Writing Prompts for the Mentally Deranged and Linguistically Addicted

SEVEN

"How is it?"

Luxurious... Euphonious... Delectable... Exquisite...

"Mmmmmmmhmhmhmhmhm," Bella answered, cutting herself off as a crumb escaped from her mouth. Her hand shot up to her lips, a snort following.

Jason laughed, the tension in his arms relaxing as he quickly provided a napkin with his three fingered hand. Bella took it with a smile.

"I almost didn't add the raw sugar on top," Jason continued, his stance shifting as he leaned against the counter. "But I knew it needed that special something to become the, um, queen muffin of muffins."

He gave an awkward chuckle, his blue eyes dropping eye contact as he readjusted the pumpkin muffins on the cooling rack. Bella watched quietly, her smile sobering.

"Is it..."

"Hmm?"

"Is it, uh, different? Like, harder? With..." she motioned hesitantly to his right hand, and the three alien-like fingers—thumb, index, and pinky—withdrew from the counter. She bit her lip, unease filling her gut. She was getting too comfortable—they had only been neighbors for, what, eight months? Did that give her a pass to suddenly question physical abnormalities?

Jason pulled the end of his t-shirt with his good hand, the letters Haven High Basketball Championships 2015 stretching before bouncing back up again. "It's not that different, I don't think. I mean... it's baking. How hard can it get?"

Bella forced a smile as her reply, trying to nudge away the yesterday memories of splattered counters and smoking ovens as Jason began to deposit each muffin into her large tupperware container.

"Hey Bella... I wanted to ask if, maybe, you would, um..."

"Ya?" Bella encouraged as Jason's words faded. He looked up at her, and she almost gawked in surprise at the deep red that flushed on his freckled cheeks. He looked down again, grabbing the tupperware lid to cover the muffins. His voice was hurried.

"If, maybe, you would like to go to the movies Saturday night. Or something. Just—I found out I'd be home alone and I hate staying home alone so—"

Bella stared, her heart quickening at Jason's proposition. Was he... was he asking her out?

Slowly, her cheeks began to burn, her eyes darting over his appearance—the once wild red waves of hair turning charmingly unkempt, the boyish smile shifting to an endearing flirtation, the unnoticed beat-up shorts and shirt changing to a simple and honest presentation.

She had never thought... well, maybe she did, but she'd never thought that he'd...

"...Bella?"

The girl blinked, then gasped. "I—" She blurted, then froze.

Saturday. Saturday night. Oh God, oh no, her parents' painting night, family night. How would she—

"Nevermind."

Bella paused, trying to pull away from her thoughts. "What?"

"I said nevermind. I understand. Don't worry about it."

Wait, wait, what?

"Here's your muffins. I hope they sell well at the choir fundraiser. I'll..." Jason hesitated, then waved a through the air. "I'll see you at school."

Turning away from her, Jason grabbed as many bowls and utensils that fit in his fingers and brought them to the kitchen sink. He turned on the faucet. Bella stood, the weight of the muffins in her arms as she struggled on what to say, how to reply.

"I... I'll be next door if you need me," she spoke finally, trying to sound light hearted. When no reply came, she slowly headed out of his house, her bare feet walking over the grass of their joined yards as she tried to make sense amongst the array of emotions that swirled inside of her.

"You get the muffins?" Her mom's voice projected through the open window as Bella struggled to open the front door. At her success, she backed into the house with a grunt of a contorted "yes," and her mom soon rushed to relieve her.

"Well, thank God that our boy next door can whip some magic, or we'd be doomed!" Bella's mom laughed, heading back into the kitchen to drop off the muffins. "How is Jason anyway? Coach get back to him on whether he made the team this year or not? ...Bella?"

The girl jumped, taking a breath. "I... I don't—"

"Oh shoot! And I just remembered that your brother called saying he'll be getting off work a little late, so our Saturday family night will start half an hour late, that okay?"

Bella stared, and for a moment the silence hovered over them both until finally she murmured:

"I won't be there... Saturday."

"I'm sorry?"

Bella stood straighter, her feet already backing up, her conviction growing.

"I won't be there, I have something, I—I gotta go!"

Running out the house and across the yard, Bella almost tripped over the sprinkler as she stumbled to Jason's door. She flung it open, tramping down the hall into his kitchen, almost freezing at his struck expression as he stood next to the sink, hands covered in soap bubbles. She took a deep breath.

"Saturday night," she ordered. "You. Me. Movies. We're going. It's..." Her courage waned at his hanging jaw, "d-decided."

For a moment, both stood frozen. Then, slowly, Jason's jaw closed, and he walked towards her, stopping just in time for a shy grin to work up his lips. Bella stared, her insides melting at his closeness, her mind astounded at how she had never noticed his broad shoulders or how he was just tall enough so that she stared at his lips.

"I... will be looking forward to it," he finally spoke. Bella nodded wordlessly, about to leave when Jason suddenly stepped forward and touched her arm. Then a soft warmth pressed against her cheek, and she blinked.
He'd kissed her.

Immediately, heat pulsed through her cheeks, her breath shuddering, her voice stumbling.

"Well, I, uh—"

"Sorry, um," Jason joined. "I just—"

"I should get—"

"You should get—"

They both froze, then laughed. A small tingle of delight spread at the sight of Jason's face, cherry red.

"Right, um, Saturday?" She asked.

"Saturday." He confirmed, grinning.

Bella took one step, then two, almost unwilling to leave.

"See you then," she added quickly, and before Jason could reply, she ran out of the house.

Challenge: When creating a story, it always essential to define the relationships between your characters. Try writing an interaction in which you drop clues about what these two people (or more) feel towards each other!