mightbeconcussed | ★ 60 [Video

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★ 60 [Video | Action]

[Lucy is pacing through the store, adjusting last minute vases of roses, straightening bottles of perfume, tubes of lotion and bubble bath as she goes. She's got a few candles lit and scattered around the store. There's a table with coffee, sweet tea and lemonade along with various pastries and cookies near the register. Everything is as ready for opening day as Lucy can possibly make it. She takes a deep breath, runs her hands down the skirt of her red dress and unlocks the front door.]

Welcome to Coming Up Roses. We've got all your sweet smelling needs. The first 100 customers get a free lotion.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Neil steps into the store slowly and with some vigilance, like he isn't so sure what he's walking into. But if he notices anything off, he doesn't show it. The second he sets eyes on Lucy, he breaks into an all-out grin-- and then quickly suppresses it, because he's not so sure this is an all-out grinning occasion. He'll let her set the tone for what sort of occasion it is, so he waits for her to speak.]

[She sees that smile and it prompts one of her own along with a blush that creeps up her neck to her cheeks. She ducks her head and bites her bottom lip to suppress her own grin. If he were anyone else, she'd probably meet him with a big hug and a kiss. Affection is easily won with Lucy, it's this kind of awkwardness that means something. She stops about three feet shy of him and waves a little. Nerves are dancing in her stomach and she doesn't know why. He's here to see the store, not her. At least that's her story right now.]

Hi.

[And could she be any lamer? She's pretty sure the answer to that is no.]

So this...it. [A sweeping gesture to the rest of the store.] Where I could conceivably end up spending all of my days and most of nights only to fail miserably, end up selling my shoes and live in a box.

[She's trying to be witty and entertaining and normal but she's pretty sure all the awkward is getting in the way.]

Hey.

[He gives her a little wave in return. He glances around, both to see Lucy's handiwork and to avoid doing nothing but staring at her, and gives it all what seems to be a nod of approval.]

Nah, you wouldn't end up in a box and with no shoes. Maybe one or the other, but not both.

[She considers that a moment while she watches him. She takes a step toward him, unconsciously not even pretending to breathe as she does. She doesn't have to breathe anymore of course but most of the time out of habit, she does it anyway. Right now, she's just too focused on watching him.]

Is it bad that I think I'll pick the box and keep the shoes?

[He gulps as she gets closer, wanting to reach out to her but not knowing if that's okay yet.]

Your feet'll get cold living in a box. You're gonna need the shoes.

[Honestly she's not sure if it is either. She's playing this by ear and doing the exact opposite of what she really wants to do in most cases, which would be hug him really tight and just hang on for a while.]

Speaking of. You didn't happen to pick mine up when I left them in the alley during the whole serious face suicide pact curse, did you? [It's become her official name for the curse and she feels incredibly nervous bringing it up but they were really awesome shoes.]

Unless there's a high heel fetish I didn't know about. In which case, why didn't you tell me and keep them, enjoy them. Please don't wear them.

[He ducks his head to hide the red that rushes to his face, hair shielding his eyes.]

Huh? Oh, yeah. [A pause.] They're kind of, uh, back at my place, though. [He'd meant to bring them, had thought about returning them every day since the incident, running through different scenarios in his mind. But he'd rushed out so quickly that nearly everything had slipped from his mind.] I didn't wear 'em or anything, though. Uhmm, next time, I'll...

[She laughs a little awkwardly and shakes her head. She knots her hands in front of her to keep herself from stepping forward and brush his hair out of his eyes.]

It was a joke. Tiny feet. I don't think you could wear them even if you wanted to.

[She bites her bottom lip, sucking on it a moment before she pulls it through her teeth.]

It's okay. They can live at your place for a while.

[Which is some how significant. If he's got her shoes, he has to keep talking to her and he can't forget about her because he's got her shoes there. And it's like having a toothbrush at his place, without the practicality so it seems like less commitment.

It could also just be cracked and only make sense or be significant to Lucy.]

[Neil's face falls a little-- he's misinterpreting this to mean something along the lines of "I don't want to see you again for a while." But he lifts his head again and blows at the fringe of his hair to get it out of the way, remembering that Jill told him he'd have to be persistent.]

If you want. They're gonna miss you, though.

[Her brows pull together a bit, trying to interpret that look. Really, they'd both be better off if they'd just say what they were thinking or, god forbid, ask. She gnaws on her bottom lip some more, clearly struggling with a decision.]

We could work out visitation. I can't just uproot a pair of shoes like that. They've already got abandonment issues from me leaving them. I don't want to pile separation issues on top of that because they've probably gotten attached to you.

[Yeah, she's not just talking about the shoes here.]

Visitation would be good. We could do that.

[He chances a small smile now, scratching his nose to cover it up half-way.]

Okay. So maybe this weekend I could stop by and bring like Chinese and a movie or something.

[Lucy nods and takes a shallow breath, rocking back on her heels a moment. Only she's not that graceful so her eyes go wide a moment as her ankle twists, she loses her balance and reaches out to grab Neil.]

[He reaches out, startled-- and there is definitely something to be said for video-game-trained reflexes-- and grabs her by the elbows, maybe just a touch hard in the surprise. He freezes like that, and slowly lets his eyes move up to meet hers, looking both apologetic and questioning.]

...Uhmm...

[Lucy looks up at him wide-eyed, her hands on his biceps, not quite forcefully gripping but not quite resting there either.]

I--Can--

[She gives him a little, almost sad smile, frozen for a moment while she struggles with whether she wants to hug him or step away. The struggle with the decision is evident on her face. After a moment she sighs, gives in and slides her arms around his waist, her cheek going to rest against his chest. Even with the ridiculous, accident prone heels, she's stupid short.]

I miss you.

[It's just barely a whisper.]

[He hesitates for a moment, and then hugs her. Because they're already half-way there anyhow, so he decides it must be okay. Besides, she said...]

...I miss you too.

One of these days I won't be crazy. [Don't hold your breath. She is working toward being more secure and trusting him with her heart. When she gets there, there will be less of the difficult.]

[He pulls back enough to look at her face, but he's not letting go.]

You're not crazy.

I mean, not crazier than everyone else, anyway.

[Lucy gives him a sort of grateful smile then bites her bottom lip.]

Date crazy girls often?

Don't really date anyone often. But I mean... kinda.

[She kind of gives him a half way grin.]

At least your sticking to type and is that 'I don't date because I have commitment issues' or 'I don't date because I don't ask girls out'?

In the interst of full disclosure I would be number one.

Erm. 'S long as we're full disclosuring, it's... kinda more like "Don't date 'cause girls don't like me" in my case.

[She looks up at him, resting her chin against his chest.]

You have stupid girls in your world.

Maybe. [And, okay, he's smiling.] ...'Mean, 'least, none of 'em were like you, so.

Well duh. [Smiling is good. Encouraged even. She purses her lips, considering things a moment before she takes a step back.] Okay, I should probably work. There's free bubble bath in it for you if you want some though.

Oh, right. 'Cause, you work here. [He... may have sort of forgotten what was going on there for a moment.] Oh, and uh, sure. [He's not sure if he'll have any use for bubble bath, but it's free and it's from Lucy so it seems like it would be silly to turn that down.]

★ 60 [Video | Action]

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Re: [action.] WOW sorry on the you're your fail

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