You Had Me at "I Hate You"
11
The next morning, Jesse had to go to an early class. I was still off from work on vacation, and Linc... Well, Linc never really does anything.
So it was just the two of us... Alone.
We didn't speak to each other until about noon.
"Uh... Violet?" Linc asked hesitantly.
"Yeah?" I replied, avoiding his eyes.
"About last night..."
I groaned in embarrassment.
"Look... I'm sorry," he finally blurted.
"Yeah... We got kind of carried away, didn't we?" I asked, laughing a bit.
He mustered a smile. "I... Uh... Well, I just want you to know that I was drunk. Really drunk. Um... Under normal circumstances... I... Uh... Well, when I'm sober I don't feel the need to kiss you."
I laughed a little.
"No! No offense, though! I mean, you're nice, and you're really pretty... So it's not like I don't want to kiss you... Wait. That was off topic. Pretend I didn't say that..."
He was very flustered.
"Uh- What I meant to say was... You were just there... And I was really drunk... So, it's nothing about you... And it's nothing about me... Are you... Do you understand what I'm saying?" he pleaded, begging me to help him out a little.
"Linc... Do you... like me?" I asked, getting directly to the point.
"What? I... No! No, of course not! You're my roommate! I... No. No, I don't... Not in that way," he replied.
"Good," I said, smiling. "That all I needed to know."
"So... We're cool now?" he asked.
I nodded.
He sighed in relief. "Good! Now I can go back to hating you in peace!"
I laughed and punched him on the shoulder.
And everything went back to normal.
Well, that is to say, as normal as it gets with Lincoln Fletcher.
-_-_-_-_-
A FEW DAYS LATER...
It was New Years, and I was still on vacation from work. Jesse and Linc had gone out for the day, not telling me where they were going. I'd teased them, telling them to have fun on their date, but they still hadn't given me any clue as to what they were doing.
I heard the apartment door open, and turned off the T.V. twisting around in the couch to see Jesse enter the living room.
"I present to you... The new and improved... Lincoln Fletcher!" Jesse smiled and waved his arms about.
Linc stepped into the living room, wearing a fresh, white v-necked tee, and crisp black pants. The floppy fringe of his grown-out mohawk was gone, and, in it's place, stood a crop of mop-like hair that fell neatly about his ears. His wavy hair was gelled into a slight-side part, and he wore a sparkly grin.
"OH MY GOD!" I cried, running up to him. "YOU'RE HOT!"
I roughly pulled him close to me by the neck of his raggedy leather jacket, and embraced him.
"Wow, I should have done this months ago!" he cried.
"I can't believe it!" I exclaimed. "You clean up good!"
"I do, don't I?" he said, shrugging.
"No! I'm serious!" I protested. "You're so handsome! Oh my God! You're like a totally different person!"
"Well..." he said modestly. He shifted uncomfortably, smiling like a fool.
"Oh! And you used some decent cologne!"
I stood on my tip-toes to sniff him, pressing my cold nose into his warm neck. I felt him shiver slightly, and he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Woah, Lincoln!" Jesse exclaimed. "You're blushing!
"Shut up!" he hissed.
I let go of him, stepping back and nodding to Jesse to show my approval.
"So what are we doing for New Years? Going out?" I asked.
"Nope," Jesse replied. "We thought we'd stay in this year.
"Good!" I exclaimed.
Usually, New Years was a big blur of loud music, and sweaty, creepy guys wanting to kiss me at midnight. Not a good combination.
Then I realized something...
"Lincoln! Is this why you got so dressed up?" I asked, teasing him.
"No!" Linc cried, waving a hand in the air. "Of course not!"
But Jesse was standing behind Linc, nodding his head up and down vigorously.
"Oh! You cleaned up for New Years!" I exclaimed, hugging him again.
Linc shrugged and nodded, being humble. "Well, I decided it was about time... And, you know, the whole "new year, new me" thing."
"That's so cute!" I squealed.
"Oh! You hear that, Jess? I'm so cute!" he asked, flashing Jesse the "thumbs-up" sign.
So it was just the two of us... Alone.
We didn't speak to each other until about noon.
"Uh... Violet?" Linc asked hesitantly.
"Yeah?" I replied, avoiding his eyes.
"About last night..."
I groaned in embarrassment.
"Look... I'm sorry," he finally blurted.
"Yeah... We got kind of carried away, didn't we?" I asked, laughing a bit.
He mustered a smile. "I... Uh... Well, I just want you to know that I was drunk. Really drunk. Um... Under normal circumstances... I... Uh... Well, when I'm sober I don't feel the need to kiss you."
I laughed a little.
"No! No offense, though! I mean, you're nice, and you're really pretty... So it's not like I don't want to kiss you... Wait. That was off topic. Pretend I didn't say that..."
He was very flustered.
"Uh- What I meant to say was... You were just there... And I was really drunk... So, it's nothing about you... And it's nothing about me... Are you... Do you understand what I'm saying?" he pleaded, begging me to help him out a little.
"Linc... Do you... like me?" I asked, getting directly to the point.
"What? I... No! No, of course not! You're my roommate! I... No. No, I don't... Not in that way," he replied.
"Good," I said, smiling. "That all I needed to know."
"So... We're cool now?" he asked.
I nodded.
He sighed in relief. "Good! Now I can go back to hating you in peace!"
I laughed and punched him on the shoulder.
And everything went back to normal.
Well, that is to say, as normal as it gets with Lincoln Fletcher.
-_-_-_-_-
A FEW DAYS LATER...
It was New Years, and I was still on vacation from work. Jesse and Linc had gone out for the day, not telling me where they were going. I'd teased them, telling them to have fun on their date, but they still hadn't given me any clue as to what they were doing.
I heard the apartment door open, and turned off the T.V. twisting around in the couch to see Jesse enter the living room.
"I present to you... The new and improved... Lincoln Fletcher!" Jesse smiled and waved his arms about.
Linc stepped into the living room, wearing a fresh, white v-necked tee, and crisp black pants. The floppy fringe of his grown-out mohawk was gone, and, in it's place, stood a crop of mop-like hair that fell neatly about his ears. His wavy hair was gelled into a slight-side part, and he wore a sparkly grin.
"OH MY GOD!" I cried, running up to him. "YOU'RE HOT!"
I roughly pulled him close to me by the neck of his raggedy leather jacket, and embraced him.
"Wow, I should have done this months ago!" he cried.
"I can't believe it!" I exclaimed. "You clean up good!"
"I do, don't I?" he said, shrugging.
"No! I'm serious!" I protested. "You're so handsome! Oh my God! You're like a totally different person!"
"Well..." he said modestly. He shifted uncomfortably, smiling like a fool.
"Oh! And you used some decent cologne!"
I stood on my tip-toes to sniff him, pressing my cold nose into his warm neck. I felt him shiver slightly, and he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Woah, Lincoln!" Jesse exclaimed. "You're blushing!
"Shut up!" he hissed.
I let go of him, stepping back and nodding to Jesse to show my approval.
"So what are we doing for New Years? Going out?" I asked.
"Nope," Jesse replied. "We thought we'd stay in this year.
"Good!" I exclaimed.
Usually, New Years was a big blur of loud music, and sweaty, creepy guys wanting to kiss me at midnight. Not a good combination.
Then I realized something...
"Lincoln! Is this why you got so dressed up?" I asked, teasing him.
"No!" Linc cried, waving a hand in the air. "Of course not!"
But Jesse was standing behind Linc, nodding his head up and down vigorously.
"Oh! You cleaned up for New Years!" I exclaimed, hugging him again.
Linc shrugged and nodded, being humble. "Well, I decided it was about time... And, you know, the whole "new year, new me" thing."
"That's so cute!" I squealed.
"Oh! You hear that, Jess? I'm so cute!" he asked, flashing Jesse the "thumbs-up" sign.