Room 323 [Thursday, Early Evening]

[comeoutwrong]

Relaxing as days without classes could be, they did have a tendency to give far too much time to think, and over-think about just about everything that had gone on in the last week or so. There was a good lot of stuff that fell into that frustratingly complex category, and Effy had spent her day avoiding that, by being out and about and doing things, cold as it was.

It was only on the way back she'd noticed the overabundance of candy canes, grabbed a couple from the cafeteria and was sucking on one as she pottered around her room and returned a couple of calls from Panda and Tony.

It kept her oral fixation satisfied and was probably better for her lungs. Win win.

[[Open door/post!]]

Comments

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I thought I was the one that did most of the surprising," he answered, shrugging. "But, you know, if you think so, sure, we can go with that."

There was honesty mixed in with some challenging stirred with some teasing there. She liked to wind him up, he liked the same.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"You would think that." And he might be right, she just wasn't about to tell him that. Alex was smug enough as it was.

Let him think she was all talk. She wasn't about to do anything right now, because she was stubborn and part of the surprise of these things was not knowing when. All about the impact with her.

"We'll see how right you are." All he was getting for now was a nonchalant shrug.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Haven't you learned I'm always right?" he asked, tilting his head and keeping his eyes on her, looking quite smug, yes. "I think that means you should play entertainer tonight."

With that, he scooted further up on her bed until he could lay against the pillows and relax a little more.

"Got some effort in you this evening?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy considered that a moment, as she watched him lounge back. "I'm sure I can come up with something."

"You look like you're about to give up and sleep."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Maybe." He wasn't that tired, no. "Sometimes, I do get bored enough to sleep, you know. And I tend to sleep pretty well in your bed. Must have some magical powers."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Mm, narcolepsy. Of all the powers to have." It was kind of a crappy one.

"Sure I could think of better."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"And here I thought it'd give you some sense of weird satisfaction that I can sleep like that in your bed," Alex said, smirking and tucking an arm behind his head.

Well, it was giving her some more evidence that she wasn't on the same level as most everyone else. "I can fix that if you want. Leave here before I fall asleep."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"It's the falling asleep of boredom I resent," she corrected. "Not the rest."

No, she didn't want him to fix that particularly. Having him around like that was actually nice. Shh.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Have I ever fallen asleep out of boredom with you before?" he pointed out lazily. He was pretty sure the answer was no. "Usually we find ways to keep each other engaged. I'm just making it your thing tonight."

Because he was lazy and curious if she would.

"And if you see me falling asleep out of boredom," he continued, grinning, "you can come over and jump me."

Oh wait.

"Jump on me," he corrected. No, he'd meant to say it dirty the first time.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy smirked, and dragged a finger idly down his cheek. "Is that right?"

He was not a subtle guy. Not at all. Like she believed that hadn't been at least partly on purpose.

"... And no, I don't think you have." She hoped not. "I'd have to be pretty shit company." Might not be the best at small talk, but she could do interesting none the less.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"You're not," he assured her. He did come around a lot, didn't he? There were a myriad of reasons he did and none of them were because he was an insomniac in need of her to bore him to sleep.

"You're good company," he added, smiling up at her. "Kinda like being around you. That a bad thing?"

[Heehee! Just be glad I didn't quick reply for funsies!]

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Would be if I didn't like you." But she did, so....

Look at her, all normal in her view for once. Liking someone liking her. Maybe there was hope for her after all.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"So what, does that mean you like me?" he asked, softening his smile and impulsively reaching for one of her hands. "Seems to be what you're saying. Maybe you even like being around me too."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Maybe."

... Yes.

What she said out loud was more often than not a different thing than she implied in every other way. The way she didn't even consider not threading her fingers between his for example, and the rhythmic taps of her thumb against the side of his hand.

Effy was aware he wouldn't necessarily pick up on her code, and that was kind of the point. She did it none the less.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Maybe," he repeated, tangling his fingers with hers easily and letting his eyes be drawn to those taps. No, he really didn't pick up everything about her code but he could draw a few conclusions.

She hadn't said 'no' after all. And she didn't pull away. And the touching was easy these days.

"Maybe I think the same way." He didn't want to say feel and freak either of them out even if that word worked better. "Maybe."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

One of the things about not talking for as long as Effy had (that and a naturally secretive nature), you learned those ways of communicating that not everyone understood, or even noticed.

And maybe she was a bright girl who had a little too much free time on her hands.

If nothing else, at least this was one he could look up if he was so inclined. Only the same three letters repeated over and over. Simple affirmative for him.

"Think that 'vague' you're always accusing me of is catching," she remarked with a little smile. "Oops."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Ask me if you want honesty," he said, tugging her hand onto his lap and letting it rest there. Maybe he was being a softie tonight. Not like he hadn't before.

She had her methods of telling him things, he had his. If she wanted to know what he thought, she just had to ask. One of those funny ways he had.

"You've asked before and I've been honest." Like the last time they'd seen each other and complicated their issues even more. "Try again if you want."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Vague isn't necessarily dishonest." This time around, if he wanted to share, it could be off his own back, rather than her prompting. "Just... occasionally misleading." That was how she used it, anyway.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I didn't say anything bad about your tendency to be vague," he pointed out. Well, he hadn't this time. He managed to keep most of his frustration with that to a minimum lately.

"I prefer more direct methods," he said and shrugged. "It's worked better for me in the past. Haven't had any complaints."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy could be direct. Just... wasn't about anything that came near the vicinity of what they'd been edging towards for a while now.

"Don't think there's a 'maybe' about it," she said finally. He'd almost told her as much. And, well, here they were.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"No, there's no maybe about it," he agreed easily. Hard to lie about something he'd been mostly upfront about. "I do think that way."

And it was kind of scary to realize that. He could count the people he cared about on one hand and had gotten used to it not always be reciprocated.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy actually opened her mouth, and almost started to say something, before she hesitated.

Scary was right. Although, in her case, it was less the realisation, and more the admission that caught her. The protection of keeping her hand safely hidden (so to speak) had become a little too comfortable.

"I--" Something. He liked honesty, and she was probably supposed to admit something there. Instead, she ended up shaking her head. Less at him, and more at herself and picking her fucking moments to freeze up. Ridiculous, really, considering she did trust him in her way. Shouldn't be that hard.

Then again, there was saying, and there was doing, and one of them Effy was a lot more comfortable with than the other. Brushing his lip briefly with her thumb and ducking down to kiss him was illustrative, if not wordy.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Really, Alex hadn't expected any kind of return admission or statement of honesty because he did know her. Much as he did like when people were honest with him, he'd learned, with her, to let it roll off his back and to wait.

He'd almost started to say something when she started to shake her head, tell her it was---what? All right? Take back his admission? Laugh it off and cover it up to make her comfortable? He didn't know and he didn't the chance to think it through because the next thing he knew, she was kissing him. He leaned up in response, not really sure what he was trying to do with that kiss besides let her lead it and do what she wanted.

It felt a little like a minefield, these conversations, and Alex was starting to worry about stepping in something bad and just blowing it up despite the fact that he was getting kissed.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Any conversation between them seemed to have that potential lingering in the background. When it came to this sort of conversation, Effy naturally tended to veer back to her comfort zone.

A moment or two lingering in that and she was pulling up a little. "You're something to me too." A quick quiet sentence in his ear before she could persuade herself it was a bad idea. "No maybe," she repeated.

Sometimes... just sometimes, she could surprise like that. Even if saying it stupidly scared the hell out of her.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

And it did surprise him. For all his challenging talk of not being able to surprise him earlier, she'd managed to do it right there probably without a thought about that in her head.

Deciding that saying anything right at the moment would either freak her out, freak him out or just ruin whatever was going on, Alex turned his face towards hers instead, hand going up to brush her cheek and down her jaw.

It was an attempt to soothe and just his own quiet reaction to that rolled up in one gesture.