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 Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2023 6:05 am
Rhiannon stopped what she was doing so she could turn to look at Malcolm as he spoke. She didn’t say anything until she knew he was done, not wanting to interrupt, not wanting him to think that she didn’t care about everything he said. She knew what it was like to be talked over or feel like a burden. So when he was done speaking, she reached out to give him a little hug, and then gently petted his hair, and then took a step back to hold him at arms length from her.
“I know. But I am very proud of you for realizing that you do and trying to be better. It’s okay if you need reassurance. I promise I will let you know if I need space,” she insisted, and then took another step back so she could grab napkins and anything else they needed before heading back to the little living room.
She gestured to the seat next to her, and pulled her hair out of the way and over her shoulder.
“It won’t bother me to have something on,” she promised and then glanced over to the darkened windows, but they could still hear some of the city noises outside, despite the late hour. “I usually have white noise in the background to sleep, anyway.”
As for the books she read, she glanced up at the bookshelf that she wished was twice as big. She would have to rearrange some things so she could get some more.
“Fantasy and romance, usually. I think I have six copies of Black Beauty because people know I like to read and I like horses.” She wasn’t upset about it. She was always surprised when someone gave her something, anyway. Usually colleagues or grateful owners of her patients.
“You’re welcome to borrow any if you’d like. Do you have certain types of books you like to read?”
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Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2023 9:44 pm
Something about the way Rhiannon spoke, the way she moved, was just easy. He was still so high strung from everything that had happened earlier that he didn’t expect to melt into the brief hug, or that he’d ease when she smoothed his hair.
He followed her back into the living room and took a seat next to her. There wasn’t much to fuss with now, so he just smoothed out the fabric of his pants and tried to look like he was busying himself with picking off a bit of cat fur on his knee.
“I appreciate you very much. Everything you do and say. Just so you know. Thank you. All of this has been really nice. I feel bad about making you play host after what happened earlier. For books, I–well, I don’t know. I mean, I do. I read a lot, I have–you know, my whole book review websites and all, and–”
No, he knew what he liked to read, it was just a bit embarrassing. It was fine if she said she liked romance, it was probably just a little pathetic if he said the same.
“I like happy endings. I like mysteries. I like romance, too.” He caved. It didn’t seem fair to ask her and then lie. He sucked in a small breath and hunched forward a bit, like it was just normal to want to make himself a little smaller. He wanted an excuse to be distracted. “It’s my favorite thing to write. But I’ll read just about anything. I might like to borrow a book, maybe you can recommend one to me. I’ll have to invite you over, maybe you can borrow some of mine. If you’re interested.”
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Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2023 7:36 am
Rhiannon curled her legs up onto the couch as she listened to him. She made sure to pick up her glass of milk and pull the pastry close enough for the both of them to eat from, but she was also just doing it to make sure Malcolm knew he was welcome to do whatever he wanted without risk of being judged or told he was doing something wrong.
She hated whoever made him doubt himself the way he did. She didn’t know what could be done to help him feel more comfortable, but she also knew it would take time. And reassurance. And patience. Kind of like what he offered her.
“I didn’t know you write,” she admitted with a tilt of her head in curiosity. She knew about his book review website, but she didn’t know he liked to write romance.
“I don’t have the patience or creativity to write. You don’t tell many people, do you?” she surmised, since he was already trying to shrink into the couch. She reached over to give his leg a gentle pat in what she hoped was a reassuring way while also not getting all up in his space.
“Thank you for telling me. I appreciate you as well, you know. I don’t feel like a host. I just feel like I’m spending time with a good friend. If you ever feel like letting someone read your work, I mean…” she glanced up at her books. “I’ve read plenty of trash,” she admitted, but it was said with affection. She also hoped he knew she wasn’t calling his work trash, just that she wouldn’t judge him for whatever he wrote.
“I would love to borrow some of your books, though.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2023 12:42 pm
Malcolm lifted his glass of milk and sipped at it after she raised her own, and he seemed to have calmed down somewhat from the happenings of earlier in the night. Now, his only nervousness came from what he imposed on himself.
“I don’t talk about it often,” he admitted. She was reassuring in a lot of ways, and with her there, he felt far more comfortable than crowded. He looked into the glass and pursed his lips to the side a bit. “I think it’s kind of embarrassing. My parents know, but I don’t really tell them what I write. Talia knows. Cambria didn’t. Zac knows, but he used to make fun of me for it so we don’t really talk about it. But that’s okay, we were younger. And he’s my older brother, so it’s–I mean, that’s normal.”
He finally let himself look up at her book collection and he could tell that she was fond of it. People didn’t keep books that they didn’t like, so it brought another little smile to his face.
“I’m just a little self conscious of them. I don’t want people to think differently of me just because of what I write. I have this online persona and then there’s just me, and I can pretend to be someone else and, I don’t know. I guess it’s just easy to have more confidence when it’s behind a screen. I don’t think people would read what I wrote if they saw me in person, it’s why I don’t go to book signings or anything. I, um. I can bring a few books by the next time I see you, though. Some of the ones I like, and maybe some of mine. If you want to read them. But there's no pressure! And if you don’t like them, I totally understand. I’m just–you know.” He exhaled, because he supposed she already would have figured it out about him. “Always worried about things.”
It wasn’t her fault. He didn’t even feel like he was just a guest here, he felt like a friend, and that was probably the only reason why he was opening up anyway. That, and it was easy to talk to her. And he welcomed the distraction from earlier.
He just hoped that he could be as good of a friend to her as she was to him.
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Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2023 12:53 pm
While Malcolm sat next to her, she reached up to gently pet his hair. Maybe it was weird that she was so touchy, but she took a lot of comfort from physical touch, and it only made sense for her to offer it in turn.
Besides, it seemed as though he could benefit from some physical affection, even if it was platonic.
“I don’t think you should be embarrassed. If it is something you enjoy doing, and it’s not hurting anyone, then you should enjoy doing it,” she said softly, because she wanted to make sure he knew that she supported him. She didn’t care if he was a good or bad writer -- if it was something her friend liked, then she would make sure he felt good for doing it.
“You don’t have to worry about things with me. I know it’s easier said than done, so I’m going to do my best to make sure you don’t feel like you have to worry. And if you ever want to sit around and just read books in the same room as me, that would be nice,” she shrugged, because she didn’t want him to feel pressured, but it wasn’t as though she was all that exciting to be around. Reading books was at least something they had in common.
“Or if you want a second opinion for your reviews, I wouldn’t mind reading the same books you do and then talk about them.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2023 7:50 am
Malcom probably wouldn’t ever mind the way Rhiannon touched his hair. He was nervous about physical contact, often, but he could never deny how much he liked it–especially given how starved for it he was. It was difficult not to lean into it or to just be weird, but he was so tired and so worn thin from everything.
And, it felt safe here. It felt peaceful.
He’d have to work up the nerve to figure out how to reciprocate it without being weird, but that seemed like something that was going to require more brain power than he had tonight.
Warmth lingered on his cheeks and he was glad there weren't any reflective surfaces nearby to inform him what shade of pink his face was.
“Yeah?” he asked, and cleared his throat so he could sound a bit more sure of himself. “Like a miniature book club? I’d like that. I’d like that a lot, actually.”
And it would be nice to be able to do something outside of going into battle, or rushing right into danger. “When I get home, I’ll have to make up a list of books. I can text you and we can figure out something that works for both of us.”
What better way was there to get to know someone than by comparing their insights to the same book, anyway? Rhiannon seemed like she was used to keeping a lot of herself private, and Malcolm knew that feeling, too. Books were his way of opening up, and if they were hers too then maybe it was the best way to get to know each other.
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