Ever Since You Walked Into My Life

Norman gently ran the tip of his brush along the wall in swift strokes, allowing it to have a more layered look to his painting. He had been working tirelessly at finishing his canvas on the long wall seperating his living room from his bedroom. Ever since he had been given some time off of shooting his new hit series The Walking Dead, he was able to reconnect with his son and work further on his attention needing works of art.

He dropped his brush down on a plate of colours and gave the outline of his upcoming art a good look. It was coming along much better than he expected, being that he didn't have to paint over multiple mistakes. He ran a hand along his chin and felt a small smile working its way onto his lips. He dug his hand into his front pocket and pulled out his cigarettes, eager to light one before something came up. He plucked it here and there from his lips and enjoyed the small burn it offered.

He walked toward his kitchen and hummed quietly to himself. Mingus was currently at school, so having the house to himself let his concentration grow more. He pried open the fridge door and stuck an arm in, making sure to dodge his sons juice boxes and snacks. He wrapped his fingers around the neck of a Coors Light and pulled it from the fridge. He turned, kicking the door shut and popping the top on his island counter. He stole a few swigs of the beer and drags of his cigarette before leaning against the island counter.

Norman had been doing a lot of thinking the past few days, especially knowing that his shooting scheduele for The Walking Dead would be coming along shortly. He hated dropping Mingus off at his Mother's for more than a few days, simply because Norman's mom were a little old fashioned. He had no video games or friends in that area that he could possibly hang out with. Norman ran a free hand over his face and sighed in annoyance.

He had the decency of meeting Mingus' new friend Sammi, and her catchy sister. He couldn't exactly specify what had dragged him into wanting to catch a few conversations with her, but he followed that urge. She was a beautiful woman, he'd give her that, but she was certainly tiny. Norman specifically liked more curvy women, but Rascal seemed to catch his eye. It could be that she didn't throw herself on him because of who he was.

Norman took a few last drags of his cigarette before stubbing it out in one of his many ash trays. He sipped lightly from his beer and looked up at the clock on the wall. He nearly choked on the liquid when he saw that it was just slightly passed three. He was almost twenty minutes late getting his son. Norman quickly fumbled through his home before grabbing his keys. He jogged out to his old Dodge Pickup, given willfully to him by the creaters of his new show, and revved it to life.

His trip to the large elementary school was short as he pulled up along the side. He jumped from the heated car and into the cool wind of the autumn season. He shivered slightly as he jogged toward the front of the school. He came to a slow stop when he found Rascal, Sammi and Mingus sitting to the side and laughing. Norman felt his heart give way, knowing that his son didn't have to sit alone at his school for too long. He had Rascal and Sammi to keep him company.

Rascal looked up from underneath a small hat and gave him a warm smile. Norman waved shyly in their direction before Mingus and Sammi looked up at him. Mingus' smile quickly faded, however, and he furrowed his eyebrows in anger at his father. Norman chuckled quietly to himself, because he knew that Mingus was going to reem him out for being so late. Mingus stood and pulled his backpack over his shoulder. He looked up at Norman and asked, "What took you so long?"

"Sorry, buddy."Norman bit back an oncoming smile."I didn't realize what time it was."

Rascal and Sammi stood before making their way toward the two. Rascal, who's arms were crossed tightly around her chest, gave him a small smile. She gave Mingus a small nod and said, "I saw him when I walked up to get Sammi. I didn't want him alone at the school, being so little and all."

"I'm not little."Mingus frowned.

"Thankyou so much, Rascal."Norman said softly."I didn't realize what time it was or I would have been here on time."

"It's no problem."She chuckled lightly."Honestly, I have nowhere to be now anyway."

Norman placed a hand on Mingus' shoulder and sighed quietly. He would have mentally beat himself down if he knew that Mingus was sitting at school alone. Even though the town was small, it didn't mean that he was perfectly safe. He could feel the awkward tension growing in between the two groups, so he looked up and into those strikingly blue eyes Rascal had. With a small shrug, he offered, "Wanna get a cup of coffee? I was gonna take Mingus for some hot chocolate."

"You were?"Norman squeezed his son's shoulder lightly and tried to keep his nervous smile from becoming noticeable.

"Yeah, I was."Rascal's cheeks flushed a bright pink, so Norman knew she didn't get asked to do anything much.

"I can't do that, Norman."She said softly.

"Come on. You don't have anywhere to go anyway."He winked.

Rascal chuckled quietly and with a few moments of silence, accepted the invitation. They made their way toward Norman's newest ride and watched as the kids climbed into the small backseat. Norman held onto the passenger door and waited as Rascal climbed into the passenger's seat. He was a little shocked that she showed absolutely no disgusting features at the look of his car. Some of the women Norman had showed the ride too would turn him down.

Rascal went to reach for her door, but he gently shut it behind her. He could see the shade of red as he walked around to the driver's side. He hopped in and set the heat on high, mainly because he could see how cold Rascal was. He looked up when she saw, "I guess chivalry isn't dead, huh?"

"I try."He laughed quietly.

"That was sweet of you."She said."Thankyou."

Norman sparked the car to life before making the way toward Dunkin Donuts. He could hear Mingus and Sammi talk continuously throughout the whole ride. Mingus was a little too excited about telling the girls about his recent trick on the teacher, but Norman was unable to scold him for doing so. No matter how many times he tries to explain to Mingus that being on his best behaviour is more appropriate, he ends up laughing and high fiving him.

Mingus is a spitting replica of Norman when he was younger, which slightly scared him some. He wasn't used to dealing with himself as a child, but his mom was right when she said he'd get his when he was older. Norman pulled into the parking lot and stepped out, allowing Mingus and Sammi to jump from the back. They walked to the front doors and he pulled it open for the three of them. He earned a shy smile from Rascal as they neared the counter.

The woman behind it waved at Norman and Mingus and disappeared to make their drinks. They were regulars, so they automatically had their drinks coming by the time they stepped into the store. Norman looked down at Sammi and asked, "What do you want, Sammi?"

She turned her eyes on Rascal, who seemed to be chewing nervously on her bottom lip. He gave a quick smile and said, "Don't ask your sister for permission. I'm buying you whatever you want to eat or drink."

"Um,"Mingus reached up for his hot chocolate and looked back at Sammi."a hot chocolate? Please?"

"You got it."He turned his attention on Rascal, who quickly waved a hand in his direction.

"I'm alright, thanks."She chuckled lightly.

"Aw, you have to get something."He said softly."If you don't pick something, I'll just get you a coffee and take a wild guess at how you like it."

Rascal's blue eyes turned toward the menu's and she let her shoulders slump in defeat. Norman laughed quietly and asked, "What will it be, Rascal?"

"I guess a coffee. Light and sweet with cream."She said."Sma - "

"Make it the same size as mine."Norman winked.

He didn't understand why Rascal was so nervous around him, but in an odd way, he liked it. Unlike other women he's known or met, he had to push through Rascal to see what she was really like. She was different, to say the least. Norman payed for the drinks and made his way toward one of the tables in the corner. Sammi and Mingus were playing on one of the farther tables, which gave Norman a chance to get to know Rascal.

He sat down at the table and rested his elbows against it. Rascal crossed her legs and said, "Thankyou, Norman. You didn't have to do that."

"No problem."He smiled."It's my thankyou for making sure Mingus was alright."

"That is no problem."She smiled."I would hate to see something happen to him because you were running late."

"Yeah,"He scratched at the back of his head and chuckled lightly."I get lost in my own world sometimes when I'm painting."

"Painting?"Rascal tilted her head slightly, but Norman couldn't help but watch that smirk come crawling along her thick lips."What are you making?"

"It's,"Norman chuckled lightly and shook his head."It's nothing."

"It can't be nothing."Rascal giggled quietly.

"It's a little, um, weird."He admitted through gritted teeth.

He stole a swig of his coffee as Rascal licked over her dry lips. She rested her chin in her hand and said, "Well, try me. I don't find much that weird, Norman."

"It's just an out line right now."He said."But when I'm done it's going to be a replica of zombies from The Walking Dead."

"Zombies?"Norman felt a tinge of worry strike through him, until that beautiful smile began to grow once more."I love zombies. I've never heard of The Walking Dead before, though."

"You watch AMC?"He asked.

Rascal shook her head and said, "No, I don't do cable. It's a little pricey. The last zombie movie I've seen was Night Of The Living Dead."

"Original or remake?"Norman questioned.

"Original all the way."Rascal laughed.

"If you want,"Norman fidgeted slightly in his seat.

He didn't want to push anything on Rascal, especially since she seemed so distant from a lot of people. He wanted to slowly get to know her, because something about that red headed woman struck him as interesting. She wasn't someone who wanted to know one of his characters from the dozens of movies he's managed to snag a role in. She was simply interested in him, which was all he could ask for. Rascal sat back in her seat, coffee in hand and asked, "What is it?"

"Maybe this weekend while the kids are off, we can have a good old fashioned movie night."Norman's nervous smiled forced a few chuckles from Rascal, but the shaking of her head took him off guard slightly.

"I'm working this weekend."She frowned.

"Friday night?"Rascal tapped a finger to her chin, as if debating on creating a new excuse or accepting his new invitation.

Norman was secretly crossing his fingers under the table, hoping Rascal would take the time to get to know him as a person. Rascal seemed a little off with other people, which he wanted to know about. She was a pretty young woman who nabbed Norman's attention when he wasn't expecting to give it. Norman jumped slightly, however, when Rascal replied with, "I think I can do that."

Their conversation was cut short, however, when Mingus and Sammi interrupted them. After assuring the kids they would be leaving soon, Norman turned toward Rascal with a smile. Sweetly, he said, "I'm going to get the sickest zombies films ever made. You'll see how much cooler they've gotten since Night Of The Living Dead."

Rascal stood from her seat and said, "I look forward to it, Norman."