" like a princess, perched in her electric chair., Tag: Tal (M) possible mature content

[daniel benjiman stevens]

---

"So who's the special lady?"
Marks voice was mellow and tolerable- Daniel was glad he was over. The soft smells of citrus flitered through the young mans apartment. After a long hard stare into his refridgerator, Daniel had swallowed his pride and called his step-father over to help him prepare a decent meal for the girl he was excited to see, come 8:30. The young man stood next to his would-be dad, clutching the counter as he eyed the chicken sizzling in the pan, bubbling fat away and crusting into a beautiful orange-breaded chicken breast. "Oh? Talullah Simmons, you remember her- from highschool?" Daniel looked towards Mark, who quirked his eyebrows up and prodded the chicken with a spatula. He'd been so excited to see his step-son that he'd taken the privilege of donning his "kiss the cook, run from the wife" apron. Melody had bought it for christmas, seeing as Mark's main hobby was in the culinary art. "The sweet blonde? She was quiet one, around your mom an' I." Mark nodded quietly, his brown eyes glancing towards Daniels ever-frozen gaze. It took a moment for Daniel to focus, he was busy thinking about the girl who would surely be here in a good hour and fifteen minutes. "She's special." He said simply, shoving his hands in his pockets. Wasn't that the truth? He'd practically become an animal in the capsule earlier today.

"Well then, you should go bathe and look nice- that's what I did when I took your mom out for the first time, almost shit my pants I was so nervous." That was Daniel's favorite thing about Mark. The old man had a wonderful sense of humor. Laughing, he patted him on the back and slid out of the small kitchen, heading for the bathroom in the hall leading towards his bedroom. It was a spacious, tiled room- though he wished it wasn't so feminine. Even with all of the unfolded bath towels and manly accessories, Daniel had failed to hide away the womanly feel of the room. Sometimes it made him feel gay, while others it simply made him feel placid and relaxed. The walls were a foamy creme color, with a coffee colored trim. He didn't mind it, but sometimes he just wanted to paint it a lazy ocean blue. Within moments, Daniel had stripped down to everything but his flesh and bone. He padded towards the shower, turning the spigot and stepping inside. The hot water pooled at his shoulders, and matted his dark hair against his forehead. Lather, rinse, repeat. He did this several times on various sections of his body, until he felt comfortable enough to climb out.

Daniel was dripping, and he grabbed a simple white towel- wrapping it about his lowers and stepping in front of the large mirror above his sink. He turned his head, revealing the dark shadow of his jaw, and the rebellious stubble lingering there. "I should shave." He muttered to himself, looking at his razor and grabbing it with his extended right hand. Within fifteen minutes he had a smooth face and an awkward expression on his face. Was it nervousness? Possibly a little bit of excitement? It was hard to tell. In the privacy of his steamed washroom, Daniel practiced his smile for kicks. A wide grin spread across his face, revealing laugh lines that were still elastic in his young age. His eyes narrowed into horizontal crescents, his teeth white and clean. The young man laughed, shaking his head and stepping out of the bathroom, now he knew how Matvei felt when he looked in the mirror to master his grin. The cool air of his apartment caught him off guard, and Daniel shivered as he padded towards his bedroom- anxiousness written all over his face. What should he wear?

The towel dropped into a small basket at the corner of his room. Danny was perfectly comfortable being naked in his bedroom- he always did it- no one else was here; besides his dad. Mark would certainly never invade in his step-sons nudity. Daniel rummaged in his closet, pulling out a white tank-top and short sleeved button-up plaid shirt. He slid those on after a pair of matching boxers and dark blue levi's. Daniel didn't take much time to decide on shoes, he grabbed a pair of socks and stuck his feet into them, along with the pair of mocassin loafers Mark had bought him some time ago. He looked fine, though Daniel never looked at himself as a stylish guy; he simply bought what he liked, and what his mother would give him money for. Slowly, the young man walked out of his bedroom and into the kitchen. Mark turned towards him and smiled, backing away from two square plates to reveal the lovely presentation he'd put together for his son. The chicken was cut into angular slices, with a sprig of mint and an orange slice set artfully next to the beginning of the stack, which fell into a line on the plate. An orange citrus syrup was drizzled across the plate. Sometimes Daniel wondered why Mark hadn't been a chef, instead of a lawyer. "Wow- thanks so much, pop, I don't even know what to say..." Daniel rubbed the back of his neck and looked apologetically at his step-father. The older man smiled, leaning against the counter and untying his apron.

"After years of cookng for your mom, I've learned a few tricks."
"I hope you got laid every night." Daniel joked, and Mark laughed heartily.
"Speaking of which, I was going to say that if you had any plans tonight- son, please don't be stupid..."
Daniel's eyes widened, and he looked at Mark quizzically.
"Me? You're talking to me? Mark come on, you know I don't do that" Daniel pointed at his chest, eyebrows raised in sarcastic surprise.
"Smart-ass, be safe." Mark pulled Daniel into a hug and kissed his forehead, backing towards the door and stepping out after a bried wave.

Daniel shoved his hands in his pockets, leaning against the kitchen counter and sighing. Part of him was embarassed that he couldn't cook much more than a tv dinner, or a grilled cheese. Hopefully Talullah would understand if she asked where he got the food from. Danny was not ashamed that his 'father' could cook- not at all. It was the fact that he couldn't, that embarassed him. The young man cast himself into the loveseat in his living room, sitting in anxious silence- waiting for that familiar knock on his door. Daniel eyed the digital clock on top of the television. 8:36. Anytime now.

[talullah jay simmons]

there’s so much craziness
surrounding me
there’s so much going on
it gets hard to breathe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What’s all this hullaballoo about?” Marie voiced, a dazzled look fell on her
face, staring at her niece that was opening every drawer in her closet, rushing
like she was going to miss some kind of a job interview if she wasn’t hasting. She
perfectly remembered that one. Lulu had woken up a little bit late than she had
planned, and she trashed her room just to find her shirt when it was already hung
on the handle that she always hanged her clothes she had planned the night
before on wearing the next day. “Have you seen it?” Talullah answered with a
question for her aunt’s question, going through every little compartment she laid
her eyes on, making an utter mess about her room. “Seen what? Talullah-”
Marie started to ask, but Lulu was quick to cut her off. “My charm bracelet,
aunty! I need it! And my hair pin! Good grief!” Her aunt shook her head,
as if she was a very disappointed mother. But really, she was just denying that she
hadn’t seen it. “I haven’t the fondest idea. Why? Where are you going?”
another question poured out of the elder woman’s mouth, she had gone from
confused to plainly curious. Where on earth was the girl going, and at this time of
the night? “What time is it?” Lulu asked again, searching for a clock now. She
was still in her knee-length robe, hair wet and untied, but at least she smelled
good. She smelled of lavender, and that was just due to her soap. But she wasn’t
planning on going to his house smelling like something he usually smells. She
was going to wear something a little bit more sweet smelling. Her green DKNY.

“It’s uh… almost eight,” Marie said, sitting down on the soft bed, already
given up in questioning the girl she had taken care of like a daughter for almost…
oh wow. She had finally lost count. “Can you help me find it? It’s the
simplest one, the one that had a musical note on it. And- oh, never
mind. Found my hair pin,” Talullah said, grabbing a towel and rubbed
furiously at her long blonde hair, making it wavier than before. She took her hair
comb, brushing the sunny waves carefully before twisting it once in the middle
and took the pin and pinned her hair up with it. “Is it this one?” her aunt
reached her old, worn out gentle hands out to her, holding the bracelet that she
had been looking for ages. “Oh yes, yes! Where’d you find it?” Talullah said,
taking the damn little thing while putting it on her left wrist quickly. Marie let out
a laugh, and said, “It was on the bed.” Lulu stopped dead for a second and
looked at her aunt, letting out a laugh after a few moments. “I’m sorry. It’s just
that…” she started to say, stopping at half her sentence, making her aunt stand
up straight, looking at her intently with a raised eyebrow. Should she tell her?
Yes, she definitely should. Or maybe she shouldn’t? God, how hard is it to tell the
woman who brought you up for like ever? Finally, after some thinking she
continued, “Do you remember Daniel Stevens? The one who used to
come by the house every other day?” Marie looked down on her laps in
dismay. Who didn’t remember the boy who crushed her girl’s heart?

“Yes, I remember him. Why?” she answered, her right eyebrow still raised. It
piqued her interest, it did, hearing about this boy again when Talullah hadn’t
been mentioning him for quite a while. But that was just because she was away at
college, refusing to come back home for a month after she had got into a pretty
tense verbal argument with her son. Why? She didn’t have the faintest clue.
Something about some silly gossip that had happened a long, long time ago. Or
so she heard from the maids. Was she really missing out on everything,
nowadays? Talullah sucked in a breath, her lips forming a wide grin, showing off
her pearly white teeth. “Well…” she dragged the one word, still snickering like
some kind of a happy camper. “He asked me out. Not like on a date or
anything, just some dinner and a movie. Now before you say anything,
I met him on the Eye of London just this afternoon,” Talullah continued,
going into her closet and closing the door shut, while she changed into her outfit
she had picked to wear to go to his house in about half an hour. Honestly she really
didn’t know what to wear. She just grabbed a red chiffon dress, it was partially
see through, not leaving much for the imagination to work on what’s underneath,
a white legging (her newest fashion obsession), a thick white belt and probably
another one of her simple converse shoes. She hadn’t decided on the shoe yet, but
so far that was what she had in mind. “I can’t explain it all right now,” she
said, her voice could be heard through the spaces of the door.

Talullah stepped out of the closet, still on her tiptoes, straightening her dress,
looking around the bedroom again, searching for anything she might want to
wear. Oh, earrings. She went back into her closet, going to the earrings section,
taking the ones that matched her bracelet, musical notes dangling a quarter down
her neck accentuating it, making it look a slightly bit longer. “But I promise I’ll
tell you when I get back home,” she stopped, thinking if she would even be
coming back tonight or if she would be spending her time there at his place, and
began to say again, “Or not. I don’t know,” her aunt raised both her eyebrows
this time, shocked obviously, but Talullah ignored it, continuing to say, “but I
will tell you whenever I get the chance.” Should she bring extra clothes?
Nah, she’ll just ask Daniel if she could borrow his, it’d be fun to be in the guy’s
shirt. Like old times. Haha. “Well, okay. Just be safe,” Marie finally said, still
sitting on the corner of the bed, looking up at her towering niece. They both let
out a laugh, and couldn’t stop for a few minutes. “I’ll drive you there. I can’t
have my niece take a cab this time of the day. Where does he live?”
the elder woman asked the younger who was spraying on a dab of her perfume on
herself, then grabbing her white converse that she had on earlier. “Hm?... Oh!
Uh, I think it’s somewhere at Williamston Apartments,” Talullah
answered, scrunching her nose at the putrid smell of her shoes. This is just very
unacceptable. The one time she finally decided to give it a chance, it’s giving off a
horrid smell. Now she has to resort in wearing her high heels. Ugh. Really great.

“Oh, I know that place,” her aunt answered while Talullah took out and wore
her two inch white strap high heels. She wobbled in them for a few seconds before she
could balance herself. She walked to the full-length mirror, turning a few times
before saying to the woman on the bed, “How do I look?” Marie smiled, like a
proud mother. “Just simply amazing.” They both let out another soft chuckle,
Talullah picking up the things on the floor and dumping them on the bed before
they both walked out of the front door, climbed into the white Toyota FT-HS
Hybrid Sports and sped off on their way to Daniel’s house. The trip was short and
smooth, but Talullah’s heart was beating like some kind of a giant hammer
against her chest. Okay, she admits it. She was nervous as hell, and feel like she
was about to puke at any time. Her aunt kept on talking, telling her that she
should be careful if she doesn’t want to drown in deep murky water again or she
would have to face the consequences like last time. Yeah, she basically listened to
her aunt’s rants and nags, but she knows Marie does that out of pure love. In no
time the car pulled over at the curb of the building, Talullah bid her goodbye and
gave kisses on each cheek to the other woman in the car. She entered the building
and soon she found herself on the top floor in front of the second door to the
right. It was already 8:33 when she got out of the car. No matter what she does,
she always finds herself late, even for a few minutes. She breathed in slowly, and
gently rapped the door twice, heart beating like the thunder. Oh God.

[daniel benjiman stevens]

---

Daniel had taken to pacing around his apartment, walking from one end to another; trying to make sure that nothing was out of place that shouldn't be. Why was he all racked up over some chick that he hadn't seen in four years? The impact of her re-introduction was so strong it had made him reel in his shoes. Now he was nervous as hell, checking himself over- happy that he hadn't knicked himself while shaving. That would have been a blemish on his skin, something he'd be entriely embarassed of for the entire date. Why had he invited her to his apartment? Daniel would later blame it on the heat of the moment. She'd gotten him so excited that he just wanted to drag her straight into the bedroom and do the deed. Now he wasn't so sure. Undoubtedly, the urge was still there. However, Daniel wasn't sure Talullah was the kind of girl that he'd fuck and leave in the dirt. No. She meant much more to him than that. Kitty was the one who dumfounded and infatuated him. She'd wrapped her fingers around the reigns of the bull and held on tight. What a ride it had been! Those years ago...

Tal had peeked into every window in his mind- crawled into the depths of his heart and pulled at strings that no one else could manage. She'd taken the beast and sung it into a quiet lull. There was no part of Daniel that Tal hadn't already seen. From his artice gaze, to the infamous scar on the right side of his chest; where that gruesome damage had been dealt- so many years ago. Daniel reached up into his shirt in a sentimental thought, tracing his finger against the shrunked scar in a sudden flare of anguish. Why had he even bothered with that old asshole? Maybe it wasn't too late to just ignore him altogether and get out of town for a few days; cut classes and then catch up later... No, that wouldn't work. What would he tell Talullah? Why was he even including her in this? She was so important, and she probably didn't even see it. In all truth, Kitty was in a good position to tear Daniels heart out and throw it into his face, still throbbing. She had every right to- with everything he'd put her through those two years. Then again, both of them had been hurt.

The soft tap-tap-tap on his door sent Daniels heart leaping into his throat. "Shit!" He said quietly, scolding himself for being so unattentive. Hopefully he hadn't been off in lala land while Tal was outside of his apartment, banging on the door with her dainty knuckles. Daniel withdrew his arm from his shirt, adjusting the hem and walking towards the door with the same lazy posture he'd had since the eighth grade. Softly, he cleared his throat, grabbing the doorknob and twisting it. The door swung open slowly, and Daniel smiled awkwardly at her, trying his best to look comfortable. Even though, she'd already put him on edge. What was she wearing? That dress was drop dead amazing, and it clung to her body in a way that would give little boys wet dreams. Was she trying to give him a stroke? Just by looking at her, the adrenaline was released and it ran rampant in his veins. For a second he stood without anything to say. Finally, an audible stammer escaped his lips and he covered it up as he opened the door wider for her to step in. "Welcome to my uh- place." Daniel remarked casually, his blue eyes glancing at her longingly. Hopefully she wouldn't be too put off by his apartment.

The place was large, with two bedrooms and one bathroom. The living room was the first thing you saw, walking in. With warm colors, the living room and kitchen were painted a deep red with crimson trim. The halls were a creme colour with crimson trim, and his bedroom was a nice dark ocean blue. Of course it was a little mix-matched, but Danny could call it home. He wandered over towards the kitchen, which was attached to the living room without a door. The carpet simply changed from red fiber, to white lenoleum tile. "This is embarassing but- I think I should give Mark the credit of making dinner, seeing as I still can't cook anything." He admitted openly, shrugging at her as he leaned against the counter near the two square plates. "I've got a few horror films, some comedy, and a big collection of action and suspense films we can watch. Or maybe we can just find something to do- whatever you're in th mood for." His voice was smooth and seductive, even if he didn't mean for it to be. Daniel stretched his arms across the edge of the counter, the muscles in his arms stretching like elastic chords beneath his skin. They lurked like dark shadows, ominous in the fact that Daniel had used them for other things besides the Uneven Bars at the Gym. No doubt he'd gotten into brawls when he was younger; but Daniel had never been the one twitching on the ground, he made sure of that. If there was one thing he hated most, it was being made into the victim. Daniel refused to ever become helpless again. Not after what he allowed his father to do.

"You're mom told my mom that you didn't fall getting that busted lip, you little pussy." Daniel was chewing his food quietly, walking on his way home, swallowing before he looked up at the kid talking to him. "I'm eating." He said, looking up at the opposing child- who had curly red hair and green eyes. The boy quirked a brow and crossed his arms over his chest. "Does your dad kick the shit out of you? Do you cry? Is that why you can't get a girlfriend?" His prebusecent voice was enough to drive Danny crazy- seeing as his own voice was in the process of changing. "Shut up. I'm eating." Annoyance was building up, now- and his eyes glanced back up at him between a mouthful of turkey and wonderbread. The warmth was still there, though it was fading quickly beneath the black and blue shiner collecting like a crescent beneath his right eye. "Tell me to shut up again." They were outside, and Danny was waiting for his mother to pick him up and take him to a Gymnastics practice. Daniel didn't say anything, he didn't even look up from his food. "That's what I thought. Besides, only faggots tumble with little girls in leotards." That was it, a fuse broke- and Daniel stood up calmly. He walked towards the trash can and threw his garbage away, turning around to look in the bright green eyes of the kid who was taunting him. Little piss-ant, decided to get right up in his face. He snapped, Daniel wrapped his hands around his throat and took him down like a linebacker would. Within mere seconds his fists were bloody and cracked, ragged flesh torn on his knuckles along with the broken skin on the other boys eye. A crazed look began to glow in his blue eyes. Those sky colored eyes were freezing, cooling into an antarctic wave that would never thaw. "Daniel! Daniel get off of him!" His mother was pulling on him now, and Danny swung his fist up one more time to let it collide with the boys eye. He felt bones crack beneath the force, shattering the fragile socket. The little boy lay unconscious on the ground- and the circle of children who were watching had grown silent. "Daniel! Listen to me! Stop!" Melody hugged her arms around her son, who was struggling hard to free his arms and wallop the boy into a pulp. "What is wrong with you?!" She turned him around and shook him until his neck flopped. "That is someone elses little boy!" She shook him again."He doesn't deserve it any more than you do!" The look in Daniels eyes had remained the same, cold- frozen solid. "What has your father done to you?"

Daniel never wanted Talullah to know that about him. That was the only thing he'd refused to tell her. He'd been expelled from school that year, for shattering the eye-socket of a thirteen year old boy. Luckily no charges were pressed- seeing as Melody and the boys mother were friends. Surely she could understand that the two of their sons had been in a scuffle; only Daniel had been more violent. The night he'd come home from court was the night he went to the hospital. Melody had gone out for some comfort food, leaving Danny with his father. He never remembered much about the attack in itself. Only waking up with a 6-inch scar in his side, and a swell the size of a grapefruit on the back of his head. The needles threading life into his viens, the broken ribs splintered in his chest. Daniel snapped out of the memory, looking at Talullah and smiling. She made it all go away, that was the power of her face, her lips- her touch. "Do you want to sit down with me and eat?" He found the words, finally- and easily enough they slid off of his tongue. The only talent Daniel posessed at the moment was the power to hide what he was thinking. That may just come in handy, tonight. Depending on where the mood went, Daniel wasn't sure whether he'd have Tal pinned against his bed, or whether she'd be cuddled up next to him. Granted, he wouldn't mind making love to her- but preferably he'd rather not use her that way- so early. The urge would always subliminally be there, but who knows where this night would lead. Stay in control.

[talullah jay simmons]

when all of my faith has gone
you bring it back to me
you make it real for me
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She tapped her fingers on her thighs, feeling the sweat starting to form but she
stubbornly rubbed it dry against her dress, refusing for any sort of those physical
reactions whenever she gets nervous. Damn it. Why was she feeling like so? It’s
just a dinner and just a movie. It was nothing more and nothing less. This is just
another dinner and a movie… with him. The guy who’s just simply amazing and
wonderful, the guy who abused her by taking her heart out without any prior
notice. She sighed, a tired and excited sigh at the same time. She waited for the
door to open, looking on either sides of the door in case if it had a bell-button for
her to press on. But there was none, and Daniel was taking an awfully long time.
So Talullah gently knocked on the door again, but a little bit harder than before,
just in case he didn’t hear her the first time. The door swung open slowly, and
Daniel stood in front of her, looking silently deadly and yet a little bit vulnerable
in a weird way. A smile formed on Talullah’s lips. He’s so cute, her little heart
whispered. It’s very true. Daniel always has this cute aura going on about him,
lingering on around, making her feel like she wanted to pinch his cheeks like she
always does to babies. That’s why she always calls him cutie, because he is,
without a doubt, cute. "Welcome to my uh- place," he said, interrupting her
thoughts, pulling the door further in so it widen big enough for her to enter. She
let out a small giggle, not knowing why she was in the first place. Finally, after she
had regained her conscious again, she sweetly said, “Thanks.”

She stepped into his ‘place’, the layers of her dress flowing with her like the waves
of the ocean. Except maybe this was fire, because of the color. The apartment was
rather spacious, when a person walked in the first thing that they would see is the
living room, then it turned into the kitchen, the dining area in between. The
colors were warm and inviting, she could see the visual of Daniel roaming about
his house, relaxed (or perhaps not), downing in the colors in his head. Any color
from the red family works as a headache-away agent, or so she read it somewhere
in a book. She loved the color red, especially crimson. It was surprising how her
dress matched the color of the living room wall. Haha. She must look like some
kind of a matching ornament in his house right now. "You’ve got an amazing
taste in home decoration,” Talullah said in astonishment, as she took
everything in. It was a perfect little hideaway. Daniel always loved seclusion,
being away from people. Lulu used to do that, preferring to hide rather than be in
the center of attention. But that was back when she was still a little kid. Now she’s
loud, and noisy, and most people wondered back when they were still in high
school, ‘How on Earth do they get together?’ Sometimes she would ponder the
same thing, he was quiet and dangerous, and she was just a big party person. The
implement of the proven science theory, opposites attract! But her silent trait will
re-appear whenever she’s with Daniel. It’s a difficult thing, this personality thing.
And sometimes when she mulls too long about it she’d go up against the wall.

“This is embarrassing but- I think I should give Mark the credit of
making dinner, seeing as I still can't cook anything," his wicked voice
penetrated her ear, breaking the silence in her head, leaning against a counter
near the table where the food was set upon. Talullah grinned, her translucent
white teeth swanking brilliantly in between her lips. She knew he wouldn’t be the
one to cook whatever they were having tonight, even though she did hope that he
would at least have learned something in the past four years. Obviously she was
proven wrong, but hey! It didn’t hurt to hope, right? "I've got a few horror
films, some comedy, and a big collection of action and suspense films
we can watch. Or maybe we can just find something to do- whatever
you're in the mood for," he spoke in his low and sensual tone, sending subtle
shivers against her skin, stretching, showing off his pure solid muscles he had
proudly earned, probably of his gymnastics stunts and various other stuff. She
eyed at it, biting her lower lip. He looks so sexy... Damn it, Talullah. Focus! her
conscious nagged harshly, making her snap back into reality. “You know I
don’t fancy those horror movies,” she admitted openly, her light blue eyes
fell on his strong face, making her feel safe… so secure... ” But I’ll be brave for
once and yeah, lets watch that,” she lied. She knew she was going to close
her eyes through the whole movie, but with Daniel around, maybe it would only
be halfway through. She wasn’t going to show him that she’s still a scared-y cat.

---

“No! Danny!” she shouted at him when he grabbed her arms and into the dark
room. They were at the cinemas, and Daniel had thought it would be fun to go
watch a movie. Oh yeah, Talullah had no problem with watching movies in the
dead dark. But it appears that he had already bought two movie tickets of a genre
that she hated with a gruesome passion. A horror movie. He pulled her further in,
until they reached the middle row and sat down on their seats. “We got lucky
this time,” Daniel whispered, a popcorn bucket in one hand. “Middle row
seats!” he added excitedly, though still whispering, already digging his hand in
the popcorns. She just sat quietly next to him, feeling very truly petrified. She
hated horror movies. Hate it. Hate it. Half of her wanted to scream at him right
then and there for dragging her into watching something she never agreed to. Her
fingers closed and opened anxiously. I hope something bad happens to the film. I
hope it won’t start. I hope, I hope. “DUNNN!” the opening song started, making
Talullah flinch. She hated sudden loud sounds. She was a ligyrophobic, but most
definitely, she hated horror films more than she hated sudden loud sounds. Through
the whole movie Talullah kept her eyes closed, gripping tight on her boyfriend’s
hand, unless Daniel told her it was okay to watch. But she never believed him,
because he would always say it during the scariest part. She could see herself
being laughed at after this damn movie ended. She muttered a silent curse, not at
Daniel for being a jerk, but at the person who invented such genre. Die, die, die.

---

"Do you want to sit down with me and eat?" Daniel said, probably he saw
her stare at nothing for quite a while, because he was smiling for some odd
reasons. Talullah smiled sweetly back at him, eyes looking at him, looking away
then looking back from the corner of her eyes, trying her best not to blush. Why
was she being so shy? It’s like this was her first time meeting him and having
dinner. Well technically speaking, it was, after four years. But this is different.
She knew him; she knew how he was like, well at least some part of him. This was
literally not her first time doing this with him, not her first time meeting him, not
her first time of whatever with him. And she was being timid? Such complications
the brain can do to you. “Yeah, I’d love to,” she answered, and let out another
soft giggle. Wow, she was sure giggling a lot tonight. If there was such a thing as
newspaper in Talullahville (a town she made up), the front paper headline would
probably be something like… Talullah - The Peculiar Giggling Girl. Daniel was
probably thinking the same thing as the headline. The thought made her go red in
the face. Yeah, she was definitely a dork tonight. Dork-face Talullah. That was
what she was. She looked down, so that Daniel couldn’t see her rolling her eyes
and mutter something silently at herself. She walked slowly towards the male, her
white high heels making gentle, almost inaudible beat whenever the surface hits
the ground, thanks to the rubber. She waited him to pull the seat for her, and sat
down once she felt the chair under her. She looked at the food in awe. “Gorgeous.”

[daniel benjiman stevens]

---

"You’ve got an amazing taste in home decoration,” Daniel had quirked an eyebrow at her when she'd said this- smirking halfly at her. If only she knew that his mother had decorated the place. He was never big on the feminine arts. Of course he liked the look and feel of his apartment, but that didn't mean he'd done it himself. A small chuckled escaped his lips, and he nodded. "My mom does.. heh." He replied, his blue eyes glancing back at her cooly. She was so cute. All she was doing was grinning like a fool and giggling consistantly. Daniel ran a hand through his hair, his heart beating against his chest softly, thronging a soft hum in his ribcage. When he leaned against the counter, stretching his arms against the edge, her eyes wandered. What was that? A wicked smile spread across his face. This could be entertaining... He thought to himself, looking down at the tile and then back up at Tal, who seemed to be trying to regain some form of focus. Silly little thing, that she was. Danny reached up to run his hand over his jaw and then up and behind his neck. Just by the way she'd been looking at him made his mind wander to the dirtier side of things.

“You know I don’t fancy those horror movies, But I’ll be brave for
once and yeah, lets watch that." This was a trick that alot of girls used. Only, Talullah was using it because she knew that she was easily scared. She wanted to get close to him, and this made Daniel smile again. No doubt she'd be squirming against his ribcage, trying to squirm under his arm in an effort to hide from her own fright. He knew this mainly because he'd had it done to him several times before. Daniel didn't particularly love horror, but the suspense was always something he'd enjoyed. Kitty had been the exact opposite. So of course he let out an amused laugh at her words, cocking a brow at her and leaning against the counter, crossing one leg in front of the other casually. "Alright, we can watch the Hills Have Eyes 2...I've heard it'll scare you shitless." Secretly, Danny had already seen the film- but part of him wanted to initiate the idea of her snuggling up to him. It was a warming thought; and he'd get away with it if he tried hard enough. Sometimes Daniel surprised himself with his own thoughts- partially amused by the devious moments that lurked in his brain. Oh, what tangled webs he'd weave!

"You're an asshole, Daniel Benjiman!" Tal was pulling against her boyfriends strong hold- the dark was surrounding her; panic was settling in. "Kitty, come on- it's just a movie!" He had her in the seat next to him within seconds, and the film flashed in front of their eyes. "I hate these kinds of movies, you know that!" She whispered furiously at him. Moments later, a scream erupted from the speakers in the theatre, sending Daniel's frightened girlfriend against his chest- her blonde hair tousled about his collarbone and abdomen. "Tal- come on, it's not even that bad." The girl looked up at the screen, to see the spray of blood and fleshy debris fly out onto a wall in the room where a brutal murder was taking place. "You jerk! You big..mean..asshole!" She was whispering at him harshly, and Daniel had this satisfied smirk on his face, the screen illuminating his boyish features. She was still babbling after a good two minutes, her blue eyes narrowed at him furiously. "Shhh." He hissed at her playfully. "Don't shhh me! You drag me into this scary-" Daniel pulled her head closer and hooked his lips into hers softly, and his heart rose a little as she relaxed against his arms. Wowza.

Daniel could be an asshole to Tal back then, using conniving pranks to get her into bed- or to kiss him. Of course he'd only be messing around, but when they were younger; Kitty had taken things a tad more seriously. “Yeah, I’d love to,” She snapped him out of his brilliant reminiscence. Right. The food. He pulled the two plates off the counter and set them on the table, feeling a little feminine over the whole ordeal. It made him want to boast about football and all of those manly things. However, he held his tongue, pulling a chair out for her and smiling when she sat down. Her thin body relaxed against the wooden chair, and she looked at him with that heart-stopping smile. Her eyes went to the food, and Daniel smiled at her next word. “Gorgeous.” He nodded, sitting down across from her and taking up the fork he'd set there. "Yea, Mark cooks like a professional- makes me wonder why he even bothers being a lawyer. He's never made my mom eat a TV dinner since she married him. Always home-cooked meals, there." Daniel looked down at his plate and forked a slice of the chicken. In his mouth, it was like a burst of crunchy citrus and chicken flavor. He looked down at the plate and smiled boyishly. Hopefully she'd like it too. "Don't ask me what it is, I honestly don't know." He laughed, chewing inbetween conversation and managing that same quirky grin.

He'd finished his dinner within a few minutes. Being a gymnast, Daniel had learned to eat quickly so as to make it to the Gymnasium and work out before lunch, or class. He looked over at the young woman across from him. Dear God. Daniels lips pursed open just a little, and for a minute he looked dazed. Shaking his head, Daniel withdrew from the table, stepping into the kitchen to rinse his plate and look back at her. "I'm uh- sorry about the whole thing...on the Eye- I guess I let my emotions get the better of me." He looked into the sink and turned the spout off, turning to look at her as he dried his hands off. Why was he apologizing? Daniel didn't feel bad at all for what he'd done! She'd been teasing him, twisting his nerves and sending him into a sexual frenzy. So why feel bad? Daniel sighed softly, smiling at her with a knowing expression on his face. "It's hard to keep your hands off someone, when you've missed them for four years- and then they jump into your life and send you into a proverbial backhole." He leaned against the counter, looking off for a second. "You look really incredible right now, it's hard to look at you without feeling like I'm reeling in my shoes." He admitted that, pressing his lips together with the severe urge to rip her out of the chair and send her over his couch, and onto the cushions- pinned beneath his muscled frame. Damn! You can't blame him for being a man.

[talullah jay simmons]

when i’m not sure of
my priorities
when i’ve lost sight of
of where i’m meant to be
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"My mom does.. heh." Hah. No wonder his apartment feels a little bit more
welcoming than those other guy’s house she had been into. Theirs was either full
of food packages, rubbish, booze bottles, ‘ew, is that a rat in the pizza box?’ thing,
dirty clothes and underwear, and tons of other stuff that can put a girl off. That or
it’s pretty much gay. Talullah just shook her head in amusement, both at his
words and at her own thoughts. Sub-consciously she fingered the dining chair
back and forth, feeling its texture against her skin. His mom was pretty much like
her aunt (who she had taken to call mother now and then), only she was much
more energetic. Her aunt was more to the… I’m-always-worried-about-my-child-
so-I-always-nag-at-her type. Whenever she went to his house, she would welcome
her with open arms, and Talullah always managed to look dumb, being so quiet
when in fact she was the total contradictory. She liked his mom, no -- scratch
that. She loved his mom, in a non-lesbian way, like she loves her aunt. Mrs.
Stevens is definitely the type of mother Lulu wished to have or to be (one day).
Perky, fun, warm. She never saw anything bad coming from her, but she knew
pretty much all mothers always have faults to their kids here and there, whether
they did it on purpose or not. She prayed a silent prayer that Daniel wouldn’t be
telling her about what his mother had done badly to him, though she doubted
that. It would really ruin the 'seems to be a perfect' night. He hardly confesses to
her unless she asked him properly in some strange and special way.

He was threatening her, mutely. The way he was stretching and reaching and
running a hand through his hair was making her swallow nothing. Her throat was
dry and looking at him like that is just a step to make her form saliva. But she
managed to gain a little bit of self control before she does something so stupid,
like walk up to him and just kiss him on the lips, and before dinner! He’s sacred,
idiot. Don’t touch him, the voice came back again, being a persistent bothersome
to her. Alright. For once she was going to follow its advice and let things be put in
play instead of fast forward. She saw him snicker, for the hundredth time tonight.
What was making him so amused? Was it her? Why? What did she do? Or say?
Did he know her dirty little trick to get closer to him? Well of course he knows!
It’s so obvious, and so typical. "- the Hills Have Eyes 2… I've heard it'll
scare you shitless." Wait, wait -- what?! She watched that movie before; she
was so scared that she almost peed in her pajama pants. Aunt Marie always
thought by watching more of that stuff that you fear you wouldn’t fear it anymore.
It’s true, but the Devil knows how to toy with her little mind, making her more
afraid than braver. So on every Saturday night they would watch a scary movie, or
watch anything terrifying to ‘help’ Talullah get over her dread. But every time she
sees a scary movie, she would get nightmares, unless she was sleeping with
someone and hugged her. Usually after the story ended, Talullah would sleep in
her aunt’s room instead of hers, feeling safe in the elder woman’s arms. Yeah, she
was a little kid, so? She never had a real mother that would hug her securely.

Talullah’s eyes widen and narrowed, for a few seconds a look of alarmed fell on
her face but she quickly hid her expression. Oh yeah, she’s done for. There’s no
doubt he was going to have things his way tonight. She was in his turf, and there’s
no way she was going to get out of there now. No, she wasn’t going to say it. She
wasn’t going to retort something smart back at him, telling him that she wasn’t
scared cause she had seen the movie when in fact she was already terrified just
hearing the name of the movie. The hills have eyes... riiight. She hoped that
whatever nearby hill won’t be watching her right now. Okay, now she is just
freaking herself out. Once they were settled down Daniel started to say, "Yea,
Mark cooks like a professional- makes me wonder why he even
bothers being a lawyer. He's never made my mom eat a TV dinner
since she married him. Always home-cooked meals, there." Talullah
nodded in agreement. Mark was one awesome dad. A lawyer, a husband, a great
father, aaand he cooks! The old man sounds so romantic. Daniel must be proud
to have a step-father like Mark. Mark was humorous; it was always entertaining
whenever she sits with the Stevens family. Mark and Daniel was a double danger.
She can never have dry gum whenever she sits with them; their behavior together
was always comical, everything that they said and do was always funny, giving
her a stomach ache because she would try to hold back her laugh so hard until
she couldn’t anymore and laugh together with them. Good times, good times.

"Don't ask me what it is, I honestly don't know." What was he? Psychic?
She was about to ask him what it was when her taste buds sensed the tang and
savors the ‘out of this world’ flavor. She could feel a lot of stuff in it, and it was all
oh so very yummy. The taste was pleasing; she would marry the food if it was a
living human. “That sounds nice. The part about Mark, I mean. And thank your
father for me for this wonderful dish. Honestly… I’ve never tasted anything
like it!” Talullah said excitedly with a cute smile, after carefully swallowing her
food. She wasn’t much of an eater, but once she liked something she would finish
it. Plus, it would be rude to not finish her dish. She ate quickly and silently, but
Daniel had finished his plate before her. When she was about done, he stood up
and picked up his empty dish and stepped to the sink, washing it clean. "I'm uh-
sorry about the whole thing...on the Eye- I guess I let my emotions
get the better of me," he said, looking at her, who was looking at him, still
chewing slowly, mouth closed, on the last piece of food. Her face turned from
curious to simply quizzically. "It's hard to keep your hands off someone,
when you've missed them for four years- and then they jump into
your life and send you into a proverbial black hole.” he paused, looking
away for a second then continued, “You look really incredible right now;
it's hard to look at you without feeling like I'm reeling in my shoes."
She swallowed hard, turning her glance away from him and back onto the plate.

It was empty. Her brain was empty. She didn’t know what to think, what to say.
Was her dress that revealing? She looked down at her dress, unconsciously she
was making circles with the fork that she held in her hand. Sure it was slightly see
through, but the white legging covered whatever she didn’t want people to see.
What she didn’t want Daniel to see, it was still so early. She pushed her chair
noiselessly away from the table, grabbing the plate, and washed it carefully in the
basin after turning the tap on slowly till she felt the water was hard enough to
wash the plate. “There’s no need to be sorry, really. I guess that happens
after four years. And when someone is this hot,” she said jokingly, posing
playfully like a wannabe model after she put down the dish on the drier, laughing
at herself. Talullah Simmons. Hot? That’s pretty funny. “Well then, you better
turn on the movie, if you feel threatened by my attire,” she said again,
still laughing. Truth be told, she didn’t know what she wanted to make him feel
at the moment, or tonight, as a matter of fact. She wanted to take things slow and
easy, not be dragged immediately into sex when it’s been four long years. Yeah,
she felt exactly the same way as him. She wanted to be under him, feel his skin
brush against hers, feeling hopelessly helpless, and satisfaction, and out of harm's
way. But she could tell that tonight is going to be a long night, and they haven’t
even started watching the movie yet! Why rush into things when you can take all
the time you have and enjoy a lovely night cuddling with each other, right? Right.

[daniel benjiman stevens]

---

"That sounds nice. The part about Mark, I mean. And thank your
father for me for this wonderful dish. Honestly… I’ve never tasted anything like it!" Daniel smiled, looking down at the basin, his dish rinsed and mostly clean. He left it there, then; turning to watch her as she brought her plate up, too. To think, he was sweating this whole thing out up until the moment she came here! Tal was basically the same as she'd always been- so why did Danny feel like he was the one who had changed? He was more vulnerable towards her, softer and just the much more exposed. It was because Kitty had had it in for him four years ago. She'd already nuzzled into his heart, it was only until he'd recently found her again; that he realized she was still there. Still snuggled up against a main atrium, still stealing the warmth of his heart and leaving him powerless to stop her. Alright, so Daniel became the epitome of 'pussy-whipped' when he fell for a girl. Part of him didn't want that again. He loved his lifestyle with Matvei and Chaz! He liked getting out to a club and getting completely plastered, bouncing in a crowd of incredibly young girls- naive and ready for a wile ride in his Jeep Wrangler. What would it be like, now? Would Chaz and Matt tease him for it? Matty definitely would, that was just his nature. Chaz would probably fuck around a little, but he knew everyone would see him as nothing but a naive little slave. Indeed, that was what he became. "I'll let him know." Danny said through a quiet chuckle, looking at her with that stupid grin on his face. What was he doing? Trying to blind her with his chompers?!

"There’s no need to be sorry, really. I guess that happens
after four years. And when someone is this hot. Well then, you better
turn on the movie, if you feel threatened by my attire,” Daniel laughed, his head tipping upward as his eyes slitted into horizontal crescents. "Ahaha, right." He slapped his hands down on his thighs, walking towards the living room. He reached back to grab her wrist and pull her along into the living room. So he was a little posessive, but it was all worth it- seeing as all Daniel usually wanted was a little company. The Large flat screen was mounted on the wall, compliments of his mother and Mark. When you had bored, rich parents- you tended to get alot of gifts. Daniel was a spoiled brat, but in a way he'd gone through enough, his mother had felt so beholden to him the night she took him to the hospital. Of course, Danny never asked for anything; his mother simply insisted, and he never had the heart to turn her down. She was always thinking of ways to make things easier on her son. Which was both a good and bad thing, seeing as Daniel needed to learn to take care of himself. He was twenty-one for crying out loud! He reached up to press the 'power' button on the television set, bending down towards the DVD cabinet, pulling out the unrated video and shoving it into the player. He flopped onto the couch, grabbed Tal from around the waist and dragging her down onto the couch, playfully.

The old Denali peeled out of the driveway, the woman frantic to get towards the nearest hospital. No way in hell she was going to wait for an ambulance to come and pick up her baby- no way. Melody Stevens cocked her head towards the crumpled boy lying on the passenger seat. She'd taken a warm towel and placed it under his head. That once bleach-white towel was now soaked in sticky crimson blood. She was crying, bleary-eyes watching the road carefully. He wasn't moving, why wasn't he moving!? Melody reached her hand over and put it on her sons shoulder, rubbing it softly in order to attempt at rousing him. "Danny-boy, wake up honey. Please stay awake." Her voice was quivering, even though she was trying to keep her cool. No use in putting the boy into a panic. "....I'm fine mom." His voice was nearly inadubile, and Melody had to strain in order to hear him. "No baby, stay awake. You'll be fine soon, honey. I promise." His breath was laboured, and Melody was relieved to hear the struggled weeze, despite how much it scared her.

Two hours later, Daniel peeked through a fogged gaze to look into the eyes of his mother. His head was panging, burning at back. He reached up to touch it, wincing. "No baby, come here." Melody grabbed his hand, and the boy flinched. "Hold my hand Danny." He could tell that his mother had been crying, her face was streaked with tear-trails. Her mascara was stretched all the way down her chin. "Mom..." He paused, it hurt to smile- but he did anyway. Melody choked, sobbed, clutched his hand. "Yea, hun." She pressed her lips together and leaned against his bed, lacing her fingers in his softly. "Stop crying." It was almost a demand, when really Danny was on the verge of crying, too. The way he saw his mother splitting apart was killing him. "You're going to make me cry." His voice hitched, and he coughed to hide it, his eyes glancing off to the side momentarily, so as to conceal the glossy layer over his blue gaze. "I don't think I can." She forced a morbid laugh, smiling softly and letting her eyes draw downward. Her son was a massacre, his face was swelled. His eyes were practically swollen shut. David had completely ravaged her little boy. Bright yellow and purple welts decorated his collar bone, throat, and face. He was practically unrecognizable! That little angel Melody had given birth to, had been buried beneath battered flesh and bone. "I'm sorry mom." The woman burst out a hitched whimper, and she shook her head. "No, baby don't-" "I am." He repeated it, his eyes were cold, a ferocity in his fragile state. "For what?" She blew her nose on a tissue, tossing it into the trash and running a hand through her hair. "I forgot to tell you I loved you today." He smiled, and the woman looked at him with a dumbstruck expression on her face. "Daniel Benjiman, you are a clueless little thing." She stood up and leaned over the bed, hugging her sons fragile shoulders. "I love you, baby." Despite all of the IV's and wires running along his body- Daniel reached up to grasp his mothers shirt, burying his face into her chest and then finally; he broke down and cried.

When Danny snapped back from the memory, a scream had erupted from the screen- flashes of light and sprays of blood illuminating his apartment living room. Damn.. His mind chuckled as his eyes lingered over the image, reclining casually against the couch and sighing in utter satisfaction. What had happened in the past didn't matter right now. What did matter was the fact that within moments- he was going to have one of the most beautiful women at Rutherford cuddled up next to him because of her fear of horror films. It was pleasant, almost too good to be true. In fact, Daniel was secretly nervous that in any minute something would go wrong. Slowly, he glanced over at her, quirking a brow as a small smile appeared on his face. "You alright, cutie?" He asked, reaching his arms up to rest them on the top of the couch, looking at the screen atttentively. Ahh yes, this was going to be a great night- despite what might happen after the movie finished. Nothing could break his mood, he was fucking ecstatic.

[talullah jay simmons]

like holy water
washing over me
you make it real for me
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'll let him know." Tal had half the heart to reach her hands up and touch his
smooth, probably recently shaven, face. The way he was smiling, boasting off his
perfectly arranged teeth, it was making her melt inside like an ice cream on a
Summer afternoon. She traced invisibly every single lines and details that formed
on his face with her eyes, finally falling to his lips. Abruptly she looked away,
drying her hands off to hide her feelings but he had already gripped her by the
wrist and dragged her to the chair that sat facing the flat screen TV, which was
gleaming proudly and impatiently to show off its amazing abilities. Talullah
couldn’t do anything but oblige the strong pull, completely caught off her guard.
She was standing like a fool, not knowing what to do as Daniel set everything up
and took her by the hips to sit down. He was like a father, holding on to her like a
child preciously. But she let herself fall gracefully next to him, seeing as there was
nothing else she could do to make her look at least like she was ready for, well…
anything. The movie started, flashing deep and dark colors, there was barely any
colors in the first place anyway. She braced herself, wishing she hadn’t agreed to
watch these sorts of flicks. Really, what’s gotten into her? She could have bluntly
said no when he suggested watching a horror movie and said yes to the other
genres. Stupid, idiotic fool who has no brain monkey, she scolds herself. You just
couldn’t wait to fly back into his arms, can you? She stared blankly at the TV,
until a scream exploded from the sound system, making her flinch.

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, she prayed silently, her feet pushing on the
ground, making her body to dig in further into the couch, her teeth shut tightly
together, wanting to hold back a whimper when the scene started to get a lot
more suspense. Slowly she raised her hand up to her face in front of her eyes and
separated the fingers that blocked her view and shut them again when she saw
the ghost, or whatever it is. She glanced at Daniel, who seem to be glued to his
position, staring at the TV. It was like he was there, but his mind was somewhere
else. What was he thinking? His eyes were empty. Is he… is he like possessed or
somewhat? No, stop thinking like that. She looked back at the television, hands
still up on her clearly terrified face, until Daniel suddenly voiced out during
another scream, “You alright, cutie?” making her cringe. Oh yeah, I’m fucking
‘great’. Talullah looked at him with raised eyebrows, giving him a - ‘I think you
already know how I feel’ look. She couldn’t bare this. Another scream and she’d
be squirming, begging him to hold her close in his arms. She laid her head down
on his chest. This is awful. It wasn’t even halfway through the movie and already
she was showing signs of desperation. Not good, definitely not good. “Hm…
yeah, I’m fine,” she lied again, looking away from his face, her voice sounding a
little more casual than the last time. She knew Daniel would probably already go
Tarzan inside him, roaring triumphantly, beating his fists against his chests,
because his Jane had finally reclined herself right into his arms, with no effort.

“My leg's asleep,” the guy called Mickey had said; when she started to pay a
little attention to what was happening to the movie. “Ha. Your dick’s asleep!”
his friend Crank answered, making Talullah smile. Good sense of humor there.
“Wanna wake it up?” Mickey answered back, making a giggle escape her lips.
She wondered where the people get such idea that she was a tiny innocent thing.
Her mind was definitely contaminated with dirty things, but not to the level
where you can call her as the girl who gets orgasm every single minute. Even her
aunt sometimes, okay no, always chides her to keep her knowledge to herself.
Heck, even before she came she had told her aunt that she might not come back
home that night because of some stuff that she may or may not do with Daniel,
without telling it flat out like, “I may have sex with him tonight. So don’t
wait up for me.” Hah. Not only would her aunt would be stuck in a mortified
expression for at least a good five minutes, but she would lock her in her room for
days, like she was some sort of a grounded teenager. Aunt Marie Elizabeth was
definitely a protective woman over her child; she would do anything to keep her
babies away from those adult things. But Talullah was already twenty one! She
wasn’t an underage girl, she was old enough to make her own decision and in
fact, she was old enough to marry a man. Honestly, she was going to have
intercourse sooner or later. Her aunt can’t keep her away from stuff like that as if
the thing didn’t exist. Her aunt amuses her so much with everything she does.

She remembered the first time in the morning when she woke up, finding herself
on a bed beside a male, Daniel, the only guy she had found worthy to give it up
for. Feeling his warm body heating up hers that was shivering cold like she had
just swam in the Antarctic Ocean. After the day she had left Daniel’s house for the
last time till today, she had never ever had done it again with anyone else. The
memory was still so much alive in the back of her mind, at times taunting her to
do it with other people, telling her how satisfying it would feel, how it would
make her get over him, but she could never do it. She didn’t have the guts in her
to do it again with another male. She couldn’t picture some other being to be the
one entering her body besides him. She felt like she would be cheating on him.
She felt so many things; some different feelings would come at the same time,
crafting a basket of self-destruction in her tiny heart, and when the weaving
was done it would antagonize her, make her toss and turn in her bed during the
middle of the night, screaming, talking to herself, crying. And her aunt would
come running into her room, asking what was wrong and Talullah would tell her
that she loves him. That she wanted to go back to his house and knock on the
front door and apologize, and apologize, and apologize… She would kneel if she
had to just to get his forgiveness for leaving him without notice. Without saying
anything, without saying goodbye, saying nothing. The thought made her suck in
a long and a deep, deep breath, holding it till she had to suck in another one.

She unlaced the lacing of her shoes, and took them off so she could put her feet
up. She was cold. “Daniel?” Talullah called, her voice small though still visible.
She waited for him to answer. She wanted to ask if… if- well. If he still loves her.
She found herself started to say again, “I was wondering…” She stopped, to
look at him, searching an answer for her silent question. No, dufus. Don’t ask
anything stupid. Don’t. She decided against it. It was still too early to ask him
that. She might just scare him away. “Uh… where’s the bathroom?” Slowly
she let out a relieved sigh, thankful that she didn’t ask him the question. She
wasn’t ready. She wasn’t anywhere near ready to hear his answer. She was scared
she would hear something that she didn’t want to hear coming out from him,
ending her up in the Disappointed Land. She had basically given him her answer
silently; (if he was asking in the first place) that she loved him. She always has,
always will. He probably would say that he loved her too, but she just wanted to
make sure if her guess was right. I mean, in the period of four years, you could
have somebody else to fall in love with. Maybe he had someone else, and that she
was just a plaything to him. It wasn’t possible, for him to play her. But it wasn’t
impossible either. She trusted him. If he said no, she would obviously feel glad,
even if he was lying. Hell, she was sure full of doubts tonight. She looked back
again at the television, her feet down the couch, but she wasn’t focusing at it or
the scary picture that was playing, no matter how deeply scared she was inside.

[daniel benjiman stevens]

---

“Hm…yeah, I’m fine,” Immediately Daniel knew Tal was lying. He could see that worried look in her eyes. Of course she was trying to play it off like it didn't bother her, when really she was scared stiff. Danny shifted to get comfortable, his eyes watching the screen attentively. Part of him was amused by her courage, she looked like she was trying so hard to remain in her poker-face. The screen flickered, revealing a scene with brain matter and blood-streaked entrails dragging along the dusty desert. This intrigued Danny. He wreaked of violence, he breathed it in; adored it. Blame it on his upbringing, Danny just love blood and guts. Tal however, looked as if she were shaking in her tight red dress. He cocked his head towards her to watch as she pulled her feet up under her. She must be cold! A part of him wished he hadn't put in the video; he should have known she scared easily. I guess the idea of her cuddling up on him seemed like a good idea at the time. "Here...let me get you a blanket..." Daniel reached behind the couch, his arm extending quietly to grab at a warm quilt that his mother had given him. He had it in his grasp when he heart nearly stopped.

She was leaning against him, pressing her head against his chest. Instantly, his heart sped up, beating as if he might go into cardiac arrest. Oh God...Oh God... He paused there, looking at her curiously, the blanket still clutched in his hand. Danny didn't move, he didn't say much, he only let out a slightly baffled gasp. Something flickered in him, a fright. His heart beat faster. Could she hear it? Surely she could hear his heart beating wildly, hammering against his once broken ribcage and into the ear she had pressed against him. Just give her the blanket...Danny. His mind was trying to soothe the wild hammering in his chest, as he took in a calm breath. The look on his face read completely placid- while the inside she was turning his organs into whirlwinds. His blue eyes narrowed calmly, looking at the screen as another shriek erupted. Surprisingly, he didn't care for the film- he just wanted to cradle Tal in his arms and fall asleep with her. Call that overly sensitive, but that was how he felt at the moment. His fingers curled into the blanket, and he pulled it down to wrap it around her as she leaned against his chest. Instinctively, Daniel put his arm around her, the stength in his biceps forcing a posessive clutch around her thin waist. "You sure you're okay?"

Daniel shifted in his sleep, blinking his eyes open when he realized that he hadn't been sleeping alone. Abruptly, he sat up. Being 17, Danny hadn't become the womanizer he is today. Turning his head, his face softened at the familiar face of the sleeping beauty who had been curled up against his warmth. Kitty... Slowly, he reclined back onto his bed, blinking his bleary eyes and turning towards her. He was shirtless, though he knew he was wearing his boxers. She was sleeping comofortably in his Gray T-shirt, which was huge on her; much like a night-gown. He drew one of his arms over her waist, listening to her quiet breathing. His other hand reached out to brush a strand of blonde hair out of her face. A sense of incredible pride swept over him. He actually had enough good in him to attract this beautiful angel. This lovely, breath-taking damsel lying next to him in bed. She was so quiet, fragile. He loved it. He loved her soft skin, her long hair. Those bright eyes... He drew closer to her and closed his icy gaze, taking in a relaxed breath. What had happened in the past didn't matter back then. Danny had just woken up to the most gorgeous face in New York city, and possible the entire world. Talullah- he wanted that morning to last forever. The way the dawn seemed to cast this brilliant light on her face; he felt like he was sleeping on Cloud 9.

That had been a great time. Daniel realized that much. Now he was in the same situation; that same pride surging in his veins like ecstacy. The video flashed, and Danny blinked. This had to end- he was scaring her shitless. Slowly, he reached for the remote, and pressed the disc exchange button. The DVD's in the player shifted, switching to the comedy 'Click'. Something more homely, cozy to watch. "I don't want you to have nightmares." Danny said simply, looking at her as his fingers curled into the quilt covering her thin body. "Everything you feel shows up on your face." Danny smiled, his eyes narrowing at her. Despite how friendly he wanted to be, or how happy he was- there was no shaking that icy glow in his eyes. He'd lost all of the warmth at the age of 13. There was no regaining that. Even with Tallulah, she'd have to understand that his gaze would always seem threatening. Of course they were entrancing. But Tal's eyes had a spontaneous warmth to them. Daniel wanted that warmth. He wanted to gain that kind of cozy look back. Instead, he was stuck with the figurative glance of someone who'd just been released from prison. There was something hypnotic and unforgiving in his eyes; a untold story that should have been left unsaid. Awkwardly, he tried to force some kind of compassion into his glance, but it was all in vain. Danny swore to himself mentally, and regained himself after a flicker of nervousness.

Daniel didn't realize that he was drifting towards her, he wanted to extend so far as to press a kiss to her forehead, at least. He caught himself drowning in her big blue eyes, and cleared his throat, pulling away and turning towards the movie. Don't rush. Relax. His mind soothed. "I like this movie, it's not so violent." He murmured to her, smiling boyishly and reclining back into his previous position. Daniel didn't want to rush Tal into a kiss. He didn't want to push her into an affection. He wanted her to come to him- wanted her to want what he wanted. Of course he'd never say so, but men were always somewhat secretive about their emotions. He ran his free hand through his hair, sighing softly and slouching into his regular posture. Of course it was horrible, but he felt comfortable with his back curled into the couch, his legs spread open as he let one arm rest around Tals waist; the other at the top of the couch. "Warmer?" He asked, trying to take his mind off of her lips. Trying to distract himself from her beautiful eyes. Daniel knew that if he looked at them again, there would be no telling how long he'd be lost in them. Drowning in that endless blue, searching for the surface fruitlessly.


Even though Daniel loved Talullah; he would never admit that he still did. Even with the pain pressing against his chest. He wanted to just blurt it out; get it over with. Everything inside of him restrained such a feat however. And if he ever tried, Danny knew he'd stumble all over his words. He never was much of an emotional speaker. He found it hard to explain his heart, found it hard to admit to actually 'loving' someone. Danny had never sat down with Tal and explained the depth of his care for her. Instead he showed it through his actions. Little butterfly kisses, holding her hand, buying her gifts, giving her his jacket, making love. Of course he said 'I love you', but it never had the same depth that his actual physical expressions had. "I was wondering…" Danny snapped out of it, looking at her suddenly as she spoke. What was she going to say? Kitty looked as if she were trying to choose her words carefully. Instead it looked like she'd given up, and chose something else to say, instead. "Uh… where’s the bathroom?" Of course- he'd get himself all worked up over her requst to use the bathroom. And here he was getting the vibe that she was going to say something mind-blowingly incredible! "Oh, yea! Um- just go down that hall, it's the first door on your left."

[talullah jay simmons]

and i'm running to you baby
you are the only who saved me
that’s why i’ve been missing you lately
cause you make it real for me
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daniel had kept surprising her with all his tiny caring actions. Just as when she
thought he wouldn’t do anything further than just talk or smile, he went on ahead
and completely proved her wrong. "Here...let me get you a blanket..." he
said as he reached to grab a quilt nearby, when she slowly started to lean against
his powerful chest. She couldn’t say anything at all, she was scared she might say
something wrong, like she always does to other people when really she never
meant it in the slightest bit. She closed her eyes; the sound from the movie was
automatically shut off in her brain except for his heartbeat. She could hear it, fast
and uncontrolled like he was starting to lose his breath. Did she do that? She was
feeling cold; but definitely surprised at the same time when he wrapped the cloth
around her so she could stay warm and then cuddled her safe in his arms. Oh
dear… her heart whispered in panic when she felt the butterfly feeling came
fluttering back again in her stomach. "You sure you're okay?" Her lips curved
into a satisfied smile and after a few moments and then let out a nervous chuckle.
“I am now,” she spoke, her blue eyes still closed, taking a deep breath in as her
body started to relax. She could stay like that with him forever, hearing him
inhaling and then exhaling, trying to match his beating heart with hers. It may be
just her, but she knew Daniel felt the exact same thing as she does at the moment.
The movie was playing, she could hear the scary sounds but it was far off in the
back of her mind. It didn’t matter to her anymore. What did was right now.

---

“Hey…” Talullah heard him say, her drowsy eyes blinking slowly to focus on the
person who greeted her so early in the morning as the male pushed a lock of hair
away behind her head, and smiled. Her eyes narrowed, a certain, indescribable
happy feeling came surging into her entire body like a harsh current of a river for
the first time. The nippy air bit her exposed cheek, sending the tiny hairs to stand
up but the guy was quick to pull her petite figure closer to him with his arms and
felt his skin brush against her legs as his settled on top of it, immediately he was
providing great warmth so that she wouldn’t die of cold. Daniel. A charming guy
whom everybody stayed away from, the guy who ended up being the one who
took the virgin title away from her. The only guy she found worthy to do it with.
She closed her eyes, breathing in slowly and opened it again as she exhaled. Lulu
grabbed the sheet and pulls it over her mouth, for fear she had a bad morning
breath that might ruin the perfect moment. “Hi…” she answered him back, and
giggled, her eyes narrowing to close but the piercing blues was still visible as she
looked into his eyes. Oh God… such icy waters. Looking at the baby blue eyes was
like swimming in the stranded ocean on an afternoon of a hot day with nowhere
to go, no land in sight, no direction, and without realizing that sharks was circling
you. She kept staring, finding herself lost, sucking in a deep breath at the same
time he did. “Kitty… I- uh.” Don’t say it, please. Daniel pulled her body closer
against his warm chest; both their hearts were speeding up like hurricanes.

It was as if he could read her mind, he didn’t say anything further. For a moment
there he hesitated, but a brief while later his fingers slid down on her jaw line and
pulled her chin up. Both of them were speechless, they both knew where this was
going. He was going to plunge her into a deep kiss. A kiss so deep she couldn’t
squirm herself out of it even if her brain urged herself frantically. She didn’t want
to. Two pairs of blue gaze fell into one another, the sound of their exchanging
breaths and heartbeat was the only thing audible to their ears. Daniel slid his
hand behind to where her neck and head meet, holding it fragile in his powerful
grip. Slowly he drew closer, and their lips locked in a great embrace. Talullah felt
her stomach turn, her knees getting weaker and weaker; Daniel’s hands then find
themselves to clutch possessively at her back, her breasts pressing hard on his
torso, his legs twined strongly with hers in between. Her body could barely move
at all, he was suffocating her, she was longing for more. She returned his kiss,
both their lips parted and nibbled tenderly with each other as her hands move up
to the back of his head, playing her fingers with the dark brown mane. Suddenly
he stopped to turn her over so she would be underneath him, pinned in between
his frames. He looked at her like a lion, a proud boyish smirk clearly spread
across his pretty little face. She could tell what he was thinking; she was up for it
again. He leaned closer to plant another kiss, his other hand pulling the sheet up
above him, sheltering her and the male from any curious prying eyes. Dear Lord.

---

"I don't want you to have nightmares. Everything you feel shows up
on your face." Already the television was playing another movie when Talullah
peaked at it. Had she been dreaming? Oh dear, did she fell asleep? The memory
was still so lucid in her; no, she had to snap out of it. Wait… really? Was what she
was feeling plainly visible to him? Her eyes widen, obviously horrified. Tell me
you’re joking Danny. Please. He couldn’t really be able to read whatever she was
thinking can he? She tried to relax and shake the disturbing thought away from
inside her mind, but she couldn’t. "I like this movie, it's not so violent." She
kept quiet or whatever she says would sound so squeaky. Hearing his voice was
enough to give her a heart attack. “Warmer?” She nodded her head slowly, still
refusing to look at him. But she didn’t know why, or how when she suddenly lift
her head up to turn to look at him, to ask something that was a little desperate,
but asked for the bathroom instead. "Oh, yea! Um- just go down that hall,
it's the first door on your left." She smiled weakly, understood his plain
direction and slowly withdraws from him as she stood up on tiptoes and headed
towards the bathroom. She didn’t really care if the floor was dirty. Really, she
couldn’t be bothered to wearing her painfully-to-be-wear high heels again. As she
pushed the door open, the smell of soap and shampoo and all the manly stuff felt
stimulating. She looked around the bathroom, it was like the rest of his house, it
had a faint womanly touch to it, and she absolutely loved the feeling.

She gently shut the bathroom door close, tiptoeing to the washbasin and opened
the tap so that the water would flow out, rubbing at her face furiously as she felt
the coldness and looked at the mirror, turning off the spout. Water dripped down
off her chin, falling down to the surface beneath it. She sighed heavily, she felt
like she wanted to scream her lungs off. It was maddening, she hated being so
flabbergasted. She just wanted to tell him what she felt at the moment, what she
wanted but every time she opened her mouth to say it, she always end up saying
something else. She clutched the side of the counter like she needed to break it
down, but let’s face it. Who on earth could destroy a few inch thick hard concrete
and an additional to that, was covered up with tile? She glared at the reflection in
the mirror, a pair of piercing blue eyes glared menacingly back, threatening to
tear her eyes out of it sockets. But the staring was only for a brief moment, she
couldn’t stand being so mad at anyone, even herself. Not even her parents. Her
parents… the word made her chest hurt as if her ribcage had tightened, crushing
the organs inside. She was angry, yes. She was definitely angry. But there’s just a
part in her that made her feel as if she didn’t have the right to be mad at the two
people who brought her to life. Soon she realized that she’d been staring blankly
at the mirror for a good five minutes. She gulped in a chunk of air, trying hard to
soothe herself mentally. What was she to do now? Go back to him and…. what?
She won’t push him into doing anything unless he wanted to.

Well… someone has to start it sooner or later, and she declines to be that person.
So Talullah treaded softly out of the bathroom, closing the door and headed back
towards the couch where she had left Daniel at, taking his arm and put it around
her waist just like before and covered the blanket around her, a coy sign she
usually shows whenever she wanted intimacy. Hopefully he remembers.

[daniel benjiman stevens]

---

He'd asked her if she warm, and the way she was looking begged the question: What is going on in her pretty little head? “I am now,” Danny smiled, feeling just that much more confident with the situation. She was nuzzled up against his chest, her soft eyes closed. Danny was in his own specific Nirvana. His heart was beating quickly, his eyes were starting to narrow back to their old size. He'd been entirely awe-stricken by the effect she'd had on him. It was if someone had taken two electrical wires, and stuck them directly into his veins. Daniel shifted, his hand wrapping quietly into the sheet, feeling the warmth that Tal had so effortlessly given to the blanket. Despite her cold sensations, Lulu was a very warm girl. Inside and out. Daniel smiled, looking at the screen and blinking a few times- before she slid out of his grip and headed for the bathroom. That's right, he'd told her where it was...Now she was off to do her business. He was halfly disappointed- was he really just going to sit there and let her be so normal? Danny had all of this sexual tension building, with no muse to release it upon. Slowly, he brought the sheet to his lips, and he took in a breath. Her perfume was so floral, so dazing. He dropped the blanket by the time she'd come shuffling back.

"Did you find it alright?" Danny asked, watching her slip back down and grab his arm like some puppeteer. She had complete control. She had the beast on a leash, it was enthralling. A low growl rumbled in his stomach, though inaudible to anyone else; Daniel heard it loud and clear. It was anxious, pounced and ready to charge. What was she thinking? Her smile was so coy- so soft. He wanted to reach out and touch her, wanted to pull her up onto his lap and dominate her soft skin. Daniel cleared his throat, his eyes narrowing at the flashing lights on the television screen. It was a great movie- but Tal was so distracting in a subliminal way. He was so attracted to her, like some sort of half-willing magnet. He wanted her, that was plainly obvious. However, did she want him? It was almost impossible to place. Daniel reclined against the couch casually, his fingers curling into the sheets, and he could feel her abdomen just lightly- if he pressed hard enough. "This is a good part." Daniel pointed at Adam Sandler- the actor who had so suddenly been transformed into a fat man, over time. Daniel laughed, cocking his head back and shaking his head. "Wow..." He sighed, rubbing his left eye and looking over at her casually. Oh God... He was drowning again.

-------------

He brushed his fingers along the line of her curves- nude and impossibly beautiful. She was flushing, and he didn't have to look at her face to know that. A small smile crawled across Daniels face. She was standing, facing him like some sort of shy little geisha. How cute. His mind was racing- and though he was just as bare as she, he couldn't care less. "Why are you so red in the face?" He looked at her blue eyes, so heavily contrasted against the rouge of her cheeks. "I've never actually...." She looked like she was struggling for words. Daniel shook his head. Lies. Liar. No way she was a virgin. No. Not possible at all. Daniel refused to believe it. She was just so.... He shuddered secretly, taking in a breath. Daniel looked at Tals eyes- so blue, so wide. She looked like a doe caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck. He smiled sheepishly, putting his arms around her. He backed her up against the edge of his bed until finally she fell back on it. Her blonde hair fell about his mattress, and he wanted to run his hand through it. "I'll be gentle." Daniel said it so softly, it might as well have been a whisper. Tal looked at him, reaching for the sheets, like some sort of comfort! He looked at the sheets and pulled them out from under her. "Kitty......" He paused, swallowing hard and pulling the sheets up over he and her. Danny was hovering over her softly, and her expression softened. 'Say it...Say I love you- dammit.' His mind was screaming. 'Don't make her feel like a cheap trick...' "......" He couldn't find the words! "I love you." Much better.

-------------

Daniel was drifting slowly towards her. "Kitty- come here." He said it softly, weakly. His arms came around her, and he pulled her on top of him as he lay on the couch. He didn't give an explanation for his movements, he just made them. His hands came up to run across her face, something sentimental flickered across his face. "I-...uhm.." Fuck it, you've already made a fool of yourself. His thumb brushed against her lower lip, his other hand sliding up behind her head, to the base of her neck. She should know what he wanted by now. She had been just sitting there, tempting him with that cozy expression on her face. He was transmitting all of his fears through numb eyes. His eyes rarely spoke; but right now they were flashing with fear. Daniel hadn't been this scared since the last time his father beat him. He was afraid of a cyclical relationship. He was afraid that she was going to up and leave when things got tough. Most of all; Daniel was afraid of what he might do- who he might become. Slowly, he drew her up against his chest. "Fuck.." He exhaled, looking away for a moment. What was he supposed to say? That he loved her? Please, Daniel hadn't say the 'L' word seriously in over 4 years. She was revealing this buried emotions, that practically turned him into a scared little boy. Shit. Shit. Do it. He pulled her face down and locked his lips against hers softly.

White lightning, hot searing ecstacy. Her lips were like heroine, only twice as addictive. His eyes closed softly, pulling her tight. No, no escape. Of course if she absolutely couldn't stand kissing him, he'd let her go. That would be a smack to the ego. The movie flashed on, but Danny was far too preoccupied with the kiss. He reached up to curl his fingers into her blonde hair, making a fist of golden strands. She was his Venus, his incredible beauty. No way he was going to let anyone else take her away. No way on God's green earth, or Satin's white-hot hell. His tongue pushed against the crease of her lips, begging for some form of release. To probe the confines and deepen the kiss. His heart pounded painfully against his ribcage. Don't pull away, babe. His heart begged, throbbing mercilessly as he shifted on the couch- shivering softly. What was she to make of this? He'd given no reason- in fact he'd made himself into a complete idiot before the kiss! Daniel pressed his legs against the edge of the couch, begging for a release. I love you. His mind whispered it softly to her, though she might never pick that up. Daniel always thought the things he could never manage to say.

[talullah jay simmons]

when my head is strong
but my heart is weak
i’m full of arrogance
and uncertainty
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


“Did you find it alright?” he said when she came shuffling back to him after
going in the bathroom for some time alone with her conscious. She nodded. My,
she was sure nodding a lot tonight. It’s amazing that her head hasn’t become
detached with her body and roll on the ground like a ball. Gently, she heard a
pitter patter going about his windows. It was raining outside; she could tell that
tonight there isn’t going to be much pouring… well, hopefully. Somehow Talullah
felt glad that she was inside his house, wrapped safely in Daniel’s warm arms,
oddly she didn’t feel like going out and dance in the rain. Usually whenever it
rained she would already be outside in a heartbeat. But the moment happening
inside was already so close to perfect, she didn’t want to ruin it. Perfection - even
something that came close to it - was something rare to be found in her life. The
rain is something that was bound to happen again some other time. But being
here, in this situation with Daniel after four years enduring pain, she couldn’t let
anything damage it. She didn’t pay any attention at all to the movie, her muse for
it was already long gone and the only thing that made her focus again was Daniel
laughing at something that happened. Talullah giggled, she loved his laugh. So
sincere and honest, not a hint of mockery and every time he lets it out, it made
everything sound like there was such a thing called ‘happy ever after’. She
brushed her fingers along the veins on his arms that was visible, and laced her
fingers with his free hand, feeling suddenly so content in her heart since… ever.

Everything fell silent. He didn’t speak, as if he was in a trance. She kept quiet,
thinking about nothing, and everything. It was like she was back in New York in
her room, cuddled up with her iPod on her bed after a tiring day at school. The
silence was almost the exact same silence that crawled in the Simmons house
since forever, until Talullah came along. The house wrecked of havoc whenever
her parents weren’t home, they would never tolerate such nonsense. Sometimes
she would get caught, hitting obviously the wrong nerve of both the adults and
would deserve a very harsh scolding to after dinner. He didn’t know about that.
She couldn’t bring herself to sit down and tell about her wicked past. Like him.
Well who would? Who would ever just plainly tell their past off during a cup of
tea? “It’s a harsh life aye. I remember when me old mum un dad used to beat me
up when Ah was a tiny lad with a stick and shove it up mah arse then have the
dogs have their way with me,” a person says, chuckling and sipped his tea. Okay,
maybe some people can, but this is Talullah… and that scene, with her, was just
impossible. There are times when Daniel would ask about her family and her past
life, but she would just tell him that they were busy working and that she never
got the chance to know them. If he asked the same question now, she would
mention of Aunt Marie and that weird cousin of hers, but not the ones back in
New York City. That one was gone; the wound it caused in her heart was nothing
but a scar now. That phase was over, never to be remembered again. Or would it?

“Kitty- come here.” Daniel’s voice shattered the thin stillness in the air. With
one great sweep, Talullah was on top of him; her hair pin thudded onto the
carpet, making her hair fall apart from the knot. She let out a gasp with an ‘Oh
My God’, what was he doing? Looking deep into his eyes, oh how she wished he
would at least let something reflect in him through like a mirror. If there even
was a feeling that he was showing, she couldn’t tell. She wasn’t a good reader
when it came to Daniel. There was just this invisible shield he had in him to cover
whatever he didn’t want anyone to see. She hated that. It made her feel like she
was totally powerless, thus why he always win in any argument. She could feel his
fingers brushing against her bottom lip, sending her insides to go disarray like
there was some kind of a creature mixing them with its hands, trashing them
about her body. Sure, a part of her was squealing like a little girl, but another part
of her was telling her that this was too soon. She didn’t know anything about him,
except that he has met Dollie online. Jealousy bit her hard. How can she beat the
goddess of Rutherford? She had spent a good amount of time with her and from
what she has experienced; men went for Delphi than they did to her. And with
Daniel… she just wasn’t sure if the whole ‘I only met him online thing’ crap is
true. Yeah, she got Dollie to testify that they hadn’t met and that they were just
doing harmless flirting, but honestly, a lot can happen with just one conversation.
Daniel wasn’t the only one who felt possessive over someone.

Talullah wasn’t sure of what she should do. Her mind was racing, and the way
that he was touching her (not to mention on the right spots), it’s making every
single thing far more difficult than what it should be. Why did she want to feel
helpless in the first place? She had absolutely no idea. The thought to be pinned
down under a hot male didn’t seem so bad at the time. Who wouldn’t want to
have that happen to them after four years of no sex, no boyfriend, nothing? Right.
It would be her if she refuses to do it tonight. You don’t need to rush, Talullah.
You’ve got him right in your scrawny hands; you can do whatever you want…
with… him… Too late, he already made the first move, regardless of how
obvious the doubts written all over her face is. He pulled her closer and a kiss
changed everything. The silly uncertainty, it vanished within a flash. Clearly she
wanted him, he had plucked at the right nerves and instantly she was all his.
Gone with the frequent it’s-been-four-years shit. If he had changed to those jerks
she usually meets, picking girls up in their time of needs and leave them in the
dirt after they got what they wanted… well let’s hope she’s got the guts in herself
to do the same to him. She’s got no other choice, it was either that, or she would
have to spend the rest of her life moping about him. Talullah could already
picture herself in her bedroom back at her aunt’s house after a month with wild
jungle hair, tissues scattered all over the bed and the floor, her eyes swollen red
and Aunt Marie bringing in hot mushroom soup. Blissful, ain’t it?

Something cold probed at the pleat of her lips, cutting the ugly vision off. She
knew what it was, and a small snicker formed. Daniel was about to do the most
unexpected and cheeky thing. She loved the idea, only there was one question
that was still unanswered inside her brain: Was she ready? If she was to answer it
right now, she would go berserk, how on the fucking Earth would she know if she
was ready or not? Everything was going on too fast for her, she could barely even
grasp the gigantic fact that he was here, in London, beside her. Okay -- below her.
But if there was one thing that she was sure of, it was to hope that Daniel could
answer it for her. If he was ready to do it, she probably was. If he wasn’t, it would
be the same for her too. Although… there was something that made her feel that
he was, and that she should let him enter her. It was small, but she could tell
what it is. Subtle passion, fear and a passable hunger for… something he had lost.
Talullah gave up, if she kept continuing hesitating he might pull back, thinking
that he was doing a big fat mistake (which he wasn’t) and everything will go to
nothing but waste. That’s it. It was time to take control. Hands gently slithered
upwards his face as she sucked in a breath, slowly parting her lips for the French.
Yeah, during the four year period she had learned a little something something
from her vacation trip at France (she’s never done French before). Not going back
to the details right now though. All in her mind right now was Daniel… his lips,
his tongue, the kiss… and hopefully some chemical reactions.

[daniel benjiman stevens]

---

All of the tension that had been building up, all of that twisting and turning and restless clenching. All relieved with a kiss. Daniel relaxed against the couch, his lips parting with hers, spearing his tongue into her mouth so that he might deepen the kiss. It'd been so long. So damn long. Daniel felt his lungs give up all the air they'd previously been keeping. He felt his heart speed up, and he hoped to God she didn't notice the way she could control his physical reactions- both above and below the belt. Ice blue eyes were hidden behind his eyelids, and it was probably for the best, seeing as Daniel had no idea what to do when he kissed with his eyes open. Awkward! He almost laughed at the thought, but was too impassioned to even dare laughing right now. His arms slid up the small of Tal's back, pinning her tiny body to him with his powerful arms. No turning back now, love. No turning back now. Was he planning on having sex with Tallulah tonight? Of course not. Well- not if she didn't want to. There was no doubt in Danny's mind that if Tal were to hint towards wanting to go to his bedroom, he'd pick her up and be there in two seconds flat. But if she didn't- he was perfectly satiated (somewhat) just by lying here with her. Her company was like a lost treasure of epic proportions. Something he couldn't help but cherish and drink in greedily. She was just too good to be true.

So Daniel was like a hot liquid on that sofa, ready and willing for anything Tal should ask for. If she wanted him to jump out of his apartment window, so be it. He'd do it with a smile, and only regret it after the glass had shattered and he was plummeting to the earth. The thought made Daniel want to shudder, but he held it in for romantic purposes. Tal was so much like a cat. She lounged on top of him comfortably, seemingly molding to his chest and abdomen. He ran his left hand up into her soft blonde waves, and then slid his fingers back out, smiling at the silky texture. Women were incredible creatures. But none gave Daniel the satisfaction that Talullah Jay did. She made him into the soft little boy he always used to be. The uncertain softie, before the beat-down. Before the broken bones. Before the ICU. Before the IV's and the surgery and the pain. She made him the energetic boy he'd been before his fathers abuse. In fact, she made him think as if his father never exsisted. Even though the man was less than four miles away... Here. In this country. Sleeping at his mothers house. Blood boiled, but the kiss extinguished his searing fury. Extinguished his ravaged thoughts. Daniel let out a soft sigh of satisfaction, shifting on the couch so that he might get just a little more comfortable. His feet propped up on the edge of the couch, his back reclining into the plush seat cushions. Aye, that's the rub.

Never in a million years did Danny expect to meet back up with his ex-girlfriend. Never in a million years did he think he'd fall for her all over again, either. After she'd disappeared, Daniel had promised himself that if she ever happened by again- he wouldn't look at her the same. Kitty wouldn't be who she used to be. She wouldn't mean the same as she did when he had her. But now here he was, curling his fists into the soft fabric cloaking her back. Letting out quiet sighs as he pressed his lips tightly against hers. He was weak when it came to Tal; she'd always had his heart strings clutched in her hands. She'd always been the one in control. (even if she didn't want to believe it.) Danny would throw a fit, and Kitty would be right there bringing his blood down to a low simmer. Heaving breaths turned into calm gulps of air. Fuming facial expressions would turn into disquieting glares towards no one in particular. She made everything so much less threatening. She made him happy. That was what kept Danny from blowing a major fuse. As soon as she was gone, he caved. Danny commenced into destroying himself- much like stars do when they run out of energy. A big bang. Rotting away into an insanely angry mess. Which caused his mother to move him out of the country. She wanted him to forget about Tal and his father. She wanted to protect him from everything that had hurt him. How well had that worked though, now that both Tal and his father was exactly where he was? He wanted to cackle at the irony.

The fact that he'd actually agreed to meet his biological father for coffee was unbelievable. Danny didn't even want to believe it himself. He was going to lounge at home with his father, sipping coffee as he listened to the man try and refurnish a relationship long spurned. He was going to gob on about how sorry he was, about he what he'd done was wrong- while Danny tried his hardest not to break the mans jaw. Daniel wasn't exactly sure how he was going to react, but he knew he was going to be angry the entire time. It would be about as awkward as a nun at an AA meeting. Daniel's father wasn't a saint, but the young man had such a strong grudge towards him. The wall was seemingly impenetrable. Father and son, the two were supposed to be inseperable. Instead, a fathers abuse created a rift in their relationship. Broken bones decorated a bruised battleground. Was Daniel ready to run the gauntlet of blood and medicated syringes? Was he prepared for the emotional blows, the memories? No. Of course not. Danny's skin was crawling at the thought of it. His heart raced with adrenaline. The idea of seeing his father for the first time in eight years. A man who brought with him so much pain. The man who had once been his hero, his role-model, and then finally; his nightmare.

The thoughts racing in his head were enough to make Daniel break the kiss. The emotions surging in his veins. The electrical pulses burning in his heart. He had no idea what was going to happen to him through this. His mother had always said that 'you couldn't run away from your baggage forever.' Now he understood what she meant. Now he knew what she was trying to say. All of the painful memories he'd buried. They were back with aveangance. They wanted him back, they wanted to drag him back down into a hole. Danny could already feel it. That pressure on his chest plate, pressing. He found it hard to breathe. The surgery he'd endured, the bruises he'd sported, the broken-heart he'd lived with. All back- and with a force stronger than it had ever had before. Danny sat up, propping himself up on the backs of his forearms. Tal lifted with his chest as he looked at her. His ice blue eyes blinked at her, devoid of emotion. Nothing worth searching for there. Nothing but neutral ground. She wouldn't get anything out of them. At times you might see a flash of emotion within them- but right now, there was only the blue void. A small smile twitched at the corner of his lips, and his eyebrows lifted thoughtfully. Maybe she was feeling the same way he was. Maybe if he was lucky- she knew what it was. That indescribable feeling. Maybe she knew what it meant. Because Daniel was entirely confused over it.

[talullah jay simmons]

when i can’t find the words
you teach my heart to speak
you make it real for me
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daniel was destroying her completely; she didn’t want to but regardless, she was
already falling to little pieces like a shattered mirror with each passing minute.
She just couldn’t stand the way how he makes her insides go all wrong, just by
touching her. Just by a touch! And as soon as their lips was in contact, Talullah
could only melt like an ice solid into liquid, he sent sizzling heat to every inch of
her nerves till the very end, an unspeakably dangerous fire brushing gallantly
against her skin like a crawling centipede. And the only thing she could do was
send back subtle yet tentative and the lightest of touches that she could manage,
unspeaking as she didn’t dare to see what he will turn into if she spoke a word,
she didn’t want to have things to be like what had happened on the day she left
him. She abruptly shoved away the horrible image that was starting to extend its
dark tendrils, back into the walls she had built up to consume it for four years.
She tried to conjure up a coherent thought; a big part of her was scared to do
what she had never done in the period of time they had been apart. With free will
Talullah let his tongue plunge into hers, feeling it on her teeth, her top mouth,
and coyly but gently she played hers around in his. She was indeed a sneaky devil
tonight; she wondered how he felt about her reaction, was he shocked? She had
never done such a bold act before to him; she was too much of a shy kitten with
Daniel before they parted. Could he be astonished with the change in her? The
wild fiery flames that was stored inside of her, just for him. Yes, just for him.

The real truth was that Talullah had secretly hoped they will meet again, she had
secretly build up confidence in her little by little, so that no one could never crush
her hopes, she had put a firm hand on her decision, if they would never meet here
or at the places they used to go to, she will set foot in the search of her first and
final lover all over the world, even till the very end of Earth. Her very own aunt
had even frowned upon the idea when she had stated it, but she couldn’t blame
her. The wonderful petite woman was right to feel so, it was a silly quest, she
would only fall down heartbroken when she discovered that she failed miserably,
finding another female in his strong arms, to find he had moved on, to see him
touch her the way he did long ago to Talullah. Worry crawled into her brain, what
if -- she paused to gulp in the saliva, as if it was the thought she was hearing deep
inside herself now. … What if he was like that now? Stop it, Lulla! He’s sincere,
don’t force yourself to go back the way you were before. A harsh commanding
voice shut the hideous possibility away. It was right, she didn’t deserve to be like
so. He was too honest; she knew he felt the same way as she did, their bond and
love was too strong to find another. She couldn’t go on to the life before him, it
was impossible. She needed him, she burned for him, he was the very reason why
she was still alive. Her air, her soul. Leaving him was the biggest mistake she had
done to him and to herself; it tore apart her heart for doing such a stupid thing
four years ago. … Wow. This is incredulously starting to sound very vampire-ish.

He abruptly pushed away, leaving her suddenly so breathless. Her blue eyes that
were once closed opened wide in surprise, what had she done wrong now? Why
did he break it? She was begging for more, she needed more; her eyes were the
open book for him, pleading for him to take her to his bed. Couldn’t he see that?
Couldn’t he sense her secret desire? Once Daniel sat up, a panic came attacking,
replacing the oxygen that should have been in her chest. No! He couldn’t do this
to her! He had made her feel so bothered, and him pulling like that, it was unlike
him. Maybe he didn’t feel the same way as she did, after all, but Talullah was too
obstinate to believe that. ‘Daniel, please!’ her heart begged loudly as if he could
hear it, she put a gaze on his fervent face with unveiled emotions, and her bright
sapphire eyes sending him a clue in her impish form. She wanted him to want
her, just as the way she does. Her need was potent, like concentrated acid, and
she felt embarrassed for feeling that way. It’s been too long; she had forgotten
how to feel like so anymore. But she knew it wasn’t wrong, wasn’t it the purpose
of falling back into love? Talullah caressed his cheeks with her fingers of both
hands, leaning closer so that she could whisper softly and cautiously into his ears,
as if anyone was there to hear it if she spoke it out loud. She took a moment to
make her decision, and smiled to assure herself that she wanted what she was
about to say to him. She had to make sure; she didn’t want him to tag her as a
little whore. She had changed so much, but it didn’t matter. “Have me, Daniel.”

( SHORTSHORTSHORT! GAH! )

[daniel benjiman stevens]

---

What was that look? Daniel scanned her expression for hints, pursing his lips quietly. Her eyes were flashing, and he noted the lively flush in her face. She was so bold all of the sudden. So spontaneous. How long had they been lying on this damn couch anyway? An hour and a half? Maybe more? Daniel's eyes narrowed casually, a small smile growing on his face. She sat on him like she didn't want him to get up. In a way, it amused Danny- but the moment was just too hot to present itself with a fit of the giggles. He reached up to run a hand through his hair softly, feeling the heat on his scalp tingle against his fingertips. Wow. He looked at Kitty again, the way she seemed to be begging for something. Daniel had a thick skull, but it didn't take him long to finally decipher what her expressions were telling him. Suddenly surprised, Danny's eyes widened partially, and he had the impromptu urge to get up and stop the whole thing. Already getting in too deep. Already damning yourself, Danny boy. Despite his urge, Danny sat still, his eyes closing when Tal came just close enough to whisper in his ear. Funny, it wasn't in the manner she said them but the words in themselves that surprised him!

"Have me, Daniel." He paused, feeling an electrical pulse surge down his spine and farther into the junction inbetween his legs. He shifted a little, waiting for her to pull away, and when she did- he was quick to grab her up into his arms and side-step off of the couch. He cradled her like a newly-wed, with this unknown look on his face. Not quite smiling, not quite frowning. Just. Intense. He looked at her and didn't speak a word, though he had the greatest urge to say something romantic. Danny was never much for saying things that would have made him look soft. So instead he just pressed a firm kiss on her forehead, stopping to open up his bedroom door, closing it behind him.

Danny's room was a spacious little loft with a king-sized bed, a stretching mat (for his gymnastics purposes), a PS3 system and wide-screen television that sat in front of his bed. Yes, the typical college-kids dream. The curtains were a deep shade of red, with cream colored walls and interesting red lampshades that matched his curtains. Alright, so anyone who came into Danny's apartment would have thought him to be gay. However, his mom had been so fussy over the plain walls and dull tapestry that Danny didn't have the heart to turn down her request to re-decorate. The woman barely did any work anymore, thanks to Mark. So, he might as well have cleared her boredom for the four weeks it took to finish the entire apartment. Daniel reached for the light-dial on the side of his wall, dimming the lights to a low, like they had been in the living room. He didn't speak a word since she'd whispered to him, he figured it was more of an unspoken thing. Plus he knew that if he opened his mouth, he'd probably ruin the moment. This was something special, a rekindling. He felt the burning in his abdomen already- the straining in his lower quarters. Gently, Daniel slid Tal onto his bed, crawling onto it after, hovering over her like a wildcat. With the same intense gaze of a pouncing tiger.

He felt every nerve-ending tingle with electricity. He felt his heart-beat quicken up. Something that hadn't happened since the few events leading up to her disappearance four years ago. No woman had the effect that Talullah had on Daniel. Slowly, he craned his neck down to press his lips against the soft skin under the hollow of her jaw. His hand wandering up into her hair, smoothing it out onto his bed. Sitting up momentarily, Daniel unbuttoned his plaid shirt, pulling it off like a flower petal. Then the gray undershirt. It was already hot enough, not use in keeping the opressive fabric on anyway. He tossed the articles over the edge of his bed and sighed in relief, bending back down so that he could press his lips against hers tightly, one of his hands resting promptly on her right hip. He felt the bedsheets beneath his palms, supporting his body as he hovered over Tal. Though everything in his physical being was demanding he take Kitty like she'd wanted- he was still in a bout of hesitancy that he just couldn't battle off on his own. He searched her face for nervousness, denial. His lips pursed open quietly, and he blinked away the flash of trepidation in his eyes. "Are you sure about this?" The words trickled out of his lips like molasses, coating his tongue with a thick feeling. Normally Danny wouldn't ask something like this, but Tal wasn't exactly the average girl he brought to his bed after a party.

No. This was the girl.