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 Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 6:24 am
Unfortunately they had more than just Ivie's suicidal tendancies to work through, Allison, you just haven't heard the whole story yet. It was rather long, sad story at that and Ivie...Ivie needed to heal really.
She hadn't gotten up when Allison left, choosing to hug her from her spot on the sofa, and by the time Nye was done with the dishes, the red-head felt her eyes drooping. The channel had been changed to Animal Planet - Crime really wasn't good to nap to - and Ivie had been fully intending to take a short power nap when Nye asked the bombshell question.
Was she feeling alright? Well, she was feeling better for the moment that was sure but alright? "I...don't know." It was a completely honest and raw answer. She honestly didn't know anymore.
A little frustrated, Arvia knocked for a while before getting frustrated and just trying the handle. To her surprise the door wasn't locked and she very timidly pushed it open, not wanting to pull a Gale and open up on anything embaressing.
It was dark in there and Arvia fumbled for the lights. It illuminated Gale, face-down on his bed in his boxers and tank-top, fast asleep. Despite herself Arvia had to smile, creeping over and squatting down next to the bed. "Gaaale~ Wake up!" Nothing. Well, he was breathing and quite alive so he was obviously just quite deeply asleep. She hated to wake him and quickly made her way over to the beside table, snatching the pen and paper there and quickly scribbling a note.
Went down to dinner, going to the lounge afterwards. Meet me? And she wedged it into his hand, hoping he'd find it when he woke up.
Closing the door quietly behind her, Arvia made her way down to the dining room to suffer through another dinner of being flirted with and attempting to drive Terry away.
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 6:38 am
Nye leaned timidly over the counter, not wanting to push any issues farther than they needed to be pushed. Ivie had made it obvious that she was in quite the fragile state, and with his latest outburst, well...
Oh," he said, disappointed. At least she seemed a little better than before, and she wasn't completely spacing out and ignoring him. "Say, Ivie," he started, searching for exactly the right words to get his ideas out. "You know how you're always on about paying me back and stuff? Well, uh. I kinda figured out a way for you to do that."
Hm. That sounded good enough, but he almost wished for a script at this point.
Gale wasn't too heavy of a sleeper in general, but he was just so tired that nothing had even bothered him slightly. The boy woke about an hour and a half after Arvia left the note wedged in his hand. Groggily, he propped himself up on his elbow and skimmed through it, and then just collapsed again. He wasn't sure how he could meet her after what happened before his estranged nap.
Still, his getting up seemed rather automatic. He stripped in the bathroom, used the facilities, showered (brushed his teeth and all, like a good boy), got dressed and dried up, and went downstairs. Him and his maroon sweater clambered downstairs (using the stairs this time), figuring that she might be in the lounge already, and therefore heading there.
Hopefully he wouldn't run into Michelle on the way.
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 6:55 am
Well what did he expect her to say? You didn't get over these things just one night, no matter how much fun you'd had, and Ivie had been dealing with these issues for over two years now. It was going to take a while.
She sat up yet again, peering over the back of the sofa to look at him. He seemed nervous about something so she crossed her arms over the back of the couch, resting her head on them. Her mind did flash over some less...nice things Nye might be about to ask, before disguarding them and deciding he must be asking about cleaning or something. That must be it. She was good at cleaning.
"Oh? How?" Straight to the point there, Ivie.
It had been a terrible dinner for poor Arvia. Without Gale there she'd had to suffer Terry's progressively move forward advances (Honestly, hadn't he learnt already?) and the rather smug looks Michelle was giving her. She wished she knew that those looks were about! The woman had nothing one-upped on her and it was getting seriously annoying. Honestly, was nothing good going to happen on this trip?
Well, she had got some Gale tongue. That had been nice.
She'd skipped out of dinner early to head over to the lounge she and Gale had drunk their drinks at the other night, intent on trying to enjoy the music and avoid Terry for the rest of the night. So she was in a hurry and looking backwards when she passed the stairs, only to whack smack-bang into Gale instead.
"Oh! Gale! Good evening!" She said and practically grabbed his arm, tugging her with him. "Lets get to the lounge. Terry's being a creep again." Enough said, really.
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 7:14 am
Nye bit his lip for a second, scrunching his face in thought. "Well, personally speaking, I think you're kinda stressed from school and work and stuff, so... how about you kinda... halve your hours? I'll sleep easier, and I'll pay half your rent and stuff so you don't have to worry about that.
New technique: blabber until you somehow get your point across. He hoped it would work. He really was genuinely concerned for Ivie's safety and health and stuff, and too much of her current routine would completely demolish her. Not that she wasn't already a wreck.
Gale was basically in a daze, still not fully awake yet from his power nap, when something came crashing into him. Startled and a little bit more awake, he looked down only to find Arvia there, and before he could even return her greeting she was dragging him with her to the depths of the lounge.
Honestly, he didn't know how much more of this stuff he could handle. Just too much... dramaticness. Was it too much to ask to come to a resort and shred some slopes?
Gah, of course it was.
As they got settled into another pair of armchairs, Gale gave a mighty yawn before curling up again, not yet fully awake. "'M sorry abou' ea'lier," he said before he could forget. That whole incident was... just a little weird. Thank god the towel was there.
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 7:33 am
For a few moments, Ivie just stared at Nye as if he'd lost his mind. Halve her hours? Impossible! She'd never keep up with the rent, actually eating and paying for her university if she did that! Even with halving her rent it was a long shot....wait, did he just offer to pay her rent?
It was official, Nye was officially crazy. "Nye that's nice of you but...I can't acept that. I have to eat and pay for University on top of the rent and I need those hours. Even if I didn't, I couldn't ask you to do that! You have your own things to pay for! I'm already burdening you enough but simply being here." By simply living went unsaid.
Determined to get her point across, Ivie ever so carefully pushed herself to her feet to confront Nye standing. It was a little worrying to watch her; bruises aside she looked awfully pale in Nye's oversized t-shirt and shorts, her white arms and legs indicating she was a little bit undernourished, and her red hair all messy from sleep and lazing about all day. Still, she was standing. "No. I'm sorry."
Thankful to have her one element of saftey back - no matter how awkward things had been between them as of late - Arvia settled down into the sofas with a sigh of relief.
"Well the door was open, how were you to know?" Yes, she was blushing just a little at the thought. Noooot many people had seen her like that, after all, and she was hardly an exhibitionist. "She freaked out so much she gave me an extra half hour, if you really wanted to know." And hey, it could have been Terry bursting in like that. That thought alone was enough to give her the shivers.
"Did you sleep well?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 7:50 am
"Think about it for a sec," Nye said as he leaned over the counter. Now that the idea was out there in the best terms possible, he just had to coo her into agreeing. "I already feed you as is, and I've got a decent amount of money to spare every month, so I don't see why not. Besides, less hours would give you time to sleep, so you'd feel better and focus better on your studies. I mean, compared to being stressed and tired all the time, I feel like I'm making a decent offer."
Plainly, this plan was thought through several times over, all the arguments worked out and reasoned through in his head. If he wanted to spoil Ivie, he'd do it one way or the other. That was the Hemmingway natural order.
Gale just smiled and shook his head. Little did Arvia know he was trying to escape from Michelle when he burst in. It wasn't his fault she just stormed off like that, really, but he wouldn't bring it up.
Though... wait.
He didn't recall saying anything that could make her storm off like that. She herself said something about law, which automatically made Gale assume that she remembered nothing of the kiss. She wasn't awkward in the morning, either. So... why was it that she just romped off like that?
It made him blush a little too just thinking about it. Dear God, what if she did remember?
"Did you enjoy yerself?"
That was the only question he could muster up? Really now?
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 8:03 am
Ivie's arm snaked out to balance herself against the sofa. She'd already realised that confonting Nye in this outfit wasn't going to get her very far, but she was insistant that she win this one. She just couldn't keep taking from Nye like this.
Then again, the extra sleep and less stress did sound awfully nice. Still.
"It would be taking advantage of your kindness, Nye." She tried to explain her point to him. "You don't have any reason to look after me like that, and I can't just keep taking from you all the time. It's not right."
She finished with a shake of her head, feeling bad already just tinking about all the times he'd fed her already and she hadn't paid him back.
Arvia hadn't really stormed off. She'd just felt the tension rising and removed herself from it, really. I mean, it wasn't as if she was embarressed by the kiss, not in the least. She wasn't going to mention it, though.
"Oh yes, my back feels fantastic now. They did my nails too, see?" She held a hand out to Gale for him to see, though she doubted he'd really appreciate what they'd done to them. "As I said, you should go one day. It does wonders for stress."
There was a pause as the drink Arvia had ordered arrived. She was limiting herself tonight, now that she was away from her friends, and had asked Gale to stop her at three. She'd be right with that. Taking a sip of the rather pink liquid, she managed to hide a slightly wicked smile behind the glass.
"So, Gale, ever been kissed?" Well she was curious. He hadn't been half bad last night, after all!
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 8:40 am
Even though she was putting up an argument, Nye took very little time in thinking of a response. Like I said, he had already thought this plan through. Of course, as usual, Ivie was putting up a fuss. He just hoped she wouldn't over exhaust herself by all of that unnecessary movement. She was already having trouble recovering...
"Well, either my money goes on something useful, like half your rent and a lot of food, or it goes on things you don't actually want. Like clothes. Either way, I'm spending money on you, except the second is a bit more stressful for the both of us."
Psh, he wasn't gonna let her win.
Gale didn't order anything for himself, and didn't know why Arvia bothered. She looked so hung over earlier that morning... why try drinking again that same day? Oh well, it wasn't his business.
The boy turned his head slightly to give Arvia's sparkling nails a good once-over, only chuckling as a result. He never saw the point in painting nails, but if it made someone feel a little better about themselves, more power to them!
So this was drink number one out of three.
Thank goodness she didn't set the total too high, because Gale's ability to count or otherwise comprehend suddenly vanished as she asked him the question of the day. How random was that, especially if she didn't remember?
"W-w-well, y-yeah," he answered nervously.
Honestly, how hard was it to get a straight answer out?
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 8:51 am
Oh he was playing dirty, that just wasn't fair! Nye knew very well that she wasn't about to let him buy her any more clothes than he already had, she couldn't even think about where to wear these ones!
"You, Mr Hemmingway, are impossible." She eventually concluded, before turning her back on him and flopping back down onto the couch, honestly tired from just that little outburst. Blankets were rearranged as she settled down, gathering her arguments before continuing, her eyes pinned on the ceiling.
"Nye, is it that difficult to understand that I feel bad about you spending your hard-earnt money on me? It makes me feel terrible." It was the truth!
Well Arvia knew that three was enough to give her a buzz but for her to still be in complete control of herself. These things were also rather low in alcahol content so the hangover the next morning should be minimal, if there at all. She really did want to catch the slopes in the morning!
Again, one eyebrow arched at the stuttering man. "I didn't mean to imply you were that bad at drawing in the girls." She chuckled, taking another sip of her drink and glancing over at the piano player. He'd just started, and it was a good chance for her to break eye-contact. "It's just that you always seem so awkward when anybody flirts with you even a little."
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 9:04 am
A-ha! That was basically a victory for our brave Mr. Hemmingway. He stood up straight, looking smug as he pumped his fist once, away from Ivie's sight. He'd buy her stuff regardless, but definitely not as often if he wanted her to feel even remotely okay with the plan. But that was just the way he was - over-helpful.
He moved to loom over the couch while Lizzie climbed on top of Ivie's stomach, secretly gloating on the outside. "And it makes me feel bad to see you so pale, unrested, and malnourished all the time. Fortunately for you, spending money isn't a health risk for me."
A-ha. How could Ivie resist that? He was just good at getting his way, that Nye.
"'M almost always awkwar'," Gale admitted with a smile. He knew how he was: awkward, fidgety, stuttering, easy to read. It wasn't anything new to him, being a family trait of sorts, but his brothers sure did a better job at controlling it.
Then again, he didn't recall anyone but Michelle flirting with him in the last while or so. Well, maybe other people were doing it and he just didn't notice? A state of obliviousness was kinda common. "I guess... 'm jus' no' used t'the atten'ion..."
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 6:07 pm
It didn't take very much more prodding and bullying from Nye to get Ivie to accept his offer. She'd never admit it but she had been running herself into the ground and really, it was a miracle that she hadn't made herself terribly sick from sheer exhaustion yet.
Still, she felt horrible for accepting even after the two weeks, and her many offers of going back on it were quickly denied before she even got them out of her mouth. Nye was a little frustrating like that; once he'd made up his mind about something he was going to stick to it.
So two weeks passed without any further incident. Nye went back to work first and had to fend of fangirls for the next few days - something that made Ivie incredibly jealous for reasons she really couldn't explain - and eventually Ivie went back to work. She'd even done as Nye asked; apologised profusely to her supervisor and explained (leaving out the details) that she had to take on less work. Now, down to two shifts a week rather than four (considering that shifts were 8 hours each) and it was time for her to leave Nye. Why? Her Universtity started next week and it just wasn't practical for her to stay here when her bus went from right outside her apartment.
Now she just had to break it to Nye.
"Nye?" After she'd become stable on her feet, she'd insisted on helping with the house-hold chores simply because she was taking up his space. She put down a dish and glanced over at him. "Nye, I think I should head home this weekend. Uni starts next week."
"Really?" It was hard for her to beleive that really, Gale was such an attractive guy. "You don't have girls at Uni flirting with you all the time? I can't seem to get away from the boys there..."
"Ever dated?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 7:30 pm
Nye was an incredibly persistent son of a b***h, really. Once he decided on something (which was rarely), he was a little too good at sticking with his way. It got really frustrating sometimes, yes, but at the same time it had a tendency to be kind of reassuring. Who didn't want a guy who wanted the best for you? Not many people, I tell you! Crazy masochists...
He was very good about taking his pills those two weeks, making sure to keep his... other self repressed. Nye did his best in being cheerful and easing the weakening tension between them, even if Ivie did seem to get a little weird when he got phone calls from JP telling him that he was overbooked and had to shift his appointments around to ease the work on his wrist.
It was just as he was putting his favorite feather duster away that Ivie told him the news. He let out a slight 'hm' and went to refill his wonderful pink ice cube tray, thinking over the news. She had to go home sometime, right? Just because he was slightly attached didn't mean she was. What does a person say to that?
"Okay, we'll pack your clothes up tomorrow and I'll help you clean up and stuff. It's probably dusty from you not being there, clean freak."
Ah, he definitely would miss teasing her.
Well, even if the girls did flirt with him, he never seemed to notice or respond. He was too focused on getting ready for whatever the future threw at him instead of being too focused on his hormones. He didn't make a further comment on the dating issue.
"Yeah, once. We los' in'erest in each other af'er a while, though."
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 7:43 pm
Well it had been a wonderful two weeks. In all honesty Ivie wasn't really looking forward to going home and being alone all over again, she'd realised just how bad that really was for her. It wasn't as if she had a social life to balance things out with either, so Nye's company, even silently, was rather reassuring while she caught up on a bit of study or just even bummed around. In short, despite the flakey nature and spontanious dinners, she was rather fond of him.
It scared her. But it was more the thrilling sort of scare rather than the terrifying one, and the only moments she regretted were the ones she'd spent drowning herself. Heck, she even felt comfortable sleeping in Nye's bed now (he insisted on taking the couch), and for her...that was a lot of trust.
"Well don't you complain, I doubt your apartment's ever been this clean, bachelor-boy." She screwed up her nose a little at the thought. "Yeah, it's going to smell funky too. Have to clean out the fridge...I didn't think of that."
Rotten food. Good times. "I'd like that. It gets done faster with two."
Who said she wasn't attached? She was actually letting Nye help her these days, which was a rarity. No matter how attached she was, though, she couldn't just keep inconviniencing him like this.
"Shame the bus only really goes from there..."
"That's a shame." Arvia didn't sound all that sorry for Gale's loss though. "I guess better that way than going out with a bang."
She knew all about that, but it was one thing she was never ever going to share with anyone...other than William who'd helped her dump the body.
We won't go there.
"He's pretty good, isn't he?" She asked after a few minutes, nodding at the piano player. Gale wouldn't be given time to answer really, as Terry emerged from dinner and headed their way. Arvia groaned. "Why hasn't he gotten the message yet?" Even better. Michelle was with him.
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 7:54 pm
Nye was the definition of flaky and spontaneous. He and Lizzie were fine on their own, but things were just more fun when Ivie was around. He had someone to surprise with his spontaneity! Someone who didn't mind having a very plan-less roommate, even if the arrangement was temporary.
He did enjoy her giving in to letting him help her. It was getting quite frustrating to argue with her about almost everything, but Ivie just allowing his help? Definitely refreshing, and slightly unnerving in its own way. It would definitely be weird not having her around, even if she was only there for two weeks.
"Ooh! You wanna go grocery shopping today then, and we can do the fridge? Be easier to not have to do everything at once tomorrow," he suggested innocently. Little did Ivie know about Nye's supersecret knowledge of the new starfruit shipment at the supermarket. He would definitely indulge her in some of that.
"Is that a hint of sadness I sense there?" Nye joked. He was sad to see her go, too.
Gale bent his head back to look at the piano player, smiling a little after watching his hands. People never really paid attention to stuff like that, but that pianist was definitely good. Perhaps even too good for playing at a lounge in a ski resort.
Still, he got to do what he loved.
But, of course, their peace had to be ruined.
"If you e'er need me to punch 'im, I'd be 'appy to oblige."
Now you just had to figure out if he was joking or not.
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 8:39 pm
Well Ivie did argue sometimes when he offered to help but really, after he'd gotten the bath removed and replaced with a shower only a few days into her stay she'd begun feeling a little more easy with herself and what came with sharing a house and the jobs. She no longer felt the random urges to clean whenever something was slightly out of place in Nye's house, and she could easily relax in his presense. Two weeks seemed to feel like forever.
"Don't you have to work, Nye?" She glanced over at him, eyebrow raised. His work timetable seemed rather fluid, if you asked her humble opinion on the matter.
"And you'd like to think that, wouldn't you." She teased, poking her tongue out at him quickly. "Well it will deffinately be strange to go home to an empty apartment." She eventually conceeded. There was nothing more depressing than coming home to no-one at five in the morning after a night-shift. Maybe she should invest in a goldfish.
"Only if he touches me again." Arvia replied dryly, crossing her jeaned legs and leaning back on the sofa, attempting to take up as much of it as possible so that Terry didn't get the idea of sitting down next to her.
Michelle, however, didn't seem to take such hints. Instead she waltzed right over and plonked herself down on Gale's lap, even having the gall to wiggle her butt around a little to 'get comfortable'. Arvia's deep blue eyes narrowed sharply, and she felt like hissing 'mine' under her breath. That little whore.
"Can we help you two?" She said quietly, arching a brow. Terry had the decency to look uncomfortable.
"Well, I'm not sure about Michelle but I actually came to apologise for my...behaviour, earlier Arvia. I was wondering if perhaps we - "
"If you're really sorry, Terry, you can stop trying to date me. I'm not interested. Not now, not ever. Understand?"
Terry seemed to shrink a litle at the blunt rejection. "Completely. C'mon, Michelle, lets go to the bar."
"Actually, I'm quite happy here~" The blonde cooed, perfectly content.
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