"No! Weslyn why'd you invite them here?" Maria slammed her spoon down. She was not taking Weslyn's news well.
"Because! Paul said it was just their mate being stupid!" Weslyn pleaded with her, "They're real sorry, Maria."
"I don't want to see them." Maria huffed childishly. She started to stir up the ingredients in the big bowl she was using to cook with.
"But Maria I already said they could come." Weslyn said with a slight smirk.
"Well then they aren't allowed to eat." Maria said stubbornly. Weslyn rolled her eyes.
"You can't do that!" Weslyn laughed, "Not to Paul anyway." Maria rolled her eyes and poured the contents of the mixing bowl into a casserole dish.
"Fine Paul can eat." She huffed as she topped the casserole with pepperoni slices. She shoved it into the oven and set a timer before she went to her room and shut the door. Weslyn rolled her eyes and sat at the table. She pulled the film out of her camera. She'd used an entire roll. She set in on the table and figured she'd develop it later. She knew Paul and George would be there any minute, but she was bored in the meantime.
She saw one of Maria's pencils laying on the table. She grabbed a napkin and she started to write on it. She liked to write sometimes. She wrote little short stories when she was bored. She was bored now, so why not?
Weslyn had gotten about half finished with her short story when the timer on the oven beeped loudly. Maria came out of her room smudged with paint. She washed her hands quickly and she didn't bother drying them off before she grabbed a pot holder and pulled the casserole out of the oven. She set it on the counter when a knock sounded against the door. Weslyn got up and answered, happy to find Paul and George.
"Hello!" She said as Paul kissed her cheek, "Maria says George isn't allowed to eat." Maria scowled at her as the boys walked in. George didn't say a word. He didn't complain or protest, he just sat down at the table. Maria was ignoring him. She put the casserole on the table with plates and forks. She sat down as far away from George as she could get and Paul and Weslyn joined them. They all ate in silence. Paul didn't know what to say to Weslyn and Weslyn was glaring at Maria for ignoring George. George just sat in his seat quietly.
"Maria can you please wash off the paint before you sit down to eat at least?" Weslyn huffed finally. Maria looked up at her, startled.
"What?" She asked frowning, "It's not paint." Maria got up and she wet her napkin in the sink before she wiped whatever art supply she'd used off her face quickly. She came and sat back down as Paul finished eating. He poked Weslyn's arm and nodded his head to her room. Weslyn nodded and finished up her meal.
"It was great, Maria." She said standing up, "Paul and I are going into my room to talk for a bit." Maria's eyes got wide but Weslyn didn't give her the chance to protest. She went to her room with Paul and shut the door.
"It's a bit quiet in there eh?" Paul asked sitting down on the bed. Weslyn sat next to him and sighed.
"Yeah, Maria is just. . ." Weslyn shook her head, unable to find the right words. Paul put his arm around her shoulders and she looked over at him.
"She'll come around." He shrugged, "George knows that." Weslyn shrugged and sighed. Paul shrugged back and smiled at her.
"So what do you wanna do?" She asked as he grabbed her hand. He tangled his fingers with hers and Weslyn felt her cheek grow hot as he looked at her.
"I dunno, what do you wanna do?" He asked gently. Weslyn shrugged and looked away from him. "Listen I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go out, I mean as just the two of us." Weslyn smiled at him and squeezed his hand.
"Sure, just tell me when." She said. Paul moved closer to her and he tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Tomorrow?" Paul asked raising his eyebrows. Weslyn grinned and nodded just before he pressed his lips to hers. Weslyn kissed his back while she put her arms around his neck. This wasn't a long kiss. It ended only seconds after it had started. Paul smiled at her and Weslyn ruffled his hair. He scrunched up his nose and he kissed her cheeks lightly. "I'll call you tomorrow for a time. I don't know when I'll be free exactly." Weslyn nodded and she put her head against his shoulder.
"OK." She said quietly. Paul pulled her back until they were lying against the pillows. Weslyn cuddled up to him and he kissed the top of her head. Neither of them planned to sleep, but they both ended up falling into deep sleep curled and tangled up together.
**********************
Maria could not believe Maria left her alone with George! How could she do that? She didn't even want George there in the first place. She looked at him and sighed. He looked sad.
George heard her sigh and he looked up at her. He felt his stomach begging for food now. He could smell the food sitting in front of him, and he'd already had to watch the others eat. He didn't know how much longer he could sit there and be hungry.
Maria reached over and filled up her plate with more food. George thought he was going to make him watch her eat again, but she set it down in front of him.
"I'm sorry." She said shyly. She didn't look at him. George look at her though. "I know you're hungry." She got up and left him at the table. He didn't know whether she was coming back as he started to eat. He found out the casserole was some sort of pizza concoction with noodles in it. It was actually quite good.
George was putting another scoop full on his plate when Maria came back with a notebook and some pencils. She sat across from him and she say with her knees up against the table, using her thighs to bare down on. She started to draw quietly as George finished eating. He noticed her looking up at him and then back at her paper every now and again and he wondered if she was drawing him.
"Do you want dessert? Weslyn bought ice cream and brownie mix earlier." George grinned and nodded.
"Sure, but you don't have to make the brownies." He said shrugging, "I'd just like ice cream." Maria nodded and put her book on the table as she stood up. She left George where he was to finish his second helping of food to go and get them some ice cream from the freezer.
George picked up her sketch book and he looked at what she'd been drawing. On the page she'd just finished was a sketch of him looking down at his food. He turned a page back and he found a drawing of John and Lucy's sand castle. It was perfect, like a photograph. She remembered every detail of that sand castle. George turned another page back and he found a drawing of a pair of hands touching on the neck of a guitar. His guitar he realized. She'd drawn their hands from earlier in the afternoon. George turned another page and found a drawing of them from last night lying on the beach holding hands.
George was amazed she could remember it so clearly. George turned the page again and he found a drawing of him while they ate their burgers the night before. The picture after that was one of Paul and Weslyn talking and smiling. George turned the page once again and he found a drawing of him sitting by the pool with Lucy sitting on his lap. Maria could remember things clear enough to.draw them with every detail. George turned the page back again and found a gorgeous pastel drawing of a little girl with dark bran curls, freckles, and bright green eyes. She was smiling brightly and she looked ecstatic about something.
"I put some chocolate chips on your ice cream if that's ok," Maria's voice made him look up. She was putting two bowls of ice cream on the table. she looked over at him and what little bit of a smile shed had disappeared, "What are you doing?" she grabbed her book from him quickly.
"Sorry, Maria I was just-"
"Why were you looking at my Sketchbook?" she asked looking at the page George had to stopped on. Her face went a bit white and she closed it. Before George could respond to her question she left him at the table and she went to her room. She shut the door before George could stop her.
"Maria, I'm sorry!" George knocked on her door, "I didn't mean to- I mean I didn't know it was that big a deal, Maria!" He knocked on the door again but there was no response. George leaned his forehead against the door, "Please, Maria, I'm sorry..."
