Building A (Strange) Family

Secrets

Mom did make one last big effort to keep David from sleeping in Lilly's room.
The guys had gone out, but David had stayed behind,
hanging on Lilly at the table as she drank tea with Mom.

"She's a farter," Mom stated quite bluntly.

Lilly choked on her tea and Davids eye went wide.

"Rip-snorters, loudest I've ever heard. Louder and more impressive than any man I've ever heard..."

Lilly was beet red.
She wished she could deny it.
Wished she could crawl into a deep hole.
Truth was, she had been proud of it as a teen,
honed her skill and became something of a legend with her guy friends.

"To say nothing of the smell..."

"Okay, Mom!!"
Lilly finally shouted, a hand covering her red face.

David considered Lilly for a moment, emotionless, before addressing Mom.

"She's never done it in front of me."

Lilly huffed and exasperated laugh, throwing her hands up as if to say Sure! Let's continue the conversation of my gastro intestinal practices!

"Well, when she's awake anyway," he corrected himself.
Lilly turned to him, her face horror stricken.

He ignored her, continuing to talk to Mom.
"When she's asleep, all relaxed? Man! You have one talented daughter, hu?"

He snickered even as Lilly slumped forward across the table.
He leaned over her, whispering apologies into her hair while still laughing that it was all true.

Mom realized she had lost.

The neighbors were a growing nuisance.
Mom and Lilly were harboring a vampire coven in the spare room
and yet were far less noisy and far more considerate.
It was never much bother to the boys, but it drove Lilly up the wall.

Late March, the guys woke to music blasting again.
But this time it was at a decent level and coming from their own living room.
Lilly bounced around the room, not quite dancing but extremely joyful.
David was perched on a stool and seemed more then happy to watch her.

"Evening boys!"
She called out, grabbing Joel's hands and pulled him out to dance around the house.
"They're gone! They left in the middle of the night!
Didn't even pay their last months rent!"
Robert looked at Mark and pulled him out to swing around the living room as well.
There really wasn't enough room but they managed, letting their happiness lead them.

"To bad David doesn't dance..." Joel let slip as he and Lilly spun by David.

"I don't dance? Who says I don't dance?" David was off the stool and stalking over tot he pair.
Joel pulled away from Lilly, giving David a proper bow and handing him Lilly's hand.
David nodded to him before pulling Lilly against his chest and swaying to the music.

Before she knew it, he pushed her away and pulled her back, side stepping and turning her.

"Are- are we swing dancing?" She asked as he moved her, lead her.
He only smiled.

She didn't know if he could tell, but she was absolutely giddy.
Then the song changed and he pulled her close, practically floating across the room.
She looked down at feet and realized, "Waltzing! We're actually waltzing..."
He just shrugged, pulling away to spin her carefully.

"And you are awful at letting a guy lead, Lilly."

"Where did you learn to dance, Love?"

"Watching movies..."

She wasn't sure if she believed it, but she didn't pry.
He never bothered to keep secrets from her, he was allowed at least one.
She just enjoyed moving with him and having him hum in her ear.