Katherine Megan Stone (katestone) wrote in nbc_chicago, @ 2011-07-19 23:23:00 |
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Entry tags: | brendan carlisle, kate stone |
Who? Kate and Brendan
When? Tuesday evening
Where? Brendan's apartment
What? Kate and Brendan have just started dating. They were planning to spend the evening frolicking around at the Navy Pier. However, when the weather takes a turn for the worse, the new couple is forced to change their plans!
Rating? PG-13 (language)
Note: Getting started a bit early so I can head to bed!!
"Yeah... shoe monsters," she laughed, thinking about the several pairs of heels, flip-flops and slippers that had been lost under her bed. "Don't even get me started my desk drawers," she grinned, leaning into him. Couch or no couch, she could still feel his hand in her hair and his arm around as they held one another. Kate all but whimpered when he pulled away, though she realized that the lightness in her head was more from lack of oxygen at that point then anything else. "Movie... were we watching a movie?" she breathed, realizing that at some point, they'd forgotten to pause the movie and it continued to play. "Right... right..." she nodded, untangling herself from him, her fingers linked with his as she moved around the couch, sitting beside him once more. He was still kneeling and therefore taller then her once more. She could hear the faints sounds of the movie playing, though she was hardly paying attention at the moment. "You're missing the movie, too," she pointed out, tugging lightly on the material of his shirt that hung open over his t-shirt, pulling him to her.
He watched her as she moved around the couch, and for some reason he found himself frozen on the spot, mesmerised by her movements, so he was still kneeling as she sat beside him.
"Yeah, I've seen it before," he told her - there were more interesting scenes playing out in the real world, so he found it quite hard to care about the old movie, now. Plus, it was really long, and he was still buzzing from the M&Ms. As she grabbed his shirt, he wobbled slightly from his kneeling position so that he almost fell on top of her. He laughed lightly, and tried his best to compose himself, curling his legs under himself, and using the arm of the couch to balance himself a little better. He wasn't crushing her now, but his arms did create a bit of a trap - he didn't think she was about to complain, so he went with it, and started to kiss her, his lips grazing her cheek first before finding her lips once more.
Kate leaned back when he started to fall forward and she laughed with him, realizing that it was her doing after all. She lounged back, finding her back pressed against the arm of the couch, her hands and fingers fiddling with the material of his shirt. It was the tiniest bit awkward, trying to get comfortable on the couch and yet still enjoy this moment they were creating. Of course, the giggling didn't help - damned sugar, Kate thought, laughing again, feeling his lips on her skin. She hummed softly, smiling as she turned her head towards him, kissing his lips as she relaxed back on the couch. That lasted for a moment before she felt that her leg was bent at a strange angle but when she moved, she kicked him and they were already practicing a balancing act. "Sorry..." she mumbled, feeling a smirk forming on her lips. "No, really... I didn't mean to kick you," she whispered, kissing his cheek, trying to shift and not beat him up.
Brendan was finding the whole situation a strange mixture of arousing and hilarious, but right now, hilarity was winning that battle - he blamed the sugar, his mind was racing, and everything that was popping up was completely inappropriate for the moment. In fact, he was so lost in his thoughts, that when she kicked him (accidentally) it was a bit of a shock that returned him to reality. "What?" he asked, like a total moron, before realising what was going on and getting a fit of the giggles. "Domestic abuse!" he mocked, laughing more as she fidgeted under him. He was being cruel, just trapping her there and laughing at her discomfort, so he tried to move, but he wasn't really sure how to begin since he was basically using the couch arm to do a mini press up at this point. "Eh... I feel like houdini," he said, then instantly realised how weird that sounded and laughed AGAIN, shifting and trying to push up with his hands to free here. He got about two inches off the arm of the couch and then just collapsed on top of her. "Yeah, I see what you mean about me being cool. Bloody master of seduction here," he said sarcastically, wriggling awkwardly.
Looking back at it, they would probably laugh over it - hell, they were laughing now! Kate let out a whine and tried desperately to knock it off and calm down. Maybe it was partly nerves, too. Honestly, when she thought about it for a moment, he was hovering over her, trying to kiss her and she was trying to kiss him and just get comfortable on the couch so they could not beat one another up. It was ridiculous and funny and awkward and Kate wanted to scream or laugh. "Stop laughing!" she laughed, her fingers curling around his shirt, trying to keep him steady, but it was useless and she laughed again when he fell on top of her. "Oh, god, what a pair we make," she grinned.
Kate sighed and let herself sink into the cushions of the couch. Now, they were just a tangle of arms and legs, laughing at one another for the insanity of the situation. They were more like a couple of awkward teenagers fumbling around for the first time. "Wait... stop," she insisted, curling her arms around him. "Just... relax for a moment," she whispered, brushing her fingers over his temple. "Just lay here with me for a moment... maybe the sugar will wear off," she whispered, as if the silence would scare the hyperactivity away. If either of them thought that they were going to be able to seduce the other at the moment, they were likely to be mistaken, but at least they were having fun and enjoying one another.
Brendan was just glad that she was finding it rather amusing, too - normally, he imagined that kick would have been for real and he wouldn't be getting anywhere near the lady in question again. Kate was different, and as frustrating and awkward and funny as everything was at that exact moment, he couldn't help but appreciate her for the woman she was. Then she told him to stop laughing, and he laughed even harder. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I warned you about the sugar! I'm not supposed to eat the sugar!" he told her, his voice high and hyper.
As he tried to wriggle his way off of her, she told him to stop and relax and he gave her a quizzical look before trying his best to relax. He stopped moving, and just lay, looking at her beautiful face and giving her a smile, managing to avoid another fit of giggles for the time being. He breathed deeply, and lifted his hand to gently move her hair away from her face. "You're just lovely," he told her, quite seriously.
"Yes, I'm learning that! But, I fed you the sugar!" she replied. Kate had tried to have "serious" relationships where both parties too each other seriously and were always serious and never had fun like this. This was fun, but this was also wonderful, Kate though. Work was serious, life was serious... spending time with a guy, especially this wonderful guy, shouldn't have to be so serious! "No more candy, I'm taking it with me," she laughed. She liked his laugh, she thought.
Kate sighed softly, feeling her heart slowing down. She closed her eyes for a moment, hearing the sounds of the movie again, the sound of his breathing. Her eyes opened and she turned her head to look up at him again. He was going to make her blush, and she felt her cheeks warm as he touched her hair. "See... calm again," she said softly. It was like a roller coaster of emotions, laughing hysterically to catching her breath and feeling her heart in her throat when he looked at her like he was right then. She lifted her hand, touching his fingers that caressed her face, feeling completely at ease with him, completely at ease with the closeness of him, something she'd rarely felt around other guys.
"Yes, it's all your fault!" he told her, in a less than serious tone, giving her a little pout as she said she was taking the candy with her, but it quickly disappeared. "Fair enough, that's probably for the best" he reluctantly agreed. Brendan knew that he had some ADHD but hadn't bothered with medicating since he was about sixteen. As long as he got his energy out through daily exercise and watched that he didn't have too much sugar or caffeine, he found it fairly manageable. Other people might disagree with that, but what did that matter? Kate didn't seem to mind! In fact, she seemed to be enjoying herself with him, and that made him happy.
Things were calming down, and he could feel his heart rate slowing again as he just focused on breathing, and on the moment. He was still smiling fondly at her as she started to touch his face - he meant it, she really was lovely. His hands moved so he had a hand on her waist, fitting right into the natural curve of her body. He moved, slowly and softly so that they were lying close in a more comfortable position, faces almost touching. He kissed her cheek once more, then her forehead, just gently.
Kate shifted with him so they were laying more side-by-side, his torso covering hers as they settled into the cushions. "Kick off your shoes," she said softly, smiling when he kissed her forehead. It was such a simple and tender gesture, but it felt so natural, like he was meant to be kissing her, no one else. Kate turned her head to the side, watching him as he watched her, thinking there was little room for them to move around, but being this close to him felt comfortable and natural. She ran her fingers across his cheekbone, mapping out his features as they lay silently in each other's arms. She smiled softly as she moved her fingers across his jaw, lingering as she watched him. "It was your eyes," Kate said, her voice soft, "your eyes were warm and dancing the first time I saw you and... that was all it took," she told him. She moved closer to him, pressing her lips to his cheekbone, lingering before she lay back on the cushions, closing his eyes for a moment as she breathed in his scent, enjoying the feel of his weight and warmth.
"Are you worried about my upholstery?" he asked, moving to toe his shoes off. They thumped to the floor, and he gave her a look as if to see if she approved. It might have been a tight squeeze fitting them both lengthways on the couch, but it felt cozy rather than awkward now that they were settled down. He smiled sweetly at her, enjoying the feeling of her fingers against his cheek. It had been a long time since someone had been so affectionate toward him, he thought.
As she spoke, he felt strange - like there was a lump in his throat and a warmth in his heart. For once in his life, he was rendered speechless. He didn't have a wise crack to make, and for a little while he just remained silent, watching her features as she closed her eyes. He heard the movie coming to an end, Rhett Butler's famous line breaking their silence. He sighed slightly, running his hand softly up and down her side. "I suppose it was your smile. It's genuine and kind. You always seemed so approachable," he told her quietly. "And apparently you have a lot of patience," he added with a soft laugh.
She smiled, shaking her head. "No, I don't want you to accidentally kick me with your shoes," she told him. She rested her head next to his, relaxing comfortably as her breathing slowed. Her fingers lingered on his cheek as he spoke softly to her, his voice was lulling into this state of serene relaxation. Kate had to stop herself from yawning as she snuggled closer to him, not that she could get much closer as they laid on the couch, but he was warm and his arms felt good around her, his hand tracing the curve of her hip. "Nah, it's not patience, I just like you," she told him softly.
Kate was quiet for a moment and she realized what was happening. "Brendan," she said softly, her eyes slowly opening for a moment, "sugar makes me crash," she sighed, her fingers moving away from his cheek as she curled against him. "And you're really warm and..." she sighed again, her eyes sliding shut for a moment before she looked up at him again. "I like your accent... I always just wanted to listen to you talk... to me, specifically," she smiled tiredly.
"That's fair enough," he told her with a soft laugh. He couldn't help but smile as she told him she just liked him. "Yeah?" he asked, a little surprised. "Well, I like you, too, Kate," he told her genuinely, enjoying the feeling of her snuggling against him. It was cute, and the way her eyes kept slipping shut was just adorable.
"Aw, are you gonna take a wee nap?" he asked, putting on a pretend babying voice, as he continued to move his hand against her side before moving it to touch her cheek. He grinned, then laughed a little as she said that she liked his accent. "Well, maybe I'll read you a story one day," he told her, still laughing about it, "although, ind you, I can talk a lot, so you'll probably get sick of it eventually."
"Brendan, you talk all the time," she reminded him, turning her face a little as he touched her cheek. "I'm not sick of you yes, right?" Kate sighed, trying to force her eyes open, but he just kept at it and he was lulling her to sleep. "You're lulling me to sleep," she yawned, letting her face drop against his chest. "I'm not going to nap... I'm going to pass the hell out," she warned, unable to resist anymore.
Her breathing slowed and after several minutes, Kate was asleep in his arms, unable to keep from crashing after being on such a sugar high. Somewhere in her unconscious mind, she found it amazing how comfortable she was with a man she was still getting to know, how at ease she was with him, just laying there so vulnerable as she slept beside him. He didn't even seem to care that she'd all but passed out, leaving him basically alone even though she'd been the one to invite herself over. She hoped he wasn't too upset and she subconsciously curled herself closer to him, her hand resting on his chest as she moved to hold him as he held her. It was clear, then, that Kate was rather comfortable and not waking up any time soon.
Brendan continued to pet at her as she drifted off into sleep, and then he found himself just watching her and smiling. She cuddled into him, holding onto him, and he felt like he was dancing inside. It was beyond adorable, and he was quite content just admiring her for a while. After some time, however, he knew that she was most likely out for the night, and he was still buzzing from all the sugar he'd consumed. Plus, most of his limbs were now going now, so he very carefully detangled himself and got to his feet. He went through to his bedroom and found a spare quilt, coming back through and placing it gently over her sleeping frame. He moved to turn off the TV when he had an idea...
Headphones on, Brendan found himself engrossed in a game of Call of Duty - his opponent of choice, his 14-year-old niece over the pond, and she was freakishly good at it. He found that he was just whispering to her, not wanting to wake Kate up, and his niece was catching on to that. "Why are you whispering? Turn your mic up..." she kept saying. He told her to shut up, and kept playing - until maybe half an hour later she snuck up on him, jumped on his back and knocked him out, laughing hysterically as she ran away. "You wee shite, you're meant to be on my team! Stop fucking laughing!" he exclaimed, his accent much thicker because of who he was talking to, and his volume much less controlled due to the shock.
Kate had pulled the blanket up under her chin, turning on the couch when he got up. She sighed softly, getting comfortable on the cushions now that he was gone. Kate was a relatively sound sleeper and didn't hear him moving about at first. Now, as far as she knew, she didn't snore, though she was a heavy breather, her mouth open slightly as she slept. It wasn't until he started getting loud with his niece that Kate started to stir. She had no reference as to how long she'd been sleeping, but when she suddenly heard him shout, it startled her out of sleep.
Kate's eyes opened and she took a startled breath, looking around with glassy eyes. For a moment, she had no idea where she was, and the fact that Brendan was cursing and his accent was thicker then usual didn't help her gain her bearings. Kate pushed herself to sit up and she stared at him for a moment. "Brendan!" she chided, frowning when he cursed again. "Who are you cursing at... at... one in the morning?!" She'd really fallen fast asleep, she realized, still trying to get her bearings straight.
Brendan didn't hear Kate at first, in fact it was his cousin who first heard her. "Oh my god, Brendan, is that a GIRL?" she asked, really high-pitched, before collapsing into laughter again. "Is what a girl?" he asked, before realising what she had to mean. He turned around so quickly he just about gave himself whiplash, and the headphones came pinging out from their connection, causing the child's laughter to echo out of the TV speakers. "Ouch," he whined, pulling the now useless headphones from his ears and giving Kate a guilty look.
"Eh, hi, sorry I didn't mean to wake you up.." he started to say, but the child's laughter got even more hysterical at this point. "Oh my god, and she's sleeping there?" she squeaked, Brendan glanced back at the TV and told her to 'shut it!'
Kate had NO idea what was going on. First he wasn't talking to her, then he was freaking out, then a girl's voice could be heard squealing and laughing. Kate looked down, noting that she was dressed - OK, not that she really thought that she wasn't but, things were fuzzy at the moment! - then looked up again to see that he was playing a game. "Who is that?" she hissed, gesturing towards the screen. She sounded young, giggling and squealing at Brendan. "Brendan!" Kate exclaimed, covering her mouth when the girl started laughing again. She frowned at him, not exactly angry, but tired and caught off guard and so confused. "Don't yell at her! Who is she?" Kate asked. Poor guy had two females chiding him, laughing, and frowning - she would have felt bad for him was it not for the confusion.
Brendan could hardly think over the laughter, and the questions Kate was throwing at him were confusing him even more, but he decided for the time being to just ignore his cousin altogether and talk to Kate, although he imagined it wouldn't quite work out this way. "Eh, that's my little cousin Amy, she's in Glasgow and we communicate entirely through video games that are far too graphic for her 14-year-old mind," he tried to explain.
"Aye, that's right, don't yell at me! And you can ask him how it feels to get his arse kicked by a 14-year-old lassie, then," the speakers retorted - he was being mocked from thousands of miles away. Brendan opened his mouth, habitually wanting to say something childish right back at her, but he remembered he was still trying to make a good impression on this one, and he'd probably done enough swearing at children for one evening.
Kate's eyes were wide when he explained the situation and she actually thought it was adorable. Well, until the child spoke again and she realized that there was a reason that Brendan was cursing at her. She was a little pest, it seemed and Kate smiled sympathetically at him. "Right, hi... Amy..." she ventured, raising her hand to wave, but put her hand down, blushing when she realized that Amy could not see her. "So, she's over there and it's about... six in the morning for her? You get up way to early to play video games, Amy," she said, lounging back on the couch, pulling the quilt up to keep warm. "Well... don't let me stop you from beating him up a little more," she smirked, her eyes landing on Brendan again. Who was she to stop him from playing video games in the middle of the night? It was his apartment, and the fact that he was playing against his fourteen year old cousin just melted her heart.
Brendan didn't really notice the sympathy - he was so used to the way she was, they were more like brother and sister despite the age-gap. He was as cheeky to her as she was to him, but it came from a place of love."Yeah, I set my alarm," Amy said, showing that despite the way she bickered with him, she really enjoyed spending the time with him in one way or another. When she admitted that, Brendan gave Kate a big grin as if he was pleased with how special he was - he also hoped that would convey why he'd felt it was important to turn the xbox in in the first place, to not leave a child hanging on waiting on him.
Amy's moment of cuteness was over, however, as an idea struck her. "Who's your girlfriend? I'm going to tell Aunt Elizabeth!" she giggled, and Brendan's eyes grew wide with horror. "What? No, god, don't tell my mother on me!" he whined dramatically - or so it must have looked to Kate, but she didn't know just how painful it would be for his mother to get involved. "Please? I'll post you American candy?" he whined, resorting to chocolate blackmail.
Kate smiled as brightly as she could for after one in the morning. It really was sweet that the two of them got together the way they did. Kate never lived far from her brothers for very long and she wasn't very close to her cousins, so she didn't know what it was like to have to be separated from them. Brendan grinned like a proud brother and Kate's heart did a little skip. She rested her head back against the back of the couch, thinking he would go back to playing and she could doze for a bit. Then, Amy started again. "Who's Aunt Elizabeth?" she murmured.
At the mention of his mother, Kate shot up again, awake for the time being. There was no way she was about to let his mother know she was sleeping over at his place. "Wait," she cried out, grabbing the blanket again. Brendan seemed to have it under control. "I know the best candy, too!" Kate added, thinking maybe the young teenager could be bought. Why were they panicking though? They were adults, sleeping on the... couch! Kate pushed her hair away from her face, waiting for the reply from across the pond.
Brendan couldn't help but laugh at the look of panic on Kate's face. It made him feel less insane for reacting so violently to the mention of his mother. "Do we have a deal?" he asked, akin to the Godfather. There was a small bubble of laughter from the speakers, followed by an equally ridiculous mafia accent. "It's an offer I can't refuse!" she giggled. He smiled fondly, but it quickly changed to a look of disgust as she continued.
"Bye bye, Brendan. Have fun with your giiirlllfriend" she mocked, followed by a lot of kissing noises. He rolled his eyes. "Goodbye, Amy!" he told her, moving to turn the console off. Once it was silent, he turned back to Kate with a bit of a guilty expression. "Eh, sorry about that madness," he told her, maybe not quite so sorry as he was making out considering he was grinning at her, barely containing laughter.
"Bye, Amy," Kate called, "nice meeting you..." she smiled softly, letting out a soft yawn. She settled back on the couch, the blanket draped over her lap as she smiled down at him. "Well... that was interesting and... adorable," Kate couldn't help but smile. "Amy is cute, I'd like to say that I'd like to meet her sometime, but I'm sure that our only contact will be through your video games," Kate said. "How long have you two been playing like that?" she asked, gesturing towards the console.
She looked around for a moment, eyes landing on the clock before she looked back at him. "Ahh... maybe I should be going?" she offered, thinking she probably wore out her welcome back when she fell asleep on his couch... on their second date.
"Yeah, she's cute," he told her. "A total pest, but cute!" he added with a grin, sitting cross legged on the floor, facing her. "I was over last Christmas, and she got the xbox, and I helped her set it up... and I added myself to show her how to do it, and since then... at least weekly, she kicks my arse, as she says," he told her with an affectionate smile. "I don't know how her mum let's her get away with it," he added.
Brendan gave her a shake of his head. "No, no, it's really late, I didn't mean to wake you," he told her. "Stay, sleep - I mean, if you want to, I won't be offended if you want your own bed." Maybe it was only a second date, but it wasn't as if he didn't know and trust her - he wasn't about to kick her out into the stormy night. As if to emphasise his point, the rain crashed against the window, wind whistling between the buildings.
"I think that's adorable," she smiled. "My brothers don't let me near their game consoles because I can't even drive a car without crashing it into a wall or into their cars," she laughed softly.
Kate turned towards the window, watching the lightning flash as the storm rage outside. "I hadn't even noticed... too wrapped up in the entertainment you and Amy provided," she reminded him. She sighed and shrugged a little. "I... I just don't want to be an imposition," she said softly. Her cheeks flushed a little, the mere idea of spending the night on their second date making her mind wander just a little too far. "I mean, clearly your couch is comfortable enough, or I wouldn't have passed out... but it was far... more comfortable with you," she said softly, fiddling with the soft material of the quilt that covered her.
Brendan frowned slightly as he tried to take in what he was hearing. "Eh, you mean as in driving games, not actual cars, right? Because that might make me reconsider letting you drive me anywhere again!" he told her.
"Oh, you could never be an imposition," he insisted, slowly getting up from the floor and moving over toward her at her less than subtle hint. "Come on. Bed," he told her, holding out a hand for her to take - he wasn't going to have them squished up on the couch just out of some social expectations. "I promise I won't..." he'd been about to finish the sentence with 'rape you' but decided it was a bit too inappropriate, and edited it quickly, "...bite."
She gasped as if in horror. "I am a traffic reporter," she reminded him, though she started to smile, biting her lip to keep from giggling. "My brothers don't let me near their cool games like anything dealing with war and destruction," she smirked, "like whatever you were playing. I think they're afraid I might destroy the console. And the cars I crash are, yes, in the driving games... like that game where you steal the cars and try to get them back to your shop... what the hell was that called?" she babbled, shrugging. "I have a good driving record, thanks," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.
"No, I didn't... I mean..." Kate took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet. "See, this is me being an inconvenience," she protested, but not too much because she followed him nonetheless. "You don't bite, huh?" she smirked, looking him over. Had she been a little more alert and awake, she probably could have come up with a witty reply, but as it was, she kept quiet. "Are you sure? I sometimes steal the covers," she warned him.
Brendan laughed at her gasp, nodding along as if in agreement. "Well, maybe I'll let you play, sometime," he told her. "Grand Theft Auto, maybe? A game that has a point when you find yourself running over pedestrians and jumping up and down on them laughing, and you think... I have to stop and sort my life out," he admitted with a soft laugh.
"No, no, it's not," he insisted. He really didn't mind - if it had been anyone else, he might have just left them on the couch or even agreed that they ought to leave. But it was Kate, and he was comfortable with her, and he knew that having her there wasn't going to make either of them feel strange or uncomfortable. "I'm sure. Get comfy, I'll be just a minute," he told her. He found himself something more comfortable to wear and left the room to go into the bathroom. He changed, and then decided to brush his teeth as well, just in case.
"Grand Theft Auto!" she exclaimed, nodding in agreement. "Yes, I run people over, people I'm supposed to be friends with and then I pick up prostitutes," she explained, "do my business with them, kill them and take my money back," she declared with an evil-sort-of-grin. "Sorry... this is why they don't let me play," Kate pouted.
In his room, she paused, looking around again, as if in the past few hours it might have changed or something. Kate nodded as he disappeared, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "Make myself comfortable, right..." she scoffed, looking his bed over. Now, if he was anything like her - which wasn't likely, that would be weird - then he probably had his own side of bed. So, instead of just taking over his bed, she sat there quietly, waiting for him to return. She raked her fingers back through her tangled, now-dry hair and looked up when he returned. "I wasn't sure which side was yours and... so, I just waited..." she tried to explained, thinking she probably looked silly, just sitting there on the edge of the bed.
Brendan nodded along with her, impressed with her level of depravity. "Wow. You're as screwed up as me," he told her, as if that was some kind of achievement. "I'll let you play. I never follow the actual game, I just run about being a total psycho for a while."
When he came back through, he was a little surprised to see her just sitting there awkwardly, but he just gave her a smile. "Aw, you're sweet. Well, if you shuffle over there..." he said, nodding toward the side she should take, and he was suddenly overcome with realising just how odd this evening was turning out to be. He tried not to let it show on his face, and just moved to slip under the covers, and as he glanced over at her he just knew that it was okay. A little strange, sure, but okay.
She laughed at that, shrugging. "I mean, when you're as clueless about video games as I am, I feel lucky when I can run around and manage to not fall down a lot," she smiled. "They like to play James Bond games with me and shoot me in corners when I can't maneuver my way out," she sighed dramatically, scooting around on the bed to pull the covers down. Kate pushed the pillow back against the headboard, shifting until she was sitting against the pillow, her legs tucked under the blankets. "All right, this is the part where I tell you that I don't normally do this on a second date," she grinned, "find a way to sneak into a guy's bed, that is," she teased. "Thanks for not making me go out in the rain again," she said sincerely, leaning over to kiss his cheek
He scrunched his nose up, and gave her a a shrug. "I don't like the James Bond ones," he told her. "Amy enjoys kicking me in the head, or sneaking up behind me and knocking me out. And that's when she's meant to be on my side, so I can sympathise!" he explained with a kind smile.
"I know. And I wouldn't normally, either," he told her, moving to lie on his side, leaning on his elbow with his head in his hand so that he could look up at her. "But whatever, I don't think we're exactly normal," he teased with a cheeky grin. He felt like he might blush a little as she placed a kiss against his cheek, and he eased the tension with a soft laugh. "Are you sleepy? Shall we play listen to the rain for a while?" he asked, a little oddly, but it seemed to make sense in his head. He laughed again, and gave her another shrug as if to say 'whatever that means!'
"Your cousin sounds like quiet the violent young girl," she laughed, resting her head back for a moment. She turned towards him again as he settled in beside her, peering up as she peered down. It was the strangest and yet most comfortable feeling, just relaxing there in bed with him. She loved that they were this comfortable together, but wondered how things would progress in the future. "It's so strange... like we've always done this," she said softly, afraid to disturb the peace around them. The rain pounded against the window, the claps of thunder growing louder as the storm raged on and drew closer. Kate sank down onto the bed, laying beside him, turning on her side to mimic his position. "Listen to the rain... that will put us both to sleep," she grinned. "I don't want this night to end, Brendan... this was a really great night," she told him, reaching out to brush his hair back from his brow.
"Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if she was the leader of some vicious girl gang," he joked - Amy was a pain, and a good gamer, but she was pretty innocent in real life.
"Yeah..." he breathed softly. There was something so calm, so peaceful and relaxed about the whole situation. Something that should maybe have felt awkward and forced, but instead he actually felt... glad to be sharing the night, his bed, and the sound of the storm with someone else. And not just anyone else. He felt like she was an old love, returned to him after a long absence, but he didn't voice that thought in fear of sounding like a total loon. "It's one of my favourite things, listening to the rain," he told her quietly. "I think it's one of the few things that calms me. Being somewhere warm and comfortable and not having anywhere else to be, listening to the rain," he explained further. "Even better with company, mind you," he told her with a smile.
She made another affectionate gesture, and that warm feeling washed over him again. "I know. I'm so glad you came over," he told her. "In fact, I'm almost glad there was a storm," he added after a moments thought, still smiling at her. "I'll still be here in the morning," he reminded her.
She smiled softly, shifting again, pulling his pillow closer under her head as she moved closer to him, watching him as he watched her. The same thought crossed her mind, as if they'd done this before, so content and comfortable with one another. Lightning flashed out his window and she could see him clearly for a moment, but she jumped, laughing softly when the thunder crashed. The rain and wind howled outside, angry at his window. Kate felt that lump in her throat, feeling like a silly girl, like she might cry at the genuine affection. "The fair would have been fun," she said softly, her head on his pillow as she peered up at him now, "but laying there on the couch with you, laughing and being ridiculous," she smiled, "was the happiest and most content I've been in a long time, Brendan. I fear you're going to spoil me, letting me stay here like this. You might find it difficult to get rid of me in the morning," she teased. When was the last time she stayed up into the early hours of the morning, whispering to a man who listened and whispered back? Back to that old, quarter to never, she thought.
Brendan laughed softly as she jumped at the thunder - it was kind of adorable. "Come here," he told her, moving to pull her into his arms, as if protecting her from the bad storm outside. If Kate was being a silly girl, Brendan wasn't sure what his excuse was, but he was finding himself coming over all emotional as she started explaining how she had enjoyed the evening. "I know," he said quietly, "Maybe you think I'd just be like this with anyone, but it's not true. I'm strange and awkward, but you make me..." he trailed off, not quite sure how to explain it, or if he even should be trying to explain it. "I don't know, I just like you being here, Kate," he finished eventually, unsure how better to explain himself.
He placed a kiss to the top of her head and gave her a little squeeze. "That's okay. I'll make you breakfast," he told her. "Well, maybe," he added, suddenly wondering if he even had anything to make her. "I'll make you toast, at least," he edited with a laugh.
The storm raged outside, but they soon found themselves paying no attention to anything but the soft whispers between them. Kate slid across his bed and into his arms, tucking herself close to him, resting one hand under her cheek, the other on his chest as she listened to him talk, feeling the words vibrating in his chest. "No... I don't think that," Kate said, shaking her head a little. Her face was close to his as they talked, and she could watch his eyes. "I think I feel the same away about you..." she smiled softly. Maybe it was the storm or maybe it was the simple romance of lying in his arms, whispering in the dark that made the words tumble off her tongue, but she kept talking, telling him how she felt. "I feel like this is all so new and yet so familiar and... comfortable and there's no awkwardness and that's why I don't want this to end, Brendan," Kate told him. "I don't want rush head first into this, but this... this comfortableness... I want to get used to this... is that saying too much?" she asked him, her eyes lingering on his.
He was a handsome man, Kate thought, despite that he found himself strange and awkward, Kate found him interesting and charming and right now she found herself falling hard for him. The kind of feeling that she'd never really felt... like there was no going back and if he wasn't in it with her, she wasn't sure what she would do. That scared her a little, seeing as it was so early in this relationship and she was already clinging to him. "Toast is good, I like toast," she laughed with him. "Well, we could try this at my place some time and I'm pretty sure I have eggs," she suggested.
It was relaxed, it was comfortable - it was the most comfortable he'd felt in a long time. In a strange way, he felt like he was more relaxed with Kate there than he would have been without her there - was that even possible? He smiled when she said she felt the same way, and there was such a burst of happiness in his chest that he really wasn't sure what to do with it all. She was still talking, and all he could do was lie there and smile like a lunatic until he realised she was asking him a question. "No! No, no..." he insisted, "But if you're not wanting to rush head first in, I've got some bad news for you," he told her, with a cheeky grin. "You appear to already be there. And I'm not complaining, I'm glad you are, in fact," he was babbling.
The thing was, he felt the same way, but there wasn't really a way to express it without sounding a bit mental. He felt like he was falling hard, and he was kind of terrified, because there was always a chance that she wouldn't be there to catch him when he did. He couldn't very well just tell her that, but from the way their conversation was going, he was fairly sure she was falling with him. Did that mean there was no one to catch them, they'd just have to hold onto each other and fall? "Ooft, check you out, show-off with your eggs!" he laughed, giving her a playful shake. "Do you have plans for tomorrow?"
Lightning flashed and Kate closed her eyes, her body tensing as the thunder crashed overhead. She opened her eyes again, smiling at him even though she shook her head. "It's the ones that shake the foundation that rattle me," she said softly. Kate listened to his reasoning and she opened her mouth to speak, but stopped, just laying there quietly as she thought about it. She shifted, turning to stare at the ceiling for a moment while she lay there in his arms. "I think we have our share of battle scars," she said softly, "and perhaps one day we'll compare stories... but for right now, I just need you to understand that there are reasons for me not wanting to jump in head first... but you... you're different..." she sighed softly, turning her head towards him again. "We're getting very serious for such a late hour..." she said lightly, rolling close to him again so she could hug him.
Kate laughed softly, hugging him close when he shook her. "OK, so the truth is now I'm just going to have to make sure I have eggs in my refrigerator when you come over!" she groaned. Kate all but wanted to cling to him, make sure he was still real. If they continued with this pattern, they were going to find themselves moving quickly into this relationship, and she wasn't sure how she was going to handle that. Kate just knew that she couldn't scare him off... not this guy. "Tomorrow... you mean later today?" she replied with a smirk, pulling away enough to look at him. "No... no plans... will you make me lunch, too?"
Brendan laughed softly as she jumped, not intending to mock her, it was just so girly and adorable. He gave her another little squeeze, as if protecting her, which was slightly ridiculous as he'd never exactly considering himself the 'protecting' kind. He was too skinny to be the kind of guy women felt would rescue them. He gently stroked her hair as she spoke, his burst of happiness giving way to a familiar pang of sadness. He nodded his head a little, unsure if she could actually see that motion. "I understand," he told her, his tone revealing that he really did. "I..." he was going to say 'I won't hurt you', but suddenly he worried if he could live up to that promise, considering it seemed to be what he did best. But she was different, too. He smiled a little as he realised this was true. "I can do patient," he edited himself, which was impressive. He had a habit of saying things and thinking about it afterwards, but apparently he was getting a bit better at that around Kate. Maybe it was because for once he wasn't practicing self-sabotage.
"Yeah, I'll be checking," he joked. He laughed softly when she corrected him. "God, I know, I don't dare to look at the time," he agreed. "But yeah. If the storm's over, maybe I'll even take you out somewhere for lunch. You know, hopefully your dress will be dry, because as lovely as a look right now, I think you might get a few odd looks out in public," he teased.
She breathed a small sigh of relief at his promise of patience. "Trust... trust is good, too," she told him softly. "I want to trust you... I mean, I do trust you but... I think you know what I'm trying to say," Kate finished. "I want you to trust me, too," she added, because there was something in the tone of his voice to suggest that trust was hard to come by for him, too. It occurred to her that maybe he was damaged like she was. The thought gave her hope in some ways, but in another way it broke her heart a little. It would have to be a tale for another night.
"Well, you are more then welcome to come check my refrigerator whenever you want," she told him. Kate paused for a moment, thinking that might have come off as a gutter-like thought, but dismissed it and smiled. "Well, that would be nice, because I did want you to see my dress. Although, I will be keeping this particular outfit even when I leave," she reminded him. "So... is lunch another date then? I'm keeping a tally," she warned playfully.
Brendan sighed a little as she said 'trust', and tried his best to hold it together - he really didn't want to get into details at god knows what time of night, and so early into the relationship. It was definitely too early to lay all his baggage on her at once, but trust was pretty much his biggest issue. Once upon a time, he'd been the most trusting partner - never jealous, never paranoid, never the kind to check someones messages or ask them where they were or follow them about like a nutcase... but he was worried he'd become that person. It was his own fear, distrust and paranoia that made any relationship fail before it had even began. He made a conscious decision not to do that with her - he was going to have to explain it sometime, and just hope that she would have the patience to get him through it this time.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," he agreed eventually. "Just... I want you to know that it might take some time, but if you can be patient too, then I'm going to try. I mean, I want to ... well, I do kind of... but..." he trailed off and just laughed a little. "God, I think we might be quite a pair," he admitted - it sounded like she knew exactly what he was trying to get at. Maybe that was a good thing, in a way. "I think we'll be ok. Maybe it'll take a while, but it'll be ok" he told her.
He let the refrigerator comment pass with little more than a confused facial expression, but quickly smoothed over it onto the next topic. "Yeah, sure. If we sleep in between, that must count as a separate date, right?" he suggested. "Why?" he asked, although after he'd said it a few reasons sprung to mind, and he instantly regretted asking.
She let him talk it out, let his thoughts just spill out and didn't even nod along, just listened. Kate knew then and there that he was broken, but it was someone else that had broken him, just like she had been broken. Someday, not now and not even tomorrow, she would tell him, and she hope that he would someday do the same for her. "For as fast as our world moves, especially with our jobs and the amount of sugar I've seen you consume," she smiled, "I think we can take the time," she said softly. "And... you're worth waiting for... you're worth the time, Brendan," she told him sincerely. Kate untangled herself from his arms, lifting her hand to touch his face, leaning close to press a soft kiss to his lips. Kate forced herself not to get choked up and not to cry, lingering against his lips for a moment before she pulled back. "I'm not going anywhere..."
As the conversation took a turn back toward the light and easy, she laughed softly, shaking her head. "Because I'm a silly girl," she laughed, relaxing in his arms again. The thunder crashed overhead, but Kate could hear it on the opposite end of the building - it was passing. "See, this is our second date... well, the movie and sugar was our second date," she pointed out. "However, with as many times as we've stopped and had coffee breaks together and those few times we went for walks on our lunch breaks... we could be up to three or four dates when you do the silly girl dating math," she smiled, tipping her head up to look at him. Yeah, he was going to think she was crazy.
Brendan hadn't been expecting quite as sweet a response as she had given, and it warmed him - she really was something special. He smiled against her lips as she kissed him, and tucked her hair behind her ear affectionately. "Thanks. I'm glad you think so," he said, a little bit coy about it. She was going to make him blush again, but fortunately it was too dark to notice now.
His mood changed to one of complete confusion when she started to explain her 'silly girl math' to him - he thought he knew what she was getting at, he knew about the daft girl rules for 'how many dates' and so on, but he'd never had someone just talk about it like that. And it was baffling. He shrugged a little, and gave her a look that seemed to say 'you're a crazy person', but followed it with a smile and a laugh. It was kind of adorable, in a weird and complicated way. "You can tally it up however you like, Kate. Because I don't have a fucking clue what you're on about anymore," he told her with a genuine laugh. "What happened to your no games policy? Is girl math an exception?"
They'd gone from sweet and affectionate to ridiculous in the blink of an eye. "Brendan, that mouth. Do you curse like that all the time?" she laughed, giving him a playful shove. "Like I'm one to talk, really... I curse at random drivers... be warned." She found herself out of his arms after pushing at him, in a tangle of sheets and laughter. "I didn't... I mean... oh, whatever," she laughed, pushing her dark hair off her neck as she laid down on her side, peering over at him. "I simply meant that, when you add up all the times we met up at work, we probably jumped into this long before tonight and maybe it wasn't head first after all..." she concluded, giving him a shy smile. His mind was as far into the gutter as hers was, but neither one of them was about to admit it. Kate was no innocent flower, but she wasn't about to jump into that aspect of a relationship without her eyes wide open - some lessons were learned the hard way. "Now we're all wound up again and likely to not sleep before dawn," she laughed.
Brendan hadn't really noticed that he'd cursed, so he supposed that answered her question. He laughed as she shoved him and gave her another shrug. "Yeah, fraid so, don't even notice I'm doing it. I like to give the editors some work now and then. This is why you see very tense directors when I'm live," he told her with a cheeky grin. It was a very risky business putting him in front of a live audience, but to date he'd only sworn once when live, and considering it was on 9/11, no one had really pulled him up on it - in fact, he was pretty sure there was still a youtube clip of his potty mouth.
"I didn't say anything!" he protested as she started digging her own grave, although it was highly amusing listening to her. "Hey, add it up however you please, I'm not getting involved!" he told her with a laugh. He wasn't expecting anything more from her, despite having had to drag his mind out of the gutter on more than one occasion around her. Maybe he wasn't a 'normal' man, but he was happy with how things were, and wanted to get to know her better and spend some more time with her before it became physical. There was no point in rushing things, and he really didn't care about the math, he was just happy to let things progress at whatever rate came naturally to them. "I told you we should have played listen to the rain," he teased.
"I'm trying to... I just mean..." she groaned and wanted bury herself under the pillow for a moment. "I meant we weren't running head fast into this... you haven't been able to get rid of me for weeks," she mumbled against the pillow. OK, well since they were being silly, she could blurt more out, right? Because she couldn't seem to stop herself. Kate turned her head towards him again, wrapping her arms around his pillow as she smiled. "I've sort of had this thing for you... for awhile... like, I said, I enjoy listening to you talk... I watch your news segments every day," she admitted to him.
They were quiet for a moment. The rain was still beating against the window, though the storm was passing. "We can play that now that I've inserted my foot into my mouth a few times," she sighed, leveling him with a look. "Are you trying to shut me up?" she asked.
Brendan was grinning while she talked - he was usually the one to say dumb things without thinking, it was quite refreshing to be around someone who also had a case of the speaking before thinking. "Did I say we were rushing head in? Or are you just trying to convince yourself now? Because I'm already convinced!" he told her - god, she really was trying to make him blush! But it looked like she was embarrassed enough for the both of them."You watch my news segment everyday?!" he repeated with alarm, "why would you do that to yourself? If I hear it back, I want to curl up and die from the sheer horror!" he mocked. "I really don't know why they continue to allow me to be in front of a camera."
"I'm not trying to shut you up, I'm saving you from yourself," he teased. "By all means, keep talking, you're cute when you're flustered and confused!" he told her.
"I know... and we said that earlier that it was already too late... we're already in this... I wasn't trying to convince myself of anything," she laughed, thinking how absurd the conversation had gotten. "Honestly, I have jumped off the track where my train of thought was going!" she exclaimed, pushing herself to sit up. He already thought she was crazy, so why back down now. "OK... aside from our heartfelt conversation that we had before we started talking about breakfast," she smiled, "let's pretend that you never woke me up during your antics with your cousin... OK?" she pleaded, smiling down at him. He thought she was cute, and that made her heart skip a little beat. "And, I watch your news segments because I think you're an honest reporter who actually knows what he's talking about... you actually give a shit, when most others are out there trying to cut someone down or just work their way up the ladder no matter who is in their way," Kate said sincerely and seriously. "That, and I'm hoping to one day get your blooper reels that I've heard the guys in the edit room talking about," she grinned.
"Now..." Kate settled down beside him, laying close to him on her side like she had been before. "Tell me more about this game of Listen to the Rain..." she whispered.