Lisa

“Gerald,” Lisa sneered, stepping into living room from the foyer.

“Lisa,” the young man responded, his attention returned to his novel. She walked up to him and dropped her bag at his feet.

“I hope the liquor isn’t in there,” he commented at the muffled thump upon the carpet.

“Well,” she said, crossing her arms and tapping at her elbows.

“Well what?” Gerald said, looking up from the book into the dark green eyes of the brunette. As much as he didn’t like the young woman, Gerald did admire her svelte form and waist-length honey-brown hair, currently bound in a pair of braids.

“Aren’t you going to take my bag upstairs?” Lisa arched an eyebrow.

“And I should for what reason?” he asked, staring calmly into her eyes.

“No reason. You just should.”

“Is that a fact?” the young man asked, unimpressed at her haughty tone of voice.

“Yes,” she said, her lips a thin line. Gerald rolled his eyes in his head.

Is that the real reason?

-Of course not.-

Then what is?

-I want a reaction out of him. He’s always so damn solemn and serious around me.-

Why do you want a reaction?

-To see if he cares at all about me. I may not be as bad as Cheryl and her flirtations with Gerald, but I’ve been hung up on him longer, since Katrina’s thirteenth birthday.-

Then why do you act so angry towards him? Don’t you want him?

-Of course I do. It’s just that he made me so angry back then. He kissed Becky Rawlins and not me, dammit! I won the right to it!-

You’re angry because he kissed another girl and didn’t know that he knew about a contest to earn the right?

-He doesn’t know?-

He’s a man. (Gerald chuckled to himself.) What do you expect? They tend to miss things that women pay attention to.

“D, don’t worry about it,” Lisa stammered suddenly, blinking back tears. “I, I can t, take care of m, my-”

“Are you okay?” Gerald asked, setting his book aside and standing up. “What’s wrong?”

“N, nothing.”

“Nothing my ass,” he said. “You’re crying. Why?”

“It’s, it’s,” she broke off, a loud sob wrenching forth from her lips. Gerald reached around her and pulled the young woman into his chest.

“There, there,” he said, patting her back with one hand, the other gently stroking her lower back. “Let it out.”

Glancing up, he saw Katrina and Holly enter the room, their eyes wide with shock and awkwardness. Gerald shrugged his shoulders and gestured with a hand to the stairs. Nodding, his sister headed out of the room, Holly on her heels and glancing over her shoulder at Gerald and Lisa, her face green with envy.

“Th, thank you,” Lisa said after a few minutes of bawling, lifting her head away from his chest.

“Not a problem,” Gerald smiled softly, leaning his face towards her and placing a kiss on her forehead. The brunette beamed, a twinkle darting in her green eyes, and tilted her head back. Slowly, the young man leaned in closer and their lips met. They held each other, kissing tenderly. Alas, it had to end and Lisa pulled away, her face glowing.

“I should get upstairs,” she said, small tears of joy sprouting from her eyes. “Everyone’ll be waiting.”

“And they’ll want details, I’m sure,” Gerald laughed politely. The stood apart and Lisa picked up her bag as he sat down to return to his book. She turned away with a blush. At the stairs, the young woman stopped and looked back.

“Will you be here all night?” she asked tentatively.

“All weekend, Lisa,” he smiled.