* SCAREDY / BRAVE !

       a small huff of exasperation is elicited from barely parted lips. he stands up once more and it seems they’ve found themselves in the same position once more. round and round, and normally he’d tire of repetition but he only finds himself with a touch more determination than before. standing there in his boxers and a shirt with half it’s buttons done up, before her, helming a plea for company which she finds hard to oblige to. ‘   well, i don’t know about that.   ’ he starts, trying on the words for size, his gaze characteristically ( albeit annoyingly ) steady. ‘   i think you’d like me more. if i was - an ass.   ’ he shrugs. ‘   be easier, don’t you think ?   ’ she can take from it what she will, the edge of his lips tugging just slightly - an afterthought. he hates the thought of truth being misconstrued as something deeper, really, he just likes to believe that she’d have enough sense of self to not put up with a real ass. then again, maybe he just expects far too much from a girl of twenty-one. that’s how he got here, with her, isn’t it ? 

      his smug grin is rapidly wiped from his lips, forming a gasp of pure shock that sends him jolting away from her. he can barely get a word out, squirming under her but luckily the attack leaves his hands wrists unpinned. he nods his head like an enlightened professor who’s just stumbled upon a life-changing revelation. ‘   so that’s how you wanna play it. alright, i see what kind of girl you are.   ’ he says, though the remark is choppy, interspersed by laughter and barely caught breaths. his fingers go straight to her underarms, see there’s a hierarchy to tickles, and poking his sides, well that’s just a cheap shot. ‘   i suppose this is just another game you’ll be losing. no biggie.   ’

      he’d apologize if it were something he was sorry for - but it’s lighthearted enough, not to mention entirely true. he doesn’t feel trepidation at stepping into risky waters, everything’s all too calculated and he’s decided that yeah, he doesn’t mind playing a round or two. ‘   well, it’s not like it’s not true.    ’ the air of casualness makes it all the more cool, or maybe it’s just cold. he continues to travel aimlessly up her thighs, her his shirt creasing under his hands. a little further and he’d be able to hook his fingers under the hem of her underwear, a little further up he’d be able to feel the edges of a band-aid that’s pressed against her waist. 

      he wields a confident disposition that never cracks, but it doesn’t mean he’s not prone to submission. he’d give her what she wants if only he knew. it’s easy to account for ones self, he knows that he wants her - entirely. though what it entails leaves him scouting for words that’d make her want to stay. ‘   you were the one who asked.   ’ he says plainly, gaze caught on her eyes, pretending as though he doesn’t like the challenge. ‘   not always a bad thing though.   ’ he murmurs, hands travelling up her thighs. ‘   what ? do you want me to beg ?   ’

      thankfully, awkwardness dissipates for long enough to throw a quip back at her. ‘ my integrity ? where’s your integrity ? ’ he remarks through his smile, positively baffled at her audacity to suggest such a thing. he’s hyper-aware of the hold she has on his wrists, even more so when she asks a question that, in his position, could only end in calamity. he’s no liar, except for now. so he puts on the most arrogant, self-possessed expression he can muster, like a businessman making a million dollar sales pitch. ‘  nope.   ’ he asserts, a brow quirking for effect. ‘   face it sawyer. you’ve lost.    ’ he’s getting way too ahead of himself, but he’s having way too much fun. ‘   one might even classify you as a loser.   ’ provocation and hopefully distraction that he might be the most ticklish person on the earth. yeah, he’s a dead man.

Harry wasn’t a big drinker; a few glasses of chardonnay tested her tolerance enough to abandon her desire for alcohol. Tonight, however, she figured she would reward herself for surviving glitter covered science fair projects and flu season. A sitter had been called and by eight o’clock she was sat on a barstool clad in one of her only sweaters without a stain, sipping on her first glass of white. Drinking on an empty stomach was never a good idea, which is where that singular plate of damn nachos came into play. The brunette couldn’t care less who the patron she was splitting it with was, getting as much of the cheesy goodness was all she could focus on. “ Your side has most of the cheese  ––  I’m eating straight corn chip over here, you can make do with forfeiting a little cheddar, pal. ”  Tortilla chip in hand, Harriet crossed the proverbial border to his side of the plate to dip into the sauce, placing one of his jalapeños on top to add insult to injury. 

      a smarmy grin refuses to leave his lips, even though this a matter of the utmost importance. integrity has to be maintained and justice beckons to be served and none of that includes lou holstad admitting to something he’s in no way guilty of. he squirms against her encroaching figure, to pride-ridden to make it awkward, that is until he remembers who he is. don’t make it awkward. it’s with this line of thinking that he sticks his tongue out and licks the tip of her nose because it’s the type of sibling antics – – but she’s definitely not his brother and god. ‘   or what ?   ’ he retorts, dipping his tone in a feigned machismo that sounds awfully off falling from his lips. pride which was once overflowing starts to simmer, patiently waiting for her surrender which he knows will only come the day that pigs fly. 

       another step and the distance is barely noticeable. he peers down to a unruly curls and blue eyes that tempt him to say something he can’t take back. instead of chasing regret, arms wrap around her, pinning her arms to her side and walking forward until the back of her calves buckles against the bed. with her sat back down, something like a lecture could ensue but he decides momentarily to give her what she wants - carelessness. hands spread across her thighs and he’s on his knees but he’s far from the altar. ‘   like a spoiled little brat.   ’

         thankfully, maturity reigns - reluctantly stifling his own curiosity in favour of her staying. he stands as quickly as she does, easily blocking her way. this didn’t have to tarnish their day, but he thinks it might. it’ll be at the back of his mind, the tattoo and how he can barely breach the most trivial of her walls. ‘   come on, don’t be like that.    ’ he says, a call out sure, but there’s nothing wrong with a small dose of confrontation. ‘   it’s dropped, alright ?   ’ and he raises his hands in surrender, even if he betrays his submission by glancing at the t-shirt covered secret. nevertheless, feet stay rooted to the ground and he supposes this is what he gets for caring. he likes her just as much as he anticipated, she’s hardly a shot in the dark and perhaps that’s the problem. he loves her like he always loves, fully and deeply. 

      he takes his turn as if there’s a ticking time bomb close-by, because he has to win, properly win and doesn’t want to know what the cost of it will be. with his roll, he easily crosses the finish line with a stack full of cards that make him practically invincible. in fact, literally invincible. ‘   i also have the protector card so even if you did have the second chance card to use against me, well.   ’ he shrugs, feigning a semblance of concern. ‘   but oh, would you look at that. i actually have the second chance card too.   ’ a wide smile peeks through his his mocking attempt at modesty. ‘   looks like your reign as game winner is over !   ’ 

“ Uh, mooch away! What are they gonna spend it on? I don’t do anything. Play surrogate daughter. ” She stands firm in her reasoning, but she winces a little at it anyway — the complicated tango of Kevin encouraging Pippa to do something and Pippa never actually doing it ( okay, maybe it wasn’t that complicated ) was a sensitive issue. One that had been entirely resolved, if you asked the older, not that she would ever tell her best friend that she’d tried and failed. It was much easier to play the part of cool and uncaring and — the topic is changed quickly. “ — I promise, no time soon. Eden needs a little of the Oswalt charm back in it’s streets. It’s all been very Blue Christmas in July. ”