How Bad Could It Be

Chapter 5

A/N: If you remember it from the movie, then I don't own it.  I also made an obscure reference to a very popular trilogy.  See if you can guess what it is.  I'd like to thank Mircosedy from fanfiction.net for beta-reading.

                                        * * *

Once-ler woke up to find Kat in his arms and leaning her head against his chest.  He stroked Kat's hair and smiled at her sleeping form.  Then Once-ler carefully removed Kat from his arms, got dressed in the clothes he wore last night that were neatly laid on the couch, and watched Kat as she slept, tossing and turning in bed.  When he met her at the cafe, he was expecting Kat to friend zone him or agree to be his girlfriend.  He never would have guessed that there was a third option.  Once-ler felt bad about lying to Kat but she was attracted to him.  Maybe that attraction would lead to love.  Then again, maybe Kat was right.  Maybe what Once-ler felt for her was simply lust and he mistook it for love.  It wouldn't be surprising, considering that he was always taught to suppress his "filthy" urges until marriage.  When Kat told him that there was no shame in lust, Once-ler felt like a heavy burden was finally lifted from him.  Maybe he would give Kat's way a shot.

Once-ler kissed Kat's forehead and looked around her apartment for cooking ingredients.  Just because there was no relationship didn't mean that he should be cruel to her.  Unfortunately, Kat had absolutely nothing to cook with.  Just some TV dinners, cans of soup, some pots which Once-ler guessed was for warming up the soup, bags of cookies, potato chips, a bag of chocolate chips, cereal and a few boxes of meal bars.

Kat's cleaning skills could also use some work.  The trash was full and looked like it hadn't been taken out in weeks, the sink was filled with dirty dishes and, when Once-ler looked through Kat's refrigerator and cabinets, nothing was organized.  Kat just threw everything in there with reckless abandon.  So Once-ler would have to clean and do some grocery shopping before he could make breakfast for her.  Once-ler wrote the stuff he needed for pancakes on a list and looked around Kat's apartment once more.  If he was going grocery shopping, he might as well pick up a few things Kat needs.  Then another thought occurred to him.  What if Kat woke up while Once-ler was gone and thought he'd abandoned her?  Once-ler grabbed another paper and wrote a note, easily fixable.  He'd be out of the apartment as soon as he finished doing some cleaning.

                                         * * *

Kat woke up to the sound of the alarm going off in the kitchen, last night's events replaying in her head.  After two years of preparation and planning, she finally had sex and it wasn't what she expected.  She dug her head deeper into her pillow, hoping the sound would stop on its own and she could go back to sleep.  Eventually, she got up and shut that blaring noise off.  Then she put on a robe from the closet and wondered where Once-ler was until she read his note.

Dear Kat,
Gone to get groceries so I can make you breakfast.  Also did a little cleaning, hope you don't mind.
Once-ler

Kat yawned and thought it was nice of Once-ler to want to cook her breakfast so bad and to do some chores for her.  She was planning on getting around to doing the chores herself but she didn't have the time.  At the moment, she was fighting every urge to go back to bed by getting the coffee machine started and looking over her mail.  Just a notice about the rent, a notice from her gynecologist about another uncomfortable appointment (at least now she was getting the benefits), the latest issue of Ms. Magazine and a whole ton of junk.

Kat grabbed the tape recorder and placed it right next to the typewriter.  Then she took a seat in the chair in front of it, played the tape recorder and listened to what she recorded in her last circle meeting.