I Wish...continued! (Updated 5-13)

[Mars]

Instead of just posting each new chapter in a new thread the rest is probably going to end up here...unless this thread explodes into say, eighty plus pages
rating: pg/pg13, i guess.
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“Hey..Marlise…Wake up.” Oh crap. My eyes flew open and blood rushed to my cheeks.
“How long was I asleep?”
“I’d say about, oh, ten minutes. I didn’t feel right waking you up right away.” A glance at his watch. “Besides, it’s late. We should get out of here.”
“Oh..Okay…” Yawn. He moved to the ground, while I kind of slid off. He started the car and turned to me again.
“We’ll get together again soon.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.” I offered my hand. We shook, and then…out of the freaking blue he leaned in and kissed my fingers.
“…Wow…am I still asleep?” Naturally I was in a little bit of shock. Yeah. Just a little, that’s all.
“Nope.” We drove off and I couldn’t help noticing the smug grin on his face. “I’d say you’re wide awake now.”
“Pretty much. Not that I’m complaining.” I yawned. It was late, after all. The last few minutes of the trip were calm and quiet…at least until we arrived at my place. “…Thanks.”
“For waking you up?”
“No…for this. For tonight. For everything.” I took a chance and hugged him. Needless to say I was pretty surprised when he hugged me right back. “Especially for this.”
“You’re welcome.” A nice moment of silence followed. “Hey, do you have any plans this weekend?”
“Uh..I don’t think so.”
“Great. How are you at formal events?”
“Adequate. Sort of. Why?”
“I need a date for one this Saturday and figured you would be interested.”
Interested? Me? Ha. Now that was the understatement of the year.
“You bet I am….but are you sure about this?”
“Yeah. I’m sure. What’s the worst that could happen?” He smiled and took my hand again. I saw a lot of genuine sincerity in that simple little gesture. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll be fine.”
“Gotcha. So, um, see you then?”
“Absolutely. See ya!” I hugged him again quickly and opened the door.
“Au revoir, Apolo!”
He grinned at this and waved back at me as he drove off. Once again there were butterflies, but these were the good butterflies. I knew I was going to get nervous eventually. For now, though, I was perfectly happy with letting that little voice scream as loudly and triumphantly as it wanted to.

[teri]

Caught up on several chapters at one time. Love how they interract, they are very sweet together.

[Mars]

glad you think so more's coming soon...as soon as it gets typed up anyway. Fingers crossed!

[Mars]

The next few days passed in a flurry of preparation and nervous doodling. By some miracle I figured out what to wear early on. That was about all I had figured out by Saturday morning, when my phone rang.
“Hu…hello?”
“Hi, Marlise.” Zap. Suddenly I was wide awake and those evil butterflies were back. “We’re still on for tonight, right?”
“Y-yeah. Definitely. Just one question.”
“Shoot.”
“Does this event include any dancing? Any at all?”
“Oh, man. Probably. Since I’m going I’d just about bet on it.”
“Crap…Apolo? We’re screwed.”
“Nah. We’ll be alright.”
“Huh?” That didn’t sound like it was just meant for comforting. Even over the phone he sounded at ease. Confident. “How do you know?”
“If you haven’t noticed I’m not that easy to embarrass. Even if something does go wrong we’ll be fine, so relax.”
Easier said than done.
I amused myself and killed time that afternoon by drawing a little cartoon of the worst possible case scenario I could think of. It looked pretty funny, so I began to relax.
That afternoon I felt like I was getting ready for prom all over again. Soon enough I was waiting anxiously outside. It was twilight once again when a familiar car and familiar face pulled into the driveway. As usual my knees weakened when our eyes met. He looked me over and smiled. Approvingly, I hoped…
“You’ve done this before, huh?”
“Nope. I just thought formal and sophisticated. Completely not me, in other words.”
“I think you’re wrong.”
“Really? How so?”
“It’s completely you. You’re just not used to it.”
“I hope so.” I looked down at my hands and frowned.
“I know so.” That warm hand reached over and lifted my chin so we were eye to eye again.“Like I said before, you have nothing to worry about. Nothing. Now, smile if you believe me. C’mon. You can do it.” In less than five seconds he had me smiling and giggling too. “That’s more like it.” A pause. “Wait a minute..”
He reached over, grabbed a box, opened it, and put whatever was in it onto my wrist. It turned out to be a corsage…and a very nice one too. This little gem consisted of a rose, red and black ribbons, and a series of tiny crystals on the wristband. Formal event or not, I wasn’t expecting it. Not by a longshot.
“Do you like it?”
“I love it. It’s beautiful. Thank you.” No verbal response. He pulled me into a side-hug, which started the night off on a pretty good note. As we drove off I could only hope it would stay that way.
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...I want to draw that flower. Badly!!!

[mellie]

As I read the lastest two chapters, I felt like a fly on the wall because I literally could see the scene play out in my mind. More please.

[Mars]

Soon I was starting to feel apprehensive and out of place, but tried not to let it show. The problem was, I’m not very good at being discreet. He noticed right away, talking my right hand and squeezing gently.
“You’ll be fine.”
In response I placed on quick, way awkward kiss on his cheek.
“That’s for luck.” I explained.
“Okay, then. Good luck.” He flashed an amused smile. I took a deep breath as we walked through the door. A few cameras flashed, but it wasn’t the storm I’d expected. For several minutes I wandered with him, doing my best to act casual with each introduction.
Smile. Say ‘hi’ with a small nod of the head. Do not wave. Don’t look too much like a dashboard dog in the process, either. The trick here was to stay calm. The warmth of his hand against mine helped..a lot. A million or so introductions later we were finally at our table.
“…I’ll be right back.” Before he walked off his thumb gently grazed over my fingers.
Okay. I could do this. No worries. Same as before, only with more glamor involved this time, right? Right.
I felt like a little fish in a big bowl. Fortunately I had a wonderful (and handsome) fish for company, so I could swim pretty happily. By the time he returned with two glasses in hand I was drawing intently on a napkin. The pen went back into my purse and I took a sip from my glass. Yum.
While I taste-tested he was examining the napkin. No poker-face. This time, he was smiling.
“Nice fish.” He slid the napkin back to my hand. “They’re supposed to be you and me, right?”
“Y…yeah. I was drawing what I was thinking.” Suddenly I was explaining my thoughts about fish, hoping he didn’t think I was rambling.
“If you’re a little fish in a big bowl, I’m happy to swim with you.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. Now, come on.”
“Huh? Why?”
“We’re here. Might as well dance, right?”
“Right.” Screw nervousness. If he wanted to dance with me, who the heck was I to say no?

[mellie]

He is jsut so sweet with her. Keep the chapters coming please.

[Mars]

(10-14-8)
By some miracle I didn’t step on his toes, elbow him in the mouth, or trip over my own feet. Still, I was happy when the music stopped. My ‘dance partner’ was smiling, which made me more than a little self-conscious.
“That…That wasn’t so bad.”
“I thought it went pretty well. You don’t dance much, do you?”
“Nope. I’m glad I didn’t step on your feet or anything.” I sighed as we sat down. “You’re so smooth…Graceful, I mean. It almost feels like I’m in a dream. A really good dream, y’know?”
“I know this isn’t a dream. Dreams don’t usually last this long.” Slowly, thoughtfully.
“True…” Formal dress or not, I propped my chin on my hand and gazed at him. “Besides..My dreams usually end before…uhm..”
“Before what?”
“No…Nothing.”
“It’s something, not nothing, and I’m curious.” He moved his chair a little and leaned towards me. “Trust me, Marlise.” He had my hand again. I looked cautiously into his eyes and saw a calm glimmer that seemed to say ‘Come on, trust me.’
“…Before anything this great happens. If this was just a dream I would’ve woken up quite a while ago.”
“Exactly!”
For a while there was silence as we listened to a speech being given near the front of the room. I kind of half listened, but couldn’t help noticing a genuinely distracted look on his face for the first time in human history. He was paying more attention than I was…but his eyes were focused on our hands.
“Apolo?”
“Hm?”
“Something wrong? You look kind of out of it.” He squeezed my hand and leaned closer, whispering.
“I’ll tell you after we leave. The speaker’s almost done.” Before I could really respond I felt his mouth against my cheek, intentional, discreet, and warm all at once.
“G…gotcha.” I didn’t know what else to day. The look on his face was amused and pleased. Yet…there was still a little bit of distraction lingering in his eyes. For now, silence would just have to do.
Outside it was cool, calm, and quiet. We were walking slowly, casually. Enjoying the absence of so many cameras, in other words. I had one hand on his shoulder, and his arm had found its way back to my waist.
“Beautiful.”
Yeah..” I sighed again, glancing towards the sky. “It’s so clear tonight.”
“The sky’s great, but I was talking about you.” Say what now? I stopped dead and looked at him. Shocked. Incredulous. The complete opposite of his intense gaze. “If I’d said anything in there, I know the wrong ears would have heard me.”
“Oh…so that’s what was bothering you.”
“Yeah.” He stepped closer, both hands now on my waist. Protective? Supporting? No idea. I didn’t really care, to be honest. In response I curled my own arms over his shoulders, trying to at least look relaxed.
“…You shouldn’t have to hide like that, Apolo.”
“Neither should we.”
He kissed me, right there in the middle of the deserted parking lot. Suddenly the night wasn’t so cold. Wow. WOW.
“…Definitely better than a dream…” Part sigh, part yawn, one hundred percent happy. “And I was wrong.”
“About what?”
“You. You’re definitely more than just a little romantic.”
“I guess that means we’re both full of surprises.”
A while later, his eyes were focused on the road, but he was still grinning. So was I. In fact, by the time we were on my street I was practically laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“I just realized I’m probably not gonna get any sleep tonight. At all.”
“Why not?”
“I’m too psyched.” The grin widened and he squeezed my shoulder gently.
“No worries. If you do get insomnia, you can always draw.”
“Hmm. Good point.” I moved closer and kissed him. Another big, seemingly stupid risk that definitely paid off. His hand went right to my cheek, while mine found their way to his hair.
“Sleep well, or at least try to.” A smile. One that looked considerably pleased. “I’ll stop by in the morning.”
“Gotcha…’Night, Apolo.”
---
Hours later….I was wide awake. Big surprise, huh?

(*writes away like crazy* More Thursday! Hopefully!)

[mellie]

I liked this chapter. He seems really into Marlise. I will wait patiently for the next chapter.

[Mars]

it's on its way. Gotta love weekends
Sorry for the delay, tho!

[teri]

Love this story. They are so sweet together.

[Mars]

I tried drawing first, sketching away just like he had suggested. The problem was, I was actually keeping myself awake this way. After a while I settled for burying my face in a pillow and trying to sleep on my couch.
The next time I opened my eyes it was definitely morning, and someone was definitely knocking on my door.
“Come on in. The door’s unlocked.” I squawked, still curled up on the couch with my eyes closed. The next thing I remember about that morning was feeling a familiar hand against mine.
“Morning, Sleeping Beauty.”
“Hmm..Morning.” Sniff. Sniff. “Is that coffee?”
“Yeah. I figured you could use some Starbucks this morning.”
“I definitely could. Thanks.”
“No problem.”
I grabbed the coffee and sipped away happily. This was a combination of caffeine and total elation over my company. He ran his fingers through his damp hair, mouth curled into a small, pensive smile.
“Hey, um…Can I ask you something?”
“Sure. Go for it.”
“..This’ll probably sound weird but…” Deep breath. Chill, girl, Chill. “Do you consider..I mean,” Gulp. “Are we just friends?”
“I’d say we’re a little more than that, wouldn’t you?”
“Yeah. That’s what I thought but, y’know..”
“It’s cool.” Our eyes and hands met at the same time, and the small smile turned into a grin. I felt my knees tingle and nothing could stop the blood rushing to my cheeks. “Nervous?”
“Nope.” A little smitten, but no way was I going to say THAT out loud. Not yet. “I’m just a little embarrassed. Do you mind if I go change?”
“Go ahead, Marlise. I’ll keep myself busy.”
---
By the time I got back to the living room Apolo was looking through one of my sketchbooks.
“What do you think?”
“I think you should have insomnia more often. You should start leaving your hair down, too.”
Oops. I had been in the process of tying my hair back but stopped and left the hair tie on my wrist.
“Do you really like it?”
“Yes. A ponytail doesn’t do you justice.”
“Heyy, I meant the drawings!”
“They look pretty good too.” Soon I was laughing right along with him. Ah, the famous Ohno Sense of Humor, complete with charming smile and contageous laugh. “Seriously, though, what I saw looks great.”
“Thanks.” I took his hand, squeezed it. "So, um, what brings you here?”
“I feel bad about last night.”
“Why? I had fun.”
“I know, but I feel bad for dragging you into something you weren’t really used to. Today, I want to make up for that.”
“Huh? How?”
“We’re going to spend today together. Unless, of course, you have other plans.” He was dead serious, smirking in a way that practically dared me to say no. Pff. Yeah. As if I would, or could for that matter.
“No, I’m free. That sounds great, but what exactly did you have in mind?”
“Whatever you want. No media, no interference.” To emphasize this he turned his phone off, dropped it into his pocket, and grinned. “Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know…If you got the chance to spend a day with someone, what would you do?”
“I’d make the most of the situation and get to know her better. You know, kind of like how we spent our first date.”
“Ooh, okay. In that case…I have an idea.”
“Cool. What is it?”
“You’ll see. Be right back!” I winked, squeezed his hand, and left the room. He looked confused, amused, and just plain adorable all at once. I only hoped he would like my idea…

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More ASAP, same as usual!

[teri]

We would never leave the door unlocked where I live... but I might consider it if I could wake up to Apolo sitting on my sofa.

Great job. ;D More please.

[mellie]

Loved this chapter, and will be patiently waiting for the next chapter.

[Mars]

I walked back into the living room. There was a rollerblade in each hand, and a goofy smile on my face.
"Surprise.”
“Wow. That takes care of a couple hours, but what about the rest of the day?”
“That’s a surprise too.”
“Marlise, if you don’t tell me, we can’t go.”
Oh crap. I hadn’t even considered that. “Okay, okay. I was thinking we could skate for a while, then go somewhere for sushi. After that, I don’t know. Maybe we could make popcorn and have a movie marathon?”
For about a minute he looked pensive. Then he smiled.
“Sounds good to me.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Besides, I’m learning more about you already.”
Oh dear. What had I gotten myself into?
---
The sun was shining. A gentle breeze drifted through the air. Buckles were clasped, laces were tightened, and a tiny knot of nervousness had formed somewhere around my throat. On the other hand, he was relaxed. At ease. In his element, in other words.
“Are you ready?”
“Not at all.” I sighed heavily.
“Relax. This is just for fun.” He squeezed my shoulder, and I felt a little less nervous. “Even if you do fall it won’t really matter, okay?”
Not if, when, but that was beside the point. His enthusiasm was about as wonderfully contageous as his laugh.
“Okay, as long as you promise not to show off or anything.” At first his only response was a wide, definitely mischevious grin.
“We’ll see. C’mon.”

(Short, but more's coming *fingers crossed*)