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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jan 22, 2013 14:36:30 GMT -5
It had been a quiet day, and rather a lonely one at that. Annabel was off at a friend's house and Nell had been working for the better part of the day, leaving him with only the pets as company. He did not mind the solitude and spent most of his time researching in his study but as the hours dragged on he found himself looking forward to the time when his wife would return from work. Her presence always cheered and relaxed him and his eyes were growing tired from staring at large paragraphs of text for so long.
With a glance at the clock he realised that it was still over an hour before she would be getting off. Hm. Maybe I'll do something special. He liked to surprise her now and again. She wasn't fond of anything flashy or over the top, didn't like getting gifts, but he had become adept at figuring out small things that he could do in order to impress her. Like making dinner, for example. Nell loved food, Josh knew how to cook. It worked.
He rather enjoyed cooking—the rhythmic and instruction-based process calmed him. Soon the kitchen was filled with the smell of cooking meat, a smell that no longer turned his stomach or caused him to screw up his expression with distaste. No longer a vegetarian, he could now prepare enough dinner for the both of them instead of cooking separately for himself. It saved time and ingredients. He wiped down the counter and did the rest of the dishes while he waited for it to cook, wanting everything to be ready for when Nell walked in the door. He wanted to spend the evening with her, do something together even if it was just sitting on the couch in the living room and talking.
The final product of his labour had been ready and waiting in the oven for around ten minutes when he glanced out of the kitchen window to see Nell's car pulling up the long driveway. There was no sign that this window had once been shattered amidst a violent encounter, the panes all replaced and kitchen tiles redone. His lip twitched fondly and he went to meet her at the door, sliding his arms around her and leaning down to claim her lips in a kiss. He was smiling as as pulled back, expression light. "Welcome home, babe. How was work?" The front door was close to the kitchen and so the scent of food wafted had permeated the air, giving away his surprise before he could say, "You could probably use something to eat, huh? I made dinner..." He didn't ask if she was hungry because, well, this was Nell. When was she not hungry?
He separated himself from her so that she had the freedom to hang up her coat and take off her shoes, heading into the kitchen to start setting up. He'd already laid out the plates so that his only task was to serve the both of them, pausing to consider the empty glasses. "What do you want to drink? I figured I'd leave that up to you. Coffee, maybe? I bet it was a long day." Work dragged on some days no matter how much you enjoyed it. He tried not to think too much about her job, about the outfit she wore and the men who would admire her. He was a jealous man, he wanted his wife all to himself.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jan 22, 2013 18:00:34 GMT -5
Nell usually enjoyed work, though she rarely held full conversations with people at her table. Jokes were made, usually ones involving mama needing a new pair of shoes, but she had to focus on her job and make sure that everything went smoothly. The most she spoke tended to be her stating the table min and reading off the cards. However, as a few new people sat down and she told them the rules as she dealt out their hands, one man decided to ask her a question that she thought strange. "Say 'I call and talk to my friend in Boston'," he said with a grin on his face, and her eyebrows drew together with a quizzical look. She didn't realize that he'd noticed her accent because most of the time, no one really commented on it. Nell didn't pay attention to it herself because that's how she spoke.
But she decided to humor him anyway. "I call and talk to my friend in Boston?" It came out with an edge of curiosity, the hidden question being why are you making me say this? But then he laughed, clapping his hands over a pile of chips before pushing it in. "Wow, that's obnoxious. Where are you even from?" She felt a constriction in her chest at the word obnoxious, but when everyone else decided on their bets, she told him with a smile, "New York City." There was a difference, after all, from New York state. But now she felt uncomfortable even telling him that. "For future reference, it's Boston not 'Bawstin'." That had a few other people laughing, most of them quiet, but she figured he must have been drunk by the volume of his guffawing. She kept smiling, said that she'll keep it in mind, and went flipped over her cards while trying not to think of what he'd said.
But she did think about it. Was it really obnoxious? She knew that she had a thick accent, but she didn't think that she was butchering words or anything like that. Driving home, she turned off the radio and tested words in her mouth. Anything with o's and ending in r's, she'd say them out loud and wince when they bounced back to her ears. So she tried to say the phrase the man had given her before, and instead of adding a w, tried to keep it an 'ah' sound. It felt weird, though, and even weirder that she was pulling into the driveway saying, "I call to talk to my friend in Boston." It sounded like the right way to talk -- not "tawk" -- and so she decided that when she went inside she would keep it up.
Josh, at least, made her feel more at ease. She knew she shouldn't be taking people's words to heart like that, but thinking about it, everyone spoke differently than her. Even her husband, who she kissed back with earnest, trying to feel better now that she was home with him. Pulling back, she saw how happy he looked and smiled gently. "It was good," she told him without hesitance, and so focused on her words she was, the fact that she could smell food barely registered to her until he commented on it. "You cooked?" she asked, leaning over as if she could see the food in the kitchen. Nell didn't want to admit just how emotional she got over that kind of thing, but it showed in her eyes and the fact that her smile didn't leave her face. Even though she felt crappy, her husband still knew how to make her feel better. "Thank you! I am starving, I haven't eaten since breakfast." She didn't think she would feel particularly up to cooking, so the fact that Josh thought of it meant a lot. And even though she spoke that with enthusiasm, she made sure to pronounce the hard r's in the words.
She shred her jacket and slipped out of her shoes before going over to see what Josh had made, opening the oven and peering inside before closing it again. It took a moment for her to answer, because she practiced the words in her head before actually saying them out loud. Coffee with an 'ah' sound, not an 'aw' sound. "Yeah, I'll get the coffee started," she said, and though it would have usually been stated cheerfully, she spoke with a neutral tone, her mind more focused on forming her o's the right way. "Being on my feet in those heels feels like twelve hours instead of seven," she agreed with a light laugh, glad that there was no r's or o's that she had to be conscious of. She looked for filters to put in as she said, "It was nice, though. A lot of people came to my table. Someone won the pot when it was two thousand dollars." And then the jerk came around and ruined her mood. She just didn't like to complain, even though if she ever did have a bad day Josh was the only person she'd tell. However, she was hoping she could get away with changing her way of speaking without alerting him to it.
Putting the filter in, she took another pause before deciding how to phrase her next words. "How was your day?" she said, making sure the 'r' came in fully. This was hard and very much infuriating, but if some stranger thought it was obnoxious, it wouldn't be far-fetched to believe that the man she spent the most time with would find it obnoxious as well. Especially since he spoke properly all the time, and the way she pronounced words was not 'proper'.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jan 22, 2013 18:58:59 GMT -5
Nothing seemed amiss at first, Nell assuring him that she'd had a good day after returning the kiss. Her words were instantly taken at face value, his trust in her immense. It cheered him to know that things had gone well for his wife and so the smile stayed on his lips a bit longer, his gray gaze warm. It was his silent way of saying 'good, I'm glad to hear it'.
That smile turned into more of a satisfied smirk with her surprise. He was quite pleased with himself. "Try not to sound so surprised, you'll hurt my feelings," he joked, his tone light-hearted so as to give away the humour. "I figured you could use a break. You've got a lot on your hands." He ruffled her hair affectionately. They were both busy people, attending school and holding down jobs as well as other, outside commitments. Their marriage had yet to suffer from these distractions and he doubted that it ever would. They functioned well together, understood each other. He hoped she knew how much her acceptance of him meant. He tried to show it with little gestures such as this one.
His gaze lit up as he saw her joy, a swooping feeling in his chest. Score! It made him feel fantastic to put her in high spirits. She'd already had a good day but the knowledge that he could make that good day even better was pleasing. "Since breakfast?" he repeated, surprised. It shocked him when Nell went for any length of time without popping something into her mouth. She was like a bottomless pit. Her appetite impressed him for her small size. "And you always yell at me when I don't eat!" She'd never actually yelled at him, more of a gentle disapproval as she shoved food toward him, so it was clear he was playing around. His own good spirits were evident in the way that he smiled and laughed, feeling himself relax already. This was exactly the sort of end to a busy day of studying that he needed. "Well anyway, you're in luck! There's plenty there, I made enough extra for both of us." Which meant enough to feed a decent sized family. He understood her eating habits enough to cater to them when he decided to cook.
He had been more focused on feeling proud of himself at first but as the initial glee wore off and they settled into a content sort of routine, Joshua frowned. She sounds a bit off. It was the word coffee that did it, that caught his attention. It did not sound like Nell. This was not his wife talking to him. It was, of course, he could see her going over to the cupboard to search for the filters, but nothing felt right. His cheer felt interrupted as he furrowed his brow and leaned against the counter, watching her even as she had her back turned to him. Maybe it's just me? He didn't feel like it was but he hesitated to say anything at first, instead allowing conversation to progress as normally as possible. "I don't know how you stand those things for more than five minutes." He shook his head. He would never understand heels. Sure, they looked good on her, he wouldn't deny that, but he didn't like the idea of Nell being in pain. Stupid job. She sounded a tad more normal with that sentence and so he began to think that he might be making things up... until she went on.
There is definitely something wrong... Nell was discussing her work as per usual but her voice, dear god, her voice. It clicked—her accent sounded funny. It never had to him before. He enjoyed her unique (to someone from Canada, at least) tones and the way she enunciated her words. He enjoyed just hearing her speak sometimes. But not like this. "Lucky guy," he said, then realised she hadn't specified a gender and added, "Or girl. Lucky either way." He was trying to ignore how off she sounded but it was difficult. Carrying on conversation was hard, too. He wanted to ask. Would it upset her? "They all flock to your table because you're the best dealer in that place." He was a tad biased but hey, he believed it. She was nice, she was pretty, she was good at what she did. He just wished it wasn't a casino. Why not an office job where guys wouldn't be staring? Meh. He tried not to make his jealousies known to Nell. No need to make her uncomfortable.
He was uncomfortable at present, though, and it was getting harder to ignore. He would have to ask. But first... "My day was pretty boring, really. Lots of reading. You didn't miss much, but I'm glad you're home." Just concerned that she wasn't doing as good as she'd said. Licking his lips nervously, he dared broach the subject with, "Hey, Nell... are you sure you're all right?" He didn't quite state why he was asking, too worried about what she might think. He'd gauge her answer, first.
[whoops length .-. WASN'T INTENTIONAL, SORRY BBY]
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jan 23, 2013 0:06:43 GMT -5
Nell didn't feel bad at all anymore. With the confidence that she could assimilate her accent, she didn't feel quite as bad as she had when the random player insulted her. Everything felt all right with Josh. And he cooked for her, which touched her more than it should. It was a normal, everyday thing. Nell wore an exaggerated look of worry on her face when he told her not to sound so surprised. "I'm sorry about your feelings," she said, patting him on the arm in condolence. Okay, she wasn't too surprised, because this was Josh and he had a habit of being incredibly sweet. She made a face when he ruffled up her hair, and swatted him away. "You did good. I appreciate it." She'd already made that known, but no harm in telling him just how thankful she was for it. She was starved, as a matter of fact, and still a little put out. Her husband cheered her up, though, especially seeing him in such a good mood.
Nell looked like a puppy that ate bubblegum from the trash when Josh repeated what she'd said. His diet sometimes gave her anxiety, but she knew if she reminded him he'd spare a moment or two to eat something. She jokingly winced at his words. "I'm in for a lecture, aren't I?" she said, careful with her r's, reminding herself that they were there. "In my defense, I had a big breakfast." She nodded her head in order to reaffirm this. That made all the difference, didn't it? There were some days that she didn't have as complete a diet as she should. "Oh good. Can't promise that I won't eat it all though," she said with a grin. She would never put her husband out of a meal! That was not very good spousal behavior.
She hated the word coffee now. One of the worst words when it came to her accent, she bet. Not that she could actually know, and half of her was tempted to ask Josh about it. But how could she phrase it? "Does the way I say coffee piss you off?" She would rather just go about changing, figuring that it was something that wouldn't even get noticed by Josh. "I stand them because they make me two inches taller and because I am a strong, independent woman," she said, not even aware that he had caught her and was watching her. It showed resiliency, being able to handle them. After scooping out the coffee she started it up and told him, "You could handle it, just put a pair on and walk around for a few minutes to break them in." Breaking them in was the hard part. However, Josh definitely did not need heels. She was the one that required the extra boost.
It would be a pain, trying to focus on pronouncing words right. How could anyone focus on the way they were saying something while also trying to form a coherent sentence. "Girl," she told him. "It's easier to win at tables and all, but usually not such a big pot. Pretty late in the game, she played a straight." She bet her bosses were worried about cheating, but Nell knew the tricks well enough to catch it, usually. As it were, she tried her best to keep it up, and she had to say she was doing pretty good, even though it just felt weird. She smiled at Josh's words. "Aww, thanks baby." She liked to believe that cards was something she was good at, and praise from Josh definitely meant a lot to her.
"Coffee's ready," she said when she the dripping stopped, mostly just so she could try it again and see if she could keep it up. It made her feel warm to hear that he was glad she was home, like he missed her, and she poured both of them cups. "I'm disappointed, I wanted to hear about some skydiving adventures or drag racing." She handed a cup off to him, before setting her own cup on the table and getting some food for herself. She definitely regretted not eating for so long. Laughing lightly at his question, she still assumed that Josh hadn't noticed anything. "Yeah, I'm great. Why?" She looked at him curiously, sitting down to eat.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jan 23, 2013 0:39:47 GMT -5
He grinned at her when she swatted his hand away, bringing it back for a moment just to be a pain in the ass. He loved messing with her, it was fun. They might have been a married couple but they still behaved like smitten teenagers a majority of the time. That was okay with him. He liked the ease and affection in their relationship and how little they bickered. A warm glow dawned on his features when she told him that he'd done good, backing up her earlier praise. "I try." He did, really. He wanted to always keep her happy. He never wanted to become so comfortable that he forgot to treat her like she was special.
Though he laughed, he could not shake the concern. Why does her accent sound so funny? Is she getting sick? Then he dismissed that thought as stupid. She doesn't sound sick. Besides, illness doesn't erase a fucking accent. That didn't make him feel any better about this. Then what's wrong? Anxiety knotted his throat but he refused to let it affect his attitude toward her. "Hm. I won't lecture you, but I do get to hold it over your head the next time I go for longer than five minutes without eating, Mrs. You Need to Eat." He preferred Mrs. Dale, to be honest. He liked hearing that. His wife. "Of course you did." He smiled and shook his head, believing her. When did she not? "It doesn't count, though, because that's nothing out of the ordinary for you. So." He was determined to win this argument that was not really an argument, because the Dales were not fighters. Even serious issues were met with compromise or solution instead of conflict. It was how they functioned. "Eat as much as you like! You're the one who's been working all day! I could whip up a sandwich if I'm still hungry later on." This was her special dinner and so if she was hungry enough to eat all of the food that was not yet on her plate, he wouldn't stop her.
Stop that, he thought, frustrated with the way she was pronouncing things. It was not Nell he was mad at but rather his confusion. What the hell was going on? He felt like he was in some kind of a Twilight Zone. All he knew was that he was not imagining things. Something was up. Something. What, though? Ugh. Her comment on the heels did make his lip twitch, distracting him momentarily. She's still tiny, though. He avoided saying this aloud so as not to make her feel bad about it but it didn't bother Josh at all. He loved how small she was, how he could pick her up with ease and how it felt when she was snuggled against him. He loved everything about her, heels or no. "Ha, no. I'll leave them to you. I would break my ankles within the first five minutes." They looked so unsteady to walk in. He was honestly impressed by her sense of balance in the damn things. He liked his foot flat on the ground, thank you very much. No wobbling around for Josh.
He listened with unusually distracted interest as she went on more about her job. It was not usually hard for him to focus on what she was saying, he liked listening to her, but when he was paying more attention to her accent than what she was telling him he really had to focus to get the gist of everything. "Bet she was thrilled." He certainly would have been. He smiled briefly at the pet name, glad that she appreciated the compliment. He was glad she accepted compliments now. He'd been determined since day one to make it known to her that she was beautiful and perfect and it was finally paying off. One day at a time.
That is not how you say coffee. Not you.
That settled it, he had to say something. It was too hard for him to sit here and listen to her without speaking up. His laugh was a tad strained and uncomfortable and that would probably be the first sign to Nell that something was off about him, too. He might have made a joke about drag racing if not for his distractions. He finally asked, deciding that it was best to come out with it. His brow furrowed when she gave an answer he wasn't expecting. You're not fine. I can tell. You're not. Something's wrong. He was almost hurt. Why won't she tell me? He took a bite of food so as not to answer immediately, swallowing hard and setting down his fork gingerly. "You just seem a little... um, off, is all." He was almost sheepish, worried that she'd be upset that he was making assumptions. It's not an assumption, he defended himself. It was hard to bring himself to say, 'You're talking funny, could you stop that?' What if she didn't notice? What if those words upset her? God damn it, maybe I should have kept my mouth shut.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jan 23, 2013 2:52:08 GMT -5
She was glad that she could come home from a long day and just be silly with Josh. If something didn't go well or if she felt down, she could always rely on him to make her better. Even when she pretended otherwise, like her glare when he decided to be 'annoying'. "I'm going to bite you," she threatened, though she didn't think that would be a good way to thank him for being wonderful and cooking dinner. She still couldn't get over it. He had made food for her, taken time out of his day to make sure that she got fed. Strange how the little things could touch her in the deepest ways.
Now she regretted not eating when she should have. It made her feel oddly sad whenever she was hungry, and that probably made dinner even better in her eyes at that point. Even when Josh said that he would be holding it over her head. "This is what I get, for one time?" she said, her voice tight with false whining. "All right then, Mr. Let's See How Long I Can Go Without Nutrition." Especially noticeable was that the all right part of what she said was distinguishable as two words, not just one awright. She didn't worry too much about Josh anymore. That was actually a lie, but she couldn't help the instant feeling of panic whenever she found out that he hadn't eaten in a while. "I was focused on doing my job like a good professional person." And to back up her sophisticated, well-stated argument she stuck her tongue out at him. Very professional. Even though he said that he wouldn't mind how much she ate, she would make sure that she didn't go Winston on the dinner. "No way, you need to enjoy the fruits of your labor." She was slowly getting better with how she was speaking, at least so that it didn't take more time to prepare her words, measure how they would sound.
A big part of Nell wearing heels a lot was because of her Napoleon complex. It didn't help that her husband was a giant, not that she blamed him for it. She didn't make it known that she did wish she was taller. The only time she could remember talking about it with him was at prom years ago. "I bet you're curious now. I bet I'm going to find you walking around in my shoes one day, and I'll totally be understanding." No awkwardness in that situation. She had just planted the idea in his head, after all, it was her fault. Though if he did develop a thing for heels, it would be very unfortunate for her. She was probably developing neck problems from leaning her head back to look up at him.
She laughed talking about the woman who'd won the pot, not realizing that he'd caught on at all and how uncomfortable it made him. All she was really paying attention to was the fact that she loved him so much and how hungry she realized she actually was. So when he asked her the question, she assumed first off that it was just him being randomly concerned. Sometimes she did that, too, experienced a misplaced sense worry. Then again, she was a worrywart in general.
So she let it slide, until she saw his reaction to her easy denial of anything being wrong after he started in on his food. When he spoke, she felt that tickling in the back of her mind until she realized he knew. The fact that she'd been hesitating a lot, that had to be it. "Off," she repeated, blinking at him. She was off. Nell tried to pretend not to be off, but of course Josh would notice. She leaned back and tried to make herself more comfortable as she looked at her plate. She definitely did not want to look at Josh, because she in that moment she felt her face heating with embarrassment as she considered admitting the truth. "It's just...I don't know." She was definitely too much of a coward to actually tell him. But she knew it would be better to actually tell him now that it was obvious he sensed something was up. "Do you think my...accent is annoying?" It was out there, but it felt strange saying that. Never before had she been concerned about her voice, about her words and how she said them. But now someone had made a cruel comment on it, that fact was all she could think of. She really didn't know if she wanted to hear Josh's answer to that. Maybe it annoyed him and he just kept it to himself so as not to hurt her feelings. Maybe everyone she knew felt the same way.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jan 23, 2013 14:22:49 GMT -5
He was grinning as she threatened him, a mischievous light in his gray eyes. "Isn't it a bit early for that kind of talk?" It was just like Joshua to turn a complete innocent threat into something that it wasn't. Teasing her was fun. He'd even managed to corrupt her slightly over the years, something he was more proud of than he perhaps should have been.
Poking her nose with a playful smile, he retorted, "This is revenge." She was lucky that he wasn't a Thunder or he might have taken petty things such as this much more seriously than he was. He had a temper but he'd gotten better about handling it over the years. He took some things in stride. "Hey," he complained, taking on the slight whine that she'd used before. "If you keep on at me like that, woman, I might just try for the world record. What would you do then?" He sure looked like he'd be a great world record holder as he doled liberal amounts of the pie onto his plate and dug in eagerly. He was pretty hungry. He'd skipped lunch, too, but he decided not to tell Nell that. He was competitive, damn it! He didn't want to give her an edge over him in this mock argument. "Well I'm usually focused on my studies like the exceptional student that I am. So, there." She stuck out her tongue and he displayed his own obvious maturity in turn by making a face at her.
Taking a large bite of the food, he made sure to be polite and swallow it before answering, "I am enjoying them. Very tasty fruits." Beef-and-potato flavoured fruits, sure, but fruits all the same.
Like an elephant, Joshua never forgot things if he could help it. He tried to keep track of all the little things Nell had told him, all the stuff they'd discussed over their three years of knowing one another. He remembered their talk about her height, remembered prom in its entirety, remembered how much better it had been to dance with her at their wedding when she was glowing with happiness, smiling for real. "Somehow I don't think your heels would fit me," he mused, sticking out his socked foot. He had much bigger feet than she did. He fixed her with a grim look. "Nell, babe, I don't quite know how to say this, but if I ever express an urge to dress up in your clothes... hit me. Hard. Or run. You know, either one." He joked and laughed just the same even as he obsessed over her voice and how it had changed. He was trying to keep up an air of normalcy.
It didn't last for long, however, and his stomach twisted into a tight knot when she repeated him. He opened his mouth as if to say something, wanting to take it back in his own defence, but then closed it again and merely looked anxious. It would not have been noticeable to anyone else but he did not think he could hide it from Nell. The one time he wished he could hide his true feelings from her and he knew it would fail. "Yeah," he admitted, cringing slightly. "I mean, you just..." He trailed off. How could he put this? You're acting funny. You're talking funny. This isn't you. "Talk to me, Nell. Please." It wasn't like him to beg for anything but he didn't like when they were not on equal ground. He liked things to be comfortable and this was anything but.
He blinked. "Oh." A few seconds passed in silence as it sunk in. It would no doubt be enough for her to worry about his answer. After the pause, Joshua laughed—a knee-jerk reaction, automatic, something that he couldn't help. "Oh," he said again, shaking his head. Then he smiled, hoping to reassure her. "So that's what this is about!" He slapped the kitchen island with his hand, glad that it wasn't anything worse. This seemed like such a trivial matter to Josh. "No, Nell—Jesus, what would even make you think—no, of course I don't!" He'd been with her for three years now and the accent had never been a problem for him. He was still smiling, relieved that it wasn't anything to do with the two of them having some kind of issue. "I thought you sounded off, you had me worried! Wait... hold on..." The smile disappeared and his brow furrowed with concern as he realised something. "Hey, what brought this up, anyway? I didn't do something to make you think that, did I? Geez, Nell, I'm sorry if I did..." Guilt settled in his stomach. Had he poked fun at her in jest, said something that she'd taken a little more to heart than he'd intended?
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jan 23, 2013 15:40:40 GMT -5
It was no surprise that Josh decided to take the inappropriate route on that one. And instead of giving him a disapproving look, she shot right back at him. "Oh, it's never too early," she told him with a sweet smile. He only had himself to blame now that she lobbied back and flirted with him. Though she had to say, she knew how to pick 'em.
Clearly Josh did not heed her threat when he tapped her on the nose, and she made like she actually would bite his finger. "Revenge is not an attractive color for you," she said when he spoke of why he was doing this to her after only one time. He did have a right to revenge, she had to say. She was a professional mother hen, and Josh got the worst of it. "I would do a lot of things, possibly starting with me crying because you make me sad and then ending with me force-feeding you. But I mean, if you want to go through that, be my guest." She really wished she could keep what she said short, just so that she didn't have to focus so much on each word she said. How did other people do this? His rebuttal to her was that he had to study because he was a big medical student hot shot, and made a face at her. "Dork," was her finishing blow, and she looked away so as to leave that as the final word.
Nell laughed as he enjoyed his 'fruits', and she had to say that he did very good. Of course, he knew what she liked and so he couldn't go wrong with that. Even she had preferences for food. She looked down at Josh's foot when he said that he didn't think he could be wearing her shoes, chewing slowly on her food. That was true, at least, he'd end up injuring himself if nothing else. "You need to believe in yourself, ese," she told him instead of agreeing that he should not be wearing her shoes, clearly still joking around. His ploy to keep things normal was working effectively as she told him, "I would accept you no matter what! Even if you like girl shoes. Besides, I don't think hitting you would have any effect. At all." She nodded her head, not realizing that she was being hypocritical again in the fact that she thought maybe Josh wouldn't accept her for something as silly as her accent. It was more doubt in herself than doubt in him, however. She could accept a compliment, but she was still steadily trying to accept herself. Having a husband who loved her very much helped. Having a stranger tell her that her accent was obnoxious did not.
Josh looked incredibly uncomfortable, and she felt bad that she made him feel that way. She watched him as he spoke, food forgotten for now. It still didn't really occur to her that he could tell that she was changing the way she said words. In her mind, she hoped she was being subtle about it, but her accent hadn't necessarily been subtle, and so it wouldn't be that easy to change it. And she didn't think that Josh would be affected in any way by such a decision. He'd just go along with it, right? Her chest hurt when he said please, and she knew she had to tell him the truth about what was going on. She really didn't like hiding anything from Josh.
But when she did so, after the immediate response, she was uncertain about Josh's reaction. She blinked when he laughed, her expression blank so as not to show how confused she was. What's funny? Nell didn't feel offended, only confused. He hit the island table in what must have been the aha! moment, and was this relief? He told her that no, of course it didn't, and she looked down, trying to decide whether it was the truth or not. Josh never lied to her, but would he protect her when it came to something like this? She looked back up when he expressed his concerns, apparently worried that he had caused this. Now when she spoke, it was obvious she wasn't trying to eradicate her accent. That just took too much energy. "No, no, no, not you," she said emphatically, shaking her head. "Someone at work said that my accent was obnoxious. I'd never actually thought about it before, but...it can be, right?" It sounded like she was asking for verification on that. She knew it wasn't the most attractive accent ever, or that's what she told herself now that she had negative feedback on it. "You really mean you're okay with it?" she questioned him, tilting her head to the side. He'd been worried, so did that mean he actually didn't mind how she talked. Or rather tawked.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jan 23, 2013 16:47:28 GMT -5
Josh drew back his head slightly, a smirk playing on his lips as he looked impressed. Oho. "Well haven't you got quite the mouth on you." Long gone were the days when he was petrified of showing his true colours around Nell, and he proved this by following up with, "Wouldn't want to let that talent go to waste..." He looked highly entertained as he picked up his mug of coffee and took a long swig. This wasn't the sort of polite conversation they should be having at the dinner table but Annabel was not home and so he had no need for boundaries.
He pulled his finger back when she made to bite it. "Do I need to get you a muzzle?" He had to say that, while it exasperated him at times, he appreciated his wife's concern over him. It was nice to know that there was someone out there who wanted to make sure that he was all right. She kept him in check about his eating habits in the same way he would insist upon taking care of her if she ever had so much as an upset stomach. They recognised one another's flaws and worked around them. It was a wonderful relationship to be in. "Ahw, I wouldn't want you to cry. Why do you do this to me, Nell? Now I can't hold it over your head. Not fair." He frowned at her as if he were upset but in reality he was holding back laughter. He couldn't get rid of the twist in his gut and yet the back and forth banter came to him as easily as it always did. Everything with Nell was effortless. He had never once regretted his decision to fall for her, to propose to her, to marry her. He huffed at her. "So mean to me." He was smiling as he took another bite of the pie, not offended in the least.
He might joke about cross-dressing sometimes but he was never serious and the thought of actually wearing heels or trying on a skirt was weird to him. Nell had gotten lucky, her man had no desire to be anything else. "You're right. I probably wouldn't even feel it." His tone was gentle and affectionate. He didn't mind that she wasn't all butch and tough, even if he did get frustrated when she didn't stick up for herself. He'd just step in and defend her in those cases, whether she asked him to or not. No one dissed his wife.
There was an instant feeling of there it is! when Nell hurried to reassure him that he had done nothing wrong, her accent coming back full force as she abandoned the restraints she'd been trying to put on it. He was relieved, both that she sounded normal again and that she was telling him that it was nothing to do with him. Did he believe her? Yes. His trust in her was immense and he was not someone who suffered from that kind of paranoia. His expression darkened as she continued. Who thinks they have a right to diss her accent? The Fire looked a mix of angry and affronted, as if it were his tones that had been insulted instead. "You, obnoxious? No!" The anger laced his voice and he drew a deep breath. "Who said that, anyway? One of your coworkers?" I've got half a mind to go down there and have a word with whoever thinks its okay to hurt Nell. He shook his head. "It's your accent, it's the way you talk! People are obnoxious, not their accents, and you are not one of those people." He set down his knife, hand shaking from the excess rage, and focused on trying to calm himself down. Anger issues were a pain.
As they were not directed at Nell, his expression and demeanour did soften a moment later as she looked to him for confirmation. If they hadn't been sitting at the dinner table he would have pulled her close and kissed her but instead he settled for settling his hand on her arm. "Yeah, babe, of course I am." He'd never thought of her accent in a negative way before. "I love everything about you, you know that, right?" Well, clearly she hadn't thought so, but he was telling her now. He wanted to let her know that he had no issues with who she was. This had come up before when her hair colour had come under questioning and he'd assured her that he was fine with that, too. Wanting to get a little more specific, he abandoned the notion of eating for now and turned his full attention on his wife. "I like the way you talk. It's different. Sexy." He smirked, but for once he wasn't trying to be flirty and was honestly telling her how he felt. "I wouldn't want you changing yourself just because some asshole decides they don't like something about you." He was cross again, the desire to punch this unknown individual overwhelming him. He slid off the stool for a moment and came over to kiss her forehead, avoiding the lips since they were both in the middle of eating. "I love you. If you're worried about something, about me not liking something, you can tell me. But I'm being honest when I say that there's nothing wrong with you, Nell." Oh, he had some issues. He didn't like her absolute pacifism, didn't like the way she put herself last, but that was because he cared about her and didn't like to see her hurt. He'd never mark that as a problem aloud because that would be asking her to change herself for him. He didn't want her to change unless by her own decision.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jan 24, 2013 14:41:15 GMT -5
Nell had to say she felt proud of herself because she wasn't completely innocent to everything. Of course, who didn't like to joke inappropriately? When it came down to it, the world was full of seventh graders who never grew up. "Really, Josh? After I threaten to bite you?" She gave a look of consideration before telling him, "You're a brave man." It was a shame that his mind could go to the gutter with a threat like that. Spoke volumes for him, actually.
Nell grinned at her husband's words. "Maybe," she said. She just wished she could feel completely all right, instead of so unsettled. That might have been the right word for it. Especially as she formed words the way she heard others form them, the way she heard her friends talk who were natives, or at least lived there long enough to sound like natives. When Josh said it wasn't fair, she pursed her lips for a moment as if mocking him for being a crybaby. "Mess with the bull, you get the horns." She put her index fingers up to her forehead to imitate the animal. It felt nice to stick to words that she was comfortable with, because she was worried that Josh would be able to pick it up if she hesitated too much.
And he did. Needless to say, she felt a bit embarrassed by admitting what happened. No one liked admitting when something affected them, especially something that can be as silly as a stranger's words. She didn't think anything of it, however, until she noticed the strain in Josh's words. Nell recognized the anger immediately, and kind of regretted telling him why she thought she should change her accent. But at the same time, she felt a lot better with him knowing. She never tried to keep secrets from him. And it was a good thing, because Josh would be able to tell very quickly if something was wrong. Shaking her head, she said, "It was some guy at my table. He actually asked me to say I call to talk to my friend in Boston. I guess the o's are why." She said while scratching her head. At least she knew why he asked her to do that now. If it had been Josh joking around wit her, it wouldn't have been bad because she'd know he was kidding. But that guy had been serious. Nell smiled a little when he said that she wasn't one of those people. "Thank you," she told him. He didn't think she was obnoxious. She knew that he wouldn't even hang around her if he did, let alone marry her.
But what about other people? If someone she didn't even know got annoyed by it, who else could be? She searched his eyes when he touched her arm, as if making sure that he was speaking the truth. Her eyes brightened when he said that he loved everything about her, a smile coming back to her lips. She should know that, because she felt the same toward Josh. Even the things that upset her, like his one-track mind when he forgot to eat, she loved that because that's what made him Joshua Dale. That's who she fell in love with. "Really? Because sometimes I sound like Woody Allen, and I don't know if he's very sexy." Of course she had to make a joke about it, but it really did mean a lot to her. "I don't know, I figured if one person thought it was annoying, you know, who else might?" She didn't want to be annoying, especially not to her husband. And she proved that by how readily she considered changing herself just to suit other people's needs.
Nell smiled again when he got up and kissed her forehead. Sometimes, she really did think that he was too nice to her, but she wanted to shift her mind away from that kind of thinking. "I really didn't think you'd notice," she said, looking up at Josh. She shrugged, looking mildly uncomfortable. "And if you did, you wouldn't bring it up." In retrospect, she didn't know why. Sure, they may not have had a lot of time to spend together, but they'd known each other for years and they lived in the same house and there was really nothing they didn't know about one another. She pulled Josh in so she could hug him and kiss him on the jaw. "Thank you," she said again, but this time it was for thinking that there was nothing wrong with her. She thought there was, even stated it out loud after she'd been triggered and shut herself down. She was messed up and she had things wrong with her that she didn't know how to fix. But as long as Josh didn't think anything was wrong, she could be secure enough to tell him these things.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jan 25, 2013 17:33:22 GMT -5
There were no more days of hesitations and cold showers, the days where he held back his true nature for fear of driving her off. He'd come to accept that Nell loved him as much as he loved her and that she embraced his personality, off-colour humour and all. It was relaxing to know that he could be himself around her without any fear of backlash. If only she'd realise that it worked the same in reverse. "Well if you're into that," he shrugged, still smirking. "I can roll with it. I'm a big boy." He lifted his brows at her. There was a tiny bit of strain to his expression as he held back a laugh, gray eyes shining with mirth.
He pretended to be affronted, glaring at Nell as if she'd said something seriously offensive. "Hey. I am the bull in this equation." He was a Taurus and even though he didn't put much faith in astrology, it worked out well for the sake of this mock argument. "Do we need to lock horns so I can assert my dominance?" Though they'd moved on from their earlier conversation and he was not trying to go back to it, Joshua did not miss the way the words might have sounded. A smile tugged at the edge of his lips. He didn't bother to amend his words to sound a little less suggestive. She could handle it.
He did not know the man who insulted her, did not even have a name, and yet Joshua felt a strong urge to get up from the table and head over to the casino right then and there to have a word with him. Perhaps a little more than a word. Nell was his wife and he had strong protective instincts. A scowl settled over his features as she explained what had went down in more detail. "Prick," he spat, the single word filled with as much loathing as he could muster. They had only been words and yet he felt as much hatred toward this man now as he had toward her brother when he'd given her a black eye. "He's the obnoxious one, picking on you like that. Ugh." He didn't know what to do with all of the excess anger that coursed through him. He wanted to punch something but held back the urge, clenching his fist tight and taking slow breaths. His smile was tight but genuine as he looked at her. "Of course." Nell was one of the least obnoxious people he knew and it bothered him that a stranger could so easily convince her otherwise. It was one of her flaws, in his eyes, but he knew that it was just who she was as a person in the same way that he was prideful and over-confident.
He laughed at the joke, the sound a tad tight due to the residual rage but there nonetheless. "Woody Allen is not you. I am not married to Woody Allen, now am I?" It felt nice to say that, to put their marriage out there in words. It was a reminder of how far they'd come together. From strangers that clashed to partners that worked in near-perfect unison. "Who cares about them?" He'd have a bone to pick with anyone who called Nell annoying. Sure, there were accents he liked less than others but that didn't mean he was going to let something like that slide. "You have to own it, y'know? Be proud of it and don't let anyone tell you different." Own the accent, work the dialect. "I mean, listen to me. I sound like everyone else you'd bump into on the street, right? You've got something else. You stand out. And that's not a bad thing. Not to me." Apparently that drunk jackass in the bar had another opinion but Josh didn't care about him. He had only vague memories of his first meeting with Nell in the bar, early points of the night before the alcohol had done a number on him, but he had a feeling her accent would have caught his attention even then.
Joshua sighed and shook his head. "Nelly, Nelly, Nelly. What am I going to do with you?" The exasperation was affectionate as he brushed a hand through her hair, touched her cheek. "Of course I'm gonna notice! I've been with you for three years and you think you can just change up the way you talk without me catching on?" It was cute, really, that she'd been so convinced she could keep him in the dark. Endearing. But entirely false, as they'd proved. He would have noticed after having known her for three days and it had been much longer than that. They'd been through a lot together. His brow furrowed and he frowned. "Would you rather I hadn't?" There was the twist in his stomach again. Had Nell really been counting on him to stay silent? What if she was upset that he'd forced her into having this conversation? She doesn't seem that upset. Uncomfortable, perhaps, but not angry or over-emotional. He hoped that his perception of her was the correct one. He felt relief as they embraced, giving her a gentle squeeze. She kissed his jaw and he smiled at her before sitting back down. They had a dinner to finish, after all. "Any time, babe." The remainder of his food had started to cool but he didn't complain, merely continued eating. "You don't have plans after dinner, do you? I was thinking we could spend the evening together or something." It had been a few days since their schedules had allowed them a truly relaxed night to be with one another and so he would take advantage of such times when he could.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jan 25, 2013 20:17:50 GMT -5
It was all she could do not to crack up laughing and fall off her seat with their joking. She grinned when he said that he was a big boy and he could roll with it. "We'll see," she said, shooting him the double-barrel finger gun. Not very subtle at all, but neither was Josh and that's what happened when you had a married couple together.
Taurus may have been his star sign but she shook her head. The bull was her animal. She was still grinning in contrast to his grave expression. Nell considered patting him on the back and apologizing to him for being too awesome. "No, no, I'm el torro, I got it on my back." She pointed her thumbs over her shoulders even though she didn't have it on her back then. It was just her favorite nickname when it came to sports. Made her more intimidating than she actually tended to be. She gave him a flat look, lifting her eyebrows. Now that could go many ways, and she had to wonder whether or not it was intentional. With Josh, it usually was. "Bring it," she challenged, even though they clearly did not have horns to duke it out with. And that would be very messy, anyway.
Lighthearted conversation simmered when Josh appeared to be very pissed about what the patron said. Her accent, too, and she had to say she was much more comfortable speaking with broad vowels and the usual tones she was used to. A part of her wanted to defend the man when Josh called him a prick out of natural habit, but then she reminded herself that he had been mean to her. So it was nice knowing that Josh got mad, too, that he was defensive of her. Even if she got concerned whenever he was angry. Not for her safety, but because of the fact that she didn't like to see him angry. "If it means anything, he lost a few hundred?" She phrased it as a question, unsure if it could make him feel better about the situation. It wasn't surprising that he ended up doing poorly, how impaired his judgment had been thanks to the alcohol. But she supposed that's what the casinos wanted.
She bit on her lips so as not to laugh real hard at his statement of being married to Woody Allen, though she felt better when he seemed to be a little better. Not much. But she had to say, she did relate to Woody Allen. He was from The Bronx, too, and his accent showed. "I guess not. Then I'd be a fifty-year-old man and...you'd be my nineteen-year-old stepdaughter." She made a face. They had an age gap, but it wasn't that big. Or creepy. That wasn't the main concern here. She wished she could have had her husband's confidence when he said who cared about them. She cared, obviously too much. But he was right. "I like your voice," she told him when he said that he sounded like anyone else, as if that was the main issue here. Her shoulders sagged a little as she thought over his words, the fact that she should be proud of her accent because it was different. It made her different. "I should be proud, shouldn't I?" she said. "But I want people to like me too. Though..." She looked down a little, staring at her plate. "I suppose I shouldn't impress people who are mean to me." It was something that people pretty much learned at childhood, or at least something they should have learned. But she didn't know a lot of those things, and if anyone knew her issues with self-confidence, it was Josh. Usually she didn't do a very good job at handling her feelings, but he made her want to get better in a lot of areas in her life. Maybe so he could be proud of her, because he had been a key factor in the healing process that was her life.
She blinked when he chided her, felt war when he called her Nelly. A smile flitted to her features when he touched her cheek and she leaned her head into it. Of course he would notice things like that, it had been a stupid plan from the beginning. "Oops?" she said, shrugging with a giggle. She knew she was glad that he'd noticed, that he reassured that she absolutely didn't have to change herself to please anyone. She shook her head, a silent no. Nell may have been embarrassed, but she was glad she could talk about things with him. Which was strange in itself, considering she didn't like talking about herself. "I'm sorry for trying to hide it, really. It feels like lying to you and I don't like lying to you." She stated it with the plainness of a child like she usually did when explaining something like that. There was a light blush on her features, still uncomfortable she'd been caught. "It obviously worried you, I can't expect you not to keep quiet about it." She never wanted Josh to be uncomfortable, especially if it was because of something she caused, even inadvertently. Communication was always best, even if she failed at it sometimes. It would have been better had she simply asked him, "Do you like my accent?" Instead of going ahead and trying to change it.
She gladly continued with dinner, especially since it was her favorite and they had gotten that out of the way. The fact that it was her favorite meal, too, still had her chest tight with happiness and emotion. Nell wished she wasn't such a sap. At first, Nell shook her head at his question and looked forward to spending the evening with him, before she realized, "Oh, crud, I have homework to finish, actually. I'd been putting it off because I got confused at this one part. It's for Statistics." Not having a lot of papers in that subject, she instead got pages to do from the textbook. And statistics was one of her least favorite courses. At least experimental psych had been interesting. "Do you think you could help?" she asked after taking another bite of her food and swallowing. "Or do you think you're too wiped out from reading?" She grinned when she said that. Hey, even Josh had to get tired of schoolwork and reading from time to time, didn't he? Or maybe not. She had no idea.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jan 25, 2013 21:23:11 GMT -5
Josh did not necessarily believe in karma. There were plenty of bad things that happened to good people and plenty of good things that graced the doorsteps of less favourable men. However, a cruel smirk touched his lips when the man's fate was revealed. "Good." His wife might have been the type to see the good in everyone and wish misfortune upon none but Joshua had no such reservations. If someone wronged him he could be as bad as a Thunder elemental with his vindictive streak. He rarely forgave and he never forgot. "Not that'll teach him. Jackasses like that hardly ever learn." His expression was sour. The news of the man's loss had not done much to placate his anger but he tried to avoid launching into a rant, wanting to save Nell the headache. She was not an angry person like he was and so he would work toward relaxing.
His wife definitely helped with that, her jokes working to make him feel better about the whole situation. If you're okay, I'm okay. He fed off her a lot in terms of emotions and so her happiness reflected onto him. He made a face in obvious disgust. "Yeah, can we not?" After a pause, he said, "Y'know, I was gonna protest about the gender bending but I'm not sure I want to be a creepy old man, either. Eugh." He was perfectly fine with being young and being married to someone else young, the age gap not even large enough to bat a lash at. Not that many people could do worse than thirty one years. That was ridiculous and kind of gross.
As he was a confident person, he'd never had the same concerns as Nell did about her accent. It helped that he was a native to Maple Hollow and that most everyone sounded similar. He'd never been told that his voice was too high, too low, too whiny, too nasal. He didn't mind it. Being that Nell's opinion mattered to him, however, he was touched by her words. "Ahw, thanks." His smile was soft and the strain from earlier was gone. He could feel the adrenaline that the anger had loaded his veins with fading, his heart rate slowing along with the steady breaths he'd been taking.
He nodded at the question, staying silent so as to let her get out whatever else was on her mind. You should. He wanted her to feel proud of herself. He was proud of her. He loved her. She went on and he looked disappointed, a frown tugging the edge of his lip. "Nell, babe," he started, before realising that she was still speaking and closing his mouth. What she said next both surprised and pleased him. It was the first time that she'd ever acknowledged something like this. Impressed, the frown turned into a smile and he looked as proud as he felt. "You're right, you shouldn't." It was not patronizing but rather encouraging. He wanted her to move on from things like this, so that the next time a random stranger told her that something was wrong, she wouldn't take it to heart. "The only opinions you should take into consideration are the ones of the people who really care about you. And even then, having an opinion doesn't always make them right." It could just as easily be a friend who thought her accent was a bit too much, though he certainly hoped any friends of hers would be far nicer about bringing it up. If they were real friends he thought they shouldn't bring it up at all. An accent wasn't like a bad habit, it was a natural thing based on where you were raised.
Her giggle reassured him and he calmed, shaking his head when she apologised. "It's all right." He didn't like when she hid things from him but he was not going to get all in a huff about it. She had issues with her self-conscious behaviour that she needed to work out and it would not be fair for him to hold anything against her. "I just want you to remember that you can tell me anything, ask me anything." Some questions would no doubt be tougher to answer than others but he would answer anything to the best of his ability because he trusted Nell more than anyone. She could ask him the most personal questions and he wouldn't bat a lash. "I wasn't sure what to make of it," he admitted with a sheepish laugh. "I knew something was up, but..." He'd been so concerned about offending her that it had taken a while to breach the subject. Now that it was over with, he was glad he'd said something when he did.
He was excited at the prospect of spending time together until Nell remembered that she had homework. He tried not to look too put out about it. School is important, after all. He of all people knew the importance of education and finishing homework on time and so he wouldn't whine or ask her to procrastinate for him. When she asked for his help, he nodded. "Oh, 'course!" He laughed, smiled. "Back to the old days, huh?" It was hard to believe they'd come so far. From awkward study partners to a married couple that did homework together simply because they could, a bonding moment. "Naw, not if you want my help. It's cool. We'll still be spending the evening together this way." They wouldn't be watching a movie or having a nice chat but they'd be together and that was honestly what he looked forward to the most. The comfort, the companionship of his partner. He finished eating and cleared up, heading into the living room to settle on the couch. Patting the space beside him, he looked content as he asked, "So, what've you got?"
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Jan 25, 2013 23:24:52 GMT -5
Nell looked fondly at Josh, seeing that he seemed to be doing better. Good. She couldn't help it when he got angry, but she wanted to make sure she didn't do anything to aggravate it. "Heck, I'd be a creepy old man if it meant i could do movies like his." Plus, he was more dorky than creepy. Already he fit the bill better than she did. Though Josh didn't look creepy, because he was too busy looking sexy. Not at all like Woody Allen, poor guy.
She grinned when he thanked her, glad that she could make him feel good like he did for her. Nell knew that she wouldn't have been able to make it this far without Josh. Where'd she have been if he hadn't told her that he knew about her mother? If he hadn't asked her out? If he hadn't come with her to the trial? He'd always made her stronger than she would have been facing the world on her own. And though she was independent in many ways, she wouldn't want to be anywhere else than married to Josh. His opinion was by far the one she cared about the most. And if he supported her, than she could believe in herself. Like that her accent was actually a good thing. "It's just hard sometimes, you know?" Josh may not know personally, he was very confident and she admired that, but he knew her. She'd never had Josh in her childhood to tell her that she was okay. She'd had an influence telling her everything that was wrong with her. "I'll get there," she said, though she felt a tightness in her chest then that made her smile falter.
Josh didn't hold it against her, for which she was glad. She did feel guilty whenever she hid things from him, though it wasn't often at all and just things like...this. After her depression, she realized that honesty would be best in the relationship. Maybe some couples could lie to each other and do okay with that, she didn't know about other couples, but that didn't work for them. "I know, I just sometimes...forget," she said, looking in his eyes when he told her that she could ask him anything. She knew that, and she still avoided it like this. Sometimes it was easier said than done. When he told her that he didn't know exactly what was going on but he understood something was wrong, she felt the guilt, but not so terrible now that they understood one another. "I'm happy to be a New Yorker again," she said, exaggerating her accent when saying 'New Yorker' again. "It's actually really hard to try and think about what you're saying as you're saying it." She scrunched her nose up. Nell definitely felt better now about herself. She knew she should be proud of her accent; it was where she'd come from, and even though she hadn't had a good life back then, she needed to remember that.
Nell beamed when he agreed to help her. She really did like that Josh was so education minded. And now he was in medical school, something she was very proud of him for and liked to tell strangers about when they asked after the ring on her finger. She was sure all her co-workers knew about her husband by now. "Awesome! But let's not go back," she said in regards to the 'old days'. "Not only because I wouldn't be married to you. You used to scare me." Intimidate, maybe? He was intimidating but scary may have been the better choice of words in that situation. He'd been a grumpy older Fire graduate who'd previously threatened her. Which had been her own fault for being stupid.
After eating, she went up to their room to get her schoolwork and came back down to sit next to Josh on the couch, handing the book to him. "Page two hundred and two, Scary," she said, teasing him about what she'd told him before. Nell placed the graph paper in her lap, on top of the five subject notebook she used for the class, and just for that class because she took a lot of notes. And maybe did quite a few doodles. Josh didn't need to see those. She didn't like showing him that she sometimes got a little distracted in class. "I think I started it right..." she said, tapping her pen against the problem in question. Maybe he could see what had gone wrong in the equation she'd been doing, because she honestly did not know.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Jan 29, 2013 3:53:57 GMT -5
Knowing that Nell was a fan of Woody Allen did nothing to placate Joshua in his disgust at the idea of her as an old man. "Please don't." There was so much wrong with the idea. An old person, an old man, someone who was nothing like Nell. He'd stick with the partner he'd chosen to marry.
He tilted his head almost thoughtfully, a small frown tugging at the edge of his lips. Rather than appearing frustrated or upset, the expression was contemplative. "No," he said softly with a small shake of his head. "No, I don't know, really." They were different people with different views on the world and personalities that conflicted one another in several ways. They made it work in near-perfect harmony and he had no problem with their relationship but he could not understand his wife as much as he wanted to. He wanted to get on her level and relate to how she felt so that he could provide better advice on the matters but it was impossible for him. How could someone of such pride and confidence relate to someone so opposite? The frown turned into a smile. "I'm sure you will." He hoped she would. He wanted her to. It was so satisfying to see her take this small step toward some fragment of self-pride that he didn't mind how long it had taken. It was progress. He was happy for her.
His lips parted briefly as he laughed, gaze soft and affectionate. Nell could calm him faster than anyone else. The simple act of conversing with her had eviscerated all of the tension in his muscles and the anger in his tone. "Maybe I'll make a point of reminding you." It was mostly in jest but a part of him wondered if it would be a good idea. If she was having a bit of an off day, should he point it out to ensure it had nothing to do with him? It's rarely to do with me. He was reassured by this. Nell did not doubt him often and he honoured her with the same respect and trust in return. They'd come along way from accusations of cheating or abandonment. He grinned at the emphasised accent. "There's the Nell I know and love," he said, enjoying the way that she stressed and enunciated the words. His brow furrowed. "Is it? I've never actually tried. I think I'll avoid doing so." He'd never aspired to be an actor and so changing up his accent wasn't a talent that he wanted to have. He liked the ease and fluidity of speech and didn't want it tarnished by the need to focus on everything that came out of his mouth. Poor Nell.
His relaxed demeanour turned suddenly sheepish when he was reminded of the 'good' old days. I still can't remember... He knew of what had occurred from Nell's point of view but his only memory of the event was arguing with Angelica, knocking back a few beers... and then waking up in his apartment the next morning with a killer hangover and a phantom cut on his index finger. Drunk Joshua was not the most graceful fellow. He blinked at the unexpected comment. "I did?" It shouldn't have surprised him. He was tall and had a near-permanent scowl on his face back in those days, not to mention his oh-so-pleasant attitude. Yet somehow it seemed shocking that the girl who'd been so kind to him in the early, awkward days of their budding friendship and who would later go on to become his wife had once harboured a fear of him. Intrigued, he wondered, "... Why'd you hang around me, then?" He had questioned her presence a lot in the beginning, less so as time went on and he accepted her into his life as a friend and later companion. Now she'd given him reason to do so again, to her face this time.
Smirking, Joshua silenced her by placing a finger lightly against her lips. "Hush, you." With a look of contentment he flipped open to the aforementioned page and studied the equation with intense gray eyes. He did not immediately speak, gears in his brain turning at a rapid speed as he followed the path that Nell had taken. "Looks like you did," he agreed, lips pursed. He concentrated for another moment and then lifted his chin. "Ah, got it. See right here?" He tapped the tip of his finger against the page, then went on to explain the error and how it could have been avoided. Homework was a boring task but somehow it was all that more bearable when Nell was so close. "You get it?" He liked to think he was fairly good at explanations but he also liked to be sure.
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