dimples
Veronica’s air conditioning is dead. Nik is a white knight.
With @moonoverbourbon
Ronnie:
Veronica woke in her makeshift downstairs bedroom with a smile on her face and the sun already beating down at about ten thousand degrees. She’d thought she’d known hot weather in Southern California; she’d been wrong. Still, she had a smile on her face, and she was feeling kind of cute.
Well, she was cute, so…
She bounced to the bathroom to shower and wash off last night’s sweat and the liquor that was oozing from her pores; she hadn’t really drunk all that much, in the end, but in the heat, it was more than enough. She washed her hair, and despite a hefty feminist debate with herself, put on a little makeup; just enough to convince herself she didn’t look a day over twenty-four. A short skirt and a camisole shirt were about as much as the thought she could bear to wear.
She picked up her phone. Was it too early to call? She was, after all, supposed to look cool. But they’d established the night before that cool wasn’t really a forte for either one of them. Cool-ish? She made herself some coffee, stared at the horrifying contents of the fridge (not a good look, Ronnie) and headed out to give herself a nice long moment on the front porch.
When the coffee was done, she sent a message.
[nik]: Hi! Thanks again for last night. I had a blast. I’m awake and fresh as a daisy, so come by anytime. x
That sounded dumb. She shook her head, but pressed ‘send’ anyway, wondering if the ‘x’ was too much. Maybe? Possibly?
There wasn’t a lot to do. After tidying her bedroom (there was no door, just a screen, and it made her a little self conscious) she made another coffee and headed into her office to start poring through the security footage from a local clothing store that thought an employee was stealing dresses. Before long, she was completely absorbed, moving slowly from frame to frame until she had worked out what was going on.
She stood up suddenly, and start shouting, pointing at the monitor.
“Ha! You think you’re soooo smart because you wear a size zero and you’ve still got bigger boobs than me,” she shouted. “But you’ve been foiled. By the great Veronica Mars! Take that. I hope I get invited to the firing of the century, and I hope I get a discount on those mules your boss has in the window, which your ugly feet would look ridiculous in.”
She held her fists above her head, dancing some ridiculous combination of a mambo and the nutbush, and froze suddenly as Nik stepped cautiously in front of the door.
“Mars Investigations, Louisiana Division,” she said. “Genius at work. Wow. You are still really cute. I can really pick ’em.”
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Nik:
His face was probably a lovely shade of pink when he got her message. Embarrassingly, Nik had been awake and ready to go for over two hours already. He’d kept busy by cleaning his apartment (even though it hadn’t needed it), walking down to the grocery store to restock the pitiful contents of his icebox, and making and remaking his bed a dozen times.
Finally he drug himself to the shower, washing off New Orleans humidity (that would be replaced as soon as he set foot outside again) and spent more time than he cared to admit picking out something decent to wear.
After the text, Nik grabbed his keys and headed off to the Garden District. It was a brutal drive on the best of days, but today was especially precarious. Tourists in horse drawn carriages blocked both lanes, buses touting “see Katrina’s path now!” littered the sides of the road, and some unfortunate vampire television show was shooting in the cemetery down from Veronica’s house. It put his nerves on edge, and he’d nearly forgotten to stop and buy her flowers.
People still did that right? Bought flowers? It had been so long since he’d been on a bloody date that Nik wasn’t sure.
Nevertheless when he finally arrived, he was carrying a beautiful bouquet of pale pink tulips, a tool kit to use on her air conditioning unit, and had the biggest smile he could manage.
Nik knocked…twice…but when he didn’t get an answer (and heard her begin to yell) he stepped cautiously through the front door. The sight that greeted him had the smile growing impossibly wider as he fought and failed not to laugh at her antics.
The smile faltered, face flushing scarlet as Veronica complimented him. Nik’s head ducked bashfully, eventually forcing his eyes up to meet hers. “I’m to take it that you had a breakthrough on a case? Or do you normally dance about your livingroom like a mad woman?” She was so cute, unbelievably beautiful both inside and out, and Nik had no idea how he’d gotten so lucky.
Or why she even wanted to waste her time with him.
“Um, I hope it’s okay that I just walked in. I knocked, but I suppose you were engrossed in your work. The door was open, so when you began shouting I was worried.” He stood there awkwardly for another moment, then held out the flowers as if he’d forgotten that they were in his hands.
“I bought you these. I saw them, and they reminded me of you. It’s probably not proper etiquette for fixing someone’s air conditioning, but they were beautiful. I wanted you to have them.” Nik tried to ignore that he’d just told her they reminded him of her…and then followed it up with the fact that he found them beautiful. Not even five minutes inside her house and he was already putting his foot in his mouth. “So, ahem, where is his behemoth that needs to be slain?”
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Ronnie:
“To tell you the truth,” Veronica said, enjoying the way Nik’s cheeks pinked up at the compliment, and coming around to the front of her desk. “I do dance around like a mad woman more than the average, but you’ll get used to it.” Truthfully, she was torn between gazing at Nik’s dimples, and the bashful look in his eye, and the tulips, which were gorgeous. When was the last time someone had bought her flowers? Oh, Valentine’s day. Her father. Mercy roses. “But I did make a breakthrough. I’ve been trying to work out how the world’s most unpleasant sales associate has been stealing clothes from work, and I just figured it out. I can’t wait to tell her boss, and watch her get fired and led away in handcuffs. Some moments have to be preserved in memory forever.” She sighed happily, and looked at the flowers again.
She pushed up on tiptoes to kiss Nik’s cheek, one hand on his shoulder. “They’re gorgeous,” she said, accepting them with both hands. She was going to have to get them into water quick smart – it was a furnace in here today. “Thank you.”
She headed into the kitchen – alright, so she didn’t have a vase, but there was a pretty glass jug that would do just as nicely. She’d taken to making iced tea, since it was the state pastime and it really was easier to drink than coffee on a hot afternoon.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she said. “It must be a hundred and ten degrees in here today.” She unwrapped the cellophane and put the flowers into a couple of inches of water – she’d come back and trim the stems later, add a little sugar to the water. Put them on her desk so she could stare at them and not do any work at all.
“I don’t know if it’s the outside part that’s busted, or the inside part,” she said, opening the door that led to her rear courtyard and pointing at the unit. “They both make a lot of noise, but I think it might be worst out here. I didn’t give you the tour,” she said, turning abruptly to find she was standing a lot closer than she’d intended. “Except there’s not much grand tour. The sitting room is currently my bedroom, and I think you might burst into flames if I showed you that. So come upstairs and I’ll show you.”
The stairs were steep and narrow and Veronica had no idea if she’d ever manage to walk up them so much as tipsy, but she really did want to move her bedroom upstairs, so she’d decided she was going to have to master it.
She opened the door at the top of the stairs, and stepped back.
“Welcome to hell,” she said, cheerfully. “That’s the unit.” She turned it on, and winced as it roared into life and began to blast hot air. “What do you think?”
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Nik:
The way she said that he would get used to seeing her behave that way made Nik actually think that he might. How long had it been since someone had wanted him around for more than something casual? Honestly, and much to his embarrassment, he couldn’t remember. There was part of him that was terrified of what Veronica represented, but another part – a far larger part – was almost breathless with the prospect.
“Congratulations on cracking the case, love. I’d say this called for a celebration, but I’m afraid we’d both melt if we moved too quickly in here.” He grinned, shaking his head at his own lame joke. It wasn’t far from the truth, however. It was hot as hell in her house. The poor girl must have been miserable.
Nik felt heat rise to his cheeks again when she kissed him, and his fingers automatically trailed over that flushed skin when she turned away to put the flowers in water. “You’re very welcome, Veronica. I saw them and thought they were almost as lovely as you.” Had he really just said that? Maybe he was getting better at this whole flirting thing after all?
No.
Probably not.
He stepped behind her, closer than he’d meant, when she pointed to the outside unit. Nik made a face at the clanging sound coming from the beast, and started to say that it sounded like a fried motor when she turned around. Veronica was so close that it would have taken half a second to lean in and kiss her, and Nik would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about doing just that. He didn’t move, couldn’t have if he wanted to, just standing there and failing to keep his eyes off her lips. “Umm. Tour. Yes, that’s probably best.”
Following along behind her, Nik made a mental note never to come her intoxicated. These stairs would be someone’s death, but then that was par for the course in this city. Small homes, stacked high, with long tiny staircases made for feet much daintier than their modern day counterparts. There were days when he wondered how the hell he hadn’t fallen and broke his neck yet; if it wasn’t narrow stairways, it was broken cobblestones on the streets. New Orleans was a death trap, but Nik wouldn’t trade this city for anything in the world.
He groaned under his breath when she turned the unit on and it did nothing but shoot out heated air. “Oh love, that combined with the horrid clanking downstairs? That’s a blown motor. It’s not uncommon around these parts in the late days of summer, especially if the unit is as old as this one. The poor beast has gone to that glorious A/C unit paradise in the sky.” Nik smiled cheekily, trying to make a joke out of it. “Do you have insurance? Most of those policies will pay for repairs, but I’m afraid this is beyond my scope of capabilities.”
“The best I can do is call a friend who works in heating and air. He can come out and tell you how long it will take to get a replacement unit, and until then…if you’d like…I can offer you a place to stay that has air-conditioning and stairs not meant to murder you.”
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Ronnie:
Damn. Still, Veronica had known in her heart that it was too bad for someone who didn’t come with a billion dollar price tag to fix. She sighed, and turned off the unit again.
“Thanks for trying,” she said. “I think I knew in my heart that it was dead. First I’ve heart of A/C heaven. You think it’s really hot there? Or really cool?”
And now that question was going to stay with her all day. If it was cool up there, she might consider going there herself.
“It’s just we had so little time together.” She made a faux grieving face, and reached up to pat the outlet. “You were too precious for this world.”
And it was way too hot up here to stand for another minute.
“You know,” she said, “it’s really nice of you to offer – and I’ll tell you the truth, my mind is doing a whole romantic comedy of errors thing which involves accidentally walking in on each other in the shower, me eating the last of your favourite cereal, the whole shebang. Maybe even ice cream after midnight. But the truth is, this is my office, too. Makes it hard to leave. And I’ve been dealing for a few weeks, now. I’ve got fans, I can cope. But I really appreciate the offer, and if it gets any hotter… you might just find me on your doorstep. Southern California was nothing like this.”
Yeah, she couldn’t just say no. Had to be cute about it. And she meant it, too.
“Come on. The back porch is nicely shaded. I’ll pour you an iced tea – I’m actually getting to be pretty good at making the stuff, but please don’t tell my Californian friends. They might disown me, or stage an intervention.”
She filled two glasses with ice, and filled them with the tea – sweet and fruity, but strong, too, because god knew she needed the caffeine.
The little swing seat on the back porch really was a nice spot to sit.
“I really am going to do something with the back yard,” she said. “I know it’s only small, but it would be nice to be able to use it, don’t you think?” She passed Nik a glass and sat down, patting the seat beside her. “Little table or something. A barbecue. I’m pretty good at barbecuing, you know, I told my dad how he was doing it wrong for years and years.” She winked.
“We’re still on for dinner on Thursday, right?”
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Nik:
Nik felt like an idiot. What girl in their right mind said yes to staying with some random stranger just because her air conditioning was out? It had just been so natural for him to ask, so natural to want to spend time with her, that he hadn’t thought of what it sounded like actually coming out of his mouth. Veronica probably thought he was a creep – or something worse now. Just his luck.
“No, no, listen, I understand. Completely. It was…probably a little odd of me to offer. I just…” Nik shook his head, fumbling over his words as he tried to think of anything that wouldn’t make him sound completely daft. “Just forget it,” he smiled, laughing at himself for being so…well…for being so Nik.
He followed her to the porch, taking a seat next to her on the swing as he took his tea from her. “Don’t tell my English friends – not that I have any – that I’m drinking iced tea. They might disown me as well.” Nik shot her a grin, drinking deep from the glass. It was strong – the way he liked – and sweet; she wasn’t half bad at the whole tea thing, but he still preferred his hot.
Letting his eyes follow her train of thought, Nik surveyed the backyard with interest. He didn’t have one, at least one of his own. The building he lived in had a little patio out back, a small patch of grass attached to it where dogs tended to take a leak when their owners were too lazy to take them for a proper walk. “You know,” Nik began, wondering if he really was pressing his luck here. He’d just invited her to stay with him, and now he was about to make another offer.
God, she probably thought he was desperate…but his mouth just wouldn’t seem to stop moving.
“Back in London, my mum had a proper garden. A large backyard with flowers and bushes, a small vegetable patch…” His voice drifted off as he thought about all the time he spent out there after his brother’s death, just tending the flowers in order to stay out of Mikael’s way. “It was beautiful. I, uh, I used to take care of it for her while she worked. I got pretty good at the planting and weeding, tending to the flowers. Whatever it needed. I’d be happy to help if you’d like some help.”
Nik didn’t look at her, eyes still on the yard in front of them even as his mind was a million miles away back thirteen or so years ago in London. “I understand if you’d rather do it yourself, though. There were things my mum always wanted to do herself…said gardening was personal. So, don’t feel obligated, Veronica.”
Thursday. Apparently Nik hadn’t messed up too badly if she still wanted to go. To tell the truth, he was excited about the prospect of getting to know her more. Odd for him; he never let anyone in. “We are, so long as you still want to go with me.” He gave her a shy smile, sipping at his tea. “I’m very much looking forward to it, love. I’m sure you will look lovely in your fancy clothes.”
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Ronnie:
Veronica raised her eyebrows – yes, that sounded good. Here he was backtracking; he was too sweet for his own good.
“So you’ve got a green thumb, have you? Listen – I grew up in a flat the size of a postage stamp, second floor, not even a balcony. The closest thing I had to a garden was a cactus I threw out once a year when it died, and replaced, but I told myself it was basically the same cactus. Since then it’s been college dorms and for the last couple of years, when I was in New York, it was an apartment which made home look like a palace. I’ve never gardened in my life. So now’s when you find out I’m ruthless, and more than capable of abusing someone’s good nature for my own selfish gains.” She took another sip. Could caffeine even get into the bloodstream when it was cold? She was going to need to drink a gallon of the stuff. “I’d love you to help.”
She reached out and patted Nik’s leg.
“As soon as the fall starts, and it’s not so hot. Vegetables sound good, too. I’ll keep that lemon tree, it’s nice.” And old. And produced thin-skinned lemons with lots and lots of juice. “Tear out all the rest. Maybe find a dozen garden gnomes or a flamingo or two. Who knows?” Flowers, and a little table and chairs with an umbrella; she was bound to make a few more friends, eventually, liked the idea of sitting out here in the more tolerably hot months with cocktails and sparkling conversation, legs in Nik’s lap…
Hmm.
Nice image.
And she wanted Mac and Wallace to come visit. They’d promised, after all.
Fancy clothes. Wow, she really needed to finish unpacking her clothes. All the nicest stuff, she’d started to think she might never wear again. It would need laundering and ironing and there wasn’t a convenient dry cleaner on the end of the block who would take care of it – not to mention she wasn’t yet making the sort of money she had been, even if she did seem to be run off her feet.
Few more days. She’d look like a million bucks. Maybe Nik would stop stammering and kiss her. He had such a beautiful mouth.
Veronica sighed.
“I’d really better get back to work. Go tell my client the good news. Thanks for trying; it means a lot. I’ll get it fixed. And in the meantime, I promise, I really am okay.”
–
The following night, Veronica discovered that she wasn’t. At all. It was eight o’clock at night, the humidity was at about a thousand percent, the fan seemed too exhausted to run properly… she couldn’t get comfortable, she couldn’t sleep, and no matter how many times she showered, she felt completely filthy.
She sort of wanted to cry. Why had she picked New Orleans? And it was going to be another three days before they came to fix the air conditioner, which could take a while, depending on what it needed.
She was never going to be able to sleep, and she had a big day the following day, testifying in court on behalf of a client, meetings in the afternoon.
Veronica reached for her phone.
“I was wrong,” she said. “So, so wrong. I can’t think. It’s too hot. What’s your address? This is me, Veronica Mars, taking you up on your offer of a place to stay. Rom-com moments and all. Is it still alright? Say it’s alright; I’m literally packing a bag right now.”
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Nik:
Nik was off, thankfully, when the call from Veronica came. He was out though, wandering through a couple of clothing stores right outside the Quarter looking for an appropriate tie for their date later in the week. Smiling when he saw who was on the other end of the call, Nik answered (much to the chagrin of the salesgirl who was chatting him up about tie pins) on the second ring. “Of course the offer still stands, love. I knew this New Orleans heat would get to you eventually. 780 Royal Street. Take the stairs next to the antique shop. I live at the top in the back apartment. You can’t miss it, but if you do ask Malcolm in the antique store where Nik is. I’m out, but I’ll meet you there.”
—
And he did. Nik made record time getting out of the shop (with a nice gray tie that the shop girl said brought out the blue in his eyes) and getting back across the Quarter to his apartment. He met Veronica coming up the steps and looking miserable. Without hesitation, he reached out and took her bag before fishing his keys out of the pocket of his jeans. “You look miserable, Veronica. I take it there’s been no movement on the new air conditioning front?”
Pushing open the door, he held it open with one hand and stepped to the side so that she could enter before he did. The apartment wasn’t spectacular, but it had the same Spanish and French touches that made the French Quarter famous. “Come on. I’ll give you the grand tour, even though there isn’t much to see.” It was a humble apartment, but it was as close to home as he’d felt since he left England.
The living room was the biggest room, with a small kitchen off to the side. There was a well-worn but comfortable couch, a couple of equally comfortable chairs, and a small, battered coffee table. Off in the corner, Nik had a dining room table that four could fit at comfortably, though she was one of the first people he’d had over. There was a tv, a whole shelf of mystery books, an easel and paints by the widow – making the entire place smell of paper and paint, a combination that he loved.
“This the living room-slash-dining-room-slash-art-room. Please feel free to make yourself comfortable. While you’re here, consider yourself at home. Come on, you can put your stuff in here.” His bedroom was smaller, room enough for the queen-sized bed with thick fluffy blankets, two end tables on either side, a small closet, and a dresser for his things. The star of the room was the set of double doors that led out to a small balcony with two wrought iron chairs and a table. It overlooked the Quarter, and was where Nik spent most of his time when he couldn’t sleep. “The, uh, bathroom is through that door,” he pointed at one off to the side of the room. “The left side of the dresser is empty, so you can put your things there if you want. I’ll take the couch; trust me, I’ve spent plenty of time sleeping on it. You’ll be more comfortable in here, and at night you can open the doors to get the breeze off the river.”
Nik ducked his head, smiling shyly – and oh, so grateful that she was here. “I’ll let you get settled. Can I get you something to drink?”
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Ronnie:
There was a small part of Veronica that was annoyed that Nik had taken her bag – what did he think she was, some weak girl? – and another, larger part that knew she was hot, tired and irrational, and that she loved his gentlemanly ways. She relinquished it and pulled her hair back with one hand to give the back of her neck a break from the prickling heat.
“Thank you,” she said, following the rest of the way up the stairs. “It’s only going to be a few more days – but today was too much. I can’t think. The computer shut down because it overheated. I’m glad I haven’t got a dog yet, because he would probably cook.” She stepped inside ahead of Nik and groaned out loud.
“This is perfect,” she said, lifting her arms out to her sides and enjoying the chill of the air conditioning over her sweating limbs, and cooling her face, improving her mood already. She closed her eyes a moment just to enjoy the sensation.
Grand tour. Yes.
Veronica looked around with interest. A person’s place said so much about them (well, usually; eventually she’d get her own little house set up just right, but she supposed the fact that the only room completely set up was her home office said something fairly sad all by itself). The apartment was small, but exquisitely appointed, and Nik’s obvious eye for pretty things was evident in everything.
“I love it,” she said, very seriously, examining the beautiful cornices, other details that told her it had to have been built around the same time her house was. “I really love it.”
Her eye was caught by the easel, but frustratingly, whatever Nik was working on seemed to have been covered by a sheet. Maybe she’d snoop later. The tiny kitchen was adorable, and there seemed to be plenty of cupboards, unlike a lot of more modern apartments.
“I really love it. I sort of want to look at the balcony, but I don’t want any of this cool air to escape. Maybe late tonight. Early in the morning. When the heat isn’t actively trying to kill us. And I’ll take anything ice cold and alcoholic.”
She smiled at Nik and slipped into the bedroom. Gentleman. She was all swoony again, now she wasn’t angry as a cat about the heat. She washed her face and hands in the bathroom, and tasted salt.
She opened the dresser. Empty. It gave her an odd feeling. How long had it been empty for? Who was the last, before Veronica?
For now, she left her things in her bag, and joined Nik in the living room.
“Now I’m not homicidal anymore, I’m starving,” she said. “Want to order a pizza and watch a couple of movies? Do a little snuggling on the couch? I’m the big spoon.”
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Nik:
There weren’t words to explain how proud Nik was of his home. It wasn’t grand, or lavishly furnished, but it was comfortable – and he’d worked hard for everything inside its walls. “I’m glad you like it,” he smiled, leaving her alone in the bedroom to go and make her drink. He had the makings of a strawberry daiquiri –with fresh strawberries. It wasn’t the watermelon she seemed to prefer, but he hoped it would do in a pinch.
He poured himself a glass of bourbon and sat them both on the coffee table in front of the couch. When she came back in the room, he automatically stood…years of chivalry deeply ingrained from his mother. “I made you a strawberry daiquiri – lots of ice. I hope it helps.”
Nik had already picked up the phone to order pizza when the last part of what she said registered. Snuggling. With him? Was she…serious? He didn’t know, and he didn’t know how to go about asking without sounding like a typical man who wanted nothing more than to get into someone’s pants.
“What sort of pizza do you like? I’m not picky; I can eat anything.” That came from years of being on his own before the lucked out and found the job in New Orleans. “There’s a place down the street that makes amazing pizza. The waiters and delivery guys often come in to the bar after they close. Don’t tell anyone, but I’ve been known to exchange a few beers for pizza.” Nik gave her a conspiratorial wink, then pushed speed dial on the phone.
After the pizza was ordered, he pointed to a row of DVDs next to the television. “Lady’s choice. If you don’t find anything you want to watch there, I’m sure we can find something on pay-per-view that doesn’t involve busty brunettes and the men who love them.” Seriously there was more porn on pay-per-view these days than anything else; he didn’t really want to admit how he knew that.
Settling back on the couch, Nik watched as she glanced through the movies. God, she was beautiful. He was almost positive that Veronica was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. What she wanted with him…a bartender with no prospects other than standing behind a bar for the rest of his life…he’d never understand. But she didn’t seem to mind being near him, and he owed a huge debt of gratitude to whatever higher power had dropped her into his life.
“You are beautiful,” he said, instantly regretting that he’d given life to the words. Great. Now she probably thought he’d invited her over simply for…
Why wouldn’t the floor open up and swallow him whole?
“I’m sorry. That was inappropriate. It just slipped…I’m sorry.” Nik shook his head, picking a bright yellow fleck of paint near the corner of his nail bed. “I don’t want you to think I just wanted you here for…Veronica, I apologize.”
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Ronnie:
“Strawberry daiquiri,” said Veronica, with much relish. And with fresh strawberries instead of some nasty syrup? Definitely snagged one of the last good men in America, go her! Woot!
Dressed in clothing that wasn’t drenched in sweat Veronica felt a thousand per cent better.
“Anything that doesn’t involved hot pineapple,” she said, finally heading to the balcony doors to slip outside for fifteen seconds. By the time she was back Nik was off the phone. “The view is amazing,” she said. “And it bet it’s even nicer in better weather. Anywho. I promise not to tell anyone you swap pizza for beer if you promise not to tell anyone I’m a raging bitch when the temperature hits a hundred and ten. Deal?”
Seemed like a reasonable call to Veronica.
She crouched by the television and then settled with her legs crossed, looking through the titles – a lot she’d never seen, a handful of favorites (thank goodness, how could she ever love a man who didn’t love the Godfather films?) and relatively little in the ‘oh shit no’ category. And since one of those was ‘Titanic’ and she owned it herself for the express purpose of watching the second half whenever she was in a bad mood, she really couldn’t pass judgment).
“Godfather,” she decided, ultimately. “I know, not as good as the sequel, but you can’t really appreciate the sequel without watching the original first.” She looked over her shoulder, and caught his look, and what he said.
Would have been easy to laugh it off, but Nik didn’t strike Veronica as the type to say that to all the girls – especially when he almost ruined it by apologizing like he’d grabbed her ass on the subway or something.
“Why, kind sir,” she said, in a truly terrible southern accent. “You might make me blush.” She grinned, and let her eyes fall, popping the disc into the player. She stood up, snagging the remote as she went. “Please don’t apologize for that. I was right in the middle of ‘cute guy said I was pretty’. Don’t yank me out of that space, I beg of you; in another year or so I’ll start going bald and looking like my father, which is ideal for a garden gnome, but less so for a potential leading lady.” She dropped onto the couch, and smiled, biting her tongue before turning back to the television.
He had his furtive shoes on. Better attempt the snuggle once the pizza was there. In the meantime, she embarrassed herself terribly syncing the lines and doing the accents.
“Food,” she said, reaching to pause the remote and leaping to her feet, sometime around the forty minute mark.
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Nik:
“Your southern accent is terrible,” Nik grinned, mimicking and failing at his own. No, too British for anything other than a laughably bad attempt. It made him smile though, and more importantly she was smiling. That was really all that mattered to Nik.
He ducked his head when she said he was cute, trying and failing to keep the blush off his cheeks. Just the slightest bit of pink, but it was enough that he was sure she’d notice. Great. “I highly doubt you’re going to lose your hair and look like your father.” He grinned. “I’m not thinking that whatever higher power is up there, or out there, would be that cruel. You’d look terrible as man, love.”
Nik settled in on the couch, leaving the control of the remote up to her. Veronica seemed to have everything in hand; he was simply happy to be in her presence. Occasionally he’d catch himself laughing at her attempts at mobster accents, but mostly he spent the time watching her out of the corner of his eye. Beautiful. Every bit as beautiful as he’d said.
And for some reason she wanted to spend time with him. How’d he get so lucky?
The pizza’s arrival distracted him from those thoughts, and he jumped up the second she did. It was almost comically timed – he would have laughed had he not been trying to get to the door. “I’ve got it. Sit. I’ll be right back.” And he was. One quickly signed receipt later, Nik was coming back with their pizza and a free brownie the store threw in because it was him doing the ordering. “Pizza and chocolate. Could this night possibly get any better?”
Grabbing plates from the kitchen, he poured them both some iced tea while he was there, and then made his way back to the living area with everything. Nik passed her a plate and retook his seat, popping open the pizza box so that Veronica could help herself.
Ladies first. Always.
Nik kicked his shoes off, drawing his feet up under his body, and then hit play on the movie once more. He’d forgotten how much he liked these movies and was impressed that she seemed to be enjoying them just as much. Another point in her favor – not that she was having a hard time staying on his good side.
“You know, I think this might constitute as date number two, yes? Or is it three by now? And we haven’t even made it to the official dress-up-and-go-out date. I think we’re ahead of the game.” Good pizza. He needed to shut up now, or he was going to say something monumentally stupid and blow the whole thing. “Can I get you anything else? A pillow? Something to make you more comfortable?”
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Ronnie:
“Wah, this acc-aint?” she said, running a finger over her lip. “You should just be grateful I’ve shed the born and bred Southern Californian staccato for this rich, New York sophistication.”
She let Nik head for the door – after all, natural born gentleman, as he’d already proven – and sat watching his butt as he walked, which was reward enough for staying right where she was. And then she watched the same very nice butt wander into the kitchen while he got plates – PLATES. For pizza. Oh, that was cute, and iced tea; had she given him a taste for it again? Or maybe, just maybe he’d made it in case Veronica came by?
Oh please let it be the latter.
“Pizza, chocolate, iced tea, air conditioning, and the last single gentleman in America,” she said, reaching for a slice (alright, they were huge and she was glad for the plate). “And weaning me off the daiquiris is probably sensible since I’m already tipsy thanks to the heat – couldn’t eat a thing all day,” she admitted. No, it was a lie, because she’d eaten most of a popsicle. Most of. Heat made her nauseous. No, not even, because Neptune in the summer had been hot. And humid! But nothing had prepared her for this. The cooling breeze she needed – absent. Elsewhere. Somewhere. Wow. How much summer was actually left?
She caught a glimpse of Nik’s bare feet before he tucked them up underneath his body – they seemed so pale and weirdly vulnerable. Oh, god, she was a mess. What was it about swearing off men post-Logan? Had she not absolutely promised herself lesbianism or a nunnery? Except all those pink tracksuits (nunnery – surprisingly modern these days) and she really, really liked men. Such a conundrum.
She ate the pizza instead of thinking any further on it, pausing with her mouth full to recite a line or three of dialogue that she absolutely could not resist.
“I’d have been raised a nice normal girl if it wasn’t for the father with the classic movie fetish. He’s not bad overall, but honestly, when you say ‘movie night!’ and he comes home with Vertigo – again – it gets a little wearing.”
Alright. It was hot. So this was probably a bad idea, and she had insisted on being the big spoon, but when Veronica was halfway through a second slice of pizza (and completely done, stuffed to the gills) and it was still nice and cool thanks to the A/C she wriggled across the couch and without asking the slightest lick of permission, turned Nik into her own private pillow. Back against his chest, feet spread across the couch, absolutely one hundred percent crushing on the cute Brit.
“Relax,” she said. “It’ll be less weird. I swear by halfway through the sequel we’ll be asleep like this.”
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Nik:
What could he say? When Nik tried to make an impression, he went all out. Well…as all out as take-out pizza and some hastily slapped together ice tea could get anyway. He picked up his own slice, tearing into it with gusto. It had been a long day, and this was lunch and dinner all rolled into one. Really, he needed to eat better, take better care of himself.
Maybe if he had someone in his life it would push him to do just that.
“I’m not so sure about the last single gentleman,” he said, but secretly he was terrified he was blushing. “I’m sure there are others, but perhaps not in New Orleans.” Nik said the last part teasingly, smiling around the pizza. “New Orleans tends to bring out the worst in some people. I suppose it’s the nature of a party town.”
Bloody hell, Veronica was so beautiful. He could get lost in the way she smiled, that slight crinkle of her nose when she said something witty, and the way she challenged what he thought of himself. It wasn’t just the physical, though she was stunning. Nik admired her spirit and the way she believed in herself; he highly doubted there were self-confidence issues there, but if there were then they were well hidden. She was, in essence, the exact opposite of him.
He fought the urge to tell her she was beautiful again. Once was an embarrassing slip; twice would be bordering on creepy.
“The way you talk about your father…it makes me smile. He sounds like a kind man, the type that drives his children crazy with his antics, but loves them relentlessly.” If he sounded a bit wistful, it was unintentional. Nik had never known that sort of life, never known what it was like to sit down and watch a movie with his dad and laugh about the badly written dialog or poor special effects. Still, he loved hearing those stories from others, knowing that what happened to him hadn’t been normal – hadn’t been what other children went through.
Nik hadn’t expected her to scoot across the couch; honestly, he hadn’t taken her ‘threat’ of spooning seriously. But there Veronica was, back against his chest, long legs stretched out across the couch, telling him to relax. Had he seemed that tightly wound? Nik forced himself to relax against the arm of the couch, enjoying the warmth of her body despite the heat.
He let one leg drop to the floor, bent at the knee, and the other he stretched out alongside hers on the couch. This felt…natural…right. Nik hadn’t felt this content in a long time. For lack of anything better to do with his hands, he draped one across her stomach, the other resting on his knee.
“I did not think you were serious about the spooning,” he grinned, abandoning the food in favor of holding her. “I’m not complaining.” His fingers brushed slowly over her abdomen as he settled in, trying not to concentrate too much on having her in his arms, instead turning his attention back to the movie. “Are you suggesting a marathon until we fall asleep then?”
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Ronnie:
It really did seem to bring out the worst in some people. Laissez le bon temps roulez, and all of that. Still. “Keeps me in clients, though,” she mused. And she was confident of her assessment. At least partly because so far she was making all the first moves and he seemed so delighted, without taking it as an invitation to take anything more. It was nice. After the last few years…
Amazing what air conditioning and a pizza could do for a person’s mood. Veronica felt so much better.
“That was a near perfect characterization of Keith Mars,” she said, with a grin. “Drives me mad, won’t watch his cholesterol, has a bad habit of climbing in windows and having Irish mafia wave guns in his face – but I wouldn’t swap him for anything. When mom left us, I thought he was going to break, and he never did.” And Lianne Mars – or whatever she was going by now – was never going to get another chance with either of them, not that she’d ever seemed interested in trying. “He should be the Mayor of Neptune, not that he’s ever shown and inclination that he wants to be, that many people owe him favors.”
Being so far away was hard. Wondering what sort of trouble he might be getting into, mostly. There were times when Veronica thought about her father and was transported back to that night when she thought he’d been in a plane she’d just watched blow up, and the urge to run home was so strong she could almost smell the salt air and coconut oil lotion. But Neptune had nothing left for her, except her father, and she knew she could never go back, not for more than a visit.
Veronica settled further, and rested her hand over Nik’s, there against her stomach, affectionate, encouraging. There was something refreshing about moving slowly, but it was nice to be touched like that as well.
“I never joke about spooning,” she said, tipping her head back and turning it until she could catch those blue eyes for a moment. “You’re just lucky I let you be the big spoon. This time. It’s far too early for me to start threatening your masculinity.” She eased off to reach for the iced tea, and settled back again, elbow resting against his leg. How long since she’d felt this relaxed with anyone? “And a marathon sounds like an excellent plan.”
By the time the first movie was done with, Veronica had almost forgotten what a miserable day it had been. She pushed off the couch and changed discs, because watching Godfather part I demanded that the far superior Part II be watched immediately afterwards. She crawled back onto the couch and settled herself more firmly between Nik’s strong arms, head against his shoulder.
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Nik:
“I’m sorry about your mother,” Nik said, real sympathy in his voice. His own family was so far from ideal that it was laughable, but he knew that his situation wasn’t the norm. “I don’t really speak much to my family, so I understand a bit of what that feels like.” No matter how much he told himself he didn’t care, there was still a part of him that hoped every time the phone rang that it was one of them. Nik would have probably given anything to speak to his mother or one of his siblings again – even for just a moment.
When she settled back in against him once the second movie was on, Nik closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. This was the most comfortable he’d been in so long that it almost felt alien to him. These sort of things didn’t happen to him; he wasn’t the type that women wanted to be with. Sure, he’d had his fair share of women hitting on him at the bar, but he wasn’t an alpha male. He wasn’t the type that held their attention for long. They wanted something he could never be, and Nik was so very sure that she would come to realize that same thing before too long.
He tried to stay awake, but the warmth of her against his body and the serenity he felt for the first time in a long time proved to be too much. Within the first half hour of the movie, his eyes shut and didn’t open again – his body simply worn out from working and the heat.
~ completed thread
