Overflow

[irishradical]

text memes overflow & etc live here

Comments

[irishradical]

You are known for being extraordinarily helpful. [Oh, lord, Tom, don't read too much into this.]

[chauffeured]

Oh, it’s nothing really.

[irishradical]

I don't know about that.

[chauffeured]

Well it isn’t big.

[irishradical]

I suppose not.

[chauffeured]

Are you off right now? I’m almost outside the row of apartments. Not sure which one is yours.

[irishradical]

5E. Do you want me to come out and meet you?

[chauffeured]

[It probably would look bad if she’s seen down here, but all she’s doing is dropping off a book.] No, I’m halfway down now.

[irishradical]

Alright. See you in a minute.

[chauffeured]

And it’s not long before she was knocking softly at his door. She knew what the apartments looked like. She had made friends with Gwen, and a few times she had met her to walk downtown together if she had a Saturday off or when the fair came by in the summer. It didn’t take long to get to his apartment.

[irishradical]

He'd checked the door, the last couple times he'd heard footsteps, so he's lingering still by the door when edge knocks. Not eager, though, not at all. He smiles, when he opens it, wide, "Hey."

[chauffeured]

Oh. She wasn’t expecting the door to suddenly open. She laughed a little nervously before smiling back at him. “Hey,” she replied back. In one hand is her phone and in the other is the book she’s brought for him.

[irishradical]

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Did you want to -" he gestured inside, standing out of the way, "or did you have to run?"

[chauffeured]

“Oh, I couldn’t intrude on your off time. I just— thought of you,” she fumbled with her words, suddenly blushing at what actually came out. She probably shouldn’t be telling him that she thinks of him, and she hopes he doesn’t pick that up.

[irishradical]

Ah, if she weren't blushing, he would comment on that. Truth be told, it was still tempting. Quit while you're ahead, though. "You're more than welcome."

[chauffeured]

“Well how can I say no?” She replied with a smile up at him. She shouldn’t be doing this. She should not being going into Tom Branson’s apartment, but she was already taking her first steps into it.

[irishradical]

"Easily, I think. It's a short word, I'm pretty sure I've heard you use it before..." He teased.

[chauffeured]

“Haha, funny,” she said, bobbing her head a bit and looking pointedly at him. It was too late though, she was already in his apartment. “I’m sure you’ll hear me say it many more times.”

[irishradical]

He shrugged, he entertained himself, at least. And it took the edge off a bit of the fact that she was in his home. "How are you?"

[chauffeured]

She stood just in the doorway, making sure not to snoop around. It was kind of what she expected anyway, and she didn't really care. "Alright. I was just organizing some things when I remembered I wanted to give you the book. At least someone around here will use it," she joked.

[irishradical]

"Is that the purpose of this trip then? Distraction from chores?" He was feeling a bit more off balance, the longer she lingered in the doorway. It made sense, but still, felt odd.

[chauffeured]

"No," she scoffed before continuing matter-of-factly. "I was reorganizing some of my things. Every few weeks I like to go through and donate whatever I don't use. The semester ended, and there's some things I'm going to take down to the school later."

No, it was not just an excuse to see him. "Can't I just pop in on a--" A momentary pause to contemplate her teasing. Normally she would say 'friend' here, and it gave her a second to think, "Why shouldn't I call him my friend?" The look washed over her face immediately.

"--My friend??"

[irishradical]

"Of course you can," he replied, more sincerely. "I was only joking. You can even actually come in, if you'd like. Glance at my books, if you want."

[chauffeured]

She gave a confident nod at that, a little more pleased. "I'd love to," she replied. Any library, regardless of the size, was a good library. And no one could ever own every book out there, so it would be telling to see the ones he had.

[irishradical]

There, that was better. It was always a safe bet, steering the conversation towards books, any kind, to settle things when it got awkward or uncertain or he just couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"It's just what was more important to fit in the suitcases, mind, and what I've picked up here. My mother's constantly whining - Well, not constantly, that isn't fair - about how many I left for her to store." He leads the way into the living room, to one not very large, obviously inexpensive bookshelf, but it's filled up pretty well. "And of course there's a to read stack I've not even gotten to in my room." Jesus, did that sound like a proposition? "Next time you drop by, I'll try to have been less lazy about putting them where they belong."