#2mrw

So the plan is to choose a word every week and try to do all of these things:

1. Learn to play a song that either has the word in it or that the word made me think of (I just started learning piano...so bonus points if I learn it on there too)

2. Write a poem (I also have a “poetry” blog) inspired by the word

3. Write a scene from one of my WIPs or a standalone inspired by the word

4. Draw something inspired by the word (this part is going to be the most interesting because I have little to no experience drawing)

5. Post all of these creations for Tumblr to witness

So here’s the list

There are only 35 because I am only functional for about three weeks every month (iykyk) and I didn’t want it to be something I HAD to do every week. I want it to be something I WANT to do. So 35 gives me some wiggle room, in fact my goal is 30, but 35 gives me more options to choose from.

The parking lot was surprisingly empty but for the two of them, two wandering souls.

"Well, not anymore," the letter still clenched in her hands seemed to shout.

She stuffed it in her pocket, hoping that would help to quiet her heart as she came to a stop before him, still breathing heavily.

His smile grew brighter and her breath caught again. Still, he only smiled, not saying a word, waiting for her to begin. He wasn't going to make this easy for her, but even if she could catch her breath she didn't think she would know what to say or where to start. His smile grew warmer, teasing her with his eyes.

"I think this is the part in the rom-com where you confess your undying love for me."

His mouth formed a smirk, while hers hung open. She expected him to say something, but not that.

Hmm...well, two could play at that game. She grinned.

"Actually, we're quite close to the credits. I think the appropriate thing would be the earth-shattering kiss."

She was satisfied to see that her words had had their desired effect. His mouth fell open in shock and now he was at a loss for words. Unfortunately, the thrill of her sudden bravado was short-lived and his sure smile returned as the warmth of embarrassment crept onto her face at the forwardness of her words.

She drew her arms about her, both to protect her from the cold nipping at her bare skin and to regain some of her dignity by reminding him of the space between them.

He smiled despite her defensive move. She still didn't want to let him too close, but she was here and by the looks of it she had run all the way to...to do what exactly? He was going to make it his duty to find out and hopefully he would help to influence things in his favour.

"Would you like to come inside?"

He gestured to the still open door. She hesitated as he had anticipated. One more try.

"Dinner is almost ready. I'm sure the kids would be excited if you joined us."

She quirked one eyebrow up at him.

"The kids?"

She was having trouble thinking straight with the way he was looking at her. As if on cue, two squealing little imps raced past him from inside, each one latching on to one of her legs.

"I was just asking Margaret if she wanted to stay for dinner."

He smiled down at the loves of his life.

"Oh please stay Ms. Meg."

"We'd love it if you stayed."

"Only because you two asked," she assured them, steadily avoiding his gaze.

The two little people dashed inside, almost tripping over their shoes and bags still lying abandoned at the door.

"It's your turn to seek Uncle Dan!" the little boy called behind him.

Dan turned to Margaret who bore a look of confusion on her face.

He explained, "We normally start the night together with a game of hide and seek. When they were younger it was how I tricked them into being quiet so I could get some work done."

He whispered that last part conspiratorially and smiled in triumph when Meg couldn't contain her laughter.

"I can't believe they still fall for that!"

The statement sounded more like a question as she tilted her head to the side, stepping over the threshold. He shook his head.

"Unfortunately not," he smiled sheepishly, "but it's become tradition."

"Ahhhh! I see," she said with a nod of understanding and a hint of a smile.

She glanced up to find him already looking at her with that smile of his that had come to spell danger for her. She looked down at her hands, her face warming as she stood in the hallway feeling awkward and trying not to fidget. She didn't know what to say or do and she was seriously regretting coming in when they heard a sudden thump not too far away. They both made a move to go towards the sound, but paused in relief when it was soon followed by a hushed argument.

"Right! Back to the game.”

Dan clapped his hands together, jolting them both from their thoughts.

“I'll give you twenty seconds to find a hiding spot, " he said in his best I-mean-business voice before turning and walking away.

Meg just stood there, mouth slightly agape. What was going on? This felt like a dream.

More like a dream come true.

That letter in her pocket seemed to be quite vocal tonight. She shoved it further into her pocket for good measure.

"10, 9, 8..." Dan called from the living room, shaking her out of her reverie. With new urgency, she slid off her sneakers and tiptoed down the hall as quickly as possible.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Ready or not, here I come!"

She didn’t have a clue where she could hide. The building panic had her dashing into the nearest doorway, which she soon identified as the kitchen. Unfortunately, the doorway was equipped with a pair of swinging doors that not only looked just like saloon doors but apparently clanged shut like them too.  

'Dan would be here any minute,' she thought, as she frantically spun around in the room looking for something to hide behind. A soft chuckle floated towards her from the doorway behind her and she froze. The chuckle soon morphed into full-blown laughter. She turned around slowly to see Dan barely able to stand up straight because he was laughing so hard.

She crossed her arms, and pursed her lips, glaring at him.

"I panicked. OK?" she tried to explain.

That only got him laughing more.  Somehow she couldn't help joining in. His laugh was contagious. When he finally got a hold of himself, he walked towards her, wiping his eyes.

"So hide and seek is not your thing?"

She was about to fire back with a sarcastic retort when he flashed her a breathtaking smile. All she could do was try not to melt on the spot. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice.

"Come on. Let's go find the kids."

He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her towards the door. She went willingly.

"The thump sounded like it came from the living room but that's where I went to count. They wouldn't have hid in there. Hmmm...any ideas?"

"Huh? Sorry!"

Her face warmed again. She had been preoccupied with looking at her hand in his.

"What if that's the point? They're hiding in there because that's the last place you'd check."

"Wow! That's genius. I wish I had thought of that as a kid."

He grinned and she couldn't help but imagine what he looked like as a child. Hopefully, the photo albums would get pulled out tonight and she’d get to see for herself. Thinking about a younger version of him brought another thought into her head. What would little versions of him look like? A lazy smile had begun to spread across her face when she realized the dangerous trajectory of her thoughts.

Kids??!!! She was thinking about his future kids?!!! She needed to stop right there!

Meg didn't process that she had literally stopped until Dan looked back with concern.

"What's wrong?"

She opened her mouth, not quite sure what would come out. She was saved from having to give some lame, unbelievable excuse when they were suddenly attacked.

"Booo!"

Out of nowhere the kids jumped out at them.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" both Meg and Dan screamed and Meg jumped in the air.

Martin and Melissa were on the floor in tears from laughing so much. After their hearts had calmed a bit, Meg and Dan were able to join in, Dan trying to hide his embarrassment at the pitch of his scream. He knelt down on the ground beside the children who were still hiccuping with laughter.

"For that, I'm going to tickle you two for the rest of the night!"

His arms turned into claws and attacked the exposed bellies of the two gremlins on the floor. They squealed and squirmed as more laughter poured from their mouths. Just as the kids’ laughter was dissolving into tears Dan flopped down beside them on the floor, tired himself. Melissa wiped at her eyes while Martin coughed a few times.

Meg stood above the trio looking down at them while shaking her head in amusement. Dan shot her a sheepish grin as the kids hopped up. He groaned, a response to his aching sides and having to get up off the floor.

Meg offered him a knowing smile as well as her hand. He took it reluctantly and with a few groans and some expended energy from them both, he was back on his feet right in front of her. He looked down at her with a smirk, refusing to let go of her hand. The two precocious children whispered something to each other and it caught Dan’s attention. They had to be up to no good.

Meg released a sigh of relief when Dan turned to them and let go of her hand. She wasn’t sure what he would be capable of if they had maintained eye contact for any longer.

“It’s our turn to catch you!” Martin gave clear instructions to Dan.

“The both of you?” Dan looked sceptical.

“Uh-huh!” Melissa batted her eyelashes innocently. “It’s only fair. Two of us count as one of you old people.”

Dan was all but ready to grab Melissa and fling her over his shoulder to tickle her some more when she squealed and ran to hide behind her brother.

“What did I tell you about calling me an old person?”

Melissa grinned guiltily, “Not to.”

“Exactly! I’m perfectly young.”

Meg coughed quietly behind him and he spun around in an outrage. “Not you too!”

She raised her hands in defense. “What? I didn’t say anything.”

She coughed again and he could clearly make out the words “old man.”

“Whatever! You two go count in the living room and we’ll go hide! Chip chop! Supper is almost ready.”

Melissa and her brother scurried off into the living room as Dan turned to Meg with a look of reprimand, but instead of saying anything he grabbed her by the hand and headed past the kitchen.

“I’m not taking the chance of letting you hide by yourself this time. Clearly, you’re bad at this game.”

Meg scoffed in indignance, “It’s not my fault I don’t know my way around your house.”

“It kinda’ is.” He looked at her with a smirk, “I’ve been inviting you in since you moved here, but you’ve never taken me up on my offer.”

Meg was speechless. He chuckled lightly. He loved that he had the ability to quiet her so easily. Before she could compose herself, he tugged her into a little nook in the hall next to a tiny bookshelf with a little desk and lamp. The nook housed a window seat whose only current illumination was moonlight. Though, the fact that tonight was a full moon meant it was still fairly bright.

He pulled the curtains around them and silently instructed her to pull her feet up and onto the seat so that they wouldn’t be visible beneath the curtain’s edge. The poor, little seat was clearly designed for a single occupant so the two adults had to readjust a few times to get comfortable. Their final adjustment left Dan wearing a ridiculous smirk on his face, with his arm around Meg and her back against his chest. Meg could feel her heartbeat in her ears and she was sure that the kids would be able to follow the sound to find them. Despite her nerves, she couldn’t help but feel a little irritated at how pleased Dan was with himself for getting her into this position. She had been set up and she’d walked into the trap blindly.

She tilted her head up to glare directly at him, but the whispers of reprimand at the tip of her tongue were whisked away with her breath when she turned to face him directly. He had been looking at her all along with the kind of smile and look in his eyes that made her heart stop and then start again but in overdrive. She swallowed, unable to look away. Slowly, he reached the arm not around her shoulders up and brushed it against her hair. He blew gently, her eyes closing as he whispered.

“Cobweb.”

Eyes open again she nodded quietly, focusing on his eyes, big and bright in the ample moonlight. They held her captive, breaking contact for only a few seconds as they drifted down. When they returned, they seemed to move closer.

Her entire body tensed, knowing what was coming and he must have felt it too, because he let out a breath, a silent chuckle. She squeezed her eyes shut in a mixture of frustration, confusion and she wasn't sure what else.

Then they heard it, the creak. They both inhaled sharply and instinctively he pulled her closer. In less than five seconds, the curtain was ripped away and they were blinded with light.

“Aha! Wait?! It’s a two for one Martin! We caught one bird with two stones.”

“I think you mean two birds with one stone Mel.”

Dan spoke with a hint of disappointment in his voice. He let his legs hang off the edge of the seat and with some reluctance let Meg remove his arm from around her. She was avoiding looking at him like a pro. He wasn't really surprised.

Martin soon came into view behind his sister with a pan full of water.

“Awww man! I told you to wait! We could have soaked them.”

Meg gasped at the sight of the blocks of ice scattered in the container filled with water. She shuddered unconsciously and Dan was tempted to put his arm around her again.

“You little…” Dan started as Martin slowly backed away.

“If I were you I’d drop the pan,” Melissa warned her brother.

“Are you kidding me? If I leave it behind he can use it against me.”

“But if you don’t, he’ll catch you.”

“This could have all been avoided if you’d just listened to me and waited.”

Dan stopped in front of the little girl with the furrowed brow and smiled down at her. He stooped to kiss her on the forehead before speaking.

“Thank you for not listening to your brother. Unlike him, Ms Meg doesn’t have a change of clothes here and wasn’t scheduled to take a shower in the next hour. Remind me to give you an extra serving of dessert.”

He smoothed her hair as she grinned and in the corner of his eye, he followed her brother who inched backwards.

“No fair!” he muttered.

“Seriously, what’s the big deal Martin,” Dan looked up at the little boy with a wicked grin on his face, “you were going to shower anyway. It’s just that this one will be a cold one.”

“Now boys…” Meg started.

Both boys ignored her while Mel giggled as Dan moved forward slowly.

“I have a pan full of ice water and I’m not afraid to use it!” Martin warned his uncle.

“Okay. I’m open to negotiations. What you got?”

“I’ll wash the dishes.”

“Is that all?”

“I’ll brush my teeth no problem.”

“Hmmm...that’s interesting, but I don’t know if it’s enough to buy me. Let me think.”

Dan put a finger to his chin and looked up, pretending to think long and hard about Martin’s terms.

“Okay,” he offered with a shrug.

“Okay?” Martin sounded doubtful.

“Yup. I’ll let it slide this time. Just put the pot down and take three steps backwards.”

“And you promise you won’t soak me.”

“Cross my heart.”

Martin gingerly put the pot down, maintaining eye contact with his uncle. He took one step and then another while his uncle moved slowly towards the pan. Meg and Melissa watched in silence, one a little more nervous than the other.

As Dan reached the pan, Martin eyed him suspiciously. He lunged forward and the little boy sprang through the doorway and out of the room while Dan fell to the floor dying of laughter. He hadn't been able to help himself. He wasn't actually going to wet him, but scaring him was fun.

Meg and Melissa came up to him and Melissa plopped into his lap giggling excitedly. It was nice to see her brother teased like that. Meg shook her head at this grown man’s antics and he caught her facial expression. In retaliation, he dipped his fingers in the pan and sprinkled her right in the face.

She squealed in surprise and both he and Mel continued to get their belly full of laughter, but it didn’t last for long. Martin slid back into the room with a brand new super soaker, squirting everyone with joy.

“Truce! Truce! I call a truce!” Dan screamed a minute later with his shirt now sopping wet.

The squealing and the splashing came to an abrupt stop. Then all of a sudden one single stream of water hit him right in the eye. He opened the other eye to find not Martin, behind the gun, but Meg. For some reason, she looked suspiciously dry.

“Martin, Mel, is it me or does Ms. Meg look suspiciously more dry than any of the three of us? I think we should do something about that. Don’t you?”

The two children glanced at each other, the hesitation clear on their faces.

“Uhhh…” Mel started.

“Oh so you two have changed loyalties. It’s fine. I’ll get her myself.”

He rose swiftly, picking up the pan.

“I thought you said Ms. Meg didn’t have a change of clothes, so we couldn't wet her.”

“That’s right Martin. He did say that,” Ms. Meg agreed, sounding smug.

Dan sighed in defeat.

“I did say that. He put the pan down on a nearby coffee table. We shouldn’t wet her.”

Meg heaved a sigh of relief.

“But…” the two children looked up expectantly at their uncle, “...that doesn’t mean we can’t tickle her.”

“Ha!” Meg scoffed. “I’m not even ticklish,” she said, her tone nowhere near convincing.

“Really?” Dan smirked.

Eyes wide with panic, Meg dropped the water gun and made a beeline to the kitchen. Before she could get very far, two weights clung to her legs and she went tumbling to the floor. Little fingers trailed up and down her sides as she squealed.

It felt like an eternity later when Dan stood over her smiling, a towel around his neck and a dry shirt on.

“Call off your torturers!” she called between bouts of laughter.

“After you say ‘please’.”

“Please!”

“Now say pretty please!”

“Dan!”

“Alright! Alright!”

He knelt down and took to tickling the little torturers himself, who then collapsed on the floor next to Meg.

Their laughter was soon interrupted by a distant "ding" sound. Dan paused from his torture, breathing heavily.

"That was the timer. Dinner is ready. Let's eat!"

Dan rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Can we have one more round?"

Dan hesitated.

"Please, Uncle Dan?"

He looked over at Margaret as if to ask if it were okay with her and she smiled and nodded.

"Sure! One more round. Whose turn to seek?"

Both children grinned and turned to her, chorusing, "Ms. Meg!"

She was not successful in hiding the panic she felt. Dan laughed and put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to reassure her.

"All you have to do is count and then come look for us," he whispered, teasing her, "It's not rocket science."

She turned to glare at him partly in an attempt to avoid an alternative potentially embarrassing reaction to his proximity.

"Where should I count from?"

Dan grinned in triumph as the children ran off, "Let me show you."

She followed him willingly to the living room unaware of the twinkle in his eye.

As she counted, "five, four, three, two, one! Ready or not, here I come!" she smiled, shaking her head, but maybe finally coming to terms with the fact that this was all real. As she turned around, something caught her eye in the doorway. She did a double take and there he was, leaning against the door jamb. She frowned, crossing her arms.

"Aren't you supposed to be hiding?"

He smirked, making no response other than to lift off the doorway and slowly make his way towards her. As he neared her he could see the panic in her eyes. She looked like a caged animal, searching for her way of escape. As she gave up, she settled on staring at the ground in front of her. The carpet detailing was apparently quite intricate.

He stopped just in front of her, smiling knowingly as he lifted her chin to meet his gaze. She looked into his eyes, for what felt like the millionth time tonight, her heart racing. She could see so much in that one look. She saw how much he cared and how long he had been willing to wait. He'd continue to wait for her. She knew that, but she was really ready now or she wouldn't have come tonight. She would have run away like she always did. He had been completely honest with her and now was her turn.

He could see all of that in her eyes too. He could see the answer to his many questions. She was really ready for this, for him. With one smooth motion his hands were on her waist and he was gently pulling her closer to him.

As though it was where they belonged, her arms floated to his shoulders, her hands making their way around his neck, fingers interlocking at his nape. Not a sound was heard, not a word uttered but the silence spoke volumes.

As her fingers twirled the curls at his nape he whispered, "It appears that you've found me."

The emotion in his eyes was too much for her. She had to look away or she'd combust. To her dismay her eyes drifted to his mouth instead and like the gravity that grounded her, he drew her in. His eyes fluttered closed as he took a shaky breath. There was no longer an inch between them.

"No. It looks as if you found me," she whispered against his lips.

Author’s Note: This scene was inspired by a dream I had in Uni. At this point, I can’t remember how much is actual dream and how much is my imagination, but it’s taken me so long to finish it. It’s definitely longer than my usual standalones. 

I finally decided to edit and publish it this week because one of my friend’s graduated this week and she always gets so excited when I send her new stuff I’ve written.