Eastern District School

Chapter 72 -D.I.Y A.M

Having to assist a fully grown man in taking a door off by its hinges was not something she had in mind for an early Monday morning start. It was a simple enough job. Thankfully the hinges were on the outside of the door, since this door actually opened up onto the corridor. 

"Originally, this was all open. Father had planned on making a balcony that overlooked the front over the drive. He lingered on the idea for quite some time, if I remember rightly." he said. Their casual conversation continued as he finally removed the door.

"And you asked for a gym?" she asked smiling. The only help she had been was to stand there holding the screws as he withdrew them and passed them to her.  Her hand was even now, still outstretched, despite the fact the door had been removed.

Rich smiled at her, obviously amused by her question. "Funnily enough, it was actually my father's second plan. He of course had already planned the pool, in fact almost the whole house would have been built around it, so why not add a gym?" His matter-of-fact tone almost made her laugh. She quickly brought her free hand to her face to cover her amusement.

"Well that definitely seems to be the problem!" Rich stated holding up a short metal bar, that she assumed would have once been straight rather than the rather sorry looking arch, now in the middle.

Rose simply smiled. There was not much she could say about a short bent bar. Instead her eyes flickered to the open room before her, and without thinking walked in. 

"So this would have all been open..." she muttered not really asking the question, but clearly visualising it in her mind. Swapping the screws to her other hand, she gently outstretched a finger, barely touching the wall as she walked along the wall of the room, passing the window and upon reaching the outer wall, turned and then turned her head upwards. Having probably ignored the contents of the room, an unlikely action of most other females as Rich knew all-too-well, she smiled back over at him. "A balcony would have really caught the evening light well here." She walked back towards the window peering out, although right now the sun was shining in quite bright and lovely in her own window the other side of the house. The Window here looked out south-west over the front of the house and the driveway. "It would have had a most romantic air about it." She said, before flashing her eyes over towards Rich once again. She instantly regretted this motion, due to the flush that fell upon her face. She suddenly felt uncomfortable in just her pyjamas again, and trying her best not to cause any attention to herself, gently folded her free arm across her chest. 

"It probably would have been." he agreed quietly.

There was a moment's silence, before he thought to speak again. 

"I  suppose I won't be putting the door back on, until I get a replacement for this," he tossed the bar from one hand to the other. "I will have to make a quick stop in town on the way."

Rose looked puzzled for a moment, before the realisation settled down. "Oh my goodness! It's Monday! I have to great ready for work!" With this she marched past Rich quickly towards her own room. 

"Wait, I'll take the..." 

Before he could finish, Rose stopped in her tracks and spun on the spot, just as he took a step forward, and bumped straight into her. 

"Sorry..." They both said in unison.

"Screws!" he said, as if not being able to find any other words.

"Oh, right. Sorry." She outstretched her hand to quickly dump its contents into his own, and he in turn took them from her. 

"Rose?" he asked, after had turned away again, although this time was more smoothly.