can someone please tell the munchkins the universe has forced upon me in the form of family to SHUT UP BEFORE I BITE YOUR HEADS OFF!!! seriously-riley julia_genevieve =_=
i hav suffered relentless pestering to read their recent update while I try to finish this chapter. I made that horrible sacrifice for you people so you better be thankful!!!
Fireproof
"That wasn't as terrifying as I thought it was going to be." Louis closes the hotel room door behind us and I crawl up on the bed, tucking one leg beneath me.
"You two were cute," I say, biting my lip to constrain the giddy smile I know would reveal itself full force without restraints. He chuckles and rolls his eyes before walking over to me, lacing our hands together.
"He's a good guy," Louis affirms without a hint of intentional appeasement. He strokes his thumb soothingly against my knuckles as he looks back at me with loving eyes.
"He was my best friend for the first few years of my life. We spent all day, every day, together. He worked from home so he was always around. Whenever he was working I would hang out in the office with him, and I even had my own desk out there so I could 'work' just like my daddy," I giggle, leaning forward against him as my shoulders shake giddily. "I would mainly just play on Paint, but whenever I was finished with a drawing, he would act so proud and print it out and hang it up by his desk. Sometimes, when he was talking on the phone, I would reach across the desks and steal his glasses that he would set down, so that when he hung up and went to put his glasses on, they wouldn't be there, and then he would look over and see me sitting there with his glasses practically falling off my face and an excited smile, just waiting for him to catch me. He would laugh and mutter different things and reach across and swipe them off of my face. Every time, I would laugh and squeal that those were my glasses and he had to give them back. He would laugh and tell me they weren't mine. Eventually it got to a point where he started having two pairs of glasses at his desk so we could each have a pair. I couldn't see anything through them but I remember thinking it was the funniest thing that I was just like my daddy. But I mean, I know it must have gotten annoying that practically everyday he had to go through the same motion with me, but he never got bitter or agitated by it. He just laughed and played along every single time." My cheeks are starting to hurt from smiling so big, but I can no longer bring myself to try to contain it. Louis chuckles at my expression as his own eyes brighten.
"Your face lights up when you talk about your dad, you know?" he comments happily, looking down at me like I am glowing. I guess I feel like it. I bite my tongue to contain a giddy laugh from escaping. I don't know why, but seeing my dad again after all this time, and getting to see him interact with Louis as we all joked and laughed about some of the happiest times of my life, just left me feeling like I'm floating on top of the world. I also can't help but let my mind wander as I watched Louis and dad talk about cute moments from my childhood and imagine all the memories he would make as a dad with our baby. In a lot of ways, Louis is all the best parts of my dad; the parts that were my best friend for the majority of my childhood. He is everything I've always wanted my kids to have in a father, and now they are going to have my dream come true.
"I just really missed him, and it made me so incredibly happy seeing you two getting along so well," I admit, swinging our joined hands back and forth playfully between us. Louis laughs at my lighthearted gesture before looking back up to meet my gaze again with a newfound intensity in his eyes.
"I like seeing you this happy," he says in a significantly softer tone. I feel my own expression soften as the mood in the room changes quickly from light and happy, to soft and meaningful. Both good feelings, but drastically different in my mind.
"Penny for your thoughts?" I ask quietly.
"Yeah, I guess I could use an extra penny. I've yet to earn mine back from you," he laughs warmly and comes to sit down beside me, keeping our hands interlocked. He falls back on the mattress, dramatically huffing as his head collides with the feathery duvet. I laugh at his action before turning over on my stomach and crawl over to lay my head on his chest, looking up at him.
"So what thoughts will this penny reveal?" I mumble slightly, my jaw moving my head up and down against his chest. He exhales heavily, blowing right into my face. I scrunch my nose up in distaste but remain silent, earning a chuckle from him at my expression.
"I am really happy. We are going to be really happy," he says with a definite finality in his voice that immediately sends a wave of calm contentment through my bones. I love the way that sounded, and I love that he said it as if it is a pleasant inevitability; that the two of us--or three, I suppose--would find happiness together. Not defining the surrounding elements that will produce this happiness, just the simple statement that whatever lives we will live, we'll find that simple happiness.
"We are gonna be happy," I affirm in response. He smiles down at me before straining his neck up to meet his lips with mine and plopping back down against the sheets with a playful smirk across his face.
"Now where's my penny?" he mutters, holding his hand up expectantly. I roll my eyes and reach into my back pocket. I lock my fingers around the coin and pull it up in front of both of our faces, raising my eyebrows in exaggeration as I drop the penny into his palm. He closes his fist around it and shifts his position so he can look up at me as I rest propped up on my elbows. He quirks an eyebrow up at me in amusement.
"What?" I laugh.
"Have you been carrying this penny with you the whole time?"
I bite my lip and look down as I wring my hands together around his that isn't grasping the coin. He didn't know this, but I have been carrying the same penny from when we had a similar exchange back in Hawaii, before so much had happened. I kept it on me as a little reminder. Even when we weren't together, I couldn't bring myself to forget about it--I still always wanted him with me.
"Maybe..." I mutter, shyly. He reaches to lift my chin up with two fingers so that I look up at him.
"You kept the same penny I gave you all those weeks ago from a simple conversation of 'penny for your thoughts'?" he asks with an element of wonderment in his voice that makes me blush. I shrug.
"I liked the thought of keeping a piece of a happy moment of you with me. I liked that the 'happy us' remained in every part of our lives. So you better hold onto that penny close, mister. Our happiness is now directly tied to that piece of metal you have there," I scold mockingly and wiggle my finger in his face. He throws his head back in laughter and I can't help but to laugh a little as well. He composes himself slightly so that he can look back down at me again, with a goofy smile on his face.
"It's our lucky penny?"
I smile brighter at his comment. He seemingly notices my lighter expression, for his changes to mirror my own so that we are now both smiling at each other like idiots.
"Our lucky penny."