Too Much To Ask |NH|

Chapter Two

"Do you think they look even?" She asked, standing on the small ladder in front of the window, her arms holding up the curtain rod, a pencil stuck between her teeth.

Standing across the room from her, I looked up.  "Uhh, bring that side up just slightly."  She raised the bar.  "Uh, come back down."  She lowered the bar.  "Perfect."

She used one hand to grab the pencil and make little marks on the wall for where to drill the holes.  I wasn't much of an interior designer, but she loved it.  And I loved that she included me in the decision making despite the fact that I, more often than not, just went with whatever she wanted. 

I stood there watching her for a moment.  The image in front of me was like one of those photographs you find in a coffee book - stark, black and white, simple, but beautiful.  I picked up the camera and took her picture.

I then bent back down over the box I was working on and pulled out a few more vinyl records.  The very first thing I had done was find the record player, choosing one of our favorite records to play, while I began to unpack the rest of our collection. 

Our new place had built-in shelves along the entire hallway into the living area.  It was more than enough to hold our records, her compositions, and my awards.  It was the selling point for us both.

"How should we do these?  Alphabetical?  Genre? Alphabetical by genre?" I asked.

"Uhhh, alphabetical by genre."

"Sounds good to me," I said as I sat down to start organizing them.

Several hours later, most of the living room was complete.  She had finished hanging the curtains, arranged the furniture, set up the entertainment center, and had even completely installed our tv.  And I had only managed to get through three of our six record boxes.

"You know, you'd probably be done with this task by now if you didn't look at every single album and recite it's entire life story from idea to concept to greatness."

"Yeah?  Would I?" I said, turning around to once again get the sound of the shutter clicking and whatever expression I had on my face.

"Ooooo, I think that's going to be a good one.  You, surrounded by what you love the most."

"Well, nearly everything I love the most.  Only missing one very important thing - you."

She laughed a little.  "You're so corny."

"Yeah, well, you love my corniness.  Don't even bother trying to deny it."

"I wouldn't dare."  She fell silent.

"I can feel your eyes on me," I said as I reached for the next album.

"I'm just admiring the view."

"Yeah?  What's so special about it?" I asked, a small smirk appearing on my face.

"Two of my great loves are sitting on the floor in front of me and I can't even fathom how I got so lucky."

I looked up at her.  She had this daydreaming look on her face.  "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then why don't you call it a day and come down here and join us?  That way all three of us can be hanging out on the floor?"

"I will.  Let me just go get us some dinner.  I was thinking Japanese."

"Mmmm, sushi sounds good.  Mmm, so does hibachi."  I heard her laugh, "What?"

"You and your stomach.  I'm pretty sure food is your one true love."

"Nah.  It's music, food, performing, golf, my fans..."

"Where am I on this list?"

"Not sure.  Somewhere near the bottom, I think.  Although, to be completely honest, not sure you're on it at all."  I had to hold in my laugh.

She nodded her head.  "Okay, then, well, I'm going to order ME some dinner."

She didn't smile.  She didn't laugh.  She didn't let on that she knew I was joking.  She left to get our dinner and when she returned, I was still on the floor.

"I see you've moved all of two inches, if even that."

"Hey babe, I totally forgot we had this one!" I said, holding up Sam Cooke's "Ain't That Good News".

"Ohh, that one has my all-time favorite song of his," she said, placing the food down on the floor as she sat down in front of me. 

She proceeded to empty the bags of food she had come back with, placing all of it in front of her. 

"Where's mine?" I asked.

She looked up at me as she tore open the plastic containing the cutlery.  "Your food?"

"Yeah, my food," I said, slowly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't get you anything.  I figured since I was at the bottom of your list of great loves, that you could fend for yourself."

She said it with a straight face as she reached for a container holding sushi.

"Seriously?" I asked, not entirely sure if she was being for real or joking.  Usually, she couldn't contain her laughter or smile.  "That's a lot of food you've got in front of you, though."

"Yeah, I thought so, too.  I just figured whatever was left, I'd eat tomorrow for lunch or something."  She shoved a piece of sushi into her mouth.

"Give me that food!" I said, reaching for her hand.  She moved her hand out of the way, causing a piece to fall to the floor.

"Look what you made me do!"  She started to pout but I could see that she was cracking.

"Yeah, well, had you just given me my food, that poor little sushi would be happily swimming in your stomach right now, but alas, you decided to force me to attack you for it."

She moved closer to me, getting inches from my face, "Yeah?"

"Yeah," I said, inching closer to her.

"Interesting theory." 

She moved closer to me, and then slowly, methodically, sadistically placed a piece into her mouth, half of it sticking out.  She looked at me through those lashes of hers, all doe eyed and innocent looking.  I looked at her, looked down at the piece of sushi.  And just as I leaned in to get the other half, she quickly used her tongue to shove the rest of it into her mouth.

She looked at me and started to laugh hysterically.  "You should see your face!"

"Give me that food!" I said, grabbing a box from in front of her.  "You know better than to joke about food with me."

She just kept laughing as the first notes of "A Change is Gonna Come" began filling the air.

Niall ran his finger over the photograph of him surrounded by their albums.  Her shadow could be seen on the floor beside him.  Placing the album down, he stood up and went into the living room.  He found that album and placed it on the record player.  He moved the needle so that the first chords of the song began to play.  One of the greatest recordings of all time, now had a different meaning to him.