Spill:
Chapter 2
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Thanks to all the reviewers who have posted on my Related fics. Not just this one. It is nice to see us few and proud Related fans! And I am looking for a kick ass Beta if anybody is interested.
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'You leave me wanting more,
Leave me waiting at the door'
-Melanie Doane
Joel began counting the ceiling tiles all over again. For the fourth time. The most he had gotten was sixty-eight before his eyes sight grew fuzzy and he was no longer able to distinguish one grey tile from the next. He sighed. 'five – six - seven-'
This is what he got for asking a girl to a party. Him slouched on the floor in the hallway, waiting thirty minutes for her to get ready. 'ten - eleven – twelve – '
Head lolled back, he didn't notice the door open quietly.
"Joel?"
His head snapped back to view a nervous looking Rose. His mouth moved but no sound came out. Joel didn't think he had ever seen pants that low or tight on Rose. His eyes did a slow sweep of her jean clad legs and the sizable strip of bare flesh that was visible over the waistband and he felt his chest constrict. He was now certain he had never seen her in jeans like that. He would definitely remember.
He then made a mental note to go out and quickly buy her several more pairs. And burn all of the other non-tight pants she already owned. She was wearing a black zip up long sleeved shirt. It was unzipped enough for him to see a low cut shirt of some sort underneath. Joel swallowed hard.
"What?" a look of apprehension filled her face and she ran a nervous hand over her thigh, "I look terrible don't I! Marjee had made me buy them a little while ago and I-"
"No! No!" Joel stood up quickly "You look…" he searched for the right word. "Great. Beautiful. Amazing…"
Rose smiled and looked away. "Thanks."
A silent beat followed and Joel had to fight to keep his jaw off the floor.
She nibbled her lip for a moment under his intense gaze but he couldn't drag his eyes away. She looked…different. She had done something to her hair. He wasn't an expert on women's hairstyle but this wasn't as sleek as usual. And her makeup was darker, making her eyes look sexy as all hell.
"So, are we gonna go?" She nervously broke through his agog stare.
After a mental head shake he managed to stutter out. "Uh, yeah. Let's go."
She gave him a once over. "Are we stopping off at your room for you to change?"
He paused and looked down at his jeans and shirt. "This is clean," he said defensively.
She just smiled and nodded.
"Why?" His eyes narrowed and he stole another glance at his attire. "What is wrong with what I am wearing?"
"Nothing. You look fine."
He glanced down and ran his hand over the front of his shirt. "What is wrong with what I am wearing!"
"Nothing!" She grinned widely up at him and started down the hallway, but not before giving him one more visual inspection.
He sighed and stared up at the ceiling for a moment before calling out. "Wrong way."
She stopped and turned around, confusion on her face.
He heaved a sigh and scowled at her. "My dorm is the other way."
She smiled brightly and stared off towards his room without a word.
He rolled his eyes and took solace in the tight denim-clad view in front of him.
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"So where are we going?"
From behind her Joel helpfully called out, "my room?"
Rose rolled her eyes. "Funny." She looked over her shoulder "after your room, smartass."
Joel did one of those impossibly wide grins of his. "I dunno. My roommate was talking about some party down town that is supposed to be good. We could check out that."
They reached Joel's room and Rose opened the door and made her way in. It was the same as her own. Except for the very distinct feeling of 'boy' in it. She did notice that Joel's side of the room was much cleaner than his roommates.
"Your bed is made. I'm impressed." She teased.
He grinned as he unbuttoned his shirt, leaving him in a blue t-shirt. "My momma taught me well."
She just shook her head and smiled slightly.
He tossed the shirt into one of the blue dorm baskets and pulled open a draw, which she assumed held his clothes.
He turned and gave her a look.
Rose looked right back. "What?"
His eyebrows rose. "Aren't you gonna turn around?"
She grinned. "Why? You shy?"
She had meant it as a joke but before she could retract her comment or turn, he had thrown her a sly smile and his fingers had found the edge of his shirt.
She stood stunned. And hoping her mouth wasn't open.
Joel apparently, under his sweaters and button down shirts, had muscle. And pecs. And an impossibly perfect stomach. She blinked. He wasn't bulky, for sure, but…wow. She felt her face heat up. She should really turn around now. He wadded up his shirt and threw it at the basket. Oh my god, was that a tattoo on his shoulder? And did she mention the pecs?
He turned and she got a view of those lithe muscles on his side. She knew from years of Science classes that she was seeing the sides of the Latissimus Dorsi and Serratus Anterior: Back and Ab muscles. But she really didn't care about the official names at the moment; just that as he reached into his drawer, they tightened and flexed with a torturous ease and fluidity under his bare skin.
He withdrew something dark green and something white from the drawer but she really wasn't paying attention to what they were. 'Shirts?' She'd venture a dim guess. She was more focusing on the way his jeans fell nicely on his tapered hips. And those little dips that ran down either side of his abdomen and disappeared beneath his pants. God he had a nice stomach. Was it possible to have more than an eight pack? She drug her eyes up just as he pulled the shirt over his head. All the muscles in his torso lengthened for a moment as he raised his arms. Rose felt her heart hammer in her chest.
The shirt really didn't do much to stop her imagination. It was tight and white. She could still see those pecs.
Good God, this was Joel! Dorky, goofy, best friend Joel. She wore her embarrassing pajamas around him. And her acne cream! This was bad! But that did stop her from staring at him, still visualizing that tattoo. It looked tribal and it circled his nicely formed arm.
"Rose?"
Her eyes snapped instantly up. "What?' She winced and really hoped that her voice only sounded that guilty and loud inside her head.
He gave her an odd look. "I asked what you thought of my hair."
"Your hair?" She stared dumbly.
He ignored or didn't notice how she was acting. 'Yeah, my hair." He then placed his fingers on his chin and did what she suspected was his interpretation of a sexy model pout and threw his head back and forth dramatically, offering profiles of either side of his face before tossing his head back.
She couldn't help but smile and give an eye roll at that. "It looks great."
He pursed his lips and nodded definitively as he slipped into a zip up green sweater. Good-bye distracting muscles. "Awesome. Now let's get going!"
She offered up a smile. "Yes, let's go."
As they began to make their way to the hallway Joel stopped her.
"Hey Rose, wait."
She turned and frowned. "What?"
"I think you've…" he scowled slightly and made his way towards her and squinted. "Yeah, you've got drool," he reached out and took a swipe with his thumb under her lip, "Right there."
She would have acknowledged the quake in her knees when he had done that were she not mortified that he had caught her staring. She pulled back and made a face. "Shut up."
He looked mock-stunned. "Wait, No! I don't think I got it all!"
She stuck her tongue out and made her way to the hallway.
She shot him a dark look, hoping that is masked the flush on her cheeks. "You are such a jerk."
"A jerk who look fabulous half nekked apparently." He grinned.
"Shut up!" Her voice sounding a far too shrill for her own good.
I hope you liked this! Next: the party! Where there promises to be alcohol and lewd dancing!