him over my shoulder.
'You think we'll still know each other?' he asked.
I was silent. Did I think I'd still know him? I hoped so.
I just awkwardly shrugged as best I could with my hands stretched out behind me.
'I don't know' I told him honestly, 'but if we do, you have to shoot me, promise?'
He chuckled as we reached the bottom of the stairs and we both looked up.
I grimaced, the stairs had never seemed so endless.
'Your mum's lovely' he said and I sighed as I tugged my hands forward, jerking him closer to me as we began the trek up the stairs.
'You've gone over to the dark side already, shame on you'
He laughed, 'she fed me'
'Oh yes' I sighed, 'the way to a man's heart, there's no way I can compete'
He was silent.

We finally made it to the top of the stairs.
Adrian's bedroom door stood straight ahead and I pulled Nick to the right, down the hall; past a bathroom on the left, Ryan's room beyond and my parent's room on the right. The walls were painted an off white and beneath our feet was a long rug covering the polished wooden floor beneath it.
My room was at the end of the hall. I let go of Nick's hands to open the door.
I immediately walked to the bed and collapsed face-first onto it, moving only to pull the small stack of towels my mother had left neatly in the centre of my bed, out from under me. I heard the door click shut and I rolled over onto my back.
Nick was standing just inside the door with his hands shoved in his pockets as he looked around him. I sat up and pulled one leg beneath me.

Directly opposite the door where Nick stood was a big bay window with a view over the fields to the barn and the hills beyond. A mound of pillows was piled onto the window seat. To the right stood two doors - one went into the bathroom and the other led to a small wardrobe. My double bed lay along the left wall and a table and chair sat pressed against the wall opposite the foot of the bed. It was cluttered with bits and pieces - books, random sheets of paper and old art supplies. The walls were painted a cream colour and there was a plush golden carpet on the floor. There was a skylight where light streamed in, brightening the room. The walls around the room were dotted with artwork and pictures of my family, my friends and quite a lot of Conor, I noticed.
Nick scrutinised my pictures with a carefully blank look on his face. I got up to go to the bathroom while he was looking at all my artwork. When I came out, he'd taken up residence on my bed - his arms were behind his head and his eyes were closed.
I skipped over to the bed and climbed over him so I was sitting with my back against the wall, one leg curled underneath me, the other lying across his stomach.
'I like your room'
'Thanks' I said absently as I picked at my nail polish.
'What do you want to do today?'
'I don't think I can move anytime soon to be honest'
I smiled, 'I agree, we should have a rest day today. I'll show you around the rest of the house later'
Nick grunted and I took that to mean he was agreeing with me.

A knock on the door woke me.
'What?' I called groggily.
'Foods ready, get your ass downstairs' Ryan's voice yelled before I heard him stomping towards the stairs.
Nick slowly started to wake beside me. He was still lying on his back but his hands were loosely by his sides. I was curled up in a ball a few inches away from him.
I glanced at the clock beside the bed as I sat up and stretched. It read 19:00 in bright red letters...ugh seven, I thought. We'd slept for around two hours.
Nick blinked owlishly at me as I climbed over him again to get off the bed.
'What's happening?' he asked as he rubbed his eyes vigorously.
'Dinner's ready' I told him as I gathered all of my hair into a loose ponytail.
He sat up, swinging his legs off the bed, 'you mean we have to eat again?' he looked aghast at the idea.
I laughed, 'just say no when you're offered seconds...and thirds, we all do'
'Easier said than done' he sighed, 'I feel like I'll offend your mum if I don't take second helpings'
I rolled my eyes, patting his arm when he came to stand beside me.
'It's okay, I'll protect you'
He put his hand over his heart, 'you truly are my knight in shining armour' he mocked.
I pouted, 'that's supposed to be my line' my face brightened,
'But you have to admit, I'd look good great in armour' I laughed, twirling around.
He just snorted and headed for the door. I pouted again as he opened the door and walked into the hall.

When we made it to the kitchen, everyone was already sitting around the table. We sat down and I began to spoon Carbonara onto our plates from the bowl in the centre of the table.
'So what are you kids going to do tomorrow?' dad asked, eyeing Nick and I as he ate.
I glanced at Nick and shrugged, 'haven't decided, the girls wanna meet up but I think I'll wait 'til after Christmas'
Dad nodded, 'it'll be good for you to see them again'
I glanced at Nick again and grinned, 'I told Kylie and Holly that you're here and they're very excited to meet you'
'They're your best friends right?' I nodded as I swallowed.
He looked thoughtful, 'Mark wouldn't be happy to here you say that'
'Who's Mark? Ryan butted in, looking at us suspiciously.
'Our boyfriend' I said calmly as I got up to refill the water pitcher.
Nick snorted with laughter. Ryan turned in his seat to face me as I stood at the tap.
'Our boyfriend?' he asked in confusion.
'That's what I said' I confirmed.
I returned to the table, filling everyone's glasses before sitting down again and twirling pasta onto my fork. I noticed that everyone except Nick was staring at me - he was busy trying to hide his grin by stuffing his mouth full of food.
'Well go on dear, I think we all want to know what you meant by "our boyfriend"' my mother coaxed.
I shrugged, waving my fork on the air slightly.
'Doesn't matter, it's a long story' I said, spearing a couple of pieces of bacon and popping them in my mouth.
'We've got time' Ryan said.
'Ye who's Mark?' Adrian asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion - he had his protective moments too - while my parents looked on in silence.
Sighing, I explained who Mark was and what he'd said as we were leaving earlier. Nobody spoke when I'd finished and I went back to eating.
'You two are weird' Ryan said eventually with a shrug as he too dug into his food.
The rest of the meal passed quickly, the silence filled with idle chatter.

When we stood to leave, instead of heading back the way we'd come, through the hall, I went right, past the island and through the arch into the dining room.
The room was painted a deep red and a huge mahogany table dominated the floor. There were twelve matching mahogany chairs around it - one at either end and five on either side.
I didn't have to look up to know that Nick had followed me and was standing behind and slightly to the right of me - though no part of us touched.
Most of the house had wooden floors, except for the kitchen which had warm terracotta coloured tiles and the living room and bedrooms which were carpeted. Like the upstairs hallway, the foyer had a giant square rug which took up most of the floor and the short hall leading to the kitchen had a runner down the length of it. Everyone became grateful of those rugs in winter when the house could get icily cold if the heating wasn't on.
I stepped forward, walking down the length of the table with one arm outstretched over the backs of the chairs while I trailed one finger along the glossy surface of the table. When I reached the end, I turned back to face Nick who was still standing in the kitchen doorway, framed by the warm light spilling from the room and casting his face into relative shadow.
'This is the dining room' I said unnecessarily as I spread my arms wide.
Behind me stood an old dresser with glass-fronted cabinets which displayed an array of china. In the corner to my right stood a small table and taking up a good portion of the right wall was a giant window which looked out over the - now dark - gardens. On either side of the window was a floor length, flower-patterned drape pulled back by a tasseled sash. All the ceilings downstairs were whitewashed with dark wooden beams crisscrossing them - a feature from the old farmhouse. In the centre was a small, understated chandelier and dotted around the rest of the ceiling were small spotlights which could be dimmed.
'Is this where we'll be eating Christmas dinner?' Nick asked.
I nodded and walked towards the arch that led to the living room.

'This is the living room' I said as I led the way.
This room was painted a pale emerald green and had the same lights as in the dining room - the chandelier and the spotlights. Straight ahead was a bay window looking over the driveway. There was a window seat with a long green cushion to match the walls. There were white curtains framing the window with intricate green designs on them. In the centre of the left wall was a large fireplace set into the wall with an ornate iron grill in front of it and a wide mantelpiece above which was cluttered with photos.
In the corner, immediately to my left was a big flatscreen TV, DVD player, VCR and stacks of DVDs and videos. Beside it was a tall bookcase stuffed with a random mix of books - some so old the pages had started to yellow, while others still had a price tag on them.
To the right, in the corner was a big, worn armchair and beside it was a long, equally worn couch. Next to the window was an old wicker rocking chair which had been around for years. It was lined with cushions and curled up on the seat was a tabby cat.
I approached the chair and crouched down, scratching the cat behind her ears.
She opened her eyes a slit and twitched her black-tipped ears in pleasure before going back to sleep. I stood again.
'You have a cat?' Nick asked.
I rolled my eyes, 'we have more than one - this is Miffy' I gestured at the furry ball beside me.
'Isn't Miffy some rabbit from a children's book?'
I grinned, surprised he recognised the name.
'Yup' I said reaching down to pet her quickly before heading for the door that stood between the couch and the rocking chair.
'She usually hates strangers, I'm surprised she didn't run away from you the moment she smelled you' I glanced at him thoughtfully before I stepped into the foyer, turning my head slightly so I could still talk to him.
'There's also Gobb and Princess'
'Gobb and Princess?' he asked.
'Gobb is short for Gobbalino - it's from the book "Gobbalino the witch's cat", mum used to read it to us when we were younger, and Princess...well, she's a princess' I finished as I came to a stop in the middle of the foyer.
The lights were turned off but a yellowish glow flooded in the narrow vertical windows which were on either side of the front doors from the lantern lights on each side of the windows outside.
I pointed to a small door beneath the stairs, 'that's the coat closet and' I pointed to the hallway to our right, 'the first door on the left is a bathroom and the second is the utility room. That there is the study' I said pointing to the room directly in front of us.
I thought for a moment, 'I think that's everything. I'll show you the garden and stuff tomorrow or something'
I began to walk to the stairs,
'Your house is really nice' Nick said from beside me as we began to climb.
I smiled at him, 'thanks'

The rest of the short journey to my room was taken in silence.
As soon as I walked into the room, I went to pick up the towels I'd unceremoniously dumped on the floor beside my bed earlier.
'Dibs the shower first' I said as I went to get a pair of pyjamas.
I glanced at Nick to see him rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. I stopped.
'What?' I asked, fidgeting - I was dying for a shower.
He had trouble meeting my eyes, 'where am I sleeping?'
I glanced in confusion to where both of our suitcases were sitting beside each other in the centre of the room before I stopped fidgeting and regarded him silently for a moment.
'You have three options' I told him, raising three of my fingers.
'One; the couch downstairs' I lowered one finger while he watched me.
'Two; the floor in here' I continued, lowering another finger.
'Three; you sleep in my bed with me' I lowered my last finger.
He gestured vaguely at the floor, 'if you give me a blanket...' he trailed off lamely.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed audibly.
'I was only giving you options to be polite Nick, you're sleeping in my bed' I pointed imperiously at the bed in question.
He just stared at me. I shook my head as I resumed the hunt for my pyjamas.
'We're not fourteen Nick, we're capable of sharing a bed' I said when I'd found what I was looking for.
I stepped into the bathroom and turned to face him. He still stood staring at me.
'And if I'm not mistaken, we slept together on the couch once and I'm pretty sure there's a lot more room in my bed than one tiny couch' I winked, grinning, before closing the door on his shocked face.
'Suck it up!' I called through the door before I proceeded to strip off my clothes, chuckling.

I thought about him while I washed my hair. Who'd have thought Nick would go all shy on me at the thought of sharing a bed, I thought with a small giggle.
When I was finished and I was in my pyjamas and had toweled my hair until it was only damp, I exited the bathroom, dumping my dirty clothes in the hamper beside the door.
Nick rolled off the bed, 'about sleeping in your bed' he started as he fiddled with his fingers, 'won't your parents mind?'
I sighed again, reaching past him to grab his towel from my bed. I thrust it at him.
'Stop worrying. Now if you don't get in the shower, I'll make you sleep downstairs without a blanket or a pillow' I threatened before I gently shoved him towards the bathroom before I turned to retrieve my laptop.
I heard the door close as I crawled into bed, crawling over to the far side. I opened the laptop and began by checking my e-mails.

Twenty minutes later the bathroom door opened again and I glanced up to see Nick walking into the room. I looked back to the screen before doing a double take - I couldn't help it.
He was only wearing boxers. I'd seen him in boxers before, but this time...his skin was glistening slightly from the shower as he flicked off the light behind him and shut the door.
My eyes followed a drop of water as it slowly made its way down over his abs to disappear at the lip of his boxers.
I bit my lip slightly as he ran a hand through his dark hair.
I managed to tear my gaze away to stare unseeingly at the screen in front of me as that drop of water making a path slowly down his body replayed in my mind again and again....and again.
'Turn off the light would you?' I asked calmly as I managed to restart typing.
I was getting better at hiding my feelings, I realised.
The room was thrown into semi-darkness, the only light issuing from the computer and the lamp beside my bed.
When I was finished with the computer, I handed it to Nick - who'd joined me in the bed - to use.
'Thanks' he said succinctly before beginning to type.

I rolled onto my side so I was facing him.
I watched his profile and his changing expressions as he read whatever was on the screen.
When he was finished, he turned off the light and I sensed rather than saw him roll onto his side so he was facing me, with only six inches of space between us.

We lay in silence for a couple of minutes before we slowly drifted off to sleep.