I'll Set The Pace

Sticky Finger Secrets (3)

Jennifer groaned as her alarm went off at 7:30 the next morning. Insomnia had kept her awake much later than she had wanted, the night before. The day out with Lee had been pleasant, but left her weary  She stuffed her face back into the pillow wishing she could just disappear and sleep for another 5 hours.

"Ugh." She groaned loudly into the soft fabric. Her phone vibrated from the table beside her bed. Jennifer sat up, squinting her eyes at the bright sunlight pouring through her window and ran her fingers through her thick, messy hair. She picked up the phone and squinted at the screen.

"Hey, if you're not busy, would you like to come with me and Carl to the park?"

Jennifer looked up at the mirror across the room and wrinkled her nose at her reflection. She needed a shower. Badly.

"What time?"

She ran her fingers through her greasy hair, as she waited for a reply.

"10 minutes?"

"How about 20?"

"Sure thing, love."

Jennifer felt a blush creeping up her neck as she stared at his text. She slowly slid her finger across the side to turn off the screen then fell back against her pillow, a smile on her face. Guilt still weighed down on her subconscious, but she pushed it away and decided a hot shower and a nice walk in the park might help keep her distracted. After a moment of thought, she forced herself to roll out of the covers and land her bare feet on the cold hardwood floor.

Jennifer's POV

Showers have been, and always will be, one of my favorite things. After food, of course. It had always been my escape from reality. Even if just for a few moments, the warm water running over my face brought me peace of mind. You feel so vulnerable in the shower, but yet protected by the warm blanket of water that trickles over your skin. I just loved it.

I closed my eyes and turned my face up towards the overhead shower head and let the water run over my face and hair. I turned the water off after a few minutes and wrapped a towel around myself. 15 minutes until I met Lee in the park.

Hurriedly, I grabbed a pair of jeans and a graphic tee from my closet and changed into them. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail after partially blow drying it. The sun would have to take care of the rest. "Oh the struggles of having thick hair..." I mumbled under my breath as I reached for my green converse.

I grabbed my purse and stepped outside. As I turned around the lock the door, I heard an upbeat, southern accented voice from behind me. "My, my you look lovely." I jumped sideways, almost hitting the door with my back. "Oh my gosh, Lee. Could you not?" I yelped, although I was somewhat relieved to see him standing there.

Lee chuckled, "Sorry. I just thought I'd wait for you since my apartment is just down the street. You ready?" He raised his eyebrows, surveying my appearance.

"Yes." I replied, raising my eyebrow.

"Ah, alright then." He mumbled, ducking his head down to try and hide a smirk.

I chuckled quietly as I followed him down the stairs to the sidewalk. We walked down aways until we reached the park entrance. Picnic tables were lined alongside the fence where tall trees leaned over, providing shade. An ice cream truck playing a jingly tune was parked a few feet away from the last picnic table, which was occupied by a family of four. A little boy and girl sat across from their parents, their ice cream covered faces grinning with sheer delight.

I turned away from the view and up at Lee. His eyes showed a longing I hadn't ever seen before in his expression. It was gone faster than it came when he noticed my gaze. A smile lit up his expression, "Ice cream?"

"I'd love some." I replied, bending down to rub Carl's head.

As we each got our ice cream cones, I noticed Lee looking over his shoulder. "Lee?"

"...."

I tapped his shoulder lightly, "Lee?"

"Hmm?" He turned around quickly.

I held out his ice cream cone.

"Oh!" He smiled tightly, and paid for the ice cream. "Thanks."

We walked down the the next empty table and sat down. Carl busied himself with a stick he found, under the shade of the table. I leaned forward after a moment of silence. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I was just thinking." Lee said, leaning his head to the side. He stared at the ice cream cone that was stacked three scoops high. "I seriously shouldn't be eating all this. I have to have abs for the new movie."

I laughed softly, "Oh come on, one ice cream won't kill you. But after this, you're right. You need to eat better. I saw all those pop tarts in your cabinet." I teased.

"You were snooping in my apartment?" Lee scoffed playfully.

"Maybe..." I caught a stream of ice cream that started to trickle down the cone. After a moment of not hearing a reply, I looked up. Lee was leaned over a little girl who looked around three or four. She wore her dark hair in two pigtails, that fell down the sides of her face in soft curls. Her sticky fingers waved about as she smiled up at Lee. "Can I pet your dog, mister?"

"Of course!" Lee said, a smile breaking across his face. He watched as the little girl sat down and giggled while Carl licked the ice cream off her pink cheeks. Her hands were on either side of his face, sweet sugary goodness getting smeared deeply into his fur. I cringed slightly at the mess, but didn't say a word. Lee looked so delighted to see the little girl giving Carl so much love.

"What's his name?" The little boy, who I presumed to be her older brother, asked shyly.

"His name is Carl. What's your name?" Lee replied, smiling at him.

"My name is Ryan. And that's Charlotte." The boy said, pointing towards his younger sister.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Ryan. And Charlotte." Lee greeted them both, glancing behind him to see where their parents were. He caught sight of them at the other table, watching the kids talk to us.

Ryan looked up at me and waved shyly. "Who's that?" He asked Lee quietly.

Lee gazed at me a moment before leaning over and whispering in the boy's ear. The boy's expression changed instantly as he watched me. He giggled behind his hands before bending down to pet Carl. "Oh."

I stared at Lee suspiciously until he turned and caught my eye. He chuckled and turned back to eating his ice cream, without a reply. I blushed at the thought of what he could have said to that child. I hid behind my ice cream cone and continued eating.

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On the walk back to my apartment, I finally gathered up enough courage to ask Lee what he had said. "So, what exactly did you say to that little boy?"

Lee smiled without looking away from the road ahead, "That's classified."

I was taken aback by his reply. "Classified? Dear lord." I thought. We strolled down the sidewalk in silence for the rest of the way. He kissed the back of my hand gently before turning to walk to his apartment. "I'll see you in two weeks."

"See you then." I called after him, looking down at my hand. I watched him walk down the street until he was out of sight, before going inside. I was slightly puzzled by his behavior, but was content not knowing for now. The next two weeks were going to be way too long.

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Hello, readers! Ahhh, I'm so psyched about this fic!! (I've never used that word before now, I swear.) I exceeded my word count goal by 300 words so that made me pretty happy. I hope you guys enjoy! I loved how it turned out. :) ~ Em