**I dunno how I do it, but I can write about the events which occur to a couple in a story chapter and do it in two pages. Somehow, I need at least twice that for one of their love scenes. ~shrug~
So, things warm up, but there are still issues, as I've said before. Kayla's been through a lot and as a result, she's a complicated girl.
In my head, I see her as having grown up at least a little sheltered, no matter what she says. I think it would affect her outlook on some things, and I think that in spite of everything, her experience is likely just a little narrow.
Also, I've got this irritating thought that I've used one of these scenes in another tale, but after looking, I couldn't find it. Doesn't matter, I suppose, but I thought Kayla deserved it. :)
Anyway, if you've got your munchies ready, here we go. O_o
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"No," Josh said with a smile, "Sit on it. I mean, really just ease yourself back and sit right down on it. You know, then just wiggle around to get yourself settled and all and just enjoy it."
He shook his head, "You're doing it all wrong."
"Oh that just sounds so wrong," she began to laugh in a low voice "All right, Einstein." Kayla grinned at him, "Show me what I'm doing wrong then."
"I already am," he grinned, "it looks a little nutty and you'll feel like a little kid, but if you want to get the benefit of the heat that's still in this boulder from the sun, just slide your butt right on back and sit next to me so that your legs dangle over the sides. You're just leaning against it like that. You won't feel much."
She rolled her eyes but did as he instructed.
"Oooh," she smiled a minute later, "this is really nice. Sorry for doubting."
"I'm not as dumb as I look," he said.
"No," she replied with a smirk, "You do look a lot dumber than you -- "
"Forget it, "Kayla laughed, "That's too easy. You only said that to set me up and I'm trying to break some bad habits these days."
Josh already had a fire going, and between the heat in the stones and the heat of the fire coming to their legs, the evening chill was already forgotten.
"Hey," she said, "have you ever been in love, Josh? I mean, in real, deep, meaningful, long-haul love?"
He smirked, "Well I thought I was once, but subsequent events proved my thoughts to be somewhat incorrect," he smiled ruefully. "You?"
"I thought I was a few times out of the gate," Kayla answered, "but no. I don't know if it's the same for most women, but I'd pick myself up out of the dirt and wonder what went wrong. Usually, I'd guess that it was something that I did wrong, but then I'd see that he'd just been callous, or just a dick."
She sighed, "Mostly just a dick, and not even a good one."
She looked at Josh, "But I'd get my hopes up the next time, all the same. I try to read romance novels sometimes, and every once in a while, I think that the author is taking the couple there realistically, but I never really believe it. I keep thinking of my own experience, and they lose me right about there."
She sipped her wine, "I suppose that the concept is important to hang onto, but there ought to be a disclaimer somewhere that says 'fictional events portrayed in this work may not coincide with the really lousy events relating to your own miserable existence.'
He chuckled and nodded. "Well that would pretty much kill Hollywood right there too."
Kayla was thinking back to what had happened to them earlier in the day. Part of it still seemed a little nuts to her, but she guessed that they both needed some of that, the way that they'd seemed to be so strongly attracted to each other.
She decided that she liked it, and then wondered about that as well. There seemed to be a lot less of the awkwardness that one might expect, but then, she supposed that they'd both been around their own versions of the block, so to speak. Kayla really liked that they'd just suddenly seemed fine that close together. She didn't really know all of the categories that had to be addressed in her heart, but she knew that she liked what had happened. It had to count for something in at least a few categories somewhere.
"I've got to ask you something, "Kayla said. "We seem to be able to talk pretty plainly to each other. That's like a whole new world to me. I don't know what it is, but I've always felt like we were speaking two different languages whenever I'd talk to a guy back in Phoenix, like the same words meant different things to the people in the conversation. I don't think it was the place, so I just always assumed that it was me."
She put her arm around Josh. "So tell me -- if you can, what exactly was I supposed to get from your little message back there in the bunk house? I had the feeling that you were trying to tell me that you were attracted to me, but I also had the strong sense that there was more than that. I kind of thought that it was a lot more. I even thought that you might have been headed for the 'L' word, and that you'd figured out a way to dodge the disclaimer."
He nodded, "I think I was. I guess this is where I look stupid, but I'll be honest, or -- at least as honest as I'm being with myself. I'm obviously attracted to you, Kayla, so much that the words don't really do it any justice, but yeah, ... I'd have to say that I was trying to suggest another feeling that I guess it isn't really the time for yet."
He looked at her, "I mean, we've known each other for three days." He laughed quietly, "And if you subtract the time that we were yelling at each other, and the time that I was uh, ..."
"Sulking?" Kayla asked with a warm little smirk.
He laughed, "You can call it that if you want, I guess, but I'd have to say it was more time that was spent with me wondering what the hell had happened, and how you got that much out of me. I usually just get quiet at times like that."