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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Dec 28, 2011 1:27:36 GMT -5
[BITCHES, THIS THREAD TOTALLY HAPPENED IN MARCH AND NOT FEBRUARY SHUT UP AND DON'T DENY IT! - TAYLOR]
Nell had to admit, her days were looking brighter. She liked to think that her hibernation period was over, that she could now come out of her cave and everything would be okay and normal again. She was getting up at reasonable times, though that had been thanks to school and work. Her appetite was always returning, and it was almost as if she had to make up for all the time missed when she could have been stuffing her face. Her body was certainly thankful for the amount of food and the return to a normal sleeping schedule. Even Pablo seemed to notice her demeanor changing, for he had seemed concerned about her as if he understood what had been going on. ”I need to put you on a diet, señor,” she told the cat as she placed his food down and scratched him beneath the chin. Thanks to his most enjoyed activity—tearing her apartment to shreds—he kept trim despite all the food she tended to give him. Pablo seemed unfazed by her comments as he instantly started in on his food and Nell went under the sink to get her medication. She was down to one pill a day, the doctor having told her to slowly ween off of it. Stopping cold-turkey was apparently bad for the body and she could easily develop a dependency. That was not something she would like, so she followed doctor’s orders as well as she could.
Not having work that day, she decided she should visit Josh. And even though she didn’t want to think about it, as she drove she thought about her father and how she should pay him a visit. The prospect intimidated her more than it should. Where did they go from there? In the beginning when he first showed up, she had simply been using him for his money, and she was sure that he knew that. But along the way she had become accustomed to his presence in her life, something that wasn’t completely unwelcome. Sure, he was one of the only people who could prove that she had a temper, but there was a connection between the two that showed they were father and daughter no matter what. It can’t be that way, though, she thought. They weren’t the same as they were all those years ago, and she didn’t know what to do with their relationship now, how to approach him. She didn’t even know what he wanted from her. Okay, he had told her he wanted to make everything up to her, but that was when he was still trying to do it with money. The two of them hadn’t discussed any further what else he wanted after he apparently realized that his bank account wouldn’t repair the damage between them. This uncertainty was keeping her from caving in and just stopping by to see what he was up to. The last time she had done that was Christmas, and that had went well.
Still, it was Josh’s house she was visiting, not her father’s, and she didn’t think she could do it anytime soon. Wouldn’t it feel awkward if she decided to drop by after all this time? She had called him and he didn’t pick up, and she was afraid if she stopped by he might be doing something or going somewhere. I’ll work up the balls eventually, she thought in order to defend herself. He left her for over a decade—he could last for a month or two. She expelled thoughts of her father from her head and instead replaced them with thoughts of her boyfriend, hoping that he was doing all right. There was a bit of trepedition when she approached the mansion. She knew she should get over that, Donovan had apologized after all, but she couldn’t help the feeling of being unwelcomed. She witheld a sigh when she rang the doorbell and the butler answered. ”Hi, is Josh around?” she asked pleasantly, and waited in the foyer while he went to retrieve her boyfriend. When Josh appeareed she said, "Hey! Just wanted to see how you were doin’. Sorry for doing the whole unexpected drop-by.” He had told her before that he didn’t mind it, but she always felt the need to apologize for it. ”Don’t have any plans do you?” she asked, worry apparent in her features. It was one of the (petty) reasons that she was abstaining from visiting her father, so she just wanted to make sure she wasn’t imposing upon her boyfriend.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 28, 2011 1:54:24 GMT -5
Patricia looked tired, drained. Joshua's gray eyes searched her blue ones as she kissed him on the cheek and glanced toward the door, toward the driveway where Donovan was already waiting in the car. His mother was still quite pretty even though her face showed some inevitable signs of ageing but today she seemed even older than usual. He knew that it was because of Patrick and the problems they'd been having with him—that was why Josh was here in the first place, after all. "It'll only be a few days," he'd told Nell. "I want to look after my family, make sure they're alright." He didn't really trust Donovan to do so. He knew that his lack of faith in his father might have been an insult to the man but Josh figured that he more than deserved his son's doubt; after all, it was Joshua who Patrick had nearly killed, Joshua's girlfriend whom he'd targeted at Christmas. "Will you be alright in here by yourself?" Patricia asked. He was taken back to a time before he was old enough to stay at home unsupervised and his worried mother left him in the 'care' of the butler. Back then he'd stuck out his chin and insisted that he was old enough to take care of himself, and now it was actually true. "Go," he said, nudging her toward the door. "I'll hold down the fort." They would be gone until very early in the morning, they'd said. Annabel was staying at a friend's and even though Josh considered spending the evening at Nell's, he decided to stay just in case. Trish smiled at his humour and closed the door behind her on her way out.
He made his way upstairs to his room where he was currently working on a very large and complicated three-dimensional puzzle. It was in the shape of a dragon—at least, it was supposed to be, when completed. It belonged to Annabel but she had been unable to finish it, too frustrated by the size and complexity of the thing. He was about halfway finished and planned to help his sister move it into her room when it was finished. She'd wanted to use it as a decoration. Joshua figured it would be a rather confusing piece in a room that was otherwise clad in pink and screamed femininity but he honestly didn't care. Just because his sister was a girl and she loved pink did not mean that she could not also enjoy dragons and video games. She had gotten quite good at Call of Duty thanks to an attempt to impress her crush and it was one game she could almost always trump Joshua in. The Fire graduate heard the doorbell as it chimed through the house but did not bother moving from his position, too intent on his work. He was not living here and thus figured that it would not be for him. The butler can sort them out. He was surprised, therefore, when the butler knocked lightly on the door to his room. "Yeah?" he called. The man opened the door, seeming to have taken this as an indication that Joshua was not up to anything personal, and said with his usual formality, "There is a guest at the door. Your girlfriend, Nell?" Josh couldn't help himself from smiling a little. He always enjoyed seeing her. "Right. Thanks. I'll take care of her, you can just..." He waved his hand in a non-committal gesture that he supposed could mean 'get back to whatever you were doing' and then slipped past him and down the stairs.
He paused in one of the hallway mirrors to straighten his shirt and make sure his hair was laying flat, a force of habit. Even though they'd been dating nearly a year now, he still didn't like the idea of looking haggard around her. He couldn't do anything for the slight strain on his features but he didn't mind that so much and figured Nell wouldn't, either. He'd explained very briefly that he was staying at home due to 'family problems' but he hadn't had the time to fill her in on what those problems were. He'd tell her today, he supposed, if she wanted to know. He had nothing to hide. Before responding to anything she said, Josh closed the gap between them and greeted her with a deep kiss, smirking into it just before he pulled away. "Hey, babe," he said with a quiet chuckle. He'd been too busy helping his parents juggle their stress for the past three or four days to do anything more than text her and so it felt good to have actual contact again. Four days seemed like ages when you were used to living with a person. He realised that now. "No, I don't have plans. No one's home so I'm a bit bored, actually. I'm glad you stopped by." As if to emphasise this, he pressed his lips to hers again. The contact was much more fleeting this time, more along the lines of teasing. "Why don't we go upstairs? No use standing in the foyer all day, right?" He led the way and flicked off the lights in the hall as they passed them, practically hearing the nagging of his mother as he did so. "Electricity is expensive, Josh! Just because we've got a lot of money doesn't mean we should be wasteful!" It was dark outside, though, being winter, and so he kept the lights to his room on as he strode in and sat on the edge of his bed. "Don't mind that," he said, gesturing to the half-dragon pushed up against the wall. "I'm building it for Annabel. Anyway—how are you? I'm... well, we're managing over here. It's been... busy." He chewed the inside of his lip. Busy. Yeah.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Dec 28, 2011 3:04:11 GMT -5
Nell had to admit, it was nice to see Josh again. Though a short time they’d been apart, she spent that time worrying over him and trying to get used to the emptiness in her apartment. She had a feeling that even Pablo noticed that there was something off. Of course, in true kitty nature, he got over it quickly enough. She rested her hand on his chest and returned the kiss. The closeness was definitely nice after his absence. Even though she had work and school, it was almost as if his lack of presence was an entity in itself. ”They left you alone? That’s not nice,” she said lightly. She noticed that he seemed a little stressed out—when you know someone that well, you tend to recognize things like that—so she wanted to try and cheer him up in any way possible, smiling when he kissed her again. ”I’m glad I stopped by and that I’m not interrupting anything.” She always hated being a burden, it was one of her biggest worries when she did this. Her door was open to anyone who just wanted to hang out—though she tried to limit that when Josh moved in with her—but she hazard a guess that others may not be so open to impromptu company. Even if it was their girlfriend.
He suggested they leave the foyer and she agreed, following him like a puppy. Because honestly, she still feared that she may get lost in the impressive house. Who knew, it might turn out that there were some Scooby Doo turning-bookcases around and she’d end up in a dungeon or something. Even though, she had to admit, that would be cool. You’re really considering that? the sensible part of her mind questioned her wild fantasies. Even if bookcases weren’t a worry, she still didn’t want to get lost in the place, so she kept close to Josh as he turned off the halls’ lights. In his bedroom, her attention was caught by the puzzle, even though Josh told her not to mind it. She tilted her head as if she were a critic trying to make heads or tails of a piece of artwork, and tapped her chin in a gesture all-too serious. ”Interesting…” Puzzles frustrated her more often than not, so she tried to avoid them. Especially when there is an easy solution shown to her afterward and she is made to feel like an idiot.
She turned back when he spoke again and sat next to him on the bad, leaning back on her hands when she said, ”I’ve been doing okay. Kind of weird not having you around.” She did miss his presence, since she’d never considered him an imposition in the first place. Even though her apartment was small and she liked space, she was fine with having Josh living there. ”But otherwise, I’m doing good. Down to one pill a day now.” She slipped in the mention of her Prozac, a way to make up for all the hiding she’d done from him before. It was proof that she wasn’t going to try and hide things from him, no matter how she hated to admit even having to take pills. She was not a patient, she kept telling herself adamantly. She tilted her head and looked at him, considering. ”Busy?” she asked, leaving it open for him to answer however he liked.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 28, 2011 3:30:01 GMT -5
Josh chuckled quietly, not really having a problem with his parents going out and leaving him alone. It still felt weird to have the whole house to himself, like he was living here again even when he wasn't. He'd fallen asleep almost instantly when he'd laid in his own bed again, forgetting how comfortable it had always been and how much space there was in his room. He'd awoke slightly confused until he realised that he was at his parents house and not at Nell's. He'd always been reluctant to call Nell's apartment 'home' in his mind—he'd stuck to the thought that he was only living there transiently and that he would move back in with his parents eventually. When would that be? Things with his father were still a little awkward but if he were honest with himself, Josh knew he could move back in at any time. He almost didn't want to. He liked being with Nell, appreciated the freedom and the companionship. He didn't have to listen to any sort of rules or curfew (other than common courtesy of course) and he could see his girlfriend on a daily basis. Even if they were both busy, they were almost guaranteed to bump into one another at least once. "All by my lonesome," he said with a falsified air of tragedy, placing a hand over his heart. "Thank you for saving me from the depths of solitude and ennui, Nell." His gray eyes glittered with amusement as he spoke, grinning slightly. He might have been a little weary with the events of the past few days but he felt a lot better now that Nell was around. She really did have a positive effect on him.
It actually made him a little smug to know that she missed him, knowing that he held that same importance in her life that she did in his own. He'd never really been that sort of person for anyone before Nell and so it felt pretty great. Knowing that someone would think about your lack of presence around them when you were not around was almost... comforting. His parents loved him, sure, but that was different. He wasn't in love with them, they were family. The same thing went for Annabel. "Nice to know I was missed," he said, not sounding nearly as smug as he felt. He smiled, wrapping one arm around her shoulders for a moment in a sort of sideways hug. "I missed you, too. I got used to having you around." He normally didn't admit any sort of weakness or dependency like this but he figured it was safe to confide it in the girl herself. He'd always stubbornly maintained the idea that he only needed himself to be happy. He supposed that was only half true now—he could probably find happiness alone, he didn't need a love life to be content, but he preferred this way to another option. Even if he hadn't envisioned it in earlier years, had never thought himself the type to settle down.
"Soon you'll be able to come off them entirely" he said warmly. "That's good. I'm happy for you." His tone was earnest—he really was glad to hear that she would soon no longer need the pills. He was also glad when she confided in him even brief details about her life and her recovering depression because it established, to him, a sense of trust and a stability on which they could maintain their relationship. No more lying, he thought, and so when she inquired openly about his being 'busy', Joshua did not hesitate to reply. He was quiet for a moment, but only because he was trying to figure out how to sum up things in a simple manner. He didn't want to go through every detail (and he'd probably bore Nell to tears if he did) and so he worded and reworded things in his mind until he was satisfied. "Patrick," he said, to start it off. The very name was spoken with bitterness and loathing. He hated the man, hated everything about him. He wasn't even sure Nell knew half the things Pat had done to Joshua in his life. He was a nasty old man who was so lonely he had to make the lives of his only relatives hell in order to feel satisfied. Josh couldn't stand that. "Dad's been a bit... vague about it, but from what I understand they've been arguing a lot. Patrick... he..." Josh heaved a long sigh and shook his head. "He's never liked my mother but now he's taking it too far. From what I understand he's been raving about how my father should get a divorce and come take care of him." He scowled. The man didn't need taking care of, he was just too selfish to let his son be happy when he was miserable. "I don't even understand what half of it's about and I don't know why Dad doesn't just tell him to lay off but he's been calling almost non-stop and dropping by to shout at my mother. I think he's frightening Belle—fuck, it's starting to worry me, too. He attacked my mother, that's why I came back here for a bit. To kind of... you know, make sure they're safe." He finished with a bit of a sigh, then brightened a little and brushed his lips against hers once more. The affection helped lift his spirits, at least. "I'll be okay, though. And I'll come back in a day or two."
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Dec 28, 2011 4:58:16 GMT -5
Nell was glad to see her boyfriend joking and seemingly lighthearted. She liked to believe that she knew him well enough to identify differences in his behavior. Josh was a solemn person usually, but she could now tell—after much confusion when he first started displaying a sense of humor with her—when he was happy. ”How sad,” she said, her eyebrows coming together in an expression of gravity. But her smile returned when she told him, ”I’m here for you, ese.” Joking aside, she was glad that she helped him in some way, even if it was to save him from boredom. Even the little things mattered, especially when she was worried about her loved ones. ”My Nell-senses were tingling, yanno.” She may have been worried and decided to come by and visit, but that was as far as her Nell-senses went. It had been a little while, so she was wondering if her visit would be well received or if Josh would be too busy with his ‘family problems’. If she was turned away, she’d be fine with it, but she was happy that wasn’t the case and that she could be with her boyfriend.
Just as it was nice for Josh to matter to someone, it felt the same for Nell. She lived for others, and so hearing that her boyfriend liked having her around was like an accomplishment. Especially since she was feeling unwanted after losing friends to the trial. Think of the people who stood by you, she though, Ethan coming to mind. And she at least had Josh, who had become like a pillar of support. She couldn’t imagine not having him around now that they’d been through so much together. ”Nice to know I was missed as well,” she said, lacing her fingers through his and squeezing his hand, before letting it go. She was sure that he enjoyed his mansion more than her apartment—who wouldn’t?—but it was warming to know that her presence was also nice. Her home was always welcome to him, of course, even though a part of her (the claustrophobic part) liked the space in her new apartment. Nell wasn’t even considering the fact that it would be easier to hide things from him, because there was nothing that she wanted to hide. Especially not the Prozac. ”Yeah, hopefully sooner than later,” she said, her tone somewhat distant. She really hoped everything would work out with the medication and no problems would arise from it. So far, the weening had been good, and she really had no desire to continue taking them so she wasn’t very worried about dependency. She just wanted to operate normally.
When Josh began with the name, it was like a sudden understanding for her. The man was a problem in and of himself. It sounded ludicrous to her that the old man would expect Donovan to break up a marriage that must have been years strong—it was almost comical to consider. She had a clue about disapproving in-laws, the Fuenteses thinking that Mia was the devil herself. But Nell held Trish in high esteem, and she was sure that Donovan loved her. Otherwise the marriage wouldn’t have lasted. Plus, they had children together. Even though half of her didn’t want to Patrick seriously, she had a feeling that it was something serious. He was a homewrecker, it was like an occupation of his. She stayed silent, listening intently, when he told her the issues with Trish, and was less amused when Josh said that the old man attacked her. This guy. Her lips twitched into a somber smile when he told her that he wanted to make sure they were safe, and she ran her hand down his cheek when he kissed her. ”You sure?” she asked him, her eyes searching as she kept her hand on his cheek. It was a soft question, just to make sure he was doing all right. It was obvious that Patrick was a big problem for the family, and even though she may have felt awkward when it came to his father, but that didn’t mean she’d ever wish ill toward them. ”Take as much time as you need,” she told him consolingly, dropping her hand into her lap. ”You need to take care of your family. I’m sure everything will turn out all right, but they need your support.” She may have little experience with a real family, but she could understand that much. Especially since he'd been living with her so long. "Where are your parents, anyway?" she asked, with thoughts of them now on her mind.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 28, 2011 12:49:27 GMT -5
It was the little things like feeling the momentary pressure against his palm that were comforting to Josh, just knowing that he had someone nearby that understood him. He'd spent a large part of his life telling no one about anything and instead keeping all of his problems to himself. He'd paid for that with the suffering it had caused. He was a strong person and it took a lot to make his thick steel walls tremble but when they did it was like an earthquake—having someone else to support him made all the difference. Though he liked the feeling, it didn't mean it was going to make him into any more of an open person. He was not going to turn around and confess his entire life story to, say, Devin, merely because he liked having a sense of support. His circle of trust was small anyway. He didn't want to shrink it further by telling his best friends that he'd been involved in a gang and causing them to see him differently than before. "It will be, I'm sure," he said to Nell, for this worked both ways. She was there for him and so he returned the favour. He was not so selfish that he'd expect her to stick by him and then never show his own support or gratitude for that. "Did they give you an estimate on the time it'll take?" For Nell's sake he hoped that she would not need to wait too long before she could come off the Prozac entirely. If she was getting better with her depression that meant she didn't need them any more.
He also liked the fact that she herself was not selfish, that she wouldn't put herself above his family when it came to priorities. In terms of how much he cared about this, neither came first in Josh's book. As far as he was concerned Nell might as well be family, but in terms of who was faring better at the moment his blood relatives needed him more. If only to be a silent guard over the house when they were out to make sure Patrick didn't snap and do something insane, to make sure his sister felt safe when she flicked off the light in her room. Annabel had never really seen the nasty side of her grandfather before this and he felt bad that she had to see it now. He's losing it, thought Josh venomously. There was nothing he could do about that, though. He could not control the man, could only fend him off if he got too close. "I'm sure," he affirmed, his lips tugging into a smile. "He hasn't done anything drastic since I've been here. Even Mum thinks he might be sulking." He rolled his eyes—the thought would have been almost amusing if it were anyone else but for Patrick it was bad news. Josh remembered all too well what he'd done the last time he felt defeated. He thought about telling Nell, since he didn't want to be too secretive, but decided to wait until a better time. Once it all blew over he could bring up "the Patrick thing" without it seemed as much of a threat. Right now it would probably just worry her even more. He didn't want to concern Nell too much. "They went out to dinner, I think," he replied, smiling softly. His parents still solidified their love for each other with the occasional outing and to know that they were still doing it when Patrick was making threats was a comfort to him. He couldn't pretend he hadn't entertained any what ifs—like what if Donovan listened to his father? This let him know that it was not in Don's immediate plans (at least not to Josh's knowledge).
Even though he was probably supposed to be more worried about family problems than anything else, Josh wanted to focus more on Nell and her company at the moment. His parents and sister were not in so there was no point in moping around and whining about an old man for the rest of the evening, right? "Anyway, enough about that," he said, waving a hand. "Unless he gets really stupid and tries to break onto the property, Patrick's not going to bother us tonight." It was said lightly because Josh knew for a fact how easy it was to trip the mansion's security. He'd done it a lot of times when trying to sneak back home after a night with... well, with 'friends' that had not been very friendly after all. It had been funny for a moment when his parents had panicked and sometimes the cops were called but it had not been so amusing when his father had whacked him for it and locked him in his room. He was more intelligent about it now but he also had no reason to sneak home, nor was he living here. This room was still entirely his, though, and so he felt at ease here nonetheless. He chatted with Nell about the little things all the way until the butler dropped by to announce that he was off duty for the night and they were more or less alone. It would have felt a little intimidating to be literally alone in the mansion (what, with the fact that it was huge) but he didn't feel that discomfort because he had his girlfriend for company.
Speaking of Nell, Joshua leaned closer to her in order to initiate a deep kiss, revelling in how easily his problems became irrelevant when he had her around as a distraction. He caressed her cheek with one hand, not parting their lips, the other used to steady himself against the bed. Comical as it would have been to fall over (or off the bed entirely) during the kiss, it would also be a bit of an unfortunate mood kill. As it were, it was still hard to believe that he was kissing a girl he'd very nearly knifed in an alleyway over a year previously. Mm. Funny how these things work out. Fingertips warm with the influence of his power, he ghosted them along her collarbone and smirked. The red numbers of the digital clock on the bedside table informed him that it was past midnight, something that surprised but didn't really phase him. "It's getting kind of late," he said lazily. His lips moved down to her neck and he pressed them there briefly before asking her, "Maybe you could... stay the night?" He withdrew so that he could look her in the eyes as he said this, his free hand resting on her thigh. "After all, my parents won't be back 'till morning. I'd hate to stay here all alone." He knew a brief flash of alarm—what the hell are you doing?—but ignored it. Hey, at least she's not drunk. He figured she could infer what he meant by his tone, as well.
[When I was typing the line about it being funny to fall over in the middle of a make-out session I totally thought of Nell and her thing with beds and could not stop laughing for like a minute. Thanks for that xD
Also I just time-skipped because I realised I had no idea what else they could talk about and Josh pretty much covered the Patrick thing. LOL]
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Dec 28, 2011 21:41:52 GMT -5
It was at least easier for her now, talking about the depression and the effects of it. She was getting better, so she wanted to put that in her past as quickly as possible and come off the Prozac. “A few weeks,” she told Josh when he asked how long it might take for her to come off it. “I wasn’t on it for too long, so my doctor said that there shouldn’t be any major side-effects or withdrawal symptoms.” That would have sucked, but so far there weren’t any withdrawal symptoms that she ntoiced. She felt better than she had in a while. The doctor said that it took a while for people who were on it for a year or longer to wean, but that she shouldn’t have any difficulties. She didn’t want anymore difficulties, so that was nice to hear. She’d just have to listen to Josh’s reassurances and take a little bit of time to focus on herself. The thought didn’t make her too comfortable, but she knew it was a necessity. For now, she was focusing on Josh and his family issues. She didn’t know if Patrick sulking was a good or bad thing, but she said, ”Well at least he’s apparently laying off. Maybe he’s just giving up.” Nell didn’t know too much about the family’s history with Patrick and if he’d always been the way he is now. All she knew was that he was a windbag who her boyfriend obviously despised. Hopefully someone of his age couldn’t cause too much damage.
It was almost adorable to think of Josh’s parents going on a date, that she had to smile when he said it. Apparently Patrick was proving unsuccessful, for which she was glad. It was rare to actually see a nuclear family nowadays, to have children raised with two parents in the same house, and not the whole “I go to my dad’s on the weekend’s” deal. She snorted when Josh spoke of Patrick trying to break in, and said, ”That…would be strange.” And probably unsuccessful, with mansion security. She wouldn’t risk trying to break into the place, even if she had any reason to. ”Hey, if he does try, a night in jail might teach him to back off.” She was trying her best to lighten up Josh’s mood, even though he seemed to be doing fairly well, or was simply hiding any deeper concerns. She chose to believe that he was handling everything all right, liking the optimistic view of things. Keeping that in mind, she was perfectly content to talk to him about anything else that didn’t involved the wonderful, trollsome Patrick. She didn’t like thinking about that man anyway. He certainly hadn’t caused as many problems for her as he did his own family, but that didn’t mean he was anything pleasant. When the butler came in to say that he was done for the night, she was ready to suggest running amuck in the empty mansion, but apparently Josh had other plans.
She met Josh’s kiss with fervor, having no problems with simply being affectionate instead of trying to destroy his house. Well, she wouldn’t try, and she certainly would clean up anything she managed to make a mess of, but Nell saw many oppurtunities in such a large space. She shivered feeling his light touch against her skin. Not even paying mind to anything else but him, she didn’t even notice the time until he mentioned it. When he spoke, she tilted her head back, arms around his neck she felt his mouth at her neck and caught sight of the clock. ”Well jeez,” she said, thinking that she’d probably have to go home soon. Then Josh came up with a better idea. ”Yeah, sure,” she said, very conscious of his hand on her leg but still unaware of what he actually meant by staying the night. It had been a while since she’d stayed over his house, but she didn’t think it would be too awkward since his parents weren’t home. That was what she was most concerned about, not being welcomed. You need to stop that. ”I don’t have my pj’s, though.” She shrugged it off, considering she’d had impromptu sleepovers at his house before. She could borrow a shirt of his to sleep in or something. ”Doesn’t matter. Wouldn’t want to leave you alone in this house,” she said with a smile, rubbing her nose against his. ”Which guest room should I stay in?”
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 28, 2011 22:22:14 GMT -5
He nodded as he listened to her speak, genuinely interested but not knowing what else to say on the subject. He was glad that she would be off the Prozac soon because all signs pointed to Nell hating the pills in the first place. She'd hidden them and hidden her depression, after all. There's no hiding any more. The thought comforted him and he was glad that they had moved past that shifty stage. He was even trying to make a commitment to lie a little less himself, though his lies were not usually ones involving depression because Josh was not depressed. They were mostly little white lies or avoidances of the truth. "I wish." He knew that things would have been a lot better for him and his family, especially for Donovan, if Patrick just realised he had no place in their family and moved on. Maybe he could have made his place if he weren't such an arrogant prick. The thought held no sympathy. He almost wished that Patrick were in a wheelchair so that it was harder for him to bother the family but at the same time the thought made him slightly uncomfortable—wishing that sort of injury and suffering onto someone was steep even for Josh. He deserves it, the protective part of his conscience snarled. The thought seemed to reverberate in his brain but he pushed it away, deciding that he'd entertained the idea of violence and Patrick for long enough. "Maybe," he said non-committally, not sounding convinced. He didn't think that anything would scare Patrick off. Josh had outright threatened him before and that had done nothing. He wondered if he might have to do real damage in the near future.
Nell was quite the sufficient lead-away from thoughts of Patrick, however. He loved the way she returned the kiss without hesitating and the way she shivered under his touch, liked the closeness and the contact. He didn't know what caused him to make the sudden suggestion but he didn't feel any immediate desire to take it back, either. He'd never really tried to do anything past kissing as they were right now and that was in part because of the depression but also because he was nervous about how Nell might react. When they'd just spent the past little while kissing in his bedroom, though, it was a bit hard to imagine that she'd panic and freak out. At least, that's what he convinced himself. He wouldn't bother pretending that his intentions were innocent—he wasn't some school boy trying to charm his way into a girl's pants, this was a girlfriend that he'd been with for months and was getting tired of waiting on. He felt a thrill of excitement when she agreed without hesitation to his rather sudden request, smirking at her comment about PJ's. "Who says you'll need any?" he asked, gray eyes glittering. He really did not care what she planned on wearing, as long as he got what he wanted he'd be in cloud nine. He also wouldn't object to her borrowing something of his or even Patricia's, as she had a very large closet full of clothing, some of which she'd only worn a few times for various reasons.
Of course, Josh was a little surprised when she asked about a guest room. If they were going to sleep together, didn't that imply—Oh jeez. He caught on mid-thought and actually had to press his lips together to stop himself from barking out a sudden laugh and startling her. After the streak of amusement he found himself a little disappointed. Ah. So she wasn't agreeing to what I thought she was agreeing to. There were a few ways Joshua could have gone about the next few seconds leading into his response and a lot of different things he could have said, but he'd already locked himself into his decision. Heck, he'd waited long enough. He figured that he'd give it a shot and if she rejected him he'd deal with that cold burn and the reality of having a tease for a girlfriend later. Adjusting his position on the bed so that he was more stable and both of his hands were free, he kissed her again and kept one hand trained on her leg while the other touched her face briefly. "We can stay right where we are," he said, allowing the full force of a suggestive tone in the hopes that she'd catch on this time. It had been funny when it had flown over her head the first time but if it happened again he was both going to be very defeated and very concerned. Nothing to kill the mood like a girlfriend that didn't know know you wanted to sleep with her when you were practically spelling it out. He increased the pressure of his hand on her thigh as a final hint (as if he wasn't being obvious enough) and then slid his hands under her shirt so that they caressed her waist. He wasn't going to do anything further (like taking it off) until he made sure she was playing along. "So will you spend the night with me?" he asked again, now that he was (pretty) sure they were clear.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Dec 29, 2011 0:17:18 GMT -5
Nell wished there was more she could do for Josh in terms of family matters, instead of just physical affection. She hated the feeling of powerlessness even if it was to help someone important to her. As long as she could at least provide some comfort for her boyfriend, she’d deal with the fact that she couldn’t just snap her fingers and make Patrick disappear from his life. As turned-on as she was, Nell was oblivious enough that she didn’t immediately recognize Josh’s attempts at bedding her, that his words may have carried anything suggestive behind them. Not only had he never done this before, no one had ever tried to sleep with her. Well, as far as she knew. She was the type to mistake flirting for friendliness, so if anyone did try, they must have been sorely disappointed. This was not done intentionally, and she hadn’t even consciously realized that she’d been holding out on Josh. Sex usually wasn’t on her laundry list of things to do, mostly because it had never been that way. Add onto that he never made comment of his frustration, she just went on her merry way, being her usual naïve self when it came to anything intimate. She was a virgin, and so the subject was completely foreign ground for her, one that usually made her nervous to think about when it involved her and Josh.
That may have been why his comment about pajamas had her drawing her eyebrows together in confusion. ”I generally view pajamas as a necessity,” she joked, ignorance shining through. ”Along with a toothbrush and clothes…” Of course, this was a mansion, and she was pretty sure that she could find anything she needed here. A big part of her wanted to go exploring closets in search of Narnia, simply beause she found the house to be incredible impressive. The other part was worried that she might get very, very lost and only be found three days later. ”As I said, I can manage,” she reassured Josh, still under the impression that staying the night meant the same thing it had last summer, a time that seemed to be long ago. It was strange, thinking of how long they’d been together and what they’d been through during that time, how much she lived. Looking back, it was very reassuring, especially now that she had freedom to do more living and didn’t have to be afraid of the law or anything of the sort. Nell may have been intimidated by the future, but she was confident in her present and with how her life was going. She had a boyfriend, she was getting over her depression, she had a good job, a good apartment, a (decent) car. Even though she may have not been happy for most of winter, she was thankful for everything she had in her life.
Like with everything else he was attempting, she was oblivious the reason Josh seemed amused when she asked about the guest room, thinking his behavior to be rather odd. As she thought about his question before and what it could have been insinuating, she slowly began to catch on, not sure if she was being too immature and thinking in the realm of ‘that’s what she said’. She began to wonder if there was anything she wasn’t getting in his words and his affetions. Especially when he kissed her again, commented that they were fine were they were. In his room. In his bed. Oh. Heat bloomed in her cheeks when she came to the realization of what he was gunning for, what this kissing was leading to, what he wanted to do with her. What she wanted to do with him. She didn’t know how to approach it before, but with Josh taking the lead and his behavior a huge sign that she pretty much missed, she didn’t feel at all uncomfortable with the idea. The issue had been her being dense and naïve and oh my god, I am so stupid for missing that. A chill made its way up her spine when he slipped his hands under her shirt, and she pulled him closer, fingers trailing lightly down his neck. ”I think I just might,” she said teasingly before claiming his lips in a kiss to show that she wanted this, and she was just slow on the uptake.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 29, 2011 0:56:23 GMT -5
His bed was very comfortable. It was the first conscious thought he had as he was slowly pulled from his dreams into the waking world, the fact that he was warm and did not particularly want to move from this spot. He enjoyed the sanctuary of the position for a moment longer before he finally opened his eyes. He had a brief thought about how his hair smelled like shampoo and oh, I must have taken a shower and then he thought back to the night before and grinned. Awareness came pretty quickly after that and he realised that the reason he could hear breathing was not because of his own but because he was not alone that morning. Eh. I'll let her sleep. I'm comfortable where I am. He was also feeling rather smug, if he did say so himself. His advances had worked out much better than he'd thought that they would and now they'd bridged that important gap in their eleven month relationship. Not wanting to shift too much and wake up up, for he had not yet bothered to check what time it was, Josh tried to remember what it was that he'd been dreaming about, if at all. He didn't usually sleep deeply enough to dream but the fact that his bed was incredibly comfortable led to things. He'd been used to sleeping on a couch for months and his sleep schedule was silently thanking him for his respite. His overall mood was thanking him for other things, things that made him smirk as he thought of them. And if she doesn't wake up and try to castrate me, I'd say last night was pretty great.
Surprisingly enough, he didn't actually fear murder upon the waking of his girlfriend beside him. He kept his arm around her and stayed still save for his steady breathing. She had been entirely willing to go along with his plans last night and so any feelings of malevolence would be completely unjustified. He was quite sure that he'd have no problem restraining her if she tried to do anything violent and didn't think Nell could cause much damage if she did. He would have laughed if he didn't worry it might wake her up. The idea of Nell trying to take him in a fight was actually pretty hilarious. Gray eyes blinked as a cloud outside shifted and allowed the full force of bright morning light to assault them, Joshua squinting for a moment until they adjusted. Fucking hell, that hurts. He glanced toward his clock, which revealed it to be about seven in the morning. Does Nell have work today? It was not a week day and so they did not have school to worry about. Then it hit him—they were in his parents house. Said parents were probably home by now. The thought didn't phase him too much but he wondered if they'd put two and two together by now. Hell, they probably assumed things a lot sooner, I mean we've been together for ages. Felt like ages, anyway. Certainly much longer than he'd ever thought he'd commit to a girl.
He gave the sleeping Nell an almost contemplative look. I love her, he thought simply to himself. He had loved her for a while but now that he was sure she wasn't going to hold out on him forever, that their relationship wasn't going to be entirely platonic. He couldn't have dealt with that. Much as he'd tried to convince himself that maybe he could wait for a long time if that was what Nell wanted, Josh wasn't fooling himself. He'd been reaching his limit when it came to patience. Man, I hope she doesn't regret it. He didn't—probably wouldn't feel sorry about it even if she'd changed her mind, seeing as it had been sober and not forced. He'd feel sorry that their relationship might not work out but he wouldn't feel bad for trying (and succeeding). He could hear the faint noises of movement in the halls and wondered whether it would be his parents or any of the housing staff. Seeing as most of the rooms up here were rarely used by his household when he was entertaining guests he assumed that it was the latter, maybe one of the maids dusting the bookshelves in the library or drawing open the curtains in the shadowy place to let some light in. His own curtains had not been shut because there was so much privacy to be had in a slightly secluded mansion that unshrouded windows did not matter. Wonder if Mum's making breakfast? He was pretty hungry. Nell probably was, too. That's a sure sign she's back to normal.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Dec 29, 2011 1:57:32 GMT -5
Nell wasn’t entirely conscious when she first woke up, and she lingered in a delirious limbo, not even bothering to open her eyes. All she was aware of was that fact that she was warm, and it was nie, so she curled into the warmth. And then she became of aware of the fact that the warmth was a human body, and that body belonged to Josh, and she was quite content with that. Until she decided to open her eyes and she wasn’t quite aware of her surroundings. After all, it was the first time she woke up in Josh’s room, and so she was worried as consciousness slowly came to her, her memories leaving out important details. She rolled her way across the bed and upon realizing just how large it was, she overestimated the amount of space she had left. Holding onto the comforter did not help as she tumbled to the floor, hitting her spine in the worst way possible. She blinked as she laid there tangled in the bedsheets, and as she came into full awareness she remembered where she was and why she was there. It was nice to have an explanation for the soreness that couldn’t be attributed to her fall. She was still tired and didn’t see any reason to move from the floor so soon. Until she shuddered from the cold and figured that the floor wasn’t a good place to just hang out.
She crawled back up into the bed and curled back under the covers, pulling them over her head. ”You didn’t see anything,” she told Josh, her voice muffled by the comforter as she moved over to him, back to her source of heat that she had been enjoying before trying to do a gymnastic move out of bed. ”I’ll just go back to sleep now.” She was sufficiently embarrassed. He’s seen you naked, and you’re embarrassed about him seeing you fall out of bed. The latter had more impact—literally, and for the fact that it was unintentional. Besides, she didn’t regret anything about last night. Nell was glad that she’d finally worked up the guts. Well, it was Josh who made the first move and took a big risk. She felt sorry for him because he had to deal with her obliviousness and she thought back to how long they’d been together. Had he tried anything before? She remembered some things involving her drunken stupor, but not much, and she didn’t like the gaps in her memory simply because she was worried about what else she may have done that night. Other than that, she couldn’t remember any other time when he made an attempt to sleep with her. If so, then he was persistent and she gave him kudos for that. Nell wondered if she should have tried something sooner, but knew her naivete and the fact that very early in the relationship she wondered if she should even be getting into a relationship with him, she wouldn’t have done anything.
Moot points now, she thought, considering that she wasn’t a virgin anymore. She didn’t feel like there was anything lost, because in all actuality they had gained something last night. If she’d woken up with a hangover and Josh sleeping next to her, there may have been some problems. Even still, she didn’t think she’d have regretted it. She may have regretted the lack of memories, but she loved Josh, and didn’t plan on breaking up with him. She was always his. Not being able to go back to sleep now, she pulled the comforter from over her head for air and murmured as she rubbed at her eyes, ”What time is it?” It may have not even been worth going back to sleep—as if time could expunge her tumble—if it was already late in the morning. She saw the sun outside the window, but couldn’t tell from the light what time it was. Nell didn’t even bother taking a glance at the clock, the sun being a little too bright for her at that point. And besides, she was fine where she was and warm to boot.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 29, 2011 2:21:30 GMT -5
Feeling Nell shift beside him, Joshua might have made conversation or at least said a 'good morning' if she had not taken the time to roll over and fall straight off the bed before he was able to piece together his decision. He stared at the empty space for a moment before snorting in amusement, shaking his head. Only Nell. He felt a bit chillier now that Nell had stolen his blankets in her little tumble but almost as soon as he'd had the thought, the sensation vanished. Sometimes he loved being a Fire elemental. In his own house (or, well, his own room of the house) Joshua did not have to fear any snow melting around him if he made an attempt to keep warm. Not that there was any snow in his room to begin with, so it was sort of a pointless thought. "Are you okay?" Joshua decided to ask after a few silent seconds had passed, realising that his bed was a bit high off the ground and the floor was made of a dark cherry wood. It was polished and smooth so he was confident she would not get splinters but that was not the biggest concern. Floors were not soft and pillow-like and falling onto them could have its consequences. He held back the urge to smile for Nell's sakes as she crawled back onto the bed and hid underneath the covers. It reminded him of a turtle and it was a sign of his fondness for her that he did not laugh. Laughing at her pain and embarrassment would be a bit harsh so he'd wait until she felt better and then they could chuckle over her lack of grace together. Falls were usually funny when you could no longer feel the throbbing aches they'd caused at the time.
Not that the floor would be the only reason she was in pain anyway. Joshua did not protest as she snuggled up next to him, shifting his arm so that she could get closer and then wrapping it around her. Though they'd snuggled and kissed before last night, he couldn't say he'd ever had this sort of closeness with her. They'd never exactly slept in the same bed before. It wasn't unpleasant. He knew that she'd probably be colder than he was given her lack of heat control and so he allowed her to remain with the vast majority of the deep scarlet bedspread, his bare and scarred chest not feeling the effects of winter either way. He always slept with a shirt off when he was in his own house—he figured his natural heat was the cause of it, but it was rather difficult for him to fall asleep with both a shirt and blankets, even in the winter when that might have been a wise idea. He'd adjusted for Nell's sake at her apartment, having been forever paranoid after the incident where she'd walked in on him in nothing but his boxers. She certainly didn't freak out last night. Heh. He pushed the thought aside again. Self control, self control. He had to say that he'd gotten rather good at it during his eleven-month abstinence. Josh realised now that it was something to be quite proud of. Especially when he considered his past and how bad he used to be with it. I was bored, not a sex addict, he reminded himself. The thought amused him. A relationship would be out of the question, then.
Stroking a hand through her brown hair absently, Joshua chuckled. "I'll pretend I went temporarily blind and deaf," he said, "because the noise you made when you fell was pretty impressive." His tone was not cruel and he figured that she wouldn't take offence to his pulling her leg. Nell didn't strike him as the type to get easily offended over things like that. If she was, then he'd certainly done a damn good job of staying on her good side. Josh had a habit of pushing people to their limits and it was likely the reason he'd needed someone with such a vast amount of patience when it came to a relationship. He didn't think he could ever have dated someone with anger issues similar to his own or anyone with a controlling air about them. Nell was pretty perfect, pretty much what he was looking for. He was happy with her. She seems happy, too. Well, aside from the whole falling-on-the-floor situation. He stopped messing with her hair for a moment in order to brush his lips against her cheek briefly. "I love you," he said, feeling the need to establish this fact. Last night hadn't changed that. He figured she'd guessed, seeing as he had not vanished or acted awkward, but it was nice to put that out there. The graduate glanced toward the flashing red numbers and yawned. "Se-Seven thirty," he said through the yawn in question, resting his free hand palm-up against his forehead. "Should we get up?" he wondered, because he was in a pretty relaxed mood and would be up for anything she wanted to do.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Dec 29, 2011 3:22:34 GMT -5
Nell heard her boyfriend chortle in amusement, and she was still too disoriented to jokingly tell him to knock it off or anything like that. The main thoughts in her head was This floor is cold and hard and I can’t get a concussion from that, right? so she mainly tried to focus up in general. When he actually asked if she was all right, she lifted her arm and gave him a thumbs up. ”We’re good,” she assured him groggily. Though she wanted to recommend he carpet his floor, that would have made for a much softer landing. She was eager to be back in the warmth of his bed and his arms, even though it was unfamiliar to her and the cause of her half-conscious distress. A bed was a bed, and it was even better when Josh was in it. And when he had nice comforters that she could curl up under. It must be nice being rich and having nice blankets. It was an odd thought to have, but it was still early and her thoughts weren’t completely coherent. Besides, she’d gotten used to her futon even though she actually had a bed now and she loved that bed like nothing else. She was hoping to spend less time in it and more time recovering from her hibernation. But if she wasn’t sleeping, she didn’t think it mattered how much time she spent in bed.
She blinked slowly as she came fully into consciousness, still affected with sleepiness when she felt Josh’s hand in her hair. Bedhead was also something she should have been more worried about than embarrassment over her fall, which he now decided to poke fun at. She gently nipped at his neck before mumbling, ”Mean…” The fact that she didn’t storm off right there or do anything otherwise drastic proved that she didn’t mind his teasing. Besides, she got over things quickly enough, even her little habit of falling out of beds if she sensed anything out of the ordinary in the morning. This was definitely out of the ordinary, but she hoped it wouldn’t stay out of the ordinary. She liked this. She wanted more more mornings like this, nights that she could spend with him. If she didn’t keep falling out of bed, then she had to admit that it was a nice possibility. ”I take pride in my falls, even though apparently I'm fat.” Nell was aware of the fact that anything dropping to the floor would make a noticeable sound and she was in fact working on gaining weight, so it was clear she joked. She smiled when she felt his lips on her cheek, and heard those lovely words. She did have to wonder if it would be the same for him as it was for her, or if last night…did something. She didn’t know what, because she didn’t face this before, but there were some concerns when giving it up. ”I love you too,” she told him, tracing her finger in random patterns on his chest. She liked saying those words, liked summing up how she felt about him.
Josh seemed to be waking up more himself as he yawned when he read off the time. ”Early,” she commented, though she didn’t sound disappointed by this. It was nice to get up early again, nice to be feeling content and happy again. Besides, it wasn’t too early. She didn’t have to work or have any other plans, really. Since she knew she wasn’t about to get back to sleep, she should have been getting up and getting ready to face the day, but she felt just fine next to her space heater. ”Sure,” she said in a half-sigh. She wasn’t at all unpleasant in the morning and only had been embarrassed thanks to her little tumble out of bed. And then she remembered something that woke her up a little more. ”You think your parents are home?” He didn’t have psychic powers, so she didn’t think he would know for certain whether or not they were home unless her head them in this huge house. ”Will they be mad that I stayed over when they weren’t home?” She and Josh were adults, but they were still his parents and this was still his house. Nell didn’t want them to be upset because she decided to drop by and stay the night…with their son. How awkward will this be? When there isn’t a guest room to clean, she believed they’d figure it out. But it’s not like they were privvy to their sex life before and didn’t know what they’d been doing at her apartment. Which was nothing. It still felt a little awkward for her.
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Post by JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE on Dec 29, 2011 4:15:49 GMT -5
Joshua inferred by her attitude that she was not really upset at his teasing and so he smirked a little when she nipped his neck. Yes, he definitely liked this. It was good to be close to her and to have no boundaries any more. He'd always been careful not to get too close or to put his hands anywhere they shouldn't be in a public place even when the couple were completely alone, never wanting to freak Nell out or make her doubt his intentions. He didn't have to worry about all of that now and it was a relaxing thing to realise. "We'll need a forklift to haul you out of the bedroom. Try not to bust through the floor next time." He said this seamlessly and in a completely serious tone, though of course they were both aware that it was in jest. Nell was more than skinny thanks to her depression—besides, he liked her just the way she was. It didn't matter to him if she was a few pounds different, she was still his girlfriend. Admittedly he likely wouldn't have been aesthetically attracted to her before they'd built a friendship if she was not as pretty as she was but not everything was in looks. She had a good personality. It made him wonder sometimes whether she doubted his but those thoughts were fleeting now. Josh had confidence. She had not ditched him yet, he'd done a lot for her, and that was enough to keep him comforted. He'd actually be quite offended if she saw him as selfish, now. He looked generally happy when she returned the affectionate words, glad for them. This was a two-way street. Unrequited love was never any fun. He didn't think he'd ever suffered it before. Crushes, yes—mostly lustful ones—but never anything serious.
It was a little early but as it was a normal time for Joshua to rise, he worried a moment whether Nell had been roused too early for her liking. "Did I wake you?" He had tried to be quiet and almost immobile but it was hard to stay completely stationary unless you held your breath. He meant it when he said that he loved her but that love did not extend so far that he'd suffocate himself for the sake of her beauty sleep. He studied her face as she sighed the word, wondering whether or not she was certain about it. Josh didn't want to force her up and on her feet if she was not in the mood to be awake yet. She was not grumpy in the mornings, which was good for him as he was generally a morning person, but that didn't mean she was absent of the desire to go back to bed sometimes, did it? "Do you want to sleep, still? I'll stay with you." He could probably fall back to sleep for another few hours if she wanted to. Josh might have been accustomed to running on almost no hours thanks to his hectic schedule but that also meant that any time when he could catch up on the sleep he'd lost was not unwelcome. Especially if he had a girlfriend sleeping beside him. She brought up his parents then, however, and his thoughts moved to a new train. He'd considered them briefly himself. "I think they are. They said they'd be back in the early hours. After we went to bed, probably." He smirked a little on his last words.
Josh sat up and swung his legs over the bed. "Nah, they won't care," he said confidently. He really believed that his parents would be alright with Nell staying over, even considering what they'd done while she was over. "Maybe if Belle was home, but she stayed with a friend." He didn't really care if his parents were vaguely aware of what he got up to but even Josh could understand the need to keep things from his sister. Thirteen years old though she might have been, he really didn't think he was comfortable with the idea of her thinking that kind of thing. He tried not to think about Nell's apartment and how Annabel might have been able to infer. Dropping his pants, as they were technically 'pyjama' pants, he wandered lazily over to his closet, tugging out a pair of jeans and a white shirt. A lot of his shirts were white. He liked the colour. It picked up stains with amazing ease and so when someone with a white shirt kept it clean, it spoke things about their hygiene. Pulling them on, he had the courtesy to toss his other pants into the laundry basket so the maids wouldn't have to do it later. Of course, they'd still be stuck with the laundry but at least he wasn't totally inconsiderate. "Only one way to find out, isn't there?" He cast her a bit of a smile to show that she shouldn't be nervous. After briefly checking the mirror to ensure his hair was not a mess (it was only slightly ruffled—his shower had probably helped) he gestured to Nell and led the way downstairs.
Both of his parents were downstairs—Donovan was sitting at the dining room table and reading the paper, Patricia was in the kitchen whilst talking to her husband through the open door that linked the two. She cut herself off in the middle of a sentence about being off work for the day as she caught sight of them, smiling. "Did you two sleep well?" she asked, blue eyes glittering. Donovan flipped a page in the paper and seemed to feign ignorance of his wife's implication. Joshua caught on easily enough but shot back smoothly, "Only as well as you did. What's for breakfast?" Donovan looked up as his parents were mentioned but Trish merely looked amused. He had learned his teasing from the best. "Oh, hello, Joshua, Nell." Donovan's greeting was languid and he looked tired but it was not unpleasant. "It's leftovers, I'm afraid," said his mother, waving a soup ladle at him. "Tomato soup. Still want some?" Josh nodded and sat down immediately. "I'm starved." It was merely an off-hand and not literal comment, of course, but it didn't stop Trish from chuckling under her breath. "Yeah, I'll bet you are. Nell?" She looked at the girl with a bright and inquisitive gaze, asking without words if she was also interested in any food. "I'm making blueberry pancakes, too, if you want to hold on for that. Or you could have both." Josh immediately waved his hand. "I'm in for both." He liked pancakes and he liked blueberries—besides, while he was not 'starved', he was quite hungry.
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Post by NELL DOE DALE on Dec 29, 2011 5:39:00 GMT -5
Nell snorted when he commented on her fall. ”I wouldn’t mind a forklift actually,” she said. ”But your floor is fine. Its very uncomfortable, however—I suggest carpet.” Her words were somewhat mumbled thanks to the fact that she was still half-asleep but it showed that she was comfortable enough with Josh that she was willing to joke with him even though it may have turned out non-sensical. He questioned if he woke her up, and she cast him a weary smile. ”I believe that was the sun’s fault,” she told him. She hadn’t even been aware that he was awake until he’d made sure she was okay when she fell off the bed, but she guessed she should have known. He was always an early riser. She shook her head a bit when he asked if she’d like to get back to sleep, mussing up her hair even more. ”I don’t think I’d be able to even if I tried.” Nell believed she had enough sleep the past few months and she could definitely deal with getting up at this time. She probably needed it. But it was nice to hear the words ‘stay with you’, even if it just meant ompanionship and bed. She liked the sound of that. His parents were another concern entirely, especially since they’d apparently gotten home earlier. Any other time his words may have made her blush, but she simply made a sound of acknowledgment to show that she’d heard his words. It was truly a slow start for her that day, but she felt more peaceful than lethargic.
In a small way, Nell was thankful that she didn’t have parents. No restrictions or questions. She would have appreciated it more if she had parents before to help raise her, but she couldn’t mourn for the past and the things she couldn’t change. She supposed that was a part of overcoming her depression. Stretching her arms out as Josh got out of bed, she looked up at him when he assured her that they wouldn’t mind. She really hoped that he was being honest with her here, because that awkwardness was still there. Even as she kept telling herself over and over that Donovan apologized and that everything was all right. She felt even worse when she thought of being an imposition when Patrick was causing the family problems. ”And when she’s going to be home?” she asked, curious about his younger sister. Apparently he had a sleepover of her own, but definitely not the same kind as her brother and his girlfriend. As Josh got dressed she took off the shirt she’d stolen from him and just wore the clothes she had on yesterday. They weren’t dirty or anything, so she figured she’d be fine. She smiled back at Josh when he implied that they might as well go find out, and she convinced herself not to be too worried about it. Sometimes, she just couldn’t help but feel like a homewrecker. Not with what she had put their son for.
As she went downstairs, she focused on raking her fingers through her hair and clipping it into its proper place. And trying not to act like she was a fish out of water. She smiled when Trish greeted them, a little suspicious about the look in her eyes. And her comment. And Josh’s comment back. Well then. Not know what else to do, she sat down and pretended like she had every right to be there right now. At least his parents didn’t seem very fazed, and she greeted Donovan with a chipper, ”Hi,” since it seemed he wasn’t as trollish as his wife this morning. Nell didn’t mind the sound of leftovers, and was glad that she now liked the sound of any food. The stomacheache that seemed to be a permanent thing had ceased and she was getting back the appetite she had before. Her suspicion of Trish continued to grow but she wasn’t bothered, considering the woman didn’t appear to be at all upset about the intrusion in her home. ”Blueberry pancakes and tomato soup?” she asked, lifting her eyebrow. ”Sounds good.” If she could eat chicken and waffles, blueberry pancakes and tomato soup was nothing. It was a testament of her return to normality, the fact that she didn’t just want one or the other. Or should I not eat anything, since I’m not even supposed to be here? Her stomach protested against that kind of thinking.
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