Darcy Anne (darcyanne) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2009-11-21 00:38:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-06-23 |
Fixing up Grace's Room
Who: Austin and Darcy
Where: His house, shopping and back to his place
When: 8am to 2pm
Austin woke up really early, completely freaking out. He was having a very bad anxiety attack. He was struggling to breathe, his blood pressure was up, his heart was pounding, he was sweaty and shaking. It was one of the worst attacks he had had in a while. He stumbled out of bed to the motel bathroom where his pills were and he downed a couple. He laid on the floor and waited for the pills to work and the anxiety to pass. He kept breathing heavily for a long while afterward trying not to think about what had brought on the attack.
He didn't do well with change and he had been half-expecting a bad attack. He had a new place to live, new friends, new job and no child at the moment. It was weird and unsettling. He was going to be spending time today with a great girl and fixing up his daughter's room. He shouldn't be anxious about that, but he was. He wanted everything to be okay. It had to be. His daughter had to love it when she got here. And Darcy had to have a good time. It felt like a lot of pressure on him.
But, if anyone did well under pressure, it was Austin. He was used to it. He'd had the pressure of raising his little brother when he was but a kid himself. He took care of his responsibilities and duties.
With that in mind and his panic attack behind him, Austin showered and changed into black cargo pants and a light blue polo shirt. He cleaned up and packed up the motel and checked out. In the parking lot, he hooked up his trailer to the back of his truck before getting in and driving to his new place. On the way he stopped for some doughnuts for he and Darcy.
He let himself in with his new key, trying to be quiet. He didn't want to wake Coby. He didn't know her sleeping schedule yet and didn't want to be rude. He put the doughnuts in the kitchen and went upstairs to take some measurements so he would have an idea of what size furniture to get for Gracie's room.
Darcy woke up early, the time she usually got up when she had to be at work by nine. Her phone lay on her pillow and she smiled a little, remembering her plans for the day. Getting out of bed, she showered and let her hair fall about her face in soft waves, the easiest thing she would do without spending too much time on her hair. Admittedly, she spent a good few minutes standing in front of her closet, trying to decide what to wear. In the end, she chose a grey dress and a pair of flats, her feet still upset with her for the day before.
A short while later, sweater and bag in hand, she checked her appearance one final time in the mirror before heading out the door. She put her bag in the passenger side of her car, sweater hung neatly on a hanger on the hook behind her. Darcy left her wallet on the seat next to her and sent a quick text to Austin, asking how he liked his coffee before heading off to the coffee shop, singing along with the cd in her car, the soundtrack to Wicked, as she went.
A short while later, she pulled up to the address he'd given her, blessing her phone for giving good directions. After she parked, she sent him a simple text that said, "Here!" before gathering her wallet and their coffees and heading up to the front door.
Austin was upstairs when he got her first text of how he wanted his coffee. He texted her back that he liked black coffee but that she didn't have to bring it. He smiled fondly, shaking his head with mock exasperation.
Shortly after, he went downstairs, pacing around the living room, feeling nervous for some reason. He made himself sit down on the sofa but that last about 27 seconds before he was back up pacing around.
Finally his phone vibrated in his pocket and he ran to the door, throwing it open to reveal Darcy standing there in all her cuteness. She had coffee, keys, wallet and a really beautiful dress on.
"Darcy!" He took the coffee from her hands and ushered her in. "How are you this fine morning?" He grinned at her as she walked in. He could not resist pulling her into a quick hug.
After he let her go, he led her into the kitchen. "I have doughnuts," he said, gesturing to the boxes.
With one back coffee and one light and sweet, she smiled at him when he took the cups from her and hugged her. That felt good. Darcy followed him into the kitchen. "Oh, perfect. Looks like we work well together. Coffee and doughnuts." He was wearing blue again and she liked the fact that he wore the color often. It was his favorite; he'd said so the night before. And it definitely helped bring out his eyes.
"What kind did you get?" she asked, touching his arm softly. "And I'm doing well. I had this really good dinner, bought for me by this really sweet guy. Took a bath, read a little and fell asleep early. And I had these nice dreams." She smiled at him and winked at him.
Her wink warmed him from the inside out and he couldn't help but put an arm around her, drawing her close to him. "Nice dreams, huh? Tell me about them." He gave her a squeeze before letting go to grab the box of doughnuts and coffees. "Lets get comfortable in the living room," he said as he led her in there.
"They are glazed doughnuts, by the way. I like just plain and I wasn't sure what you liked, so I figured plain glazed was a safe bet." Austin settled himself in the corner of the sofa, opening his arm to her, hoping for a cuddle. "Wanna sit?"
Darcy shook her head. "Nope. My dreams are my own. For now anyway." Grinning, she slipped from his arms as they made their way to the living room. "This a nice place, you know. I think your daughter will love it." He sat on the sofa and she couldn't help but toe off her shoes and curl up against him, legs under her. "I think I do. And glazed is delicious."
In truth, her dreams had involved him a little. Doing something like this. Maybe a little more. The thought of it made her blush a little. "How did you find this place anyway?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Such a tease," he chided. Now he was freakin' curious. If he had to bet, he would guess that he was involved in them some how. "Anything I can do to get you to tell me?"
He put his arm around her shoulders when she sat against him, cuddling her to him. This was nice. He hadn't had this since Lana and that had been a long long time ago.
"Thanks," Austin said. "I was looking for a couple of rooms to rent since apartment prices are a tad out of my price range at the moment. I came across this and the girl who owns the place seems nice enough. Grace and I will have the whole upstairs to ourselves so it worked out perfectly." He hoped she didn't mind that he was living with a girl - it was just platonic though, no need for her to worry.
She giggled and rested her head on his shoulder for a moment. "Suppose you would have to come up with something clever, probably worth my while," she teased, nudging his side before leaning forward for her coffee. "Besides, being a tease isn't completely terrible, you know." Okay, it totally was, but still, it was also a lot of fun. Darcy liked teasing him. It made her feel like they'd known each other longer.
There was a comfort in sitting with him like that, the way his arm was around her and she nearly moved the box of doughnuts with her mind to prevent moving. But since she hadn't told him about that part of her, she wasn't going to just show off. Reluctantly, she leaned forward again and pulled out two sugary treats and handed one to him before settling back again.
He lived with a woman. Well, that was interesting. But they way he was talking about her, it wasn't a big deal. And it would be nice to have the second floor, just him and his daughter. That made sharing a house less awkward, she mused. "How big is her room? Can we paint it? Actually, it probably isn't a good idea to paint it, only because it won't be dry enough for us to decorate. We really don't have time." She caught herself rambling again and blushed a little before taking a bite of doughnut.
"Sorry," she said, after she swallowed. "So what's the game plan?" she asked, letting him control this. It wasn't her daughter's room they were decorating.
"Something clever you say?" Austin repeated. He took the coffee right out of her hands as soon as she got it and put it back on the coffee table. He leaned forward, his face mere inches from hers. He traced her full lips with his finger, his eyes flickering from hers to her lips. "This clever enough?"
As fast as her coffee disappeared from her hand, it reappeared as he settled back against the couch, pulling her against his side again, just as they were. He grabbed his coffee and took a sip, carrying on as if nothing had happened.
Austin grabbed the offered doughnut and shoved half of it in his mouth, the sugar melting against his hot tongue. "Thanks," he mumbled with his mouth full, his lips curled in a grin.
He swallowed his bite and ate the rest of his doughnut before the sugar melted from the heat of his fingers before answering her. "It's about 12x12. And she has demanded that it be painted. She's had a white room all these years and wants something different." He shook his head. "She has me wrapped around her little finger, you know. What she wants, she gets."
He hadn't thought about the paint needing to dry. Maybe there was some quick dry paint or something. Oh well, he'd deal with it somehow. "The game plan? I am thinking we hit up Target because they usually have decent stuff for people on budgets. She picked out new furniture for her room, which I had delivered before we moved and is currently still in boxes in the U-Haul trailer outside, so all we need to do is get bedding and accessories. Once we pick out her bedding and stuff, we'll know what color to paint the room, which we can do when we get back, I guess. Maybe we can at least set up some of her furniture in there, just pull it out from the walls until they dry. I wouldn't have any trouble moving them in place and it wouldn't take long." Austin realized he was thinking out loud and kinda shushed himself.
"Sound like an okay plan to you?" he asked, wanting to make sure she was on board.
Okay, that was clever and she was breathless as he touched her, the way he was looking at her making her body heat rise. Darcy watched his movements and as fast as it happened, she was back against him, snuggled up to his side as if nothing had changed. It took her a moment of holding on to her coffee for dear life and blinking before she turned to look up at him. And, for a moment, all she did was look at him. Until she smiled and leaned in to whisper in his ear. It was not the most innocent of smiles and she murmured softly, lips brushing against his skin. "More clever than I give you credit for, Austin, but not clever enough." Shifting, she 'accidentally' bumped her nose against his jaw as she settled back. It was her turn to pretend nothing happened.
The speed at which he ate his doughnut had her giggling, she herself taking more time to eat it, small, lady-like bites. Not that she was trying to impress him or wasn't already planning on a second doughnut. But if she ate that fast, there wouldn't be a second doughnut and Darcy really wanted one. They were delicious. "Did you get these from that Italian bakery on Main?" she asked, curious.
Grace demanded it be painted. Alright, then paint they shall. Of course, had she prepared for that... Darcy looked down at her dress. Definitely not a painting outfit. She supposed she'd have to make do. "I can see that. But then again, when I was that age, I had my daddy wrapped around my finger too." Her smile was fond as she remembered how much her father had doted on her and how her brother had too.
"Then, as soon as we finish eating, we should get going. More so because we'll have to paint. She said purple and butterflies, yes?" Darcy wanted to keep that in the back of her mind when they were shopping. Maybe they could find those static cling wall decals. They'd be easy to put up when the room is dry and Gracie could move them around if she wanted. That actually sounded like a good idea. "I think it sounds perfect. Busy, but I don't mind." She smiled up at him and took a sip of coffee.
"Not clever enough? We'll have to see what we can do to remedy that." With that, both of their coffee cups were on the coffee table and he had dragged her into his lap, wrapping his arms tight around her waist. "Hi," he whispered, his face close to hers. He pressed his lips to her nose, her cheeks and finally her lips. He took his time to kiss her gently but breathlessly. He savored the sweet coffee taste on her lips although he had a feeling her own taste was just as sweet. His thumbs caressed her sides as he kissed her.
Finally Austin pulled away. He didn't let go or move her from his lap. He was enjoying and savoring her closeness. He leaned forward to grab their cups and gave her hers. "Now will you tell me?"
To answer her about the doughnuts he shook his head, "No, I got them at some grocery store. I was hoping they would be good so I am glad they are."
Austin rolled his eyes playfully. "Yes, purple, butterflies and modern. I have furniture out in the truck but I think I might have some pictures printed off from the internet of it so you can get an idea. I'll get it later and you can look it over in the car." He couldn't help but steal another quick kiss. He so liked her being in his lap.
What happened next wasn't something she expected or had anticipated. Her hands went to his shoulders as he held her close, his lips moving over her face. Darcy couldn't help that her eyes fluttered closed as her heart pounded in her chest. She couldn't believe he's just kissed her and she didn't mind it. Not one bit. He tasted like coffee and she smiled when he pulled back, eyes opening to look up at him. "Hi."
Still in his lap and holding on to her coffee again like it was her lifeline to reality, she looked up at him. "Yes," she said, not having expected her voice to still be that breathless. "It involved you. And me. And something very similar to this."
Darcy found being in his lap comfortable was glad that he didn't seem to want to change her current spot. "They're very good. Thank you." Leaning in, she kissed his cheek almost shyly.
He rolled his eyes and she poked his side. "She's five, she's entitled to like purple and butterflies and demand them for her bedroom," she teased. When he kissed her again, her hand came up to touch his cheek. "You keep doing that and we won't get anything done today," she murmured softly, not really complaining.
"Do you have younger siblings or something? You speak five year old girl very well," Austin laughed. He actually found it touching. He really wanted to see her with his daughter, but he was still cautious. After all, they had only known each other for less than 24 hours.
He just couldn't help himself again. He leaned forward, putting his cup on the table. He buried a hand in her hair and kissed her deeply. He nudged her lips apart, nibbling on her bottom lip. Her taste was quickly becoming addictive and her full lips were taunting him.
Austin pulled back long enough to mutter against her lips, "I could be okay with that." But a nagging voice in the back of his head reminded him that he had promised her that they would take things slowly. He kissed her again, trying to shut up the voice but it didn't work. With a groan he pulled away for good, leaning his forehead against hers.
She giggled. "I'm the youngest, actually. Have an older sister and I told you about my brother. But I like kids. I used to help out a girl scout troop when I was in high school and I baby sat all the time..." Darcy blushed a little. She was waiting for her sister to finally marry that guy she'd been seeing for the past few years so she could finally be an aunt.
Sure they had known each other for less than a day and they had said take things slow but when he kissed her, she didn't think about that. Thankfully, she was good at balancing and she held her cup, the other hand wrapped around his shoulders as she opened her mouth to his. When he pulled away, she looked up at him again. Trusting the arm he had around her, she cupped his cheek, smiling softly.
Sighing, she kissed his cheek again and allowed herself to nuzzle his nose. "But then Grace's room wouldn't get finished. And I wouldn't want her disappointed."
"Ughhhh such a slave driver!" he teased. He allowed himself one more kiss, which turned into a long lingering kiss. He couldn't get enough, but he made himself pull away.
He helped her stand up before hauling himself up to stand behind her. Even then he couldn't stop touching her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You ready to go?"
He really didn't know what those kisses were doing to her and she let out a soft noise of content when he finally pulled back, licking her lips. He tasted like doughnuts. "You know you like it." With a brief touch of his cheek, she stood and smoothed out her dress, slipping her feet back into her shoes.
Grabbing her wallet, keys and phone, she smiled up at him. "Ready when you are." Darcy was trying hard to focus on the task at hand and what they could do to make Gracie's room special. She wanted it to be special, a place the little girl loved. She didn't know what it was like to have to move so far from home so young, but she wanted her to be happy here.
If Austin knew how Darcy was thinking, he would have liked her even more. It really means something to a parent when other people look out for the wellfair of your child. He would have been blown away by her thoughts; deeply impressed.
He pressed another kiss to her lips before grabbing her hand and pulling her out the door. "Give me just a sec to unhook the U-Haul trailer, the we can get going." He set to work unhitching it, having no problem with it. When he was done, he held open the passenger side door. "You need any help?" he asked, wondering how she was going to get into his high truck with that dress on. Part of him wanted to sit back and watch the show, but the gentlemanly part wouldn't allow that.
While he unhitched the trailer, Darcy watched, picking invisible lint off her dress. Part of her hated not being in his arms, but her head reminded her that she needed a moment to think. And it wasn't easy to think when he was touching her. They had said slow. This didn't feel slow and yet he was the one to initiate things, he was the one who kissed her first. But he was also the one who said he didn't want anything serious right now. She was confused but she couldn't deny the fact that she wanted to be held by him, kissed by him.
When he opened the door, she placed her things on the seat. "I think I'll be okay getting in. Getting out might not be as easy." Bracing her hands on the door and the frame, she pulled herself into the truck and sat, turning to smile at him. "See?" she said with a bright grin.
He watched her maneuver into the truck, quite impressed. She was stronger than he had given her credit for. She was beautiful too, with her sunny smile. "You're beautiful, you know that?" He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before shutting her in and getting in the other side.
"I'm glad we're doing this together. I definitely needed a woman's help with this and you apparently speak five year old girl so it has worked out perfectly." Austin grinned his thanks at her and started the truck before pulling out onto the road. "Please tell me you know where Target is?" he laughed.
"Oh and look in the glove box - I think the furniture pictures are stashed there. She's got a new full sized bed, a dresser, a nightstand, two bookcases and a chair, but in purple of course. What do you think?"
Darcy blushed , looking down at her lap when he got into the truck. "I'll be sure to add that to my resume, speaking five year old girl. Never know when it might come in handy." She smiled at him and pulled out the pictures he mentioned. "Yep." She gave him directions and flipped though them. "Looks like someone got spoiled by her daddy." The choices were clean, modern and yet suited for a little girl. "I like the chair."
After putting away the pictures, Darcy picked up her phone. "Do you know what you want to do on the walls?" she asked, opening the web browser and punching something in Google. She had an idea, but she wanted to hear his thoughts first.
"I always seem to end up spoiling that little girl," he confessed. He did and he often paid for it financially but he couldn't resist. He liked seeing her happy and would do anything in his power to hear her laugh or see her beautiful smile.
Austin looked at her confused. "Um, paint?" What else was there to do to walls?
Reaching over, she touched his arm. "She's a lucky girl." And Darcy meant it. It was good that he cared so much for her. She might only have one parent, but it was obvious that he was doing a good job with her.
Glancing up at him from her phone, she smiled. "Well, were you gonna paint something on the wall? Like a design? A quote?" They were popular things to do for children's rooms these days. "Or maybe those wall clings? I'm sure we could find some butterflies or a garden or something. That way, if she doesn't like it or if she likes something else a couple of months from now, you can always change it."
Austin could have sworn she was speaking Greek. He looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "Designs? Quotes? Wall clings? I just thought I had to paint her room! Is she going to be expecting these things?" Austin was near full on panic mode which he could not do in front of Darcy. He concentrated on taking deep breaths, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth. He had perfect the art of breathing exercises and no one realized what he was doing.
Once he felt better he glanced at her. "Please say you have some ideas. I want her room to be perfect."
Darcy shifted a little closer to him, putting her phone down for a moment to rub his arm reassuringly. "It's just little touches. Something special." She smiled at him. He was worried and it was adorable. "I've got a couple of ideas. Don't worry. You're little girl's room will be perfect. I promise. She's gonna love it."
It took them a few minutes to get to Target and it was right next to Home Depot, which was perfect to get paint. After they had parked, she turned to look at him. "I think I'm gonna need some help getting out," she said, not wanting to fall on her face in front of him. That was
definitely not cute.
"I'm glad one of us has ideas," Austin said, relieved. He was, once again, so glad he met her and she agreed to come along with him.
Austin chuckled, "Of course. Hold tight." He got out and walked around, opening her door. He grasped her by the waist and lifted her out, gently lowering her until her feet touched the ground. He didn't immediately let go, however, taking the opportunity to claim her lips in a kiss. "That, was for all you're doing for Gracie," he whispered. He kissed her again, slowly and agonizingly gentle before pulling away.
He helped her out of the car and she rested her hands on his shoulders as he kissed her again. Smiling when he finally pulled back, Darcy looked up at him. "I want her to be happy here. I know it's gotta be hard moving around so young, but I also know you want to give her something special."
Darcy cupped his cheek for a moment, not really caring that they had just been kissing in the middle of a parking lot. "Come on. We've got a room to decorate." Slipping her arm around his waist, she led the way into the store. "And I have a quote idea too. Something I found online." She pulled out her phone again and read aloud. "Love is like a butterfly: It goes where it pleases and it pleases wherever it goes." Looking up at him, she smiled. "What do you think?"
"I love it," Austin said, softly, draping his arm around her shoulders. He liked the feel of her snuggled next to him; it was definitely something he could get used to. "It's beautiful and perfect for her. Can you paint it on her wall? Or is that asking too much?" He actually liked the idea of her leaving something of herself in his daughter's bedroom. Grace wouldn't know it for a while, but he would and it warmed his heart to think about it.
Austin grabbed a cart when they walked inside, deciding to push it one-handed so he could still hold onto Darcy. "We need to look for bedding, pillows and lighting," he said. "And because that's so not my area of expertise, I'm definitely going to need your suggestions."
She grinned. "Perfect." Darcy had to admit it felt good that she was doing something right for his little girl. "Doesn't say who wrote it, but it doesn't really matter. I'm sure no one will accuse her wall of plagiarism." Letting out a little giggle, she turned to him as he grabbed a cart. It felt good to be needed like this.
"I'll paint it for you. Not a problem." She patted his chest. "Don't worry so much. It'll be perfect. You'll see." Darcy led the way towards the bedroom section. "The first thing she saw was a bedding set with butterflies all over it. But it was pink. "Hmm." Pulling way from him for a moment, she looked at them. "This would be perfect. Some of the butterflies are purple Do you think it would work?"
Austin studied the bedding, with real concentration. "She wanted purple. But, I don't want it to like purple explosion going on, so this might just work. I do know that she likes pink, so I guess it would kinda give her both colors." He grabbed the full sized bedding in a bag, which included the duvet cover, sheet set and pillow shams and putting it in the cart. "Good find!"
"Oh, I forgot - we need curtains too. And curtain rods. We just had blinds back at home and she complained that they were just "ugly daddy"," he said, rolling his eyes, not at all annoyed.
Darcy beamed a little at his praise. She might like kids, but she was concerned with what one child in particular liked and he knew his daughter. She hadn't even met the little girl yet. And she wasn't sure when she would, but she really wanted to make sure she had a room she loved. And that she thought her father had created for her.
She continued down the aisle, arm dropping from around his waist as she looked at curtains. "Do you want a solid color or ones that match the bedding?" she asked, holding up a set that went with the sheets, butterflies and all, and a set that was the same purple as the butterflies. "Wouldn't want her to think the room you made for her was ugly," she said with a smile.
Austin made a pouty face as she dropped her arm from around his waist. He grabbed the solid purple curtains. "We don't want to go into butterfly overload," he laughed. Beside the curtains he spotted a pewter rod with a lavender translucent glass butterfly on the end of the rod. He pointed to it. "What about that?" He had the measurements for her window in his pocket and pulled it out. "Yep they have the size we need. You think those would work?"
"Fair enough. And we want other butterfly accents anyway." Darcy hung the butterfly ones back on the hook and looked at him when he picked up the curtain rods. "Aww, they're perfect!" Touching his arm again, she moved on to a display of pillows. "More purple? Maybe with one yellow one?" She bit her lip, realizing why he'd pouted. Putting the pillows down, she rose on her toes and kissed his cheek. "I'm just trying to take this slow," she murmured, looking up at him.
"Who needs slow," he murmured, grabbing her and pressing her against the shelves and kissing the fool out of her. He let go before they made too much of a public spectacle of themselves. He looked at the pillows she had grabbed and put down. "Lets get one of the purple, the yellow and the light blue. That should be good right?"
Her arms slipped around him. 'Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod,' she thought as her back was suddenly against the shelves. That was so unexpected and as soon as it had happened, she was left breathless. In that moment, slow seemed stupid. "Should be perfect," she breathed. This was definitely not the morning she had thought she was going to have. They moved on to the accessories and she found a string of butterfly lights. "We-- You could put these on the headboard for her." Darcy blushed a little and tried to regain the small amount of control she'd had before.
Austin was just as affected, his mind cloudy, trying to remind him that he cannot get involved right now. But Darcy just kept drawing him in. She seemed to already care about him and his daughter and that felt wonderful. It had been so long since anyone had cared about them. It certainly didn't seem like his parents did due to their disappearing acts. His brother cared, but he had his own life to live and Austin would never hold him back from that. So it was nice to be cared about for a change.
He grabbed her hand, needing her touch to bring him down to earth a bit. She was holding up a butterfly light string and it was so perfect. "It's perfect," he said. "How do you know these things? You've never met her, but it seems that you know exactly what she wants. It's amazing. You're amazing."
Darcy was flushing again. "Suppose I just get her sense of style. I liked flowers at her age. And I was very into pink." The lights got put into basket and she kept her hand in his as they kept moving through the store, picking up things here and there. She found some butterfly wall clings and one that was a garden scene. And she picked up a purple chandelier with a matching nightlight. Those, she held in her hand, intending on buying them herself. He didn't have to tell her who had bought them, but she felt like she needed to put a personal touch on the room. Every little girl wanted a chandelier.
After their quick trip to Home Depot, they were back at the house, loading everything inside.
"You didn't have to buy the chandelier, Darcy," Austin said again. He was very impressed by that and deeply touched. "Thank you again." He gave her hand a quick squeeze before bringing in the last load from the truck.
He looked her up and down. "You do not need to be painting in that pretty dress. Hold up one sec." He trotted up the stairs and dug through a box of clothes, finally coming up with a large t-shirt for her. It would be big enough to come mid thigh and he was grinning already thinking of her in the t-shirt.
She really hadn't thought about that when she had selected her dress that morning. Painting hadn't occurred to her. He disappeared and came back with the shirt. Part of her really wished she hadn't taken out the clothes she'd left in her car from her trip to the gym the other day. It wasn't a regular thing for her, just something she did once a week or so.
"I wanted to. Really. Besides, I have one in my room," she said, carrying it up to the rooms that were his. His daughter's room was a good size and had nice natural lighting. Darcy liked it. "I'm just gonna change real quick. Just don't think paint on this dress is gonna work," she said with a smile. She disappeared to the bathroom to change and took a moment to breathe. The shirt hung on her like a short dress and it would work for what they were doing. Blushing, she made her way back to the room, trying to tug down the shirt a little more.
When she came out of the bathroom Austin whistled loudly. "Damn girl. You look so cute!" He tugged on her shirt sleeve, grinning at her.
While she had been in the bathroom, Austin had spread out drop cloths over the carpeted floor. He was just starting to tape off the base and crown molding to make sure they didn't get any purple dripping onto the moldings. He threw Darcy a roll of blue tape. "Why don't you tape the bottom and I'll tackle the crown molding." He climbed on top of a small step ladder and started taping off the top. He couldn't help looking down at her crouching down in his t-shirt. "So cute," he said again, chuckling.
Her cheeks were now bright red and her goal was to make sure he didn't see something he shouldn't have been seeing. Not yet anyway. God, what was she doing? They were supposed to be taking this slow and they had spent a large portion of the morning kissing, including a moment where they had found a more secluded spot in Home Depot for a moment. Darcy was trying very hard not to get too attached just yet but it was next to impossible, the way he touched her, kissed her.
Kneeling on the floor, she taped up the molding on the bottom, trying to work as fast as possible, telling herself it was so they could get work done. "Do you know where you want to put her bed?" she asked. "Figured the quote could go over it. If you wanted to do that, we should do that wall first." She bit her lip, not sure what to say when he told her she was cute in his shirt.
He noticed her hesitation at accepting his compliement. He made a mental note to throw her more compliments. She deserved them. She was cute and sweet and beautiful. She should be confident in herself.
To answer her question Austin stood in the middle of the room, considering the room. The door and closet were on one wall and corner windows on the outside walls. "How about here?" he said, pointing to the wall with the corner windows. "We can shove the bed against the wall, have her nightstand and I still think there will be enough room for her chair. What do you think?"
She came up to his side and looked where he was pointing, picturing the room as he described it. "I could put the quote there. So then it would be length ways over her bed. Think that'll work?" Now that she had a purpose, she went over to her bag, which was sitting in the doorway and grabbed a hair tie, pulling her waves into a high pony tail. "We'll start with this wall and then do one more before I paint the words. When it's done, we can figure out where the rest of the decals and things will go." Darcy moved back to his side and handed him a paint brush. "Sound like a plan?"
"Sounds perfect," Austin said. "Let's get to it!"
He opened the bucket of paint and poured it into a paint tray. He actually traded the paintbrush for a roller. "Can you cut in around the moldings? I don't want to mess up the moldings. The blue tape doesn't protect it 100%."
For a few minutes, they worked together, Darcy humming as she knelt on the ground, making sure to get the paint close to the molding without getting any paint on them. It was slow, but it needed to be done. "Is she excited about her room?" she asked, looking up at Austin. Was he nervous about her coming too? About her liking the room? Personally, she was trying not to think about her lack of clothing and the way they had been earlier in the same moment.
"Oh yes, so very excited," Austin answered as he rolled on the paint. "I talked to her last night and she was giddy she was so excited. That's why I have to have it perfect. She's expecting perfection."
He stroked down with the roller and it slipped, barely touching her hair before he caught it. It wasn't soon enough though because she had purple paint in her hair now. He couldn't help himself and he started laughing. Softly at first, though, so as not to make her mad. "I'm so sorry," he said between laughs.
"Then perfection she shall have." It was good that she was happy. Darcy was almost in her own little world when she felt the roller hit her head. She stopped and looked up at him as he laughed. "I have to go to work!" she said, trying very hard not to laugh. But it was hard. So she stood up and looked at him. Reaching out with her paint brush, she swiped it against his cheek. Then she started laughing.
Austin was stunned into silence when she retaliated. Then he got an evil glint in his eye as he started advancing on her. "Oh you just declared WAR girl." Lucky for him, his roller was long and he reached out and painted a horizontal stripe across her, getting her arms coated in the process. "Beat that baby!" he challenged, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.
Letting out another squeal, she ducked, reaching out to swipe at him again before trying to get out of reach of his roller. "Oh, it is so on!" Darcy grinned and moved in closer, making sure to get his other cheek this time, laughing as she did so. This was fun and she forgot about work later, about the fact that she was only wearing a tee shirt, that they'd only known each other a day and just had fun with him.
Austin shouted, "Hey!" as she swiped his other cheek with the purple paint. He could see this was going to get ugly fast, so he whipped off is shirt and threw it in the hall way. Then he grabbed a giggling Darcy around the waist, her back to his chest and started trying to get her back. The resulting battle ended up in her with a whole lotta paint on her legs.
He did take pause to notice how good it felt to hold her against him, how small she felt. The fact that she was only clad in one of his t-shirts did not escape his mind for a second. He felt his body tighten as he held her and he hoped she wouldn't notice. Not only would it be the opposite of taking things slow, but it would be awkward as well.
"No!" she cried, laughing as she felt the cold paint on her legs. Darcy fit well against his body and she gripped his arms as he held her, painted her. She tried to paint him back but her paint brush was commandeered by him to continue to paint her body. All she could do was try, and not very hard, to get away from him and squeal.
Lucky for her, she didn't realize how much this was effecting him. If she had, she had no idea what she would do. But it felt really good to be in his arms. And the shirt was riding up a little as she squirmed.
She was a wiggly little thing, that was for sure. Austin soon lost his grip on his roller and her paintbrush before crashing down along with them. He shielded her fall by twisting so she landed on top of him. However, that did so little for his current state of arousal. And the current state of her shirt.
Austin brushed the hair out of her face. She was laughing and giggling and was beautiful as she did. He couldn't help but tug her down to him and kiss her. It was a gentle kiss, his lips seeking, searching if this was okay. He pulled back and watched her face for any signs of a negative reaction.
As they fell, she laughed. Her hair had partially fallen out of her pony tail in all her squirming and their paint fight and she was suddenly on top of him on the floor. He brushed her hair back and her hands rested on his warm chest. Was he always this warm? Then they were kissing again and she let out a soft sigh when he pulled back, opening her eyes to look up at him.
In that moment, she just let go. Later, she might regret the decision to not go slow in that moment, but she rolled off him and pulled him with her as she lay on her back. If they were going to make out, they were going to do it right. Cupping his cheek, she leaned up for another kiss.
Austin was majorly surprised when she flipped them. He propped most of his weight on his elbows so as not to crush her. And he was again surprised when she reached up and kissed him. He kissed her back, trying to remember to take it slow. Neither of them wanted to rush this and potentially ruin a good thing. It was hard to keep that in mind as she was laying under him with nothing but a tshirt on.
He nudged her lips apart, gently sucking on her lower lip. His arms were on either side of her head and he played with her hair. He really wanted to run his fingers down her side, but he resisted that urge as well.
After a few minutes of breathtaking making out, Austin pulled away with a groan. "You're trying to kill me. I know this," he teased. He rolled off to the side and onto his side, propping himself up with a hand under his head. With his other arm he drew her close to him, her back against his chest. He whispered in her ear, "We need to stop. We agreed on slow. I don't want to rush through this and then both of us have to leave for work. When this happens, it's going to be special. And in an actual bed. Where we can sleep all night together. Okay?"
There were no words for how good this felt, how right and Darcy could barely think. The feel of his mouth against hers, the way he tugged on her lip had her letting out soft gasps of air. One hand rested lightly against his arm, the other slipped from his cheek down to his shoulder as they kissed, as he played with her hair and she felt good, happy. This couldn't be bad.
Once he'd pulled away, Darcy closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe. What the hell was she doing? He was right; they had agreed to go slow. And when the 'this' he was referring to happened, she did want it in a bed, no rushing, having the whole night to explore one another. Oh, god that was not helping how she was feeling in that moment. She rested her fingers lightly on his arm. "Okay."
Darcy Matthews had an unwritten rule. When she slept with a guy, though she preferred to call it making love, she was in a relationship with him. Which would explain her very small pool of previous partners. But how she was going to tell him that, after she had been the one to pull him on top, to initiate the desperate, breathtaking, amazing kissing they had just been partaking it. Especially since he wasn't looking for something serious. She wasn't a one night stand kind of girl. Darcy didn't want to scare him off, but she wanted him to know.
Thankfully for her, her phone chose that exact moment to go off. She had set an alarm for eleven thirty and one for noon to make sure they stayed on track and remembered to eat lunch at some point. And Darcy nearly brought her phone from her purse with her mind, the second time today she had been unwilling to leave his arms to get something. But instead, she stood and moved over to her bag, crouching down and carefully retrieving the electronic device before shutting it off. "I'm glad I set this, since I'm going to have to leave early to shower before work," she said with a soft smile.
Austin couldn't tell exactly what was going through Darcy's head. He could almost see the wheels turning and he hoped that they hadn't pushed things too fast, too far for her. Even though she had been the one to initiate some of it, that didn't mean she couldn't have regrets. Everyone got caught up in the moment, in the heat of passion if you will.
He rolled onto his back when her phone went off and she got up to retrieve it. He closed his eyes and willed his arousal away. He was definitely affected by the sexy romp on the floor they had just had.
With a groan Austin got up and grabbed his roller and her brush. He handed her the brush and said, "I guess we better get to work then." He rubbed one spot of paint off her nose before grinning. "You can always take a shower here, if you want. That will save a little time so you don't have to rush home." Plus, he rather enjoyed the thought of a hot girl in his shower.
"Any requests for lunch? We can order in some pizza or Chinese if you that sounds good to you." Lunch was his treat. She had been kind enough to come help him, the least he could do was pay for food. He refreshed his paint roller before starting again, making the sure the paint was rolled on as smoothly as possible.
She left the phone on the floor by her bag so she could reach it easier when it went off again in a half an hour. "Actually, I'll probably take you up on that. It'll let me stay longer and we can get more done. Provided we don't get into a paint fight again." Or get completely distracted by each other's lips, but that she wasn't going to say out loud. No need to tease them both.
Darcy took the brush back and went back to working on the bottom of the wall. "Lunch? Hmm." She thought about it for a moment as she went to kneel down again. "I would have said pizza but then you suggested Chinese and now I'm craving it. That okay with you?"
They worked for a little while, moving on to another wall. She asked him questions about his life, what kind of music he liked. Darcy confessed her love of musicals and how she almost always sang in the shower, but was going to avoid singing in his shower. She did however, sing him a few bars of "Defying Gravity", the song she was singing along with in the car on the way over, blushing when she stopped before any of the high parts at the end and looking back at her work.
Austin got her Chinese order and called it in. "Should be here in about thirty minutes," he told her. His stomach growled, even though he'd had a few doughnuts.
They painted and talked and it was great fun. Some of the greatest fun Austin had had in a while. He listened to her sing and it was pretty and angelic sounding.
By the time the Chinese arrived, he had all the walls rolled in a light lavender paint. He told Darcy to take a shower while he got the food set up and utensils out. He gave her his daughter's shampoo because it was girlier smelling than his own shampoo. He also gave her another t shirt and towels. "Just holler if you need anything," he said, squeezing her hand before shutting her in the bathroom.
He heard her singing in the shower upstairs as he set their food up at the bar area and it was so cute. Then she came down the stairs with her hair wet, in another t shirt and had to squeeze the edge of the bar counter to keep from ravishing her right there.
He was a perfect gentleman when it came time for her to shower, giving her everything she would need and leaving her alone to take care of washing the paint off. It was good that the food got there because they could let the paint set so she could do the words after lunch. They might not be able to get to the decals, but the words were more important. That was, after all, her part.
Despite her attempt to not sing in the shower, she was in a good mood. Getting to know him was fun and relaxing and exciting all at the same time. So she did sing. To be fair, it started with humming, but turned into singing while she scrubbed purple from her skin. "I'm open, you're closed. Where I follow, you'll go. And I worry I won't see your face light up again. Even the best fall down sometime. Even the wrong words seem to rhyme. Out of the doubt that fills my mind, I somehow find, you and I collide."
When she was done, she peeked out the curtain and moved her towel over to her so she didn't get a chill. Her hair smelt like the shampoo her mother used to use on her when she was a kid and it brought back fond memories. A short while later, hair naturally curling about her face, still wet, she made her way downstairs, no longer all that embarrassed by the fact that she was really wearing one of his tee shirts as a dress. "It smells so good. I'm starving!"
"Screw it," Austin muttered, meeting her halfway and pulling her against him. "You look so sexy," he said, his head already lowering to capture her lips with his own. As his lips moved against hers, his hands moved up and down her back, feeling the natural sway as her back arched. After tugging her bottom lip between his, he pulled back with a sigh. He kissed her on the cheek and forehead, his hand caressing her cheek before stepping back. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself," he apologized.
He turned to pull out a bar stool for her. He motioned for her to sit down. "I got out forks just in case you can't handle the chopsticks. I am completely hopeless when it comes to chopsticks. So many people have tried to teach me, it just doesn't work," he laughed.
"Sexy?" But there was no complaining when he pulled her against him and her hand cupped his cheek. Darcy rose on her toes as he leaned into her. She could get used to kissing him, to feeling like this. She mimicked his sigh as he touched his lips to her face, brushed his fingers over her skin, her eyes still closed, breath still caught in her throat. "Don't apologize. I really like kissing you."
She slipped on to a stool and crossed her legs. Taking a pair of chopsticks, she took his hand in hers, placing the wooden sticks in the appropriate spots. "You know how they fix them for kids in restaurants? With the wrapper and the rubber band? Picture that and squeeze them together." Smiling, she guided his hand to his meal and tried to help him pick up a piece of meat.
Was he really supposed to be concentrating when she was showing so much leg and feeling her hand on his? He kind of looked at her dumbfounded. "Yeah it so doesn't work. I can barely use the kiddie chopsticks," he chuckled. He took a deep breath and his nose sang with her fresh clean smell. "God you smell good," he murmured.
He just gave up on the chopsticks and really the thought of eating as he turned to kiss her again.
Leaning in, she kissed him, letting go of his hand to rest her hand on his chest. They were never going to get anything done if they kept acting like lovesick teenagers. Not that Darcy was complaining, really, but it was just different for her. Was it for him too? It was she who broke this kiss first, pausing long enough to rest their heads together. "How come we always seemed to end up all over each other?" she teased gently, the question still a valid one.
"Um, because you're cute and sexy?" he guessed with a sexy smile.
He leaned away from her, playing with one of her hand. "Seriously though, it's because we have this amazing chemistry. And for me, it's because it seems like you really care and that is just such a foreign concept for me. I'm usually the one who takes care of people, not the other way around."
Austin was still leery of jumping into a relationship with her but it seemed as if they were headed that way in spite of him. He knew he was contributing to some of the mixed messages and feelings but she was special. He knew that much and that's all he could give her right now.
She blushed again, smiling as she looked down. He complimented her a lot and she just wasn't used to it. She wasn't used to anything about being around him. Darcy never considered herself sexy. Cute, maybe, but sexy was not a word for her. And yet, he had this way of making her feel sexy.
"I do care," she said softly, taking his hand in hers. "I can't explain why I care so much after so short a time, but I do. I want you to be happy here. I want Grace to have a great place to live and to know just how much her father adores her. I want to see you smile, the way it reaches your eyes." Maybe it was partially selfish, but she didn't care. When he looked at her like that, she felt that whatever this happened to be was worth it. She didn't understand where it was going or what exactly was going on in his mind, but she cared. He'd touched her, just in the way he was, the way he talked about his daughter, touched her the night before. For all the tattoos and piercings that most people probably judged him on, he was a nice guy, sweet, caring and that's what she liked most about him.
Austin sighed. Darcy was saying all the right things. But how could it be? They hadn't known each other but for a few short hours! "It just doesn't make sense to me that we care so much for each other already. It scares me to be honest. I just, I can't handle this much change in such a short time."
He turned to look her fully in the eyes. "I've not seriously dated since Grace's mother died. She and I were together for a very long time and I just don't know that I can give myself over to someone again. She left me. I can't go through that again. I can't process all this right now."
Austin stroked her cheek, "Can we just take this slow? I can tell you now that I cannot keep my hands off of you, but as far as any big relationship talk, can we just take it slow? I care about you and I want to be able to give you what you deserve from me and I can't do that right now. When things slow down? I'll be there and we'll have a very different conversation."
She took a deep breath and did her very best to not look disappointed. Again. And this time she managed pretty well, if she did say so herself. "I understand," she said softly, turning to kiss his palm. Darcy knew that much couldn't have possibly changed in the last few hours, despite how amazing kissing him was. Ugh, she was hopeless.
Smiling softly, she turned a little and took a bite of her beef and broccoli. "Come on, we've got work to finish and I don't know about you, but I sadly, have work this afternoon." Darcy focused on eating her food, trying not to make a mess on his shirt and to not think, which was next to impossible.
Austin knew he had hurt her again. At this rate, she was going to go running screaming from him. He had always been an 'honesty is the best policy' kinda guy and he wanted to be up front with her. He wasn't saying never - he was just saying not right now. He hoped that once she left and really thought things over that she would understand. But for now, he would hold off on the affection unless she initiated. He didn't want her to feel like he was using her physically. He was certainly capable of it and had certainly done it before, but not with someone like Darcy. She was special and he didn't want to fuck it up more than he already was.
So, Austin turned back to his food and ate using a fork. Not much was said during lunch and it saddened Austin to know that he was the cause of it. Instead of sexual tension filling the air, a new kind of uncomfortable tension existed between them.
There was a part of her that was afraid, that everything they had been through was just felt more intensely on her part. It wasn't that she really believed he would use her, but the mere fact that she trusted him not to so quickly had her a little freaked out. But when she finished her lunch, and she ate every single bite, Darcy leaned over and kissed his cheek. She knew lunch had been awkward and she hated it, but she couldn't really do much to change it.
Slipping from the stool, she threw out her take out containers and her chopsticks. "I'm going to see if the paint's dry enough for words," she said with a soft smile, hand trailing over his arm as she moved past time and headed back upstairs.
Austin watched her go, feeling a little encouraged by her still initiating contact with him. He sighed, his appetite gone. He, too, threw away his take out containers and trash. He went upstairs, his surprise evident at how good the walls looked.
"While you do that, I'm going to get to work on unloading some of the furniture," Austin said, figuring she might could use the extra space right now. He trotted down the stairs and out to the U-Haul trailer he had rented, lowering the gate. He thanked himself for packing Grace's new furniture last so it would be the first thing off the trailer. He pulled out the headboard and inspected it. It looked like it came through the trip pretty well, so he was pleased. He carried it inside before making another trip for the bedframe. He was filling up Coby's living room until they could get all the paint supplies out of Grace's room.
Austin made trip after trip out to the truck, thankful he had thought to bring along a dolly of sorts to help make the moving that much easier. He was also glad for his stronger than normal arms and legs which things go faster and easier.