AIM for the Heart

by Willow Mae

(MastaChef125 signed on at 11:17:43 pm on Thurs, Sept 23, 2004)
PrncCharming: hey
MastaChef125: go ‘way.
PrncCharming: still working on your paper then?
PrncCharming: i told you you should have started earlier.
MastaChef125: ::sigh:: I know. I’ll get it done soon. I’m just so *tired* of doing all this.
PrncCharming: lol hear hear
MastaChef125: But seriously, I think Keith does this on purpose. It’s like he doesn’t think we have any other classes but his. It drives me nuts!
PrncCharming: sick some squirrels on him
MastaChef125: haha, yeah. The squirrels here are crazy.
PrncCharming: i trained them that way
PrncCharming: i am their master
PrncCharming: fear me!
MastaChef125: Their master, eh? Well, tell your minions to give me back my watch.
MastaChef125: I think one of them ate it.
PrncCharming: ?
PrncCharming: ate your watch?
MastaChef125: Yeah, you know, the pretty silver and pink one you gave me last xmas, with the rather loose clasp
PrncCharming: oh, the one my sister picked out for you
MastaChef125: That one. I was wearing it when I crossed campus, but I went through this huddle of squirrels and when I can out the other side it had fallen off somewhere
MastaChef125: I went back to look for it but I couldn’t find it anywhere
MastaChef125: but all the squirrels were giving me funny looks and chittering at me
PrncCharming: lol
MastaChef125: brb
PrncCharming: k
PrncCharming: *poke* u back?
PrncCharming: oi
PrncCharming: what are u doing over there?
MastaChef125: gomen gomen! But Aaron signed on and we had to have a fun lil’ bitch fest about Keith and his evil evil class.
PrncCharming: oic
PrncCharming: and how is *dear* aaron?
MastaChef125: bitching about Keith.
PrncCharming: ...u like him dont u
PrncCharming: hello?
MastaChef125: ...
MastaChef125: Yeah, okay, maybe a little.
MastaChef125: Why does it even matter?
PrncCharming: no reason.
MastaChef125: ...
PrncCharming: just dont get ur hopes up or anything. it’ll never work
MastaChef125: !
MastaChef125: Hey, you don’t have to be cruel about it!
PrncCharming: i just dont want u to be hurt
PrncCharming: not like anyone would take a scrawny tomboy like you
MastaChef125: You know, I think I can only forgive that because you’ve been my best friend for forever and a day
MastaChef125: --and you’re not fogiven yet, I’m just letting you know I *might*, in the future
MastaChef125: And I stopped being a scrawny tomboy back in high school!
PrncCharming: haha, you used to stuff your bra to try and make yourself look more...how did you say it? womanly
MastaChef125: I hate you. I hate you oh so much. That was then.
MastaChef125:And so what? And why are you making a big deal out of me liking Aaron anyway?
PrncCharming: im not makign a big deal
MastaChef125: And you’re being stupid.
PrncCharming: no im not
MastaChef125: We could argue this all night, when you know I’m right.
PrncCharming: how can u be right when im ALWAYS right?
MastaChef125: ...
MastaChef125: I have no response to you.
PrncCharming: you’ll forgive me eventually
PrncCharming: but srry anyway
MastaChef125: sometimes I just don’t understand you
PrncCharming: i have a penis
MastaChef125: ::blinks:: ...yes, yes you do.
PrncCharming: that means i’m easy to understand, you just overanalyze me.
PrncCharming: and guys in general
MastaChef125: maybe
PrncCharming: again, back to me always being right
PrncCharming: anyway, u could do better than him
MastaChef125: ::snorts:: yeah? Name one.
MastaChef125: c’mon!
MastaChef125: You’re taking forever to answer, you’d better have something decent to tell me.
MastaChef125: Hellluuuu.....
MastaChef125: Hmph. Toldja you couldn’t do it
PrncCharming:do u believe in fate and destiny?
MastaChef125: You changed the subject
PrncCharming: sometimes i wonder
MastaChef125: About changing the subject?
PrncCharming: about destiny
MastaChef125: I still want to know
PrncCharming: about what?
MastaChef125: !
PrncCharming: theres just so much that u cant chalk up to serendipity
PrncCharming: ppl meet for reasons
MastaChef125: You’ve gone all deep and philosophical on me dear
PrncCharming: i’m just saying
PrncCharming: maybe u just haven’t found your ideal mate yet
MastaChef125: haha, sounds like something you’d see on the discovery channel. ‘Mating’ isn’t what’s on my mind anyway.
PrncCharming: i’m just saying
MastaChef125: ...
MastaChef125: brb
PrncCharming: k
(MastaChef125 has signed off at 1:03:27 am on Fri, Sept 24, 2004)

knock knock knock

Maybe it was all her imagination. After all, you can only express so much when you’re talking online. The internet was a blessing and a curse, allowing you to express or hide whatever you wanted. But she needed to know. And scary though it was, she couldn’t back out. She knew he was there, and she had already knocked.

“Oh! Hey.” his eyes widened slightly when he opened the door. The voice in the back of her mind nudged her, pointing out that she had never seen him look so attractive. That said something, as he stood in front of her ready for bed in his Scooby Doo boxers and Green Lantern t-shirt (which she had given him last Christmas and totally didn’t match). He ran a hand through his messy brown shag and quirked his head. “What’s up? You signed off so quickly, I thought something was wrong.”

“No, no...” the inside of her lip was going raw from her chewing on it as she tried to find words. Unfortunately, all she could think about was the fact that she was wearing Stawberry Shortcake pajamas and looked like an absolute dork standing in the middle of the hallway. “I just...what you said. I wanted to...you know, in person.”

He frowned slightly in confusion, but shrugged and stood aside to let her in. She ducked past him and picked her way past piles of schoolwork and clothing to find herself a place on the bed. He settled himself beside her. He gave her his trademark smile that hid any emotions he might betray.

“You know I was just joking for most of that anyway.”

“What, about Aaron not being right for me?”

“Oh no, that’s completely true. As your best friend I’m entitled to do the best-friend-screening-test, and I must inform you he fails miserably.”

“Oh.” she frowned. “But the other part.”

“Yeah.” he smiled again, and she found herself getting increasingly irritated by everything it hid.

“Are you doing that on purpose?”

“Doing what?”

“Being vague!”

“I always say exactly what I mean. It’s not my fault if you don’t get it.”

She rolled her eyes. There would be only one way to go about this. Very delibrately she entwined her fingers in his hair, and brought his face to hers in a chaste kiss.

When she pulled away, he was wearing that obnoxious smile again. Heat flooded her face and she couldn’t look him in the eyes.

“I’m sorry...I thought--I should go. Just--just forget it, okay? Sorry. I didn’t mean...yeah.” she rose to leave, embarassment churning in her belly. So when his strong arms wrapped around her middle and pulled her into his lap, she squawked in surprise.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he murmured huskily in her ear, sending shivers through her body. This time, he kissed her.

The next morning, she awoke (fully clothed thankyouverymuch) with a strong, possessive arm around her middle. A warm, happy smile curved over her lips and crinkled her eyes.

It didn’t even matter that she never finished her paper.