She's Such A Nerd

9: More Comfortable Than I Thought

9: More Comfortable Than I Thought

Humming, I grab an apple from the kitchen on my way to the backyard. It's a nice day. Perfect for sitting around and reading a book. It's days like this that I'm glad it's Sunday and I don't have a lot I have to do. Curling up in a comfortable chair, I start reading. Engrossed in a world where the Society rules, I barely notice when Maria comes out to let me know that lunch will be ready soon. I walk inside a little while later, hunger getting the best of me. I set my book down at the table and am about to head to the kitchen when Maria brings out two plates with a sandwich placed neatly on each. I smile and ask, "Joining me today?"

She returns the smile and shakes her head. "Not today. You've got a visitor." That's when I see Jake standing in the doorway behind her. Although he's still annoying, I guess you could say I've gotten used to him. After I found out what he wrote for the essay, we worked on it a little more and edited it. We almost finished it but it was starting to get late, so he had to leave. He told me he'd come over the next day. At least he kept his word. I sit down and Jake sits down in the seat next to mine. As Maria leaves, I thank her for lunch. Jake mumbles a "thanks" between bites. I shake my head and smile then take a bite of my sandwich.

Jake finishes his food before I do. As I eat, he takes my book and reads the short description. He nods his head. "Sounds good," he comments.

I finish my lunch before responding. "It is. The entire series is great. Very creative. I'm not sure if I'd ever be able to come up with something as great as that." I grab both our plates, tell him I'll be right back, and walk into the kitchen, where Maria is mixing together ingredients. I raise my eyebrows and put the dishes in the sink. "More cupcakes?" Maria smiles, nods, and continues mixing. "Would you like some help?"

"No, sweetie. I'm fine. If you want to, I'm sure there will be cupcakes to frost later," she says.

I make a mental note to remember about the cupcakes and smile. "Alright." Walking out of the kitchen, I see Jake is no longer in the dining room. I pick up my book and I notice that the door to the backyard is open. Slipping on my flip flops, I walk outside and find Jake standing by the pool, talking on his phone, with his back to me. Respecting the fact that he wanted privacy, I sit down on the loveseat, stretch my legs out to rest on the foot rest, and continue reading. It isn't until several minutes later that Jake finishes his phone call and walks over to me. I place my bookmark on the page and close the book as Jake says, "Sorry. Had to take that."

I smile. "It's fine." He takes a seat next me on the small couch and rests his feet next to mine on the petite piece of furniture. I look at him and he grins at me.

"So," he says, "that book seems really good. Would you mind reading it to me?" Temporarily surprised, I just look at him for a moment.

Finding my voice, I say, "Um. Sure." I open my book and turn to the first page, deciding to start from the beginning. I clear my throat then begin reading. "'Now that I've found the way to fly, which direction should I go into the night? My wings aren't white or feathered; they're green, made of green silk, which shudders in the wind and bends when I move-first in a circle, then in a line, finally in a shape of my own invention. The black behind me doesn't worry me; neither do the stars ahead.

"'I smile at myself, at the foolishness of my imagination. People cannot fly, though before the Society, there were myths about those who could. I saw a painting of them once. White wings, blue sky, gold circles above their heads, eyes turned up in surprise as though they couldn't believe what the artist had painted them doing, couldn't believe that their feet didn't touch the ground.'" As I read, I become immersed in this imaginary world; however, I'm taking someone else with me this time.

I read for a long while, and I notice that we're sitting closer together than when I started reading. We're sitting so close that I could easily lean on him as I read. So I do. Still reading, I lean against him so he could see the page and read along silently. As soon as I lean against him, he puts his arm around me. I'm not sure why I did it in the first place, but I'm comfortable, so I'm not complaining.

I finish a chapter and notice that we're already a little more than halfway through the book. Before I can continue reading, Jake asks, "Can I read?" I smile, nod, and hand the book over to him. With his arm still around me, he begins reading from where I left off. I lay my head on his shoulder as he reads to me, suddenly too tired to think twice about it. I slowly drift off, the last thing I hear being Jake reading.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wake up, curled up against someone's side, my head on their shoulder, their arms wrapped around me. I'm comfortable and I don't want to move. Opening me eyes, I notice we're in my room. I look at Jake, who still has his arms around me, and see that he's asleep. I reach up and poke his cheek. Nothing. I do it again. He swats my hand away. I smile and try not to laugh as I poke his cheek again. This time, he grabs my hand and holds it, preventing me from poking him. I poke his other cheek with my other hand. I move my hand out of the way before he can grab it. Laughing quietly, I poke his cheek again. He finally opens his eyes and squints at me. I smile and start laughing. He closes his eyes again and I assume he's going to try to go back to sleep. I'm so comfortable that I don't want to move.

Singing softly, I try to be quiet. "So it's gonna be forever, or it's gonna go down in flames, you can tell me when it's over, if the high was worth the pain, got a long list of ex-lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane, cause you know I love the players, and you love the game, cause we're young and we're reckless, we'll take this way too far, it'll leave you breathless, or with a nasty scar, got a long list of ex-lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane, but I got a blank space baby, and I'll write your name."

I poke his nose to receive no response. I take it as a sign that he fell back asleep. I curl up against him and feel him wrap his arms around me as I feel myself drifting off.