Fan Fiction ❯ Josephine the Stegosaurus ❯ Super Duper Cinnamon Pancakes ( Chapter 6 )

“Show me the money!” The frog crouched at Josie's feet croaked a chant and then promptly expanded to twice her height. He metamorphosed into a form similar to a snake, but on legs, and started kicking at her. Her arms flew out to block his attacks. I didn't know I knew kung-fu! The frog-snake-thing drew back and readied itself for a pounce, when she felt herself get yanked forward. Extending her arms out to protect herself from the fall, she gasped to find her fingers touching nothing but air, and her back pressed against a solid, squishy mass. Her mattress. The frog's croak dissolved into a steady series of buzzes coming from her bedside table, and she smashed the snooze button with gusto.

“Damn frog.” She flipped over and mumbled into her pillow, keeping her eyes closed. There was a brightness in the air, though, seeping through her eyelids that couldn't be attributed to the sun alone. One eye squeaked open and focused on her gauzy red curtains, which filtered the brightness outside so that the room was dusted with a pale, luminescent blush. Her eyes widened. “Snow!” Scrambling from the embrace of her thick comforters like a second-grader, she ran to the window. Sure enough, everything was white. There were some barely-discernible shadows in the crevices of the architecture of the apartment complex, and dark patches peeking out from underneath the boughs of the evergreens, but otherwise, the whole world was colorless and pristine. She grinned.

“Randa! It snowed!” she shouted. Pulling on a pair of red plaid pajama pants and a sweatshirt over her underwear, she skipped into the hallway where she collided with a warm body. A warm, shirtless body. “Umm…Derek? What are—” Nice, Josie. What do you think he's doing here?! “Good morning!” Pasting on a grin with a blush, she side-stepped him and continued into the small kitchen, where she busied herself pulling out some eggs, milk, and pancake mix. Snow always calls for a nice big breakfast. Who cared if they were late? No one was going museum-hopping today.

“Morning, Josie. What are you making?” said Derek. He was obviously still asleep, and just trying to make some small talk. She assumed that after she had left the bar last night (claiming she was “tired”) in her own car, Bryan had dropped Miranda and Derek off. At this apartment. Josie thanked whatever spiritual beings were out there that they had splurged on triple sound-proofed walls.

“Josie's special snow day super duper cinnamon pancakes,” she replied with a grin. Today was going to be a good day.

“Ooh, that sounds delicious, can I have some?” A disembodied voice floated out of the living room. Josie shrieked, and the egg in her hand nearly flew into the air.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Now that question I have every right to ask! Bryan walked into the kitchen, wearing a shirt, thank God, and smirking at Josie.

“I was tired.” He whined, mocking her. She glared at him. “Actually, once I got here to drop Miranda off, the snow was starting to stick, and Miranda graciously offered me the couch to sleep on so I wouldn't have to drive out into the treacherous conditions all alone so late at night before the snowplows went through. McLean is pretty far from here, you know.” She snorted. McLean was notorious for its big, new cookie-cutter mansions and Republican millionaires. Arlington was more of an urban town, with older buildings and a more left-leaning atmosphere. Arlington was situated right outside D.C., on the banks of the Potomac, while McLean was about twenty miles further West on the Beltway. It wasn't an impossible commute from there, but definitely longer. She didn't envy that. “Speaking of snowplows…I'm going out to check if this road's clear, and get the spare clothes out of my car.”

Josie turned towards him, one eyebrow raised. “You keep a spare set of clothes in your car?”

“You know, just in case,” he said, winking. She groaned.

“You're such a pig.”

“A cute one though, right?” She rolled her eyes and started cracking eggs, imagining each one was Bryan's head. She would have to have a talk with Miranda later about the kinds of things she could bring home. An adorable stray puppy? Sure. An obnoxious, arrogant, albeit charming, jerk? That's something you should consult your roommate about first.

Josie overheard a murmured “Good morning, baby” and a smooching sound from behind her. She sighed. At least Miranda was getting some. She carefully poured the milk out of the plastic carton and into a pink measuring cup, holding it up to keep it level at the 2-cup mark. She snuck a sip surreptitiously when the liquid hovered a little higher, and then dumped it into the mixing bowl after checking again. Miranda bounded up behind her to observe her cooking, smiling.

“Super duper cinnamon pancakes?” she said in a rush

“Mmhmm.” Josie nodded in the affirmative. “But, you don't get any before telling me what happened last night. As in, why is he here?” Miranda looked around to see that Derek had gone back into her room, presumably to put something on over his boxers.

“You mean…Derek?” she said, her cheeks turning pink. Josie's eyes widened as her face turned the same color.

“No, no. I think I know why he's here, I meant the other he.”

“Oh, Bryan. Right. Well, the road was getting icy with the new snow, so I didn't think it would be a good idea to have him driving out in that weather. Come on, would you really have wanted him in a car accident just because you get flustered in his presence?”

“Bullshit. And I do not get flustered,” said Josie, although she looked pretty flustered just talking about it. Truthfully, the thing that bothered her the most was that when she thought of him being only one room away from her for the whole night, she felt a tingle of upset that nothing happened. She didn't know what she would have wanted to happen, just that something should have happened. The feeling scared her a bit.

“What do you mean `bullshit?'”

“I mean, I checked the forecast before I went to bed. The snow wasn't starting until 4 AM.”

Miranda froze for the tiniest second. “Well, that's the time we came home.” Josie raised an eyebrow.

“Four in the morning?”

Miranda nodded quickly. “Yep. Four A-M. Four in the morning.” Josie was obviously not buying it. “And you know, the forecasts are always wrong anyway. It started before that.” Josie's eyes narrowed, and Miranda deflated. “And okay, I kind of insisted. Might've pleaded a little.” She shrugged to Josie, who was trying to hide an amused smile. Man, with friends like these…

“So, how's Derek?” said Josie. She forgave her friend for now, after all, she only wanted her to be happy. Even if it made her miserable in the process. Miranda slouched against the kitchen counter and looked up dreamily.

“Good…Really good.” Josie gasped and brandished the batter-coated whisk at her friend.

“I didn't mean…ugh!” Miranda bit her lip, but ended up doubling over in laughter anyway, followed by Josie.

“Look, just because you're celibate doesn't mean I have to be.”

“Who's celibate?” Bryan said, shutting the front door behind him. Josie groaned. He sauntered up to her with a bundle of clothes under his arm. “I bet I could help you change your mind,” he said with his best sexy grin.

“I'm not celibate.” Bryan's eyes widened with his grin. Josie panicked. “I'm not having sex with you!” He gave her a challenging look that said `Oh, really?' “You're insufferable.” Josie huffed and started mixing her pancake batter angrily.

“Oh, that hurts, Josie.” He backed away into the living area and dropped his clothes on the couch. Josie opened her mouth, about to say something, when she realized that Miranda was nowhere to be found. Neither was Derek. A second later she heard the shower turn on.

“Oh come on. At seven-thirty?” Again, she thanked God for sound-proof walls.

“You didn't have to be in the same car with those two in the backseat on the way over here,” Bryan said from the sofa area. Josie looked over. Oh. My. God. Her cheeks turned crimson. “I'd say they're getting along rather well, wouldn't you?” Josie bit her lip and mumbled a `Yeah.' Bryan pulled his clean shirt down from over his head as Josie jerked her eyes back to the pancake on the pan, trying to shake the image of a smooth, muscular torso out of her mind. Hmmm…nope. Wasn't budging. She stared holes into the pancake.

“Um…I think it's burning.” Bryan whispered over her shoulder. Josie jumped in surprise and flipped it with her plastic turner.

“Oh, yeah,” she swallowed, “clumsy me.”

“It's okay, I like them burnt to a crisp.”

“Really?” she said, half-sarcastic and half-incredulous, turning her head to look at him standing beside her. He leaned down (he was 5 inches taller than her) until they were almost touching noses.

“No.” He grinned.

“Haha, ha. Ha.” Josie forced a laugh awkwardly. She turned away and schlepped the blackened cake over to the trash can. Staring at the ground, she noticed in the corner of her eye that Bryan had changed pants as well. At least I wasn't looking over then, or I'd be drooling in a heap. I never denied his attractiveness. I can admit he's gorgeous, I just don't want him to know I think that.

“I would have changed in the bathroom, but I don't particularly want to venture in there right now. I hope you don't mind I changed in there.” His thumb jerked back toward the living room as the hint of a self-pleasing smirk crossed his lips. Oh yeah. He knew what she thought. Josie frowned.

“Whatever,” she said. It was weak, even to her ears. Bryan backed up to a chair at the four-seater kitchen table and turned it to face her while she worked on a new pile of batter in the pan. She blushed under his scrutiny, as she was just wearing pajama pants and a gray sweatshirt from her alma mater, Virginia Tech. A very audible thump was heard from the direction of the bathroom, and her blush deepened. “Bryan, can you turn on the radio please? It's over on that table.” She pointed to a table along the wall of the living room. He was blushing too, for once, and obliged quickly.

It was MIX 107.3, one of her favorite stations for music “from the 80's, 90's, and today,” as the commercials said. The song playing currently was one of the staples of 90's alternative pop, the Spin Doctors' “Two Princes.” She smiled. It had been a while since she heard it, but it was still as entertaining. Unconsciously, while flipping a pancake, she started to hum along and sway with the music.

“Oh man. I thought you had good taste in music,” said Bryan. He had walked up next to her again and was half-smirking.

“Shut up. It's catchy.” She started to recite the lyrics specifically to piss him off. He laughed.

“You like singing along, don't you?”

“To everything,” she nodded. Bryan just looked at her happily mouthing the lyrics and bouncing on her heels while pouring the last drop of batter into the pan. “Just go ahead no-oooow.” She sang out loudly and turned her head smiling to look at him, freezing when she saw the dark clouds settling in his gaze. Feeling her own eyes grow heavy with tension, she reached into the back of her mind for a distraction, because she knew she didn't want anything to happen. Not yet.

“Pancakes?” Josie reached out for the plate loaded with the cooked flapjacks, holding it up between them. She could sense the slight disappointment in his face, and flinched.

“Yeah, okay.” She grabbed a clean plate and transferred the top three of the pile over with a fork.

“Maple syrup's in the pantry.” Her own voice seemed a bit hollow. Finishing up the final pancake and moving it to the top of the stack, she turned off the heat and moved the plate over to the table with a handful of silverware. After a moment's hesitation, she placed herself opposite Bryan and sat down, legs crossed under her body as though she was doing yoga. She rolled up her sweatshirt sleeves and snatched the maple syrup from the table before Bryan got to it, smiling.

“You act so childish sometimes,” he said.

“So? I'm allowed.”

“Wow, what a mature response,” said Bryan. Josie glared at him for a moment and stuck her tongue out. He laughed, shaking his head while she proceeded to squeeze the syrup bottle with both hands in a swirl over the pancake she had set aside for herself. “You seem to be in a good mood.” Josie shrugged.

“I have my pancakes,” she spread the syrup around with a knife, “and there is snow outside. And there is nothing you can possibly do to change that.”

They both made quick work of their pancakes, with another stack set aside for Miranda and Derek, should they have ever decided to emerge from the shower. Josie was getting a bit frustrated.

“Hello? Miranda? Derek? Don't mean to interrupt, but hurry up because I need to take a shower this morning too!” Josie screamed in the general direction of the bathroom.

“Yeah, both of us need to use the shower!” Bryan added.

“Separately!” Josie panicked. When she looked at Bryan, he was smirking. They heard the squeak of the knobs cutting the water off, and a shouted “Go ahead!” from Miranda's room. The bathroom had a connecting door to both her bedroom, and Josie's. “Me first!” Josie jumped out of her chair and beat Bryan to her own bedroom door, shutting it behind her and getting into the bathroom. Ten minutes later, she went back into her room.

“Josie? Miranda and Derek went on ahead with my car. Can you drive me to work?” Bryan shouted through her door.

She groaned. “I guess. Go through Miranda's room to the bathroom for the shower, by the way,” she shouted back. Hearing an “Okay” in return, she shut the door between her room and the bathroom and got dressed to the muffled sound of water rushing through pipes. She was then appalled to realize that the only thing she could concentrate on was the fact that Bryan was completely naked on the other side of her wall. He was probably thinking the same about me when I was in the shower. Ugh I'm turning into such a pervert.

The phone rang as soon as she left her bedroom, fully dressed.

“Hello?”

“It's Miranda.”

“Hmm, haven't seen you in a while.”

“Hah, yeah, Josie, you're going to hate me for this, but it's not my fault, and there's nothing I can do about it.” Miranda sounded nervous, and Josie got worried.

“…What happened?”

“You're going to be stuck with Bryan for a while.”

“Huh?”

“The snow really started picking up, they're predicting a blizzard now. There was a huge accident on the bridge, and the traffic's at a total standstill. Looks like no work today.” Miranda laughed hesitantly while Josie's insides froze and melted at once.

“When can you get back here?”

“Well, Josie, we're on the bridge. We were kinda involved in the accident.”

“Are you both okay? You didn't cause it, did you?” All kinds of situations flashed through Josie's mind as to why they may have been distracted. It wasn't much of a stretch to imagine.

“Oh yeah, we're fine. It wasn't our fault either, it was a huge, slippery pile-up. Everyone's all right, but we may be a while. At least until this snow drops off a bit, and the roads get plowed. Don't leave either, the roads are really dangerous right now, Josie. Promise me neither of you will drive.” Josie frantically searched for loopholes, but it seemed like she was stuck with loverboy.

“Yeah. I promise. Stay safe, Miranda.”

“You too. Just remember what I told you before, if you don't give this guy a try—”

“I know, I know. I'll try not to kill him while you're gone.” Josie could practically hear Miranda roll her eyes.

“Bye, Josephine dearest.”

“Bye-bye, Miranda darling.”

Hanging up the cordless phone, Josie stared straight ahead, trying to decide exactly whether this situation was a good thing, or a bad thing. On the one hand, she felt she could legitimately enjoy Bryan's company at this point, for the most part. He was funny, entertaining, interesting, fun to talk to, and they had a lot in common, not to mention the fact that he was not exactly ugly. On the other hand, however, he was self-absorbed, horny, rude, and they could hardly converse for minutes without him provoking her or making her nervous. She slipped from being entirely comfortable with him one minute to embarrassingly uncomfortable the next. But most of all, she was scared. The weight of her last failed relationship hung over her head like an anvil, threatening her and keeping her from truly doing what she wanted. For all her gut, heart, and hormones were telling her, her head was firmly in control. There was no way she would rush anything. It wasn't worth being broken. Not again.

The pit of her stomach gave way when she heard the shower turn off.