April's Flowers

[rowan-levin]

eyes on you; {first impressions para}

[rowan-levin]

"I thought small towns are perfect environments for restless teenagers, but I guess I was mistaken." He laughed and shook his head. "I promise I definitely will not go easy on you, Miss April.."

"Yeah?" He looked around the place, unsure that it looked polished. Avery had always been better at homemaking than he had. "I might end up painting this room. I’m just not sure what color yet. Gracie has some suggestions though."

[april-talbot]

"Well they would be if the town wasn't filled with gossips up the wazoo." She grinned.  "Alright deal, no special treatment."

She nodded, looking around again.  "It really does.  More homier and lived in."  April laughed, only imagining what wild colors Gracie could come up with.  "Let me guess a firetruck red? I begged my parents to paint the bathroom that color when I was her age."

[rowan-levin]

eyes on you; {first impressions para}

[rowan-levin]

"If it helps, I’m pretty worried too. New students and all." Rowan gave her a smile of his own. The smile grew as she talked about her own books, making him feel reassured that teaching wouldn’t be too daunting if he had students like April. "Come on in." He moved from the doorway and closed it behind her. A casual job interview then? You brought dinner, I think it’s safe to say you’ve got the job." He joked as he led April to the kitchen, setting the pasta down on the counter. 

[april-talbot]

"Gracie, honey, go wash your hands." He called out as he grabbed three styrofoam plates from the stack and pulled a chair out for April.

She laughed at his admission.  "You shouldn't have too many problems.  We're all a pretty chill group I think.  Kind of hard to be a trouble maker in a small town."  She smiled and stepped inside, taking a look around.  It looked better since the last time she was in there.  More comfortable.  "So are you low key suggesting that it's easy to bribe you  for good grades?"  She grinned as she joked. 

April thanked him as he pulled out the chair for her.  "It looks different since I've been here.  A good different."

[uniku-deactivated20140619]

[rowan-levin]

eyes on you; {first impressions para}

[rowan-levin]

"Don’t worry too much about it. I’m sure it’ll be a breeze for you." Rowan offered, nodding when she listed the merits of the town. Small and private was just what he and Gracie needed. Somewhere where they could easily make their own little world. 

"You would? Oh. Oh wow. I hadn’t even thought of that but thanks. I really appreciate that." He grinned at the girl’s offer but the smile wavered a little when it became clear that it might be hard on her to have busy parents after all. "You like to read? You’re more than welcome to borrow any books from here, if you’d like. I’ve got a ton." Rowen paused. "Why don’t you eat with us? This is way too much fpasta for me and Gracie to share anyways… and you can get to know your new babysitting charge….. unless that’s weird. Is it weird? I don’t really know."

[april-talbot]

"I'm hoping so.  Actually your class is the one I'm worried about.  New teacher and all." She gave a small smile and tucked some hair behind her ear.

"Yeah of course! I'd love to!"  She grinned at his offer.  "I love reading, you should see my room.  I've got quite a collection of my own.  But yeah! I'll probably take you up on that at some point."  Her eyebrows raised slightly in surprise.  "Really? That's really sweet of you, thank you.  And I'd love to get to know the both of you more."  She laughed and shrugged.  "I don't think it is, I mean it could be like a job interview if you think it's weird?"

[rowan-levin]

eyes on you; {first impressions para}

[rowan-levin]

Rowan remembered her, despite not having paid much attention to the girl the first time she was there. Up close and without her parents chattering away at either side of her, she was awfully pretty. For a high school student. Rowan nodded. “Yeah, of course I remember you! You’re mine once summer ends, right? Student, I mean. My student.” He mentally scolded himself for that blunder. The last thing he needed was for her to assume he was some kind of pervert.

"That’s really nice of your parents. Please tell them I say thanks." He continued a little hurriedly, taking the lasagna in his hands."And that I think Gracie and I are gonna like it here." He took a step back and turned to look at his daughter, who was too busy clapping along to the song of her favorite movie to look at their visitor. He gave April Talbot a smile.

"So uh… your parents get pretty busy with their writing, right?" Rowan asked curiously. It must be hard on the girl to see her parents always working. "Have you guys had your dinner yet?"

[april-talbot]

April laughed, he was cute in his own nervousness.  "Yep, senior year.  I know it's a bit cliche but I am a bit nervous about it."  She smiled and nodded as he took the lasagna.  "Of course I will.  And I'm sure you guys will.  We're small but don't really get in each other's business." 

April smiled down at Gracie.  "And if you need a babysitter I can always come over. I mean I'm always open so..."  She looked back up when Rowan asked her a question.  "Yeah they do, but you get used to it.  Honestly that's why I turned to books."  She shook her head and shrugged.  "No not yet, I'll probably go back and see what I can heat up for all of us."

[forever-together-couple]

[rowan-levin]

eyes on you; {first impressions para}

It was very likely that the most he saw of his new neighbors in the early days was eyes peeking out at him and the movers behind blinds was due to old fashioned manners. Maybe people were waiting for him and Gracie to settle in before pouncing on them. But the journalist (ex-journalist) in him wondered if it had more to do with scoping out the fresh meat rather than making him feel at ease. He must have done something right because on the fourth day, he opened his door to find the family from next door at his front step, ready to welcome him to the neighborhood after all.

The Talbots, they were called. Father, mother and daughter making up a perfect little nuclear family. Mrs. Talbot cooed over Gracie and her dolls while her own daughter and husband took in their surroundings, making Rowan suddenly and unexpectedly self-conscious of how very little he’d managed to unpack. Not that the Talbots had any fear of messes. Mr. Talbot informed him they were writers as well, authors and students of botany. Their girl was a student too, one of his own the upcoming semester. Rowan nodded politely at all the right parts of their introduction and before their brief visit was over, he’d promised to take them up on their offer of dinner sometime.

There were more visits and more neighbors to meet in the days that followed but soon after they stopped coming, allowing Rowan to finally settle in and stop feeling like there was a neon sign on his door. After a few weeks when the last box had been unpacked and the final book had been set on his shelf, there was a knock at the door. 

"Hey"

[april-talbot]

April was still a bit bitter about getting a new teacher when her parents first suggested going over to introduce themselves and she was starting to worry that he would think less of her.  So when her mom started bringing up dinner with him and his daughter, she jumped at the chance.

Only the problem was that her parents were too busy on their next book to even entertain the thought of taking a night off.  So they came up with a plan for April to take food over there.  With a lasagna in hand she headed towards his place and knocked on the door. 

After a brief moment he opened the door and she gave a polite, albeit nervous, smile.  "Hey,  I don't know if you remember me or not.  I'm April? I live next door?  Uh- my parents wanted to have that dinner night but they're a bit busy right now, but they didn't want to seem rude so we made you this."  She motioned toward the lasagna.  "I hope you and Gracie are settling in okay."

[april-talbot]

April Talbot

Being the only daughter of two authors on books about botany can leave a girl a bit lonely.  It's not like they were never around, they were just always busy with something else.  Whether it's their new book or the plants around their house, they were kept busy by things other than April.  She didn't mind it, she kept out of their hair and found ways to keep herself busy.  And it wasn't like she didn't have friends, she just always kept her friends at school, not wanting her school life and home life to intersect. 

Much to her parent's dismay, April never got interested into plants but she was interested in books and writing.  English quickly became her favorite subject and the only one she excelled greatly at.  She was always kind to her teachers but she was a bit of a teacher's pet when it came to her English teachers.  She became very close with her high school English teacher, having her for all her classes. 

At the end of her Junior year when she heard her teacher was retiring, April got quite upset, not wanting to start all over for her last year at school.  So when rumor had it that the new teacher was going to move in right next door, April was going to be ready to charm the pants off of him

[musicbloge]

Visit Original Link

The All-American Rejects - Dirty Little Secret

[raphaelswings-blog]