© Johanna Goodyear | Dreamstime.com
Valentine day teaser even though it takes place on Thanksgiving.
The set up. Since both Noah and Roni are alone for the holiday the friends, decide to make a dinner for two at her place. Well, he sort of decides for them. And here they are in her kitchen preparing for their feast.
Remembering the easy recipe her mother had taught her, she chose the green beans and got to work. She watched as Noah pressed a few buttons on his phone set it on the table next to what looked like speaker and then Christmas carols began playing.
“Well that’s cool.” She had to admit.
Noah laughed. “That’s like one of the easiest things you can do on this phone. The more I play with it the more awesome I think it is.”
“Still too extravagant for me. I’ll stick to my dumb phone thank you very much.”
Noah promised to sell her on it yet and said he’d find an app just for her that would make her go out and just have to get a phone for herself. The conversation made her feel like an old unyielding geezer afraid of change like the ones she used to work with who were angry anytime they made an upgrade to their computer system. She decided to change the subject by singing along to the music. To her surprise Noah sang with her. Veronica laughed at how seriously intense he got at certain parts of the songs, then blushed and stopped singing when he told her he loved her voice.
“No, don’t stop. That’s the best part. I was waiting to hear you sing it.”
She sprinkled the fried onion topping over the casserole and smiled chewing her lower lip. Her face was on fire now and she refused to look up at him. It was just a compliment. Geez. How old was she anyway? At the moment she felt like she was five in the middle of her elementary school yard and someone had just declared their love for her in front of the rest of the giggling student body.
“Lemme see?”
She knew what he meant. He wanted her to look up but she shook her head. She could feel him staring.
“Look at me, Roni.”
Spinning around so she wasn’t even facing him now, she took her time placing the casserole in the oven. The music still blared away. When she finally turned to face him his smile was so genuine and it was all for her, it made her heart speed up. “God, you’re adorable when you’re embarrassed.”
“Okay so stop embarrassing me,” she said, feeling the heat from her face rush south down her neck and back. She wiped the counter and cleared her throat. “Is that it? Are we done?”
The smile was ever present and she did everything in her power to try not to stare at those suckable lips and how his normally intense eyes almost twinkled now. “Well looks like you are but I’m not. You wanna give me a hand with these potatoes?”
She walked over and helped him peel and cut more potatoes. A few minutes later, ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ started to play. One of her all time favorites so she gave in and sang along. Noah smiled and to her surprise knew all the words so he sang the male part to her female part. She playfully leaned in to him singing. And he’d lean back when it was his turn. She noticed his gaze became heavier as the lyrics got more and more flirtatious but she kept singing. “So nice and warm.”
He glanced at the window amazingly not missing a single lyric. “Look out the window at that storm.”
She gulped knowing what was coming up. “My sister will be suspicious.”
His eyes were on her lips now. “Man, your lips look so delicious.”
Veronica pretended not to notice how his voice changed ever so slightly with that last line. “My brother will be there at the door.”
His eyes were still on her lips. “Waves upon a tropical shore.”
Giving in to temptation, she glanced at his lips as he licked them. “My maiden aunt’s mind is vicious.”
He stopped singing and spoke the next line. “Gosh your lips look delicious.”