Silent Moments
The Sixth Chapter: Dawn and Stephen Talk
Stephen knocked on the door. “Dawn, you’ve been in there for hours! Are you going to come out any time soon?”
“I’d actually planned on staying in here, if you don’t mind.” It took a lot of skill not to let him know that I’d been crying.
“I do mind,” he said, and I rolled my eyes. “Look, Dawn, I didn’t mean to--” He stopped, and I was grateful. If he said that he didn’t mean to kiss me, I was probably going to break down again. I mean, seriously, it sucked that I had done it, but I sure didn’t want him to say it had been a mistake. “I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he resumed after a bit of silence.
Okay, I’m loath to admit that my heart kind of skipped when he said that. I couldn’t help it! It was just so sweet, and the way he said it was so cute, in this little tiny voice, like he was ashamed of himself.
Though now that I think about it, he was probably just feeling awkward about talking to a door.
But I was irrational at the time. How could I resist that tone? It wasn’t exactly an apology, but knowing Stephen (which I did), it was as good as I would ever get. So I reached up from my spot on the floor and unlocked the door, making sure that he could hear me do it. A second later the door opened, and there he stood. The power had clearly come back on during the hours that I had spent in my cave, because the light was shining in from behind him, making him glow, kind of ethereal-like. He would make a good Greek god, I decided at that moment, staring up at him.
And that was how I knew that I was in trouble.
Big trouble.
Because when a guy starts to get more attractive all of a sudden, it doesn’t bode well for the female--especially when said female can’t abstain from feeling up said guy. I almost shut the door in his face when I realised where my train of thought was headed--but then I’d have to explain it to him, and how embarrassing would that be?
“Does this mean you forgive me?” Stephen asked.
“Does this mean you’re apologising?” Hey, it couldn’t hurt to try.
“I said I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Just because you didn’t mean to do it doesn’t mean you’re sorry it happened.”
He sighed, and I could see how much it was going to kill him to admit it. “Yes, I’m sorry,” he ground out between his teeth.
I jumped up off the floor. “Well, okay, then. I guess I forgive you.”
I trounced past him, and he just kind of stood there in the doorway, his jaw on the floor for the second time that day. “Just like that?” he cried. “You’re not going to fight me on it, or sulk for another couple hours?”
“Why should I? I cooled off, you apologised, I pretended that I thought you meant it and forgave you, and that should be the end of it.”
“So... you’re not mad?” he inquired cautiously.
“Why should I be? It’s not like I even made an attempt to push you off.”
He sighed. “I’ve officially met the only rational woman on the planet. Well, except for that whole storm thing. So why did you lock yourself in the bathroom, if you’re not angry?”
“Hello? I just made out with you. And last I checked you are not my boyfriend.”
“Okay, first of all, that wasn’t an answer. And, two, that wasn’t making out. Besides, what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him right?”
“That’s a horrible thing to say!”
“And we’re back to irrational,” he groaned. “Why is it so terrible? We’ve got cabin fever, and we kissed. It isn’t a big deal, and it isn’t worth destroying your relationship over.”
He was wrong. It was a big deal. But I was starting to think that maybe it was also a reason to leave Carl. I mean, if I couldn’t even contain my own hormones long enough to stop kissing a total stranger, what hope did Carl and I have as a couple?
“Cabin fever,” I muttered, disgusted both with myself and with the situation. “I think this is a little more than cabin fever, as much as I hate to say it.”
“Meaning…?”
I glared at him. He knew perfectly well what I meant: I could see it in the arch of that hellish eyebrow. “Meaning,” I snapped, “that I’m ashamed of doing it, but that I don’t think it was a mistake.”
My cheeks, I was sure, were going to be permanently stained red by the time we got out of Tiny Tots.
“I’d actually planned on staying in here, if you don’t mind.” It took a lot of skill not to let him know that I’d been crying.
“I do mind,” he said, and I rolled my eyes. “Look, Dawn, I didn’t mean to--” He stopped, and I was grateful. If he said that he didn’t mean to kiss me, I was probably going to break down again. I mean, seriously, it sucked that I had done it, but I sure didn’t want him to say it had been a mistake. “I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he resumed after a bit of silence.
Okay, I’m loath to admit that my heart kind of skipped when he said that. I couldn’t help it! It was just so sweet, and the way he said it was so cute, in this little tiny voice, like he was ashamed of himself.
Though now that I think about it, he was probably just feeling awkward about talking to a door.
But I was irrational at the time. How could I resist that tone? It wasn’t exactly an apology, but knowing Stephen (which I did), it was as good as I would ever get. So I reached up from my spot on the floor and unlocked the door, making sure that he could hear me do it. A second later the door opened, and there he stood. The power had clearly come back on during the hours that I had spent in my cave, because the light was shining in from behind him, making him glow, kind of ethereal-like. He would make a good Greek god, I decided at that moment, staring up at him.
And that was how I knew that I was in trouble.
Big trouble.
Because when a guy starts to get more attractive all of a sudden, it doesn’t bode well for the female--especially when said female can’t abstain from feeling up said guy. I almost shut the door in his face when I realised where my train of thought was headed--but then I’d have to explain it to him, and how embarrassing would that be?
“Does this mean you forgive me?” Stephen asked.
“Does this mean you’re apologising?” Hey, it couldn’t hurt to try.
“I said I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Just because you didn’t mean to do it doesn’t mean you’re sorry it happened.”
He sighed, and I could see how much it was going to kill him to admit it. “Yes, I’m sorry,” he ground out between his teeth.
I jumped up off the floor. “Well, okay, then. I guess I forgive you.”
I trounced past him, and he just kind of stood there in the doorway, his jaw on the floor for the second time that day. “Just like that?” he cried. “You’re not going to fight me on it, or sulk for another couple hours?”
“Why should I? I cooled off, you apologised, I pretended that I thought you meant it and forgave you, and that should be the end of it.”
“So... you’re not mad?” he inquired cautiously.
“Why should I be? It’s not like I even made an attempt to push you off.”
He sighed. “I’ve officially met the only rational woman on the planet. Well, except for that whole storm thing. So why did you lock yourself in the bathroom, if you’re not angry?”
“Hello? I just made out with you. And last I checked you are not my boyfriend.”
“Okay, first of all, that wasn’t an answer. And, two, that wasn’t making out. Besides, what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him right?”
“That’s a horrible thing to say!”
“And we’re back to irrational,” he groaned. “Why is it so terrible? We’ve got cabin fever, and we kissed. It isn’t a big deal, and it isn’t worth destroying your relationship over.”
He was wrong. It was a big deal. But I was starting to think that maybe it was also a reason to leave Carl. I mean, if I couldn’t even contain my own hormones long enough to stop kissing a total stranger, what hope did Carl and I have as a couple?
“Cabin fever,” I muttered, disgusted both with myself and with the situation. “I think this is a little more than cabin fever, as much as I hate to say it.”
“Meaning…?”
I glared at him. He knew perfectly well what I meant: I could see it in the arch of that hellish eyebrow. “Meaning,” I snapped, “that I’m ashamed of doing it, but that I don’t think it was a mistake.”
My cheeks, I was sure, were going to be permanently stained red by the time we got out of Tiny Tots.
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The next one will probably be the last part of the story. Comments are appreciated!