Walking Home (Decadence and Candira)

"You want to know my reason?" He asked as he picked up two eggs, breaking each of them using two hands, before grabbing a whisk. "Sometimes, it has to do with the things I don't know and don't expect from you. You breaking the bottle over Jeff's head that night? Unexpected, even when you hated me that time. You picking me up from the station? I wasn't expecting that, yet you did it. Little things, Sophie. I have a billion other reasons as well, but then I'd probably end up talking for hours." He was beginning to be wary of mentioning her looks again, even if it were meant to tease her. It began to feel like a tired punchline or maybe not. Maybe it was the hunger, but Keith had a lot of things he could have said to back up his reasons, but his mind was becoming more and more fixated on the pan she was mixing the food in.

If they hadn't been involved in so many emotional conundrums in the past 48 hours, he would not have accepted her calling him merely a "friend", but the way she said it with that little smile of hers, was enough to defuse the feeling. He smiled at her teasing. "That makes a lot of sense," he said. "I actually feel like a retard for asking that question, to be honest. I should have already known that." After mixing the eggs, he handed her the bowl so she could work her magic.

She smiled at him when he explained why he liked her. She hadn't been expecting that, and it was good to know that he liked her for more than just her looks. "Well, I think the unknown is kind of a given with you at this point. I never expected you to get between me and Jeff, and then to protect me like that...and I didn't expect you to have quite this nice of a place. I just figured you wouldn't be home often for some reason."

She still couldn't believe all of the things he'd done for her in the past two days. Maybe that was why she was so attached to him so suddenly. The ingredients were coming together. She stirred and made sure everything was seasoned before she took the bowl from him. "You shouldn't feel retarded for not knowing that," she said, pouring the eggs in and letting them cook a bit before scrambling them and mixing them in with the rest of the food. "I'm not really sure of what to think of you yet. But I'm glad you're my friend." She smiled and then turned to him. "And now the food is done." And they were suddenly close again. This time, however, it didn't seem to bother her as much.

It surprised him seeing her smile like that. Keith felt weak admitting that to her, and he thought his response to his own question was inadequate enough to make him feel a little shameful. Even the fact he let his own makeup smear like that bothered him. Yet, despite all of that, she took it in stride and accepted him wherever he rejected himself. She seemed to find all of that touching in some way. He flashed a smile at the thought, beaming at her.

"That's why I like you," he said. "At least, that's one of the reasons why. You just...smile whenever I feel down on myself. I just feel like you accept me for who I really am beneath all of this."

He remembered admitting to her his feelings yesterday when they ran into each other at the old neighborhood. How he felt like such a loser in her eyes at the time, thinking that she took pity on him for feeling so devastated over the fact she had rejected him on Valentine's Day as a kid, and how it all seemed so petty when he looked back on it. She spoke some of the most endearing words to him that day, even though she was simply reassuring him, it meant a lot. Which was why he decided to hug her that very moment. She deserved more than that, but in that particular time and place, a hug sufficed. The unknown and the unexpected, followed by warm acceptance.

On the outside, Keith looked like an unstable, emo-looking troublemaker with a short fuse and a penchant for stealing cars. Really though, he was more like a confused kid in need of some direction and a reason not to dismiss himself so easily. It was becoming more apparent that Sophie was that reason.

A tantalizing aroma of stir-fried chicken and vegetables emanated from the kitchen now. Keith noticed how close they were standing this time--none of that deliberate orbiting she was doing earlier. It felt somehow strange she would be so close, but he welcomed it. "Yes, the food is done," Keith said, agreeing dryly. They were so close now, so irritatingly close that some contact would have to be expected if they were characters in a movie or in a series of romantic prose. Someone in the audience would be thinking, kiss, goddamit! At least give her a hug!

But the food was very enticing and Keith didn't like eating it cold. "Well, it's time to eat!" he said, diving into the table to set it up so they could eat. He would sit facing her on the small table.

Ordinarily, Sophie would have dwelled upon the fact that the two of them were so close and that they hadn't really touched. It was kind of a relief that there was no surprise hugging or any kind of kisses--and now that she thought of it, he'd been rather free with that kind of affection. On the other hand, this was the one time she would have been expecting something to happen and she would have been okay with it. That said, it wasn't all this that Sophie thought of as she looked through his cupboards for plates and glasses and the like. It was what he'd said to her.

"That's why I like you. At least, that's one of the reasons why. You just...smile whenever I feel down on myself. I just feel like you accept me for who I really am beneath all of this."

Even though she wasn't quite sure yet of who he was beneath it all, she was sure that the surface hid someone wonderful beneath it all, and she knew that she should embrace that. It was simply a crime to her that he could walk around with so much potential and simultaneously be his own biggest obstacle. When she found what she was looking for she dished up generous portions, since she really hadn't picked up anything to go with this delightful meal.

Once she set down the food in front of him with a spoon, she poured herself a glass of the squirt she'd stashed in the fridge. "Want some?" she asked holding up the bottle. She capped it to keep the carbonation going, but she would have poured another glass for him. She stuck a spoon in her food and waited for him to answer before joining him at the cozy table. Tonight was turning out to be quite...surprising. It was nice to see him like this--at ease and without that tough coating. Maybe all he really needed, as she had suspected for awhile, was someone to show that they cared. And who was better for that job than she was?

His mouth began to water from the sight of the steam, which rose off the rice and stir-fried chicken, moisturizing his nostrils with the tasty kick of hot garlic and vegetables. The soft light in the kitchen reflected from the oiled surface of the peppers, inviting him to sink in a spoon so he could scoop up a sizable morsel. Which was what he did. Keith hungrily ate a few bites, chewing quickly.

When he heard Sophie's offer for the Squirt, he nodded. "That would be beautiful," he said, talking with his mouth full. A grain of rice fell from his lips as he said that. Just like the other night, he made a mess out of the food in his plate, mixing it all up and stirring everything. He ate quietly, concentrating on his food.

After a moment of silent eating, interrupted by slurps from his glass, his eyes went up to her, observing with calm curiosity. He wondered if she was going to neatly arrange the food on her plate again. It looked so cute when she did that. Maybe she was OCD or was a neat freak. Now Keith began to wonder what her apartment was like. Whatever it turned out to be, it would never change the way he felt about her.

"I'm getting used to this," Keith said, gesturing with his spoon. "This friendship we're having." As he said that, his foot touched hers under the table. It wasn't a large table, so bumping feet was too easy to do. "Maybe we should just do that, you know. Just be friends."

He rested his foot against hers, curling his toes around hers. He then stiffened his toe and teasingly pressed down onto her toe with his.

Sophie smiled at him, thinking the way he ate was cute, in a gross kind of way. She poured him a glass and brought it over with her, setting it down before grabbing her plate and sitting with him. It was good to see he was enjoying the meal so much thus far. She stirred up her food a bit, digging her spoon into it and taking neat bites, sitting across from him. Seeing as he was so focused on the food in front of him, she decided to do the same for now, trying to find a sweet red pepper. They were her favorite kind. She ate happily and looked up at him when he started to speak.

"Hm? I thought that was what we were already," she said. His statement made her wonder what he'd thought they were before this. "But sure. I'd like that." For now, she thought as she watched him. The pretty girl could see room for growth in their relationship, but she'd be glad to keep being his friend for now. She smiled chuckling as he felt his foot brush against hers. "You shouldn't do that," she warned, a smile still on her face. "I'm pretty ticklish in my feet. I won't be held responsible for bodily damage." She grinned and took another spoonful, eating happily. "Mmm, good job with the onions and the eggs," she said with a smile.

"Oh really?" He said, cranking out a mischievous grin. He twisted harder into her toe, adding more pressure until it nearly hurt. Maybe she'll kick him in the balls or something. That might be interesting. He was wearing short, white socks, so his foot was cushioned somewhat. He bit his lip as his toes began to explore amidst the toe-clamping. "And thanks. I had to go through some hell cutting those onions, so I'm glad you're grateful for that. Also, I have to congratulate you on the food. If it keeps me silent for that long, then I know it's good."

He spooned another morsel of glistening rice and chicken. The red peppers gave the plate such a great color. He always loved how tasty and Southwestern red peppers made a pile of food look like.

Squirming a little in her seat, she flexed her foot a bit and made a pouty face that most people would have thought cute. "Cut it out," she said poking out her bottom lip a little. It tickled a little, but not enough to make her thrash around just yet. Though she began to wonder what he was up to, Sophie decided to let it go.

"Thanks for the compliment," she said with a smile. "It's one of the first things I learned how to make, so I like to think I've gotten good at it." She smiled at him and took another spoonful, loving the taste of the savory dish. "Not bad at all," she said with a grin. "Thank you for helping. You did a good job." Taking a break from the food, she sipped at her glass of Squirt. Deciding to not talk about studying yet, she used her other foot to rub the top of his, hopefully to disarm him and let her pull the other one away. Deep down, however, it was kind of nice to flirt with him.

His eyes were set on hers now, piercing with a feline level of focus. When he felt her other foot on top of his, he got even more interested, wiggling up to try playing with the other foot. His toes then found her ankle.

"That was the first thing you learned how to make?" He said, curious about when she first learned how to make it and what other plates she could put together. "My first experience cooking was when I tried making some chocolate cupcakes. I had all the ingredients, and I had the batter on a tin rack. But I tried cooking that metal rack in the microwave." He then burst out a chuckle. "The rack sparked a few times, but nothing happened. The cupcakes ended up getting burnt, and I never made them again. To this day, I still can't stand cupcakes. It was when I was eight though. It was before we met."

Beneath the table, he slid a little higher up the back of her ankle, feeling the bottom of her calf. He remembered that the camcorder was still recording, as he had moved it after they had set the table, placing the cinematography's focus on their seated profiles. He continued to eat, finishing his plate in a couple fell swoops. "That really hit the spot, Sophie. I'm going to kidnap you and make you my permanent chef."

He looked around and noticed it was already getting dark. It happened so fast while she was here. Einstein was right about the relativity. He then looked back at her, wondering if they could get some studying done tonight.

Her eyes widened a bit as his foot started to work it's way up her leg, she squirmed a little trying to have a separate battle of wits with him while he stared into her ever-changing eyes. She moved her other foot, gently pushing his foot back down her leg.

"Well, as far as cooking goes, it was the first dish I learned how to put together. I had basic skills like boiling stuff and cutting down before that." She smiled a little. "I wanted to try Chinese and my dad knew how to make it, so he taught me how." She smiled and laughed when he told her about the cupcakes. "Aw, poor you. Cupcakes are delicious mini cakes. It sucks that you can't stand them. In your defense, it's pretty adorable to try to bake in the microwave." She smiled, imagining him trying to do so. "Why were you making them?" she asked.

His foot was persistent beneath the table and was now making its way up her calf. At this point she wondered if she should try to stop him. She kept on her food until it was gone and then smiled at him when he finished the plate off. "You're welcome. You should save it and heat it up next time I come over to help you. Oh, speaking of which, we should figure out what you need help in and where to start tonight. I'm not sure if we'll get much done, we can at least start."

He noticed her resistance, but kept pressing on. Keith was really enjoying this, and he could tell she was too to some extent. "I was home alone and hungry one Summer afternoon, and felt like eating some cake, so I decided to try it out after watching my mom make some earlier. She didn't, however, use the microwave. I wasn't allowed to use the stove, so that was why I decided upon the other alternative."

"So you think I'm cute now, huh?" He added, teasing her leg. "Taking pity on my lack of supervision, while you had it." He smiled. The side of his foot sawed at her leg.

When asked about studies, it brought him back down to Earth, where he was sitting in the kitchen with Sophie and it was already the evening. His foot retreated back to his side, as he gave her a playful smirk. "All right, miss, so it's study time. How about Dillinger's class first. I'd like to see those notes."

He stood to his feet, collecting the plates and glasses before rinsing them and racking them up inside the dishwasher. He washed his hands, yawning.

"Actually, nobody ever told me that it wasn't okay to put tin foil in the microwave. I learned the hard way when no one else was home. In that way, my dear boy, we are very much alike." Just as she was returning his smile, she felt his foot rub against her leg again. The instant she mentioned studying, the mood for sharing memories seemed to be gone.

Sophie smiled and nodded. "Alright. I'll get my stuff ready," she said, walking over to her bag. She sat on his couch and pulled the notes in question out of her bag and started to flip through them, wondering how much of this he might want or need. The redhead always took excellent notes, and she wanted to make sure that he got what he needed. For good measure, she pulled out the book as well.

Once it was all set up she wandered back into the kitchen. "Need any help?" she asked, leaning against the door frame.

Keith smiled as he turned to look at her. "I got it."

After he finished with the kitchen, he grabbed the camcorder off the counter and moved it into the living room, where he placed it so that he was able to get a nice angle from the corner of the room. The red light remained on the entire time.

The apartment was quiet. His footsteps shuffling across the brown carpet could be heard as Keith laid his folder over the coffee table. He took out a few sheets of paper and began spreading them across the surface, interrupting the silence with rustling pages. Then he sat down on the floor beside her leg with his back against the bottom of the couch, folding his legs. He was glad she brought her own book, since he never bothered to buy one. "I never bought a book for this class," he said, almost sounding proud as he said it. "I figured the bookstore was rich enough ripping everyone off." He was going to make a comment about stealing one, but decided to focus on her notes instead.

Sophie was certainly thorough with her note taking. There were pages upon pages of her handwriting filling out the college-ruled lines on the sheets. Dillinger's diagrams came out nicely and he marveled at how neat everything looked. Keith took a moment copying her notes, scribbling their contents into his own notes, accompanying his scantily-clad doodles with lines of facts and elaborate explanations of them. An interesting detail about the bicameral congress went alongside a bosomy bust of a lacy corset, while a pair of tender boobs dribbled milk over the first ten amendments of the Bill of Rights. The thought of having to remember the details pertaining to all of these facts made Keith's eyelids heavy. He knew the basics, but he was overwhelmed with information he wasn't too interested in at the moment, and he had a lot to catch up. About five whole chapters, to be exact.

"You get all of this?" He asked. "Do you know if he's giving us a midterm soon?"

Sophie chuckled. "Well, you'll do alright if you just stick with the stuff that's got stars next to it," she said, pointing to the facts in question. "The rest are just explanations that help me." She scooted over so that her leg was pressed against his side and leaned over to grab her book, putting him in prime position to check her out if he wanted. She seized the tome and pulled it to her, opening it up to the pages with highlighting. "I bought my book from a former student for about 30 dollars cheaper than what the book store asked." She shrugged and pointed out the text she'd high lighted. "This is the most important stuff to read. I'm pretty much ahead in the class, so you can keep this for a little while," she said.

She didn't have the heart to tell him that midterms were just a few short weeks away--two to be precise. That was a lot of tutoring he'd need. Still, if it helped in out, it was worth it. She reached down and messed his hair up a little. "Don't worry. I'll have you back up to speed in no time. You'll be okay."

He noticed she was beginning to get more comfortable around him. A soft leg brushed beside him as she scooted in close, while a hand tussled with his straight hair. What really got the steam engine rolling was when she reached over to pick up her book. Keith stole a glimpse of her hanging breasts as they nearly brushed against his face. His eyes locked on them, nearly in a trance, before he took a deep breath, rolling his eyes in disbelief at such a wonderful sight.

"You know, I could totally rape you right now," he said, bringing his eyes on her. "I could totally pin you on the ground and force you to be mine."

The statement caught her off-guard, not that that was something new around him. For a moment she froze and her heart beat wildly in its chest, though she felt it skip a beat as well. Surprised she looked into his eyes, finding them darker with something she couldn't quite place. The rest of his face, however, seemed fairly calm and so she chuckled in disbelief, hardly believing he'd just said that. Balls of steel, she thought as she looked down at him. In an instant she regained her composure.

"You could try," she said smirking in a kind of challenge, her eyes fiery with defiance. "I could force you to reconsider that particular course of action, too." Tilting her head she watched him with a mix of amusement and edginess. Oddly, her body was loose and calm even though she should have been stiff and ready to fend him off. She also wondered if it was his odd way of letting her know that even if she wasn't ready to see him that way yet, he wanted her. Then again, she could just be looking too far into things. She waited for his next move.

He loved that poker face of hers. He would have been disappointed if she cowered from that statement, but she didn't, and Keith liked that about her. Where did she get that confidence from? She was just a college student. Maybe he had been too soft on her these past few days.

"I could try, yes, but I would come out on top. I'm bigger than you are, and there wouldn't be much you could do if I had your arms and legs clamped. You could try to scream, but what good is a scream, when I've severed your vocal cords."

She laughed this time and looked down at him. The mischief in his face was just enough to light the fire. My, my, what an arrogant young man he had turned out to be. She would have to help put him in his place. "Oh really? And what would you want with a girl who couldn't tell you how good you were in bed?" Obviously, Sophie was just teasing him, but she wanted the question to get under his skin. She leaned in closer to him, a sort of predatory gleam in her eye as she stopped just short of her face, her eyes darkening, her face reflecting a dangerous thought process--as though she were plotting, and toying with her prey.

"Besides, even if you could keep me down, there are other ways a girl can retaliate," she said with a grin.

So this was who she really was. This was the Sophie he wanted, which he just knew was lingering in some dark corner, but hadn't come out in full, flashing colors until now. Oh God, this was why he was so into her. She could be the sweetest girl on the playground, yet be the most vindictive Valkyrie at the same time when provoked. Now he could remember. Keith crossed his legs from his impending erection. He kept his own Poker face as his intense eyes remained fixated on those dark eyes which had been transformed into some kind of succubi bent on devouring him. The tables were turned...or were they?

"What would I want? Absolutely nothing. Just as long as I've had my way, I wouldn't need any feedback." He said, losing a bit of composure. He'd admit, his comeback wasn't as witty as hers.

He neared his face into her until he could feel the heat of her nose, staring back at her with his own brand of defiance. He wasn't going to lose this one, not to her, no. "Oh yeah? How so? I would kill you before you had the chance."

She grinned the grin of the cat who'd caught the canary. Sophie knew she was getting a rise out of him, though she didn't realize the other kind of rising she was inspiring, and it made her happy to know she could get to him this way. Her eyes stayed focused on him and she didn't back down, even as some of her fiery mane fell into her face. It only served her purposes at this point. After all, it was her goal to play up to his weakness for her to prove that she was perfectly safe with him. He went on about how he didn't need feedback and how he wouldn't let her fight back before he killed her.

She only chuckled at his childish need to outdo her. That wasn't the goal here. Not this time. The goal was to make him consider the fact that she was very much capable of handling herself around him. That even if he tried to rile her up, she could hold her own.

"Then you'd be fucking a corpse," she said, that same dangerous smirk on her face. "And what's the point in that?" she asked, her lips just inches away from his. "I could just ignore you. Even as you pinned me down and had your way with me. I could just pretend you were never there," she said, hoping to egg him on a little. She was basically daring him to act now. She wondered if she would actually win.

She really had him cornered. Keith wasn't a necrophiliac, and he wasn't a big fan of bad sex either. He was, however, a big fan of hearing her swear like a pirate. Hearing her cuss so recklessly, it made him forget she looked so innocent and pure on the surface. He could feel himself tense up, burning with a fiery want for her. He wanted to dig in that pretty body of hers and fuck the person inside, and it was her inside that mattered to him, not just the curves, the stunning ass, and the hefty bosom, but her very soul.

"I could just kiss you right now." He said, maintaining his intense, green glare. "You're so goddamn sexy right now, I just want to tear through your lips with mine and taste you, because whatever you just said to me were the most beautiful things I've ever heard." He then smirked, moving his head back as he bit his lip. "But I won't." He shook his head. "We have to study right now, and there's notes to take. Plus, I just feel like it's too soon."

Victory was a sweet sweet thing, Sophie decided. Having effectively shot him down, she was enjoying her moment of his silence before he spoke again. Her smug expression stayed on her face even as he told her she was sexy and he wanted to kiss her. Though her heart had sped up and the calmer part of her would have been blushing now, she merely listened to him, watching as he pulled himself away from her and said they needed to study. Debating about whether or not she should let him get off the hook so easily, she decided that now would be a good time to let it go.

"That's what I thought," she said with a laugh. She flipped her hair back over her shoulder and smiled, sitting back a little. "So study. Tell me what you don't understand," she said, tilting her head to the side. And suddenly, she was back to sweet Sophie.

Keith went back and took to his notes, writing quietly. The silence was too much to bear. He slammed his pencil on his paper and took a deep breath, turning his head to look at her again. That line would have melted steel, and she seemed to have taken it as though it were nothing more than a grain of salt. Countless girls have swooned whenever he held a kiss back, and making out always felt better when he did that, but for Sophie, it didn't even seem to faze her.

It had come out naturally, yes, since he really did want to kiss her, but he decided not to act on that, and now he was stuck with his mind in a disarray of emotions, all self-inflicted by his pretty old self. A moment passed and there was nothing but silence. This was too fucking unbearable.

He looked back at his notes, shifting his legs about uncomfortably. He couldn't take it anymore, not with her around. He then turned his head around and looked at her again, pursing his lips, breathing heavily.

She jumped a little as he broke the silence by slamming his pencil back into the paper he was taking notes on. He'd broken the lead, she was sure, but it wasn't that that had her wondering what was up. It was the way he stopped for a moment and then continued to write. Maybe he was just confused about something. That theory was blown to hell, however as he turned to look at her again, looking very agitated and right at her.

"Ummm, is everything okay?" she asked, surprised by his actions. Her grey eyes widened as she raised her eyebrows, unsure of what happened. Why was he so uneasy all of the sudden? Was it because of before, she wondered. Did he actually want to kiss her? Was he upset because of that? No...that couldn't be it. They were just playing with each other...weren't they?

The seriousness in her voice caused his stormy emotions to subside a little. The moment, whatever it was, had passed. He continued to breathe, taken aback by this amazonian warrior which had just bested him in his playful, seductive tussle which he had initiated himself. In the end, she was the one who seemed to have seduced him and came out on top. That was how it was with Sophie. She always came out on top at the end, and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. That was another reason why he liked her so much, even though it did sting sometimes to be put in place by her.

"How is it that you always seem to walk out unscathed from the same things which manage to break me so easily? God, that's why...that's why I like you so much."

He would have substituted the word love instead of like in there, but he decided it would have been too soon for that. Interestingly enough, he would have used the word hate instead, a few days back.