Walking Home (Decadence and Candira)

Keith blinked his eyes away from her glorious chest, bringing them back to her gray eyes. "You have a fantastic...ally purple shirt," he said, smirking. "I also like what you did to your hair this morning, even though I do miss the royal curls. Oh, and, by the way," he dipped in so his mouth was close to her ear. "I think you have an amazing rack," he whispered.

He wondered if she had wanted to kiss him, with the way she was looking at his lip earlier. If she had been thinking of a bandage, he would suggest that her own lips would make a fantastic alternative. Keith loved making her blush, and he wanted to see how red she could get as he continued to rub his leg against hers, pressing just a bit harder than before.

She gave him a look as he complimented her, smiling and shaking her head a little as he finished the purple shirt line. "You miss the curls, huh?" she chuckled and shook her hair a little. "Well thanks for the compliments." And then he was close to her ear, whispering about her rack again. This elicited a swift slap to his shoulder, followed by a smirk. "You're such an ass." She laughed and continued to blush as he rubbed his leg against her like that, moving her leg as she crossed hers, the jeans she was wearing looking fantastic.

"Do you want something for your lip?" she asked, trying to be polite. "I know it's not exactly a miracle medication, but I do have some chapstick if you want it." Now, it was all about keeping his mind out of the gutter. He was here on time, and he was ready to take notes. The last thing he needed was her as a distraction.

God, were those jeans amazing on her. They not only hugged her figure, but they tightly accentuated it to a point where they nearly resembled a second skin. Man, did he want to slip a hand between those thighs and feel her squirm around them when he did so.

His eyes snapped back at her after she slapped his shoulder. "I know," he replied, his eyes wide and looking innocent. Then she offered the chapstick. "In case we're going to be making out soon, sure, but maybe after class," he said. "I don't want to take your attention away from your notes."

He scooted in closer, and continued to rub that leg against both of hers, which had been stacked atop each other.

Sophie gave him a disapproving look and then rolled her eyes as the professor came into the room. His leg was still rubbing against hers and she blushed softly. She couldn't keep letting him get away with this kind of thing. He'd saved her, yes, but that didn't give him a right to keep playing with her like this. She was becoming uncomfortable around him, despite the fact that she knew he didn't mean to make her feel that way. Once he started talking, she tuned Keith out almost completely, not even glancing at him as she took notes.

Finally the break came and she took a break, putting down her pen and yawning. She stretched a bit, her arms above her head. She'd almost forgotten who she was sitting next to, however. Quickly putting her hands down, Sophie looked up at him and tilted her head. "How are your notes coming?" she asked, wanting him to actually pass this class.

Sophie was surely being a challenge, and he loved it. However, it did seem like she was getting annoyed, so he stopped leg humping her and settled for resting his foot next to hers. That was when Dillinger came in and continued his lecture about the U.S. Constitution. Keith slipped out a sheet of paper and began compiling notes. After about ten minutes he began to zone out from Dillinger's droning voice and instead began doodling in his notes whatever was on his mind. His eyes shifted over to Sophie as he watched her take notes. She was so diligent doing it, and so focused, that he kind of felt bad keeping his foot next to hers. She hadn't moved it, anyway, so that meant she must have at least welcomed it.

When it came time for break, Sophie finally began to acknowledge his existence like the nerd's crush, asking him about his notes. "Um, it's going...allright," he said, moving his hand from his paper so she could take a look at it.

For the first few lines, there were brief sentences covering Dillinger's lecture, and then below that, some diagrams, followed by crude sketches. One of them--the most prominent one--depicted a mass of tentacles entangling a voluptuous young girl. The girl in the faint pen strokes had a startling resemblance to Sophie.

She leaned over, her hair brushing against his arm as she checked his notes. For the first few minutes, he'd done very well. And then, she saw that he'd only copied the diagrams. It wasn't horrible, but she got the feeling that the reason he didn't have more was because he had lost his focus...and her proof as in the rather racy drawings that took up residence on his paper just below them. She blushed deeply as she saw herself depicted in ink being captured by what appeared to be some sort of tentacle monster. Stiffening, she pulled away and let her hair hide her face.

"You should probably look at mine for some more key points," she said, moving the notebook closer to him. "I think I need some water." That said, she got up and walked away, heading for the hallway and a fountain. She hadn't expected to see that. After all that time they'd spent rebuilding their friendship yesterday...today was all about the way she looked. It hurt her to think that it was the reason he was getting closer to her. He'd told her that he liked her because she was honest with him...He'd told her that he trusted her. Why couldn't she believe that? She pulled her hair back and got a drink from the fountain, taking a moment to collect herself before she returned to the classroom, pretending like she wasn't affected by it. She smiled and sat in her seat.

"Did you get anything else?" she asked.

Keith saw her blush, and immediately anticipated some kind of question, or maybe even a sense of curiosity. Nothing. That was odd, because he could tell her body had some kind of reaction to it, but she didn't. Instead, he saw her tense up and leave. Keith nibbled on his lip as he watched her exit the classroom. He frowned as his eyes fell on the sketch. Grabbing his pen, he began to scribble all over the drawing, covering the monster and her in a haze of lines. He sighed.

He held a rather serious expression as she returned to their spot in the second row. Keith had remained there, copying her notes about as diligently as she were earlier. Keith looked up at her, noticing her smiling. He gave her a curt smile and returned to copying her notes.

"Not really," he said with his head down. "But thank you for letting me see your notes."

And things were back to being awkward. Well, she had to say something now. "So....was that me?" she asked, feeling strange as she took her notes back. She'd never seen herself in that way, and it made her feel weird to see that someone else did. She looked back up at him feeling as though she might have hurt his feelings again. "It was a good drawing," she said with a little frown. "It's just...not something I'm used to," she said, feeling like crap. How was it that she was the one who felt guilty after he was the one who'd made her so uncomfortable.

Keith's face flushed a beet red as she asked him about the drawing. He had no reason to feel that way since he had shown her already, but the way she had reacted earlier just made him feel embarrassed by it now. What was he gonna tell her now? He didn't want to admit it, since it seemed to be a little too racy for her to accept. He now wondered what she'd be like if they really began to get intimate. Would she blush, cover her mouth and leave for a glass of water then? He sighed.

He turned his head to face her. "I'm sorry," he said. He could now feel himself reaching that fork in the road. Be a pussy and lie to her, or take that uncomfortable plunge and do it? Fight or flight, Keith, it's your call. "Yes, it was you. I just couldn't help it, Sophie," he finally said, feeling a rush of liberation as the words came out. The truth always reigned supreme. "I just really like you, and I can't get my mind off of you, even if it involves tentacle monsters."

Students around them began perking their heads in their directions at the mention of "tentacle monsters". Keith didn't mind them. They weren't in High School anymore.

"It's just..." she chuckled now, seeing how many people were watching. "That's really sweet, but I really wasn't expecting to see it, and I've never had anyone draw me that way before, so I didn't really know how to handle it." She smiled softly and put a hand on his shoulder. "I promise it's okay, it's just...For a minute, I thought maybe that was the only way you thought of me. And that's really stupid, I know, but you've kinda been stuck on it this morning." She looked down a little feeling ashamed for judging him like that. "I promise I'll try not to think that way anymore..." Sophie really did want to stay friends with him, even if it was only the beginning of something else.

Keith glanced at the sketched bust he drew of a pair of lactating breasts, soaking out from beneath a tight, tank top. He pursed his lips at that one, getting that distinct feeling he was being exposed for the entire class to see. He noticed a wandering eye from behind him checking out his rather intricate, lacy drawing of a corset binding up a woman's waist, all black and detailed, like a spider's web. Stockings, nylon-wrapped feet, swimsuits, and all other symbols of his inhibited perversions populated his notes, dancing around his defaced tentacle monster like some purple plums on Christmas Eve (he was still unsure of that analogy). He closed his folder over the paper.

He shuddered a little when he felt her hand on his shoulder, then churned out a relieved smile as he heard her thoughts on the matter. He was still nervous about it, though. He looked at her. "How could I not be stuck on it, if you look the way you look now?" he said, feeling his heart rush in his chest. "I'm just a very sexual person." Then he paused again, still red from all the heat in his face.

A perky brunette turned her head towards him, eyes widened with her chin resting in her palm. Her fingers were on her mouth, as though she were ready to bite them.

"Get a room," a male voice coughed.

Keith blinked at Sophie. "So you're...you're all right with that?" He asked her.

Honestly? Was she okay with what he'd drawn? Did she think less of him now for drawing out his fantasies? She thought about it for a moment giving the brunette a pointed stare until the nosy thing turned away. Judging by the look on Keith's face and the way he was turning red, he was telling her the truth. "I'm not really sure if it's okay. It kind of makes me think that the only reason you're talking to me again is because I'm prettier than I used to be. But...that doesn't seem right. I can't really judge you because of the things you draw. They're just fantasies, after all. I get that you're sexual or whatever, but...I don't know. I guess I don't think of myself the way you drew me." She looked at him, not really sure how to navigate this particular mine-field.

"I guess it's okay...but don't get in the habit of it, okay?" She blushed a little herself before returning her attention to the professor who'd just returned. Why did Keith always make her feel so...out of sorts? She couldn't stay mad at him anymore, and that was starting to get on her nerves. And now, she was letting him off the hook for drawing a myriad of very sexual pictures of what she was certain was her. At least he had artistic talent. She sighed and decided that her days were going to keep getting longer and longer the more she hung out with him. Tonight, she thought, she was going to need a drink.

Keith frowned at her. What was wrong with that idea? She was so beautiful. Was she that insecure about herself? He took a deep breath, pursing his lips. He had to look at it from a different perspective. Yes, it was shallow the way he had suddenly began seeing her that way, but it was always like that, even from the beginning--in a different way, though. Well, it started out like that...then there was the misplaced hate, which really messed up the way he thought about women, and then she sort of blossomed and came back in his life. He guessed she had every reason to feel self-conscious about it, and Keith Corbett wasn't necessarily helping with that situation by turning her into a Doujinshi porn character. His mind had been in the gutter all morning--but maybe it had more to do with the spike in adrenaline he felt earlier with Pyramind Scheme, what's-his-name, so it might have been the endorphins kicking in. Anyhow...

He rested a palm on her shoulder, gently squeezing it, while giving her a look of careful consideration. "You know it's always been more than just that," he said, thinking about the way she'd playfully bust his balls, her quips, the blunt honesty, the unwavering focus on his well being, the blink-of-an-eye switch between callous and demure, her ironclad diligence, her strength and her measure of self-respect, her attentiveness, her intelligence, the fact that she was his first love, the fond childhood memories they shared, and her nice rack.

If they hadn't spent so little time together these past few days, Keith would have admitted that he loved her. But there was more to uncover before he'd say those inevitable words. Much more.

She looked up at him, staring deeply into those green eyes of his. It seemed as though she were trying to find the truth written there. Now she could see it. This was the Keith that cared about her. He really needed to work on the way he tried to show it though. Just because she was talking to him again didn't mean that the trust she'd given him was infallible. He still had to earn his trust, little by little. This wasn't helping much, but she supposed she couldn't really judge him for it. She was sure that half of the guys who looked at her saw her the same way Keith had drawn her. But the sad truth was that she hadn't known that it was more than that. Hearing it from him now was something that took a weight off her shoulders.

"I didn't know that," she said with a little smile. "But I do now. It's just that...this is really the only way you show me. So how am I supposed to see it?" she asked, tilting her head a little. She wanted to be his friend. She wanted him to get to know her for who she was. She didn't want the only thing that kept him around to be the way she looked. And for some unfathomable reason, she wanted their friendship to turn into something more...something better than it was.

A warm smile appeared on Keith's face. She hadn't known this whole time? He thought he had been crystal clear this whole time. Perhaps it was better for them to talk more often then. It seemed as though he was doing way too much thinking when it came to her, and they just needed to spend more time with each other. Keith did not mind that idea at all. He wanted to experience more of her feisty personality. He had been moving too quickly. What were a few months of getting to know her when he had waited nearly all of his life for this moment? Okay, so he cheated, most of that time wasn't even spent waiting for her, but still, you get the point.

When she titled her head like that, while uttering those words, Keith felt like he was going to cry. It was like he was struck by a train of pent-up, sentimental emotions. Here was that same little girl he used to think about before going to bed as a child, and having dreams about (which he kept to himself), all grown up, confessing to him how she felt about his feelings; and she was so sweet about it. He still couldn't get over that; he probably never would. "We'll work on that," he said, nearly about to tear up. "I'll be glad to. Deep down, I've always wanted to."

"Excuse me, you two," Mr. Dillinger interrupted. "I am trying to have a lecture here. If you two can't keep your melodrama until after the class, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave. We are here to learn, not converse."

Keith snapped his head back to the front, feeling another bout of embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry." He then flipped open his X-rated notes, scrambling them in order. He shifted his eyes towards Sophie and smirked.

Once the professor finished, Sophie put a hand over her face and looked down at her notes getting back to work as she mumbled an apology. She was blushing just as much as Keith. Her red hair hid her face from the world as she kept her head down and worked on her notes. His smirk was received with a sheepish grin when she glanced at him. She had to hold back the laughter as she continued to work until the class was over. She was very much aware of the fact that other people were beginning to stare at his little art works and then over at her, quite a few of the guys in the class staring a little too hard.

When class was over, she packed up her things and put her bag over her shoulder, heading for the door. She waited for Keith once they were outside and sighed a little. It was such a nice day. Why did so much have to be going on? "So...what now?" she asked, looking over at him.

Keith joined Sophie at the door, walking beside her while clutching nothing but his old folder with the pencil hanging atop it. "You should have seen the look on your face when Dillinger caught us," he said. "I bet you're not used to being caught talking in class, aren't you?" He wanted to tease her, so he could experience her fiery side again.

They left the classroom, heading towards their next class, Art Appreciation.

She laughed and shook her head. "Yes, because it was sooo hard to catch us in the act," she said rolling her eyes. "Thank you, by the way, for drawing me in so many ways. People are staring now because of you, you know," she said kicking him playfully. she was seriously concerned though. "Seriously though, you dug your own grave with this one. I'm totally using you for a human shield next time some perv stares at me for way too long." Sophie wouldn't have minded the drawings so much if other people hadn't been able to see. Guys were walking very slowly past her now, staring as they walked by.

"Take a picture, buddy!" she growled, flipping a group of them off. Her expression alone was enough to send them running--she was fiery again.

He lost his footing for a bit when she kicked him. Keith chuckled when she did that. He then stepped up beside her and put an arm around her shoulder. "Well, they can only keep staring," he said, tilting his head against her. "Did I ever tell you that I love it when you get so feisty like that? Where did it all come from. I mean, I know you were born with it--your hair is red, after all. How are your parents, by the way? I always had a hunch your mother knew a lot more about me than you did back then." He shrugged. He felt like these questions should have been asked yesterday, but he mostly blamed the delay on having to reconcile their differences.

She looked up at him again as he put his arm around her and rested his head on hers. "No, you never did," she said, raising an eyebrow as he asked where she got it from. You know you're talented when you can use someone's temper to transition into asking about someone's parents. Unbelievable. She didn't even know how to begin to challenge that, so she just went with it. "I don't get it from anyone, really. My parents keep their tempers in check around me, but I've heard that dad used to have a short fuse, and mom had the patience of a saint, but when she blew up, it was like standing on an active volcano." Mostly, she heard these stories from her aunts and uncles, but they were stories none-the-less.

"And mom and dad are fine. Same as ever." She thought about what he said about her mother for a moment. She had known a lot more than Sophie did about Keith. Damn it. "She is a perceptive woman. She probably did."

"So you're still living with them?" he asked, suddenly thinking about his own parents. "I always liked your mom. She was always so friendly whenever I came over, so I'm surprised to learn that she's like that whenever she loses her temper. I would never have guessed." He laughed.

Then his upbeat demeanor suddenly dissipated. "I wish I could say the same about my mom. We got along so well when I was young, and she was so sweet to me. Dad was cool too, but after I started going out all of the time, they just began to hate me. My mom would always nitpick every girl I brought home," he then chuckled. "She'd compare them to you. Of course, I hated it, since you were the source of my pain and my misery, and I always despised her even more whenever she'd bring it up because somehow I knew that she was right about it all." He sighed. "Sometimes I wish I listened to my mother more. I haven't seen my parents in years. They haven't called or anything. Did I ever tell you I moved out when I was sixteen? It was tough at first. I spent the first few months sleeping in my car, and washing myself in McDonald's bathrooms. It was fun."

Perhaps she had heard from friends, hell, it wouldn't surprise him if she had known all this time that he had been like that. He wondered how wretched she must of thought of him.

They entered their Art Appreciation class before the start of class. Keith took a seat in the middle of the room.

"No, I have a little apartment. Mom and dad are in their own place. I come over a lot and eat there, do laundry, that kind of thing," she said, leaning against him unconsciously. "My mom kinda liked you too. Said you were a cute boy. She thought you were nice. It really surprised her when she found out you started to pick on me. She always did think it was because you liked me."

She noticed a change in his face--he became far more negative. She wanted to stop him, but he kept walking. "I didn't know you'd fallen out with your parents. I liked them a lot when I was little." As he detailed the way his life had gone after their falling out, she felt horrible. No matter how she rationalized it, she couldn't help but feel that it was partially her fault. When he was finished, they were sitting in their art class. No one else was there but them again and she put her arms around him, hugging him. "I'm so sorry. That sucks so much. People said stuff about you all the time, but I didn't believe them. Mostly because some of the stuff they said was ridiculous. I had no idea you actually had it so bad." She pulled away from him and frowned as she watched his lips.

"You know...your parents might not know you're doing so well. I'm sure...I'm sure they'd like to hear from you again." She frowned. "If you wanted...I could go with you and you could visit them for awhile." She hated the idea of him not having any kind of parental support. She was the closest thing to family he had--so he had told her. If that meant being a supportive, then she would be. Same thing went for being pushy.

When she mentioned going with him to see his parents, Keith wasn't sure how to respond to that. Nobody had ever been that supportive of him in regards to his family. He was an only child, and nearby relatives were scarce. Sophie had known this, and she must have been considerate of that fact. "I...never thought of it. Thank you, Sophie." He said. He then gave her a kiss on the cheek and hugged her, holding her close; it just seemed to emphasize how close she really was to him. Keith held her there for a long moment, before pulling away. "Last I heard, they split moments after I left, and they moved to different states. I suppose it wouldn't be possible to visit them anytime soon, but I appreciate your support."

Keith didn't want to think about his parents anymore. He was sure they parted ways for the best, just like how he ran off on his own. Keith had always been independent, perfectly capable of surviving on his own. Having Sophie here, though, made it so much more bearable and, not to mention, pleasant.

"So," Keith said, shrugging and feeling alive again once he brought himself back to the present. He wanted to change the subject. "You told me about your job working as a Lifeguard and Librarian. When do you work? I might stop by and harass you one of these days." He chuckled. "You know, I'm still afraid of water. Ever since that one day our parents took us to that water park, I'm still stuck in the shallow end. Do you offer lessons? Or are you still administering mouth to mouth?" He couldn't resist.

Sophie blushed a little as he kissed her cheek and hugged him back. The moment that passed seemed to span for all time as he held her there. In that time, she gave as much comfort as she could from where she was. When she pulled away, she listened to him and held onto his hand, hoping that she was still being a comfort. "Well, I'll help you look, if you want. We can go whenever you're ready." She smiled and squeezed his hands.

And then, after a moment of what felt like real connection, he was back to joking around. Still, she smiled and shook her head. He was still afraid of water? She smiled and listened to him, slapping his shoulder again at the end. "If you want lessons, sign up for a class," she said. A crack about private lessons was expected, but before he could she launched into another sentence. "Actually, the pool I work at is closed now, so I lost some income. The college pool said they might hire me on if one of their lifeguards quits, though. I'm still at the library, but I don't expect to see you there," she teased.

Feeling her fingers moving around in his hand like that felt so nice. He squeezed her hand back, savoring her warm touch until he felt her slap him in the shoulder after he had brought back his classic pickup line. "Oh, well if you're going to be working there at the library, then I'll be more than happy to be there. You know, I used to love going to the library when I was little. I think I still have a dozen of their overdue books."

And just before they knew it, class began. Professor Layton appeared, dressed in what looked like black peacock feathers protruding from behind her. The feathers reminded Keith of Lady Gaga for some reason. Maybe it had to do with her being blond, as well as wearing a pound of makeup. He took a seat next to Sophie.

"Claaaaass," Layton droned once again. "Today I want you to spend the entire class period connecting with your partner. Having a level of intimacy is an important step in establishing a relationship built around tolerance and understanding. No, no, I am not talking about moments spent in bed." The class chuckled. "I would like for you to discuss your plans and get a better feel for your partner, since the project is worth thirty percent of your grade. Have fun, and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

Then then entire classroom erupted in chatter as students rose out of their seats to either hang out or seriously work together with their partner. Keith turned to Sophie, smirking at her. "You know, I really like this class," he said, turning in his seat to face her.