Post by Ella Robbinson on Dec 16, 2015 5:32:47 GMT -6
Ella was incredibly quick to reciprocate the way James chose to kiss her. He offered lighter instances that few would likely credit him for; in his youth, he had been charming to everyone he met, and he liked it that way. He had an attitude and an ego that preceded him. He still did, for the most part, but Ella was always grateful for the side he chose to show few others.
Pursed lips offered a defined moment of contemplation, but it was hard to maintain a straight face when he was lingering the way he was. Standing at the edge of compromise, Ella wondered what would happen if she refused the request he put in place. She supposed it seemed fair enough anyway; he had a lot more than she did, and she wouldn't ever really ask him to give a thing up.
"You can keep some of your jackets on my side." She reasoned then, nodding her head once at her own suggestion. And her mouth cracked into a smile seconds later; "But only if I can borrow them from time to time."
Post by James Lawrence on Dec 16, 2015 10:50:25 GMT -6
Reciprocated movement from her side always provided gentle comfort; she had her own charm that was irresistible and hard to deny. James found it hard to pull away from her, even mere centimetres, because any distance was too far from Ella Robbinson.
Eyes didn't move once from her face, completely locked in. Her serious expression that broke with a smile; a smile that worked to reciprocate a smile of his own without much thought. "Of course," James answered without an ounce of hesitation. "You can borrow them any time you'd like."
"Provided I can use the extra space you don't need in the bathroom." He finished, raising an eyebrow while fighting off a smile that broke the serious facade. "Gotta keep us both happy and make my hair look good." It could be interpreted as a joke, but James was serious. Well, at least for keeping him happy. He wasn't sure if Ella cared about the state of his hair.
Post by Ella Robbinson on Dec 17, 2015 0:54:36 GMT -6
There was no hesitation from James when he answered Ella's proposal. It was like a second nature response now, and the sound of it forced her smile to grow immediately. And humour caught her eyes when he continued on. It was likely to be the first of many stints of compromise, but the truth of the matter was that she was willing to give him all the space he needed. It was only fair.
Initially, the only response she gave was the way she leaned in to kiss him. It was a slow enough point of contact, drawn by the simple fact that she struggled to pull herself away. James was never an easy person to haul back from. After all, he had an intoxicating nature that she never found easy to ignore.
"You definitely need to maintain it. Who knows how I'd feel about you if your hair was different." She replied, fingertips trailing the back of his neck to the line of his hair gently.
Post by James Lawrence on Dec 17, 2015 1:39:54 GMT -6
It wasn't like James was in short supply of jackets; he had enough that if Ella really wanted to, she could keep a couple for herself and he wouldn't mind at all. Compromise in a relationship was necessary, but he had a feeling that they would manage just fine if that was the most serious thing they had to decide.
Silence would have been a terrifying response, but her movement to close the distance once more was enough to settle any of James' pre-existing nerves. His heart still raced; it always did in Ella's presence, if there were any doubts about his feelings for her. He returned the kiss, his hands moving to rest at the small of her back. James made no move to pull back from the shared moment, in their apartment. Lingering close by, his eyes tracked the features of her expression.
"Exactly," James answered with a nod, his pulse shifting once her fingers reached his hair. "And that's just too dangerous to risk, don't you agree?" He asked, but before giving Ella the chance to reply, moved to kiss her once more.
Post by Ella Robbinson on Dec 17, 2015 5:52:43 GMT -6
It was impossible for Ella to ignore the rhythm of James' heart the second she had leaned in. The day had been long and tiring, so much so that the first and foremost thing she needed was some stint of affection. The thought of unpacking any of her belongings was long gone now; it was the least of her concerns. Her attention was far too attuned to the way he tried to be funny. To the way it worked. To the way it made her laugh, if only lightly.
"I'd have to move back into the high school dorms." She mused aloud, pursing her lips at the obvious negativity, "You know how much I loved living there for so long."
It was just a fact, really; living there for the job and the responsibility that came along with it. The last few months with someone at her side made the small space bearable. It was even better when he was so willing to walk the halls with her late at night; company was always better than not.
Post by James Lawrence on Dec 18, 2015 1:51:05 GMT -6
To actually be within close proximity of Ella was a relief, instead of moving around packing his car for multiple trips from school grounds to their apartment. To be able to hold onto her, while making jokes about his hair routine was something James couldn't imagine changing for anything else. When she let out a laugh, his smile lit up the rest of his features; because it was that easy and natural around her.
Her reply to the ongoing joke made him laugh, at the idea of repacking all of her belongings only to return to the place where it all began. "Yeah, practically had to drag you out of the room. I'd say you were almost unwilling to come live with me." He added on, leaning in to press his forehead against her own.
"Gonna miss knowing what the students were always up to?" James asked, almost cringing. Because when two people had the ability of tracking heartbeats and perfect hearing, they found out a lot. More than either would prefer to know.
Post by Ella Robbinson on Dec 18, 2015 2:31:53 GMT -6
Ella's eyes narrowed a touch as James continued; a point of agreement to her own expression before she nodded her head a few times. Because it had to be true. He had to drag her out of that place. She had been completely unwilling. Though she was usually so good at maintaining a straight face, she felt her own composure continue to slip away. He was too good. Him leaning inward was too good.
And then her eyebrows rose instinctively at the new question posed to her. Not even she could hold any kind of powered expression to the very thought. Because with a power like hers, it was so much more than just knowing what people were up to. "I'm definitely going to miss knowing way too much." She denoted either way, nodding her head despite how his was pressed to her forehead. "And you? You'll miss living alone, I bet. All that discount furniture and residual mess." She added, though she admittedly hated how messy his home had been the few times she'd been there.
Post by James Lawrence on Dec 18, 2015 2:57:59 GMT -6
"I wonder if it'll be almost too quiet here." James murmured, his expression changing into a thoughtful one. From what he could remember there was nobody as loud as the students at Bellefonte had been. Then again, almost anything would be quiet in comparison to the chaos that happened within school walls. Too quiet was also a notion that didn't exist for him.
He let out a breathy exhale of amusement. "Definitely. Who doesn't love still living like they're in their early twenties and barely have their life together?" He posed as a rhetorical question, not afraid of taking a shot at himself, at his own expense. Only around her, and even then it worked wonders to slightly bruise his ego. It was true, though. It had taken a lot of work to turn James' mess of an apartment to the state it was in now that she was living there.
Post by Ella Robbinson on Dec 19, 2015 20:35:20 GMT -6
Honestly, it was funny to even remotely consider what life would be like had Ella opted to stick to the job she had. For the most part, it had been perfect timing to pick it up when she had years ago. Everything was a step up from doing nothing with her life. But now that she had stepped back away from it and onto something proverbially greater, it looked that much worse. In hindsight, there was nothing good about the job at all. "Too quiet." She mused aloud, lips pressing into a line as she even considered the difficulty.
Smaller shots at himself worked wonders to mirror those that she would turn inward about herself. It was easier to express potent failures when he was so willing to do the same. "Hey, the patio furniture in your living room was... Cute." She replied regardless, because the last thing she wanted was for him to feel bad. And to the hemokinetic, the choice was a cute one.
"It's almost funny to think that without you, I'd probably still be where I was." She admitted. And while she didn't want to say it, Ella had to hope she had the same effect on the man who seemed to believe Kalispell was just the answer to his life's rejection in New York.
Post by James Lawrence on Dec 20, 2015 2:28:16 GMT -6
"We'll adjust." James added, unable to hide the relief in his voice. Too quiet didn't exist.
Raising an eyebrow, he gave Ella a skeptical look. "Cute isn't the adjective I would've chosen to use." James said with an amused laugh, thinking back to the first time he brought Ella over to the apartment. A set of two folding chairs paired with an old table. "You were probably wondering what the hell was wrong with me." He added lightly with a grin.
Thinking about the potential paths James' life could have gone down were a series of what ifs. What if he had discovered fame in New York? Even if he hadn't found success, what if he chose to stay out there and not move back? What if Ella never came to the staff lounge that one afternoon, searching for someone and finding him instead. What if they never took that pivotal first trip together, where everything came together. There were plenty of factors to consider.
Hands held on a little tighter. His own sense of surety and confidence had worked wonders to boost her own; to give Ella the necessary confidence to take steps towards becoming a trainer. "You know, I hated coming back to Kalispell. But I can't even imagine what would have happened had you not entered my life again." The difference between his arrival and now was that he wanted this life; his job, the town, her. The possibility of a very real future with Ella was always there because he couldn't see it any other way. But James lacked the skill to articulate these words, always falling short to properly express how much she meant to him. The effect was mutual and all James could hope was that she saw that through actions instead of words.
Post by Ella Robbinson on Dec 22, 2015 15:36:40 GMT -6
It might have been destructive behaviour - really, she knew it was - but Ella was always acutely aware of the potential differences in her own life. She had learned from a very early point in their relationship that James had searched for some kind of fame during his years in New York. She knew he had failed, or given up and returned to Kalispell to default to a career in teaching. She had always been borderline offended that his position as a trainer wasn't something he strived for; it was practically unfair. But he didn't need to know that.
"Who knows? You might've gone back and tried for that better life again? You might've made it." And surely on some level, thoughts like that had to plague his mind from time to time. If it was a big enough dream to coax him from comfort the first time, it wouldn't be the easiest to simply let go of. And selling herself short? It was subtle enough, surely, but nothing proposed in an ill-hearted kind of way.
Post by James Lawrence on Dec 23, 2015 2:50:10 GMT -6
"Two years is a long time to try, though. And who's to say that that is really a better life?" James posed the question, without expecting any sort of answer. Neither of them knew the life that came with fame. With it came money and attention, which would have satisfied James before his return to Kalispell. Living the life he had dreamed of ever since childhood. Was there any worth or meaningful substance to it?
Maybe, but as James' gaze got lost in hers, he had to wonder if he would trade his current life for the fame. And he could honestly say he wouldn't, which had to speak volumes about Ella's effect on him. "What we have together right now is hard to beat." He admitted, moving a hand from her back all the way up to caress her cheek, fingertips brushing down her jawline. "Settling down here, we could have it all. Each other, a family..." James trailed off as soon as the words left his mouth. Was it too soon to be bringing up the possibility of children? He could feel his heart race at the thought of that future.
Post by Ella Robbinson on Dec 27, 2015 18:56:07 GMT -6
Ella could only shrug her shoulders. She could never answer such a seemingly imperative question; she still struggled to see the positive outlook she had on his life, so assuming she was as good as he claimed to be was a little too much of a stretch for someone so wrapped in her own insecurities.
Her lips cracked into a smile as she exhaled a disbelieving breath. But it was true; at least, for Ella she believed there would be few things in the world greater than a relationship with James Lawrence. She even closed her eyes at the physicality provided to the side of her face, soothing notions wrapped in slow contact to the line of her jaw. But her eyes had to snap right open at the mention of a family. And she stared directly at his eyes as she felt the almost erratic rhythm his heart suddenly wore.
"A family? Like... Kids?" She asked then, obvious confusion lining her tone.
Post by James Lawrence on Dec 28, 2015 3:16:48 GMT -6
A smile of his own appeared on his face as her smile worked across her features. Really, what more could James ask for? Fingertips ran the length of her jaw; a slow and steady rhythm that kept time until his heart caused the movement to falter. His hand settled in place, not moving from her face as the surprise of his own question took over any other thoughts of Ella.
His eyes met with hers, and the connection formed between was enough to make James' heart stop for a moment, before shifting back to its irregular and inconsistent tune that often came up during situations that caused internal anxiety. Externally, he remained calm.
He kept his gaze steady, refusing to break eye contact. "Yeah, yeah. Like kids." James repeated with a nod, before continuing on. "I mean, if that's something you would want one day." He wasn't necessarily saying tomorrow but within the future. Did he even want kids? The idea had come from his own thoughts; it was something to consider, at least.
"Do you want kids?" He asked, before deeply inhaling. Trying to calm his heart rate for her.
Post by Ella Robbinson on Dec 28, 2015 3:29:08 GMT -6
It was the kind of sudden pressure that could make a normal person sick. A person like Ella? She had never been known to be good at commitment, but James had broken that mould. Still, she'd never been a family person. Hers had been shattered long before she could comprehend it, and she spent far too much of her young life hating her adoptive mother just because she wasn't her real mother.
And now she could be a mother?
"I've never thought about it." Ella replied honestly. Because never in her life did she actually imagine she'd have children. Never did she consider she'd be in the position to do so.
"Maybe." She tried again, and she shrugged, like it wasn't a decision that mattered. "One." She thought at least giving something would hand James a trait to build from. But what if it wasn't right? What if a minor family had never been in his mind at all? Why did she even think to be the one to start that side of the conversation?
She should have let him lead. He was a better leader.