The New Girl

[February] - Cabin Conundrums (3)

Joe heard the birds sing before the sun was up. Pulling the blanket up to his chin, he closed his eyes, though he knew it was in vain. He hadn't been able to fall back asleep after his kitchen encounter with Dianne. After his entire world had been rocked by a simple kiss.

Though, he thought with a smirk, "simple" wasn't the correct adjective. That kiss had been...a lot. It was a relief - in finally being able to get his feelings across in a way that couldn't be misconstrued. And it was confirmation - that Dianne's lips DID feel just as good as he'd imagined. And that just maybe - she harbored the same feelings for him as he did her. 

That was what had kept Joe up all night. Not the way he could still feel her lips on his, or her hands grasping his arms tightly - though that was probably a contributing factor. No, this insomnia was caused by the knowledge that this wasn't an unrequited situation where his feelings weren't matched by the person on the receiving end. He'd been through that enough in his life - where he liked a girl who had no interest in him, or vice versa. It was rare, he thought, to find himself in a situation where feelings were reciprocated.

Although, he sighed, burying his head deeper under the blanket, they still hadn't talked about it. Maybe he'd caught her off guard, and she didn't want to embarrass him by pulling away. Maybe she was laying up there in the loft regretting everything. Being trapped in a cabin with their roommates for another day probably wasn't the best way to sort through it all either, but Joe felt a sudden desperation to talk with Dianne - REALLY talk. Lay it all out there and figure this out once and for all.

He realized, with a sigh, that conversation would not be happening today as his roommates all traipsed down the stairs together an hour later, groggy and bleary eyed, but awake, and ready to start their day. He watched them from his reclined position on the sofa, quirking an eyebrow toward Dianne who was bringing up the rear of the single file line, dark bags under her eyes and her red hair a wild mess on the top of her head. He suddenly got the feeling he wasn't the only one who had just suffered a sleepless night, as she yawned loudly, nearly tripping over a rug as she stumbled into the kitchen.

"Coffee," she mumbled. "I need coffee."

"We're out of mugs," Evie groaned staring into the cabinet as if it would miraculously fill with washed coffee mugs if she stared hard enough.

"Here's one," Joe cleared his throat, from across the room, holding up the half-drank mug of tea from their 3am kitchen encounter.

"Well get up and bring it in here you lazy arse!" Caspar yelled, causing him to chuckle, while simultaneously watching Dianne cautiously turn to gaze his way.

He shrugged, "I'm too tired."

"Well so are we, thanks to your 3am cup of tea," Caspar yawned, stretching overhead. "That damn ancient kettle...I thought we were being bombed."

"Bombed?" Ambar questioned sarcastically, before shoving him out of the kitchen and toward the living room to give her space to work on breakfast.

"Here, I'll wash it," Dianne murmured as she walked toward Joe slowly, the look on her face unreadable, almost like she was sizing him up. 

"Thanks," he whispered, unable to hold back a smirk at the way she practically jumped when their fingers brushed against each other. 

"Di?" Evie inquired from the kitchen, "Can you do your famous pancakes?"

"Sure," Dianne replied distractedly, her face still trained toward Joe, with that same look, though now her cheeks were bright pink.

"Yo, self-proclaimed pancake queen," Oli shouted as he joined the other two, "Hurry up I'm starving."