You seem a little different--Kenjorine

Chapter 5 ⭐

Marjorine was relieved to hear shuffling behind the door. At least somebody still lived here and she wasn't making a fool out of herself by knocking on the door of an empty house.

The door opened, sending a creak out into the loud wind that passed through the area. An older man had answered, back hunched and face creased and beat with age. He wore a faded red trucker cap with the word "SCOTCH" in yellow. His blue button up and skinny jeans were dirty and unkempt. He looked like an old mechanic.

Marjorine instantly recognized him as Kenny's father. A huge wave of relief washed over her, and she sighed audibly.

"Does Kenny still live here?" She inquired, hope sparkling in her eyes.

Stuart grunted in response and turned to face the inside of the house. "Kenny! There's a girl here who wants to see ya!" He called, his voice grainy and tired.

A gruff and deep voice replied, "Coming!" and Marjorine was a bit taken aback. Could his voice really have dropped that much during puberty? Of course, her voice dropped some, but she kept it all as feminine as possible. This was possibly the most masculine sounding voice she had ever heard.

Mr. McCormick had walked away and left the door open, and his empty space was soon filled by his second son, short and opposing.

Marjorine was shocked upon seeing Kenny, and she tried her best not to let her mouth hang open. He had changed so much, and he was so beautiful. His straight, golden hair had grown long, and fell past his shoulders in a tussled gracefulness. His orange parka draped off of him slightly, revealing a dirty white tank top. His face was rough with stubble and his jaw was rigid, with a steady-set nose and soul-piercing blue eyes. His blonde eyelashes were long and healthy, and added a whole new beauty to his wistful peepers. He had little acne spots here and there, and his eye bags were sat deep in his face.

"Oh, hamburgers, Kenny..." she whispered, her hand in front of her mouth. She hadn't meant to let it slip, but it did, and it hovered in the silence of the night.

Upon recognizing her, Kenny turned pale and stood straight. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Butters?" He whispered, in complete disbelief that the woman standing in front of him now was the little boy he'd fallen for all those years ago.

"It's Marjorine now, but, yeah. That's me," she smiled almost apologetically, trying her best to keep eye contact as she looked down at him.

"Sorry, yes, Marjorine," he corrected himself, a new warmth in his face. "Come in," he offered, extending his arm towards the inside.

"Thank you," she smiled, and Kenny felt a fuzzy feeling in his chest. When he shut the door, Marjorine was looking at him expectantly, her hands clutching the bottom of her dress.

"You're probably extremely cold, Marj," he implied, placing a nickname on her head like a crown. "Come up to my room, we can warm you up."

Now, Marjorine, upon hearing this sentence, blushed deeply. Her thoughts couldn't help but go rampant at the mention of such a sensually worded sentence. She looked to the ground and tried to hide her face.

"No, that's not what I meant. You-you know what I meant," Kenny choked out, also bashful.

Before Marjorine could respond, Kenny had taken her hand and led her to his room. As soon as the door was shut behind them, Kenny smiled at Marjorine warmly. She didn't hesitate to return it, and she almost felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"Kenny," she shook her head in amusement, amusement that after all these years, her best friend was standing right in front of her, as perfect as a statue.

She ran straight up to him and threw her arms around his neck, and he lifted her up by the waist and spun her around. "Oh, Marjorine, I thought I'd never see you again!" He exclaimed, a sickening level of excitement deep in his throat.

"Kenny, I missed you so much," she sighed, looking into his eyes. Kenny, surprisingly, had tears slowly trickling down his face. He sighed as he looked up at Marjorine lovingly.

"Marjorine...I..." he trailed off, at a loss for words. "I missed you so much. I don't think you'll ever understand." He struggled to keep eye contact.

Marjorine grabbed Kenny's hands and gently put her fingers in between his, and she looked down at him with sincerity written all over her face. "Oh, hamburgers, I don't think I've ever understood anything more."

Kenny laughed, and Marjorine followed suit. This laughter wasn't a "someone told a joke" laughter. It was the kind of laughter you only did when you were so unbelievably happy that the feelings forced their way up your chest and through your throat. This was true happiness.

As the laughter calmed down, Marjorine asked a question, just one small request. "Kenny," she started, a lump forming in her throat.

"Yes?" He replied, a smile playing with the corners of his mouth.

"Will you do that thing you did a few days before I left, where we sat on the bed and you played with my hair? I think that was the most comfortable I've ever felt."

Kenny's eyelids lowered in a sort of lovesick way. He looked as if he wholeheartedly agreed.

"Of course," he answered, thinking about how that moment was the moment where he'd realized he had fallen in love with the woman standing in front of him.

He sat on the bed, the springs creaking with age and the bed shifting under his weight. Marjorine was sure he still had the still mattress and bed frame from seven years ago.

She promptly sat beside him and took her coat and earmuffs off. She laid them delicately on the bed and smoothed her jacket out before turning back to Kenny. He had his arms spread wide and a welcoming smile in his eyes.

Marjorine snuggled into his chest and Kenny wrapped his arms around her, grunting loudly as he pulled her back further onto the bed. He crossed his legs and she shifted into his lap. Once they were comfortable, they closed their eyes. Kenny stroked Marjorine's hair with a considerate gentleness.

They cuddled there together, warm breath in sync, two souls meant to be connected finally at one again.