The Arsonist

December 21st

Khloe had allowed Jake to stay at the building for a while. She took really good care of him, like nobody ever had before. She fed him and cleaned his clothes. The only rule was he couldn’t go in room 109, because it wasn’t safe or something, although Jake had a feeling that wasn't why he couldn't go in. Every once in awhile, he would catch himself staring at her while she cleaned or cooked. He knew this feeling that he had for her was something like he never felt before. He didn’t snoop around, either. He always stayed around her or in the living quarters.

“Khloe, does this thing work?” He was looking at an old record player in the dining room.

She walked over to it and threw a towel over her shoulder. She picked up and record from a shelf and put it on the turntable then placed the needle on the edge.

First, came a scratching noise then came the fast paced sound of a waltz.

“Looks as though it does.” She smiled and leaned against the wall.

Look at her… She’s so gorgeous just standing there… I have to do something…

    As the music started to pick up, he extended his hand toward her.

    “Shall I have this dance?” He felt corny after saying this.

She smiled and took his hand then they started to dance, fast paced to the waltz. As they danced, he watched as her face light up with happiness and she laughed with him. They moved to the music, dancing together. Finally, the music stopped and went to a slow song.

She moved closer to him and put her hands on his chest, looking up at his face. He pulled her close and looked deep into her beautiful eyes.

“Can I tell you something?” He asked her softly. She nodded. “When I first saw you, I couldn’t stop staring at you.”

She smiled to herself. “Well, I don’t blame you. I was barely wearing anything at all.”

“No, it wasn’t because of that… I saw something in you that I never would have thought I’d see in a person... “ He started to trail off to collect his thoughts. She looked straight into his eyes, hoping to hear what she thought he was going to say.

“... I’ve never been in love before… I’ve never felt a connection with anyone before. I’ve-” Before he could finish his sentence, she pulled him into a kiss. He’d never had the experience of kissing before, so this was a rather new thing for him. He tried his best to hold it, as he shakily put his hands around her waist.

Finally, she broke the kiss, his eyes still shut. He opened them to see her blushing furiously. She pulled away and turned her back to him.

“Sorry. I don't know where that came from.” She said softly. He looked down for a moment then looked back at her.

“Does this mean anything?” He asked firmly. She smiled and made a noise that sounded like a laugh, but it was too quiet and too tense to be one. She put her hand on his cheek for a moment, then walked away. He watched her walk out of the room, smirking to himself, thinking about her. Suddenly, the record stopped with a loud scratch, which snapped him away from his thoughts.

    “Well, this is going to be interesting.” He said to himself, before walking out of the room.