I'm Normally Perfect (re-upload)

Chapter Forty

After the break began Stewart spent even more time at our place than before. I suppose the annoying thing about having a job to go to every day is that you can't hang around with your girlfriend as much as you'd like. Now he was free to loll about and generally be underfoot. It's not as though I usually walked around in my underpants, but I felt like as long as he was around I needed to be fully dressed at all times, I didn't even like him to see me in my jim-jams, and they covered everything regular clothes did.

For the most part I stayed locked in the study, clattering away on my typewriter, working on incorporating the changes to my stories to send his friend, trying to look at the work the way an editor would and having no luck. I figured he saw writing that wasn't perfect all the time, it was his job to make it better, so I might as well stop fretting so. Yeah, taking that view helped.

I was torn over Stewart, I mean, I was grateful to the guy for helping me out, I certainly would've never considered showing my work to...well anyone besides Alex, but at the same time, he was with my Alex and he was getting more clingy. It seemed like he held her hand all the time, and when he took her out to dinner he always made sure he was the one to help Alex into her coat. That particularly bothered me, though I don't know why. It was simply my job, that's all. I was fine with him as long as we were talking, over dinner or whatnot, but when I was alone, that was when I began thinking all sorts of horrible things about how I wished he'd just go away. Then again, when I was in a situation it usually wasn't so horrible, but when I was alone before and after said situation it seemed overwhelming. Perhaps I should simply stop thinking and just live moment-to-moment...No, I'd go insane. My life was about analysing every second of my existence, what would I do without that? Everyone needs a hobby.

It began snowing the day after the term ended and I was grateful that I hadn't had to slog through it on the way to meetings, though I knew I would have to when Hilary began. The morning following the first snow Alex volunteered to take first shift of clearing off a bit of grass for the dogs to use, but Stewart jumped up, with a "that's man's work" tone and said he'd do it. I watched him clear off a small section and he plopped Cate down in it. She just looked up at him and he shovelled off a bit more. She continued to stare and he went on shovelling. I started chuckling and Alex asked what was so funny.

'I think Cate's going to have Stewart clear the entire back garden.'

'What?' She came over from the sink and looked at the comedy happening in the back. Alex went to the door and shouted, 'Catherine the Great! Stop being so pushy and just go!' Cate looked over at us then went about her business. Alex returned to the sink and I laughed,

'She's just showing him who's boss. Asserting her authority.' I was rather proud that the Yorkie had never pulled that with me. She'd only ever made me clear off the same amount as Alex had to. I'd have to sneak her an extra treat for that.

I put on my cold weather togs and Alex and I went out the front door and had a snowball fight. Yeah, it was immature, but I'd always wanted to have one, so when she turned away from me I flung a bit of snow at her back. Not hard, I didn't want to hurt her, but it made a great 'thwack' sound as it hit her puffa jacket. She turned around and, feigning disgust, gathered up a bit of snow and threw it at me. She missed. I couldn't believe it. She had horrible aim. Finally! Something Alex couldn't do perfectly on the first go. We began throwing bits of snow at one another, but it wasn't wet enough to pack into balls so basically we were just throwing powder around. Eventually she tackled me and we began wrestling on the ground. Then I heard something and looked up to find Stewart watching us from the front steps. He looked a bit cross, but then he produced a camera from behind his back and, laughing, snapped a couple of pictures of us. Alex put her arm around me and I leaned into her neck, laughing. We posed for a few more shots and I took some of Alex and Stewart then we went in for hot drinks.