Big Boys Cry

Chapter Ten

Having Phebe in his house was a welcome distraction to a day that would have otherwise been gloomy. She sat on his kitchen stool leaning on the counter munching a slice of toast bread.

"So tell me again why you don't take coffee?"

She swallowed the toast bread in her mouth and let out a little giggle. A little glimmer in her eyes had replaced the fire which was burning earlier to destroy him. It was amazing how she could be a fierce lion in one minute then a cute, harmless puppy the next. It was truly amusing!

"Well I don't really know why I don't take coffee, it's just because my mum said so. Something about it affecting child birth or something, I don't know." She said stuffing her mouth once again with toast bread.

"I have never heard that theory before but then again I haven't had children to know but I am sure taking it once today won't hurt." He said taking the sit opposite hers with his cup of coffee in hand.

She leaned towards him almost as if she was about to expose an earth shattering secret. "If I am to be honest_" she turned and looked around to see if anyone was around. Her actions made him break out in laughter but she placed her fingers to her lips telling him to be quiet. "As I was saying if I am to be honest I think coffee smells really bad, even at the office, I hate when they start brewing it. It drives me crazy!"

This time it was the two of them that started laughing. "Are you serious? You hate the smell of coffee?"

"Yep! It's awful."

"You are weird. I look forward to that smell every morning."

"Well I guess it's just me."

"It's definitely just you." He said taking a long sip of his coffee, closing his eyes and smiling broadly to let her know how much he was enjoying it.

"Yeah, yeah I get, it's awesome. I guess I will just have something else." She abandoned her half eaten toast and began to open each cupboard looking for what he was not sure of. It felt natural having her there in his kitchen like she was meant to be there. "Do you eat all of these?" she asked while staring into his cupboard filled with all kinds of cereals.

He walked and stood behind her, towering over her and looking into the cupboard from over her head. "My house keeper Martha does all my shopping and she buys much more than I need and I always end up giving most of it to her because I end up not eating them." He paused for a moment then spoke. "Now that I am thinking of it she might be doing it on purpose." He scratched his head as the sudden realization hit him.

"Yeah I think she might be doing just that." Phebe chuckled and reached for the tin of milo right beside the box of coco-pops. When she turned around he hadn't realized how close they were as he could feel every breathe she let out. "Can I have some?" she asked using the tin of milo to make room between them.

"Sure you can." He instinctively moved away, not because he wanted to but because as right as she felt right there in his house, she even felt more right beside him and he couldn't trust himself with her.

^ ^ ^

"So tell me one thing about you nobody knows?"

They were both now seated on the couch in his living room sipping a glass of orange juice as they talked and slowly killed time.

"Well, one thing I never tell anyone which I am totally ashamed of is....nope! I can't say it, it's going to ruin my whole image, and it's not worth it!"