Light from the still cool, overcast early spring sky illuminated my solitary bedroom window, the only source of light in the tepid room. Shifting comfortably under the crisp sheets, my hands aimlessly roaming over the vacant, cool far side of the familiar bed. Drawing a deep breath, that soft masculine scent filled my body causing my still half sleeping mind to race.
"Prince?" The simple, dignified name mumbled, my face still half buried deep into the comfort of my warm pillow. Hands tracing my eagerly over he cool sheets now, eyes finally cracking open staring blankly at the empty spot next to me. A few more minutes passed, my still waking body finally lifted from the plush mattress. From the solitude of my bedroom, the apartment was silent, as i he'd only been a figment of my imagination, a hallucination of all my pent up fears and anger. And for just the slightest moment a jolt of anxiety shoots through me only to me put out when I find him sitting on my couch. Walking over to the couch I watched for a moment, studying his lithe frame; legs covered in black fabric, a white sweater hanging loose from what I knew to be angular shoulders, legs folder over themselves and his pen sliding across the page at a steady pace, filling the page with that smooth looking script.
"Working on another album?" Words curious as my arms folded on the back of the couch, resting my head on them as I watch him grin slightly in profile.
"Not necessarily." His tone teasing, but the ink never stopped flowing onto the page.
"Can I read it?" Leaning over only to have his hand stretch out flat against the paper, obscuring the words. "You're no fun." Turning to him, his eyes having the slightest hint of bloodshot and the delicate skin under his eyes puffy. The expression held in those captivating eyes says he hopes I can't see it, and the grin on my face doesn't falter, never once revealing what I'd seen. But I'm not stupid, something was desperately wrong, he'd been crying at this point this morning.
"Good morning Sydney." He muses with a weak grin, one I reflect ten fold for his benefit.
"Good morning to you Prince." Lips quickly meeting his cheek before walking away. "I'm taking a quick shower, then we're heading out."
"Where?" That naturally vibrant baritone wrapped around that word curiously.
"You'll see." Closing the door behind me.
A little over an hour later and our short drive was done as we pulled into a parking stall.
"Um, so, this is what we're doing?" I can't help but grin at I notice him raising one eyebrow to look questioningly at the destination before us.
"Yes," leaning over to pat him on the knee gently, "you see us everyday people need to do these things." Failing to hold in my laughter as I spoke he turned to me, glaring at me and my slightly condescending words.
"I know that, I wasn't born into a family with money or shit like that you know. This isn't that foreign to me." That raised eyebrow now pointing at me.
"I'm only giving you a hard time, come on, I gotta get this done." Exiting the car, I come around to his side just in time to see him close the door. "Oh.don't be bothered by any looks you might get, you do stand out a little in this crowd." His eyes followed mine as I looked around the people in the parking lot, most wearing worn in cowboy boots and some form of a cowboy hat. Our eyes meeting again and he only nods, giving me a half grin to tell me he understands. The doors of the establishment slide open and before I can say a word he walks up next to me pushing an empty cart.
"I'll push." A grin nearly big enough to engulf his face spreads across his lips.
"Alright, the grocery shopping shall commence." I joked as I pulled my list from the depths of my purse. Walking through the vegetables I grabbed the staples; onions, potatoes, celery, carrots, peppers, garlic. He watched with a perplexed smile as I grabbed what I needed and scratched it off my list as I went along. He was mostly quiet as we went from one aisle to the next, slowly filling the cart with things I hoped he'd be able to eat. "If you want anything just throw it in the cart."
"I can eat whatever you have around." He assured me as I stopped in the middle of the aisle, to look at him.
"My plan for the week was to live off fried chicken." Pursing my lips at him as he silently mouthed 'oh' to me. Wrapping my arm through his as we walked through the store, getting the occasional questioning or judgmental glare from random passersby, neither of us acknowledging a single one. It was a good thing it was spring break, this town was nearly completely devoid of college students, leaving only the middle aged and older townies who hadn't cared about popular music since the 1970's. Turing down the next aisle, his expressive eyes grew slightly, as he looked down the row of colorful packages.
"We need snacks for the week right?" The expression kid in a candy store does not even begin to describe the look on his face as he turned to me briefly.
"Yes, I think we do. You pick, I gotta grab something from the freezer section." Squeezing forearm briefly before letting go an walking two rows over the the freezer. After searching for more than a few minutes I found the one thing I had desperately hoped I'd find in this store. Grabbing the slightly frost covered box I headed back to the row I'd left him in, only to find him crouched down, inspecting a package of cookie. The cart now held Doritos, popcorn, a few packages of cookies, and assorted other junk food items which I hadn't expected given his slim frame and seeming concern for eating healthy. Putting the box in the cart under the mess of food as he came up to me, throwing another package of cookies in the cart.
"I need one more thing." He announced before pushing the now heavy cart forward, once in the dairy aisle, he grabbed a can of nondairy whipped topping, dropping it in the cart without so much as a look in my direction. After a brief argument at the check out as to who would pay the rather hefty bill, which I lost after he distracted me and took my purse from my shoulder, we loaded our haul into the trunk of my car.
"You really didn't have to pay for my groceries." Continuing my protest as we got back in the car.
"I wanted to." His hand wrapped around mine which rested on the shifter. "So what's the plan for the rest of the day?"
"We're going back to the apartment, we have an important meal to make or you're going to help me." My heart raced as I thought over my plan and hoped it would make him happy, maybe fix whatever had him so upset earlier this morning.
"I don't really cook much."
"It's ok, I'll be cooking with you." Squeezing his fingers before untangling from him and turning the key in the ignition.
"Ok, as long as I get to plan desert."
YOU ARE READING
The Online Experience
FanfictionIt's the mid 1990's and Sydney is a graduate student who spends her evenings exploring online chat rooms. What happens when she makes an online friend and tries to help him through one of the toughest times in his life. Inspired by the song My Compu...
