fandomhigh | Library [2-18]

Karla noticed the looking and decided instantly that she was going to buy them both a cake. And possibly write another haiku about how awesome they were.

She did, however, dimple at the compliment. "You sure you're not just saying that to make sure I share?" she teased. She set the bag on the counter and smiled at him. "Not that I object at all, mind."

There were books about haikus in the library!

"Well, ye could either be sharin' or I'd steal some from ye," he teased. "Tis up t'you." And there needed to be coming around the counter and stealing a hug right now. Possibly a kiss if she let him.

"Well, I did get a lot, so I suppose I could share," Karla said, trying to sound grudging, even as she beamed a little at the kiss. She leaned over and kissed George back. "It's nice to see you today," she added softly. "I like meeting you for lunch on Thursdays."

Then she ducked a bit and started pulling out the food. "So, I was talking to Beka yesterday," she said, keeping her voice causal.

"Me too," he agreed, shooting her a bright grin. He went to pull a chair over for her. "An' so mayhap I better be makin' sure I keep ye entertained so y'll keep comin' back."

George looked up alertly at the next statement. "Me Beka, y'mean?" he flushed. "I mean, Beka Cooper?"

"How many Beka's are there?" Karla asked, sitting down in the chair he pulled out for her. She raised an eyebrow at his reaction. "You seem a bit surprised."

"'m more terrified about what ye were talkin' about," he admitted candidly. And not answering the question about the number of Bekas around.

The grin she gave George was not at all meant to ease his mind.

Hey! She was nervous, too! This was like...putting them on equal footing or something.

"Your name came up," she admitted. And grinned a bit more.

Oh brilliant.

"Aye, well, tha' isn' much for bein' reassuring," he told her lightly. "Tisn' nice to make someone squirm!" Which didn't mean it wasn't funny.

Then, waaait, "what time yesterday'd ye talk t'her?"

"Does it matter?" Karla asked, impishly.

And then relented. "Yesterday morning. I stopped by to check on Emma and Beka was there, getting ready for work."

Ah, nothin' t'worry about then, he decided. Since Beka hadn' mentioned anythin' t'him in th'afternoon.

"I heard she wasn' a rat any more," George said, still totally amused by that fact.

"Ermine," Karla corrected, trying not to smile. "Being person-shaped again won't stop Emma from biting you if she thinks you deserve it."

And, since she was Emma, her threshold for 'deserving it' was fairly low.

"But, anyway, Beka and I were talking about it being nice if the four of us--you, me, her, and Jonas--all went out and did something together. Like a d..." her courage fled "...a dinner? Maybe do something about town?"

"Emma can try t'bite me," George told her. He just didn't think she'd succeed.

He frowned at the explanation, getting that Karla was nervous but not quite understanding. "Why would we do that?"

"I'm so not going to get in her way if she does," Karla warned. "I have a healthy sense of self-preservation, thank you."

"I--oh." Karla kind of deflated a little. "Because it would be fun?" she mumbled. "You know. Hanging around. Just, you know, friends."

"Lucky I don' look t'ye fer defence then, Karla," George teased.

He frowned, rubbing his hand back through his hair as he tried to untangle it. "I'd like it if you would?" he tried. And he was trying to picture Beka suggesting it and wondering if she'd hit her head. Hard.

"Not when you have it coming," Karla countered. "If you poke a beehive, you can't complain about stings."

"You don't have to," she said, trying to sound utterly casual. So he preferred them just being friends. That was fine. No problems. "It was just an idea." She began portioning out some of the lunch, handing him a plate. "We said we would need to check with you and Jonas before making concrete plans anyway. Did you want fries or chips? I got both."

Totally not a subject change.

"Didn' say I would complain," George said. "Jus' don' think I'd get stung."

Beka had said something about an ego, right?

He frowned at her, not even starting to believe that. "I'd rather jus' go wit' ye. But if we'd rather wit' Beka an' her cove, twould be fine by me."

"Beka was right," she muttered, also thinking about the ego comment.

She stopped scooping out fries to look at George like he was daft. "Of course I want to do these things alone with you, too! I would love to go out to dinner with just you or to a movie with just you or even spend time in our rooms talking with just you! But--" she abruptly shut up, feeling more than a little foolish. "Never mind. It's dumb. Bottle of juice or a can of soda?"

"What's dumb," George asked instantly, reaching to try to catch her hand and distract her form the whole food situation. "But what?"

Karla put down the food, since it was clearly a less-than-perfect means of distraction, but couldn't actually raise her eyes to meet his. She felt dumb for saying it and didn't want to see him come to the same conclusion. "I like being alone with you," she repeated. "But...sometimes...I want to be with you around other people, too. If that makes sense."

Karla had gone past bright and into incandescent.

"Oh." He thought about that for a moment. Beka still seemed like an odd choice for her t'be hanging out with her friends. Emma, maybe, "I'd like that then. I didn' realise tha' was why."

"Beka is important to you," Karla said softly, tucking her hair behind an ear. "So are your other friends. Monopolizing your time is hardly fair."

Cause that was totally the reason why. Uh-huh.

George eyed her, not bothering to try the Sight but not really believing her either. "Ye don' monopolise me time," he pointd out. "Any more than I do yours."

"True."

It had been a lousy excuse anyway.

"Well, who says I don't wanna?"

Wait, no, that sounded even worse. Not saying there wasn't an element of truth to it, but still, sounded worse.

"Well, if you're with me, in front of your friends, there isn't much of a question if you're with me. Right?"

There. That was true. Incomprehensible, but true.

He opened his mouth and closed it again then tried to speak again.

"You - aye, but -"

No, seriously, what?

"'m sorry, lass. I didn' mean t'make ye think ye weren't? Or we weren't?"

Smooth in this aspect wasn't in his lexicon.

Karla shrugged. "See, I told you this was dumb." She sighed, blew her bangs out of her face, and then leaned forward. "I like you. A lot. I like being with you, whether we're kissing or not--though I really like kissing. Nothing else really matters beyond that. So...don't worry about it, okay? I don't need to be more than a friend you kiss."

Wanted to? Sure. Needed to be? Not really.

Library [2-18]

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