These Bandages Are A Anonymity (closed)

[Ari Haswari]

With a smile he watched Aleece nod and make her exit, going along with his urging, knowing it would be more comfortable for both her and their dog. He might be firm enough to dismiss the dogs whining, but he wasn't cold enough to ignore it completely. If it would keep her distracted, as she was clearly agitated by her hunger, and him from starting howling outside it only made sense.

After watching her leave he sighed and sat down at one of the chairs near the counter, turning it around sot he back of the chair was pressed against the table. Staring out at the preparation center he watched as they methodically went to work, Aleece's custom made burger much more complex then his, which was a simple cheese burger with lettuce, tomato, special sauce, and french fries. Honestly he enjoyed the food as much as she did, he just had enough self control to keep from eating it frequently.

The number on the little slip of paper he had been given was called, and he stood up and walked to the counter, handing it over to prove it was his meal. The plastic tray the food was expertly mounted on was picked up and he briskly walked the food out the door and straight to the concrete built outdoor table, where Aleece was casually petting King. With a smile he slid the tray across the concrete table and slid onto one of the benches that surrounded the round table top. "And your heart attack educing meal is served."

Having settled himself down next to Aleece, rather next across from her, he kept the tray longways in front of them, he reached out and plucked a fry from his side. While seated next to her he glanced to the dog and flattened his palm, and lowered the palm as though he was actually pushing something down. In response the dog slowly lowered itself and laid down, but wouldn't stop staring up at Aleece, clearly looking to get himself some scraps. Once the dog was out of the way he moved his right arm across Aleece's back, resting his hand lightly on her hip.

After munching on one of the fries he would make comment about his earlier thoughts. "I realized only after that I unintentionally ignored you, my apologies. My thoughts distracted me, one of which was that I was very impressed. You found out quite a lot." Ari smiled, reaching out to pick up another french fry, leaving his other thoughts to himself. If prompted he would let her into his head, but for the moment he was still attempting to work out the thought through a series of internal conflicts.

[Aleece Fontecilla]

The petting went on for a few minutes and Aleece even allowed the intermittent lick to her arm in returned affection...or thanks. She paid more attention to King then she did her drink as she waited on Ari trying not to join them outside, and when he finally did her attention was firmly on him - well...what he was carrying anyway. Aleece always did feel kind of bad when Ari made the dog lay down, but the k-9 knew by now that she was a sucker.

So when she looked down and saw him staring right back at her, panting lightly, she couldn't help but snatch a french fry and sneak it to him. Probably seen but not really caring, the he was already munching away on it, making her grin. Aleece had just gotten her hands around the burger waiting on her, when she felt the touch brush across her lower pack and settle on her hip making her turn her head and raise an eyebrow.

It was a nice sentiment that he was apologizing but she couldn't' help but send him a look that said really? when he said he was impressed. With a quiet laugh to herself she didn't bother to relinquish her hold on the steaming goodness between her finger and instead leaned her side into him, her head turned so that with hardly any effort her lips brushed against his working jaw.

"Thanks for the apology," she started off speaking against her skin before moving her mouth to the corner of his, "but you should know by now, that was child's play, so its nothing to really get impressed about."

Her tone was sure and...for lack of a better work, cocky. She was self confident in what she did, what she enjoyed doing. Sure there were people out there smarter then her and admittedly there was plenty she didn't know about, but when it came to computers...she didn't think there was anyone where she was that could possibly come close to touching her. Stilling grinning Aleece turned back to her burger at last and took as big a bite out of it as she could.

[Ari Haswari]

Despite his affection for Aleece, and his appreciation for the pup that looked after her, he couldn't help but sigh quietly when he noticed that the not-so-stealthy Aleece went ahead and fed the bernese a french fry. As long as it was just one he wouldn't make a fuss, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't worried about her babying the dog a bit too much. All the same he munched away quietly.

Ari couldn't help but smile when he noticed the expression she suddenly wore, followed by a quiet laugh. She took great pride in her skill with the computer, he knew that intimately, but he sometimes forget how much at times. Instead of chiding him for being impressed the girl leaned herself into hide, a moment later he felt her lips brushing against his jaw.

Swallowing the french fry he had taken, amused that she didn't wait for him to finish before she moved her soft lips against his skin. He cocked his brow, the corner of his lip touched between her cock words. With a smile he would just nod, having enjoyed the show of affection, along with the fact that she was resting against his side even when she eagerly took a bite.

"How could I forget," He mused, going after his own burger and taking a bite. The cheese tasted rich, and the way the flavors mingled and mixed on his tongue distracted him from further conversation, which would not be a problem as Aleece was more determined to gnaw into her burger then he was.

[Aleece Fontecilla]

Aleece could only hum around her bite, her mouth entirely to full to even attempt more of an answer, and she chewed for a good couple seconds before reaching for her drink to wash the rest down.

"You now that is a very good question, how could you forget?" She teased lightly placing her burger down - as good as it was to pick up a couple french fries and take a bite. Straightening off of Ari she let gave him the room to at least pick up his food with both hands.

They still had hours after they were done here to spend time together - back home, as much as she had been enjoying the firm contour of his body, and the warmth that had been shared for a moment or two. Her glance flicked over and down to King still looking at her and watching almost every move she made, licking his chops as she concentrated on the fries in her hand. She knew Ari would hardly be okay with her giving him another bite from the table, but with Aleece...she just couldn't ignore that look, the way his cheeks seem to sink in a little and he sort of shifted in one spot, swallowing...it was all so...pathetic looking - like if he didn't have a bite too, he might just die.

Quickly unable to take it anymore she dropped the two short ends of the french fries between her fingers to the ground before going back to her own burger and avoided having to say anything by taking another bite. It wasn't as large as the first one, but it was still considerable healthy, busying her mouth for the moment as she tried to give a subdued grin - one of those kinds that said, clearly....I've done something I shouldn't have look.

[Ari Haswari]

Ari took a small bite and Aleece had done the same, but when she finished a little quip was given. He chuckled low in his throat, his eyes briefly warm as he glanced down at her for a moment. After that she scooted back to the side, and he quickly missed the warmth of her body tucked softly against his side.

Once given room he would take a few large bites from his burger, the rich flavor melting in his mouth before he would chew and swallow. From there it would be a series of small sips at his soda, a french fry here and there, ending finally with his a breather to actually enjoy the meal.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed something, his attention briefly caught. Ari turned his head to the side, the left side of his brow lifted as he glanced down at her. After a few seconds of watching her subdued grin he sighed and reached out to pick up another french fry, hovering it in front of his lips as a faint smile of his own formed.

"If you keep feeding him scraps you'll run him around the apartment complex when we get back." There was an unspoken routine of running the dog, changing it up once in a while, although the dog spent the majority of it's time with Aleece. It would be clear that he was setting that responsibility on her shoulders because of the guilty smile she wore.

[Aleece Fontecilla]

Aleece from the point on she gave King another small bite of her fries made quick work of about half her burger. The grilled onions fried perfection on her burger. She knew that she wouldn't be getting another treat like this probably for a good long while - with school training would probably pick up some more, depending on how things went when they started. Now she could only hope that things were smooth sailing, but there was hardly any telling when it came to the people she would be interacting with on a daily basis other then Ari.

Aleece still had plans to go into the Air Force when she graduated, so even though she was no longer enrolled in a ROTC program and would be getting that head jump like she had thought, her education was still important. More so then say...worrying of who ran what at which school.

Still working steadily on her burger and fries and yes, continuing to sneak King a few bites here and there, she was content to enjoy the silence. That was until Ari caught on to what she was doing her blatantly guilty grin while she knew she wasn't supposed to be feeding the dog. But the prospect of having to run with King after such a heavy meal didn't appeal to her one bit - so she cut out her antics.

However, Aleece didn't want to pass up the chance to use a bit of the feminine whiles she had gotten comfortable with enough to use on him during they time they had lived with each other. Nearly done with her burger again she swallowed what was in her mouth - somewhat full though disappointed her capacity to eat as much as she used to cut in nearly half - and took another drink. Wiping her fingers against a slightly used napkin in front of her she then turned her attention on him...her hand going between the small space between them so she could lean on the appendage like a prop.

Aleece rested her chin lightly on his shoulder, her lips finding available skin of side of his neck in an obviously playful way. "Would you really want me running around outside with the dog when we could be in bed, doing something else...like..." pausing her lips curled up faintly, as her other hand left on the table brushed down his forearm, "watching TV or something?"

It probably wasn't the first thing that came to mind when the subject of the bedroom was brought up, it certainly wasn't for her anyways. But she was unexpectedly in a rather teasing mood, that more then likely wouldn't last if given the chance to do more then just...play.

[Ari Haswari]

Ari had methodically alternated his rate of consumption, taking a bite of one food and then the other, only tow ash it down with the smooth bubbles of the Sprite. He had done well so far, the only food left on his side of the tray were a few crispy tips of french fries, which seemed to have been cut short by mistake, and one bite of the rather delicious cheese burger. Just as he was about to reach out and pull up the last bite he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, noticing that Aleece began leaning in toward him.

Neglecting his food Ari became rather intimately aware of how she began to move, clearly attempting to dissuade him from making her run around on a full stomach when she would rather lounge like a cat on the couch and tap away at her computer. Although that assumption seemed to have been off slightly, as he felt her cheek rest against the front of his shoulder, brushing lightly along the smooth material until he could feel her head turn and her lips caressed his neck.

A conflict began within him as she began to tease him, clearly attempting to distract him from his decision to make her take the dog out and run off the scraps he had been given. But the thing that seemed to catch his attention most was the thought of how forward she had become, his memories of showing similar affection to her in public during the early days of their relationship had caused her cheeks to flush and her breath to hitch. Past those thoughts deeper questions remained, and he let his eyes close for a moment as her hand brushed down his forearm.

The first conflict in Ari was that he felt as though he was being dissuaded from enforcing his word, and he couldn't take his thoughts away from the way her body rested against him. And so she had successfully evaded that responsibility, for the moment. But there was a thought that had been lingering in his mind, one he stubbornly ignored as he had promised himself and her that he would not press her into making a decision about their relationship. (For you new readers, yes, your sudden suspicion is correct. For all their time together, how intimately close they are in most senses of the word she still not has told him if she wants to be his or not.)

The nagging thought at the back of his head slipped to the forefront, and a carefully crafted statement was used to hint toward the thought. "You're quite skillful at avoiding things."

[Aleece Fontecilla]

Make no mistake, Aleece wasn't one for public displays of affection - sharply recalling a few memories of when Ari had no problem demonstrating it, on several occasions, but they were relatively alone at the moment. They weren't at the mall and making out and groping in the food court or something, trying to attempt live soft core porn. While it wasn't private - her touch and the fact she was leaning on him was still not unacceptable or inappropriate behavior...to her anyways.

Over the time spent with Ari, Aleece had gotten a little more comfortable with herself, with him - how he saw her and treated her helping that along, and now she was just so comfortable, she wasn't at the point of questioning every little thing, when it came to him. However, when she didn't get an answer again or any other real response other then the fact he closed his eyes briefly made her think that she may just have gotten out of running around with the dog when they returned.

Of course now, she really didn't care about trying to convince him out of making her do anything, she really did have better things they could do on her mind. Aleece supposed that's what somebody got when you took a nice innocent girl like she had been and just give her the tools to relax and give up on inhibitions. For once she didn't think about her sister or brother - she wasn't dealing with having the middle child syndrome, she wasn't trying to impress anybody or get along with the majority of the people she ran into. To her at the moment there was pretty much one thing that mattered, and he was sitting next to her.

Nevertheless, his words has her pulling back slightly, the easy grin faltering a little and her brow creasing instead. She had a feeling of what his his question was about, asked low and evenly enough but she didn't answer for a minute. Taking the weight off of him some, but not looking away she took a breath to go on, "and what's that supposed to mean exactly?"

Aleece far from upset by it, though the playful tone was dropped from the edge of her words, getting the impression she knew it wasn't about running the dog. Regardless, there was one thing about Ari that continued to get to her, as far she had come to be comfortable with herself and accepting of what they had going on, he still held back quite a bit himself...

[Ari Haswari]

It only took a few seconds for Ari to regret the slip. He knew he could easily pass it off as something it wasn't meant to be, it was why it had wound up worded the way it was. But even though he could easily play it off as though he were merely mentioning that she successfully distracted him, and that he wanted to get going for just that reason, he couldn't. He already struggled with his lies of omission, he refused to manipulate his words simply because it would make things easier.

And so he instead decided to dismiss it instead. To her credit she didn't seem upset by his wording, although there was a nagging sensation at the back of his skull that told him she likely understood what he was hinting at. Reaching out he picked up the last bite of his burger, which had been so fresh that the patty still steamed brought it to his lips. "Let's head back," After which he popped the last bite into his mouth and began to chew to hide his disappointment.

Ari would stand, his legs resting between the bench and the table, as he gathered up the tray, leaving the most abundant food, the french fries, on their own while he lifted it up. Briefly he wondered if he should throw away the fries as well, but he had a sneaking suspicion that told him Aleece would be wanting to finish them off. Other then them only their drinks would remain as he would go to turn, intending to drop the tray off on the outside trash after he threw the scraps of paper and cardboard away.

Although that was assuming Aleece wasn't put off by the way he non too subtly shifted focus on the conversation.

[Aleece Fontecilla]

Well the mood has successfully been shifted at her inquiry, the none to obvious way she prodding back at him the same way he had her about a deeper underlying question. If anything Aleece wasn't dense, she could no longer pull that persona off very well since over time she had grown increasingly more blunt and honest with how she spoke and acted.

Even though he tried to hid the disappointment, she saw it but only because she was looking so hard for some kind of reaction verbal or not. His dismissal of the subject had her straightening when he went to stand up - her appetite gone for the fast food as she sighed and looked down to King briefly, who was staring back.

A frown pressed down at the seemingly knowing look she was getting and stood herself ignoring the fries and the drink left behind courtesy of Ari. In all honestly she did become put off by the sudden turn in the mood, but she didn't want the sort of tension that was going to start cropping up between them because of it - whether it be something she intentionally or unintentionally did. So turning in her spot she faced Ari, before he could get any further to avoid it, like she had just tried to herself, she supposed -her arms snaked up and around his neck.

Her front brushing against his flush, and waiting for the hold to be returned, "don't do that..." she found herself saying, an apologetic smile tugging up at her lips slightly. No matter how much she had gotten comfortable there were apparently a few things she couldn't make herself say - she had just assumed a lot and, Ari...had let her. She wasn't very in tune with sharing her emotions as she was listening to others go on about theirs. This was where they kind of clashed.

Be that as it may, this wasn't exactly the most intimate spot to talk about anything, "how about we talk when we get home...?"

[Ari Haswari]

Ari didn't make it far once he stood, as he obviously underestimated Aleece in that moment. Seemingly prompted by his intention to simply let the issue drop, however disappointed he was, she had stood and stopped him from stepping over the bench to head to the side of the fast-foot-joint. Without hesitation she reached her hands up and wrapped her arms about his neck, her feminine curves resting warmly against his own. Again he was reminded of how much confidence she had gained in his presence, the Aleece of a year ago would've died of embarrassment even considering such a thing, or at least that's how he assumed she would react.

That only made the warmth of her body all the more precious to him, especially when he found her smiling to him. For a moment he would just allow the tension he felt from his disappointment ease away. He knew that it wasn't entirely fair to hold this against her, which is why he had kept the nagging thought pressed away from his awareness as much as possible. This had enabled her to ignore it for some time, and the sudden loss of control was a disappointment to him as well. Ari hadn't intended to make her uncomfortable, but it had happened all the less. The fact that she willingly embraced him in that moment gave him hope that she understood what laid under the surface.

In response to her question Ari would smile lightly, a small niggling worry in the back of his mind, but all the same he moved his free arm around her waist. With a tight squeeze he would nod to her. "Then let's get going. Don't forget our left overs." He said with a small motion of his head toward the table, knowing that later on she would regret it if she didn't get to snack on the last of their combined orders of french fries. Smoothly he would detach himself from her and step over the bench, heading to deal with their trash responsibly before he would return to pick up his soda and head along back to their apartment.

[Aleece Fontecilla]

The fingers curled around the back of his neck, brushed up, her nails scratching lightly through the short ends of his hair before smoothing back down - taking note of the tension she felt slowly dripping off his shoulders. She wasn't sure of what she thought when he gave her smile, moving to put his arm low around her waist and giving her a squeeze. But when he said what he did and pulled away, Aleece let her arms drop back down her head turning to the side and watching him out of the corner of her eye as he walked the stuff to the trash.

While he did Aleece took a sighing breath stepping over the slightly curved stoned bench, and picked up Kings leash - looping her hand through it, before getting her drink and the fries left over. Again they fell in a comfortable silent lull, as they walked back, the trek taking longer, though considerably better because of what was on her stomach now. Even though she was full at that point she slowly continued to eat on the fried potatoes sticks, doing it more now for the repetitive familiar motion then acting wanting them.

She wasn't sure how she was going to breech the subject to Ari in all honesty, give him what he wanted to hear - what she wanted to reassure him about where they were concerned. Regardless, the casual walk back gave her time to think, clear her head up a bit and put things in order...she hated not having things in perspective, especially in her own mind

Aleece really didn't know how Ari had put up with her for as long as he had actually, because despite not liking to have that particular quality she did possess it. She could be indecisive, and insecure - things she tried to work on, and found that he was the only one willing to wait them out or stick around while she got over it. She still wasn't sure why that was - why make an effort for someone quite like her. But that was a train of thought vastly different the the one she needed to be on. So, giving herself a small mental shake she saw them coming up on the apartments, and waited for Ari to get the door unlocked, unclipping the leash from King's collar and following in behind the two.

Dropping the pocket computer next to her laptop, Aleece didn't stop but instead headed into the bedroom next toeing off her running shoes and socks before putting a knee up on the bed and crawling up...only to lay down. Laying slight on her her right side, and her left leg bent, she stretched her arm straight so she could prop her head on it - waiting on Ari to say something or join her.

[Ari Haswari]

The long walk back was one held in silence, during which he felt rather stupid for letting his insecurities become so obvious. He had been hiding it quite well for some time, waiting more patiently then was healthy or sane. But he did it for two reasons that he would only regret because the constant question gnawed at him in the quiet times when he allowed his mind to wander. One was simply because he cared deeply for the girl, and the other was that he had guilt over the fat that he still had much of his life that he was required to keep hidden from her.

King seemed to be the only one not lost in thought on their way back to the house, and that was only because he was just a happy little beast, trotting along with his stomach happily filled with french fries.

When they came up on the apartment Ari naturally stepped in front of Aleece and pulled the keys from his pocket, slipping the appropriate key in the lock, and politely opened the door, waiting for Aleece to step in, although the rude little King happily charged in front of her. With a shake of his head and a smile he stepped in after them and closed the door behind him. Reaching out to his left he dropped the keys on the kitchen counter and watched as Aleece dropped off her computer.

Ari paused at the door and leaned to the right, pulling off his shoes and leaving them in front of the door. After he pulled out his socks he tossed onto his shoes. Then he casually glanced up and noticed that Aleece hadn't started pecking away at the lap top, which actually gave him some hope for a potential conversation, even if it made him uncharacteristically nervous. All the same he walked forward and took a turn to the right, stepping into the bedroom, and took an abrupt left. Instead of joining her on the bed, where she looked rather inviting, he settled himself down into the chair settled in the corner between the wall and the window, which had it's curtain drawn.

[Aleece Fontecilla]

Aleece was hardly surprised when Ari entered only to go to seat himself in the armchair that was a considerable distance from the bed. So she couldn't be exactly disappointed, it wasn't like she was trying to distract him any longer from discussing, but it probably would have quieted her own nerves if he had gotten a little closer to her.

As it was the distance felt a little impersonal to her, like it was purposeful and it had something she had done in the process. Keeping a sigh in, she refrained moving from her spot, other then curling her arm under her head to cushion her head - thinking that after this she would probably get in a shower before going to bed. Tomorrow was their first day of school...

Straightening her left leg, Aleece moved to prop herself up on her right elbow and forearm, her hair - which had grown out almost to its original length again, falling over her shoulder to hang down in a thick wavy curtain. For a moment longer the silence pulled on between them until it was obvious the conversation wasn't getting started by either, so taking the initiative, and cleared her throat before she looked to the side briefly.

"Ari, I don't want you to think I'm avoiding anything, about..." at that she sat up, finding the effort to sit still an impossibility. One leg curled under her and she left the other to hang over the side of the bed, "well...us."

Looking up then, but unable to stop from fidgeting with her own fingers, flicking her thumb nail under the other she pressed on, "I thought it was pretty obvious how I felt, that I want to be here with...you."

It wasn't something that she could simply chalk to teenage hormones, the very ones she knew she hadn't outgrown as of yet, because of it was something as uncomplicated as that - why would she be bothering to stick around? She could have gone to her parents, had them remove her from the collective, asked to be transferred...not lying to them, letting them think what she had let believe.

His motivation for doing what he did to help her and be with her was still a mystery to her, but Aleece was past trying to figure him out - or rather she was done being cautious while she did it. If he was going to let her know something he would, and to be honest she liked the feeling of just how secure he was, rather how secure he made her feel. Doing more for her then she would have been able to do or get past on her own.

[Ari Haswari]

Ari leaned forward and rested his forearms along his knees, feeling rather tired as the effect of the heavy and rich meal settled in his stomach. That and the fact that he was rather relaxed, despite the fact that their subject matter was fairly heavy, all things considered. It seemed he had made her a tad nervous, as instead of relaxing on the bed she seemed to fidget as she attempted to get into a more comfortable position.

While her words comforted him, they weren't quite satisfying considering the fact that he had been waiting some time to hear certain words. All the same he shifted himself forward and pressed himself up to stand. Taking a casual pace he stepped forward and moved to the bed, pausing at the side of it and crouched down next to it, leveling his eyes with her while he easily gazed into her eyes.

Reaching out he brushed his hand carefully across her cheek, saying nothing as he stayed quietly even with her, a light smile on his lips. "And yet you still look so nervous despite that." Ari wanted nothing more then to dismiss his clearly unsubstantial worries and brush them aside, but there was little more he could do to control the innate worry, no matter how unfounded it was. In fact he wanted nothing more then to take a quick shower and relax for the rest of the evening.