Storytime.
Lee ran his long fingers through the blonde fuzzy mop on top of his head as he walked into his kitchen. He was clad in a white, old t-shirt, comfortable brown sandals and khaki cargo shorts; all slightly wrinkled, frayed, and certainly worn from years of usage.
When his eyes focused, he blinked. Sora stood at the stove, bustling about the kitchen; there was a massive amount of platters, pots and pans sitting all around the kitchen. The food was nearly ready, he could tell. There were bowls of creamy mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn, peas, beans, breads, carrots, and a platter of roasted, honey baked ham. Not to mention plates of crackers, cheese, grapes, apples, and liters of sodas, juices and even a bottle of wine for Lee's stepfather. Delicious aromas and colors cascaded into Lee's senses and he suddenly found himself sniffing to the fullest extent of his ability the fragrant fumes wafting from Sora's kitchen setup.
Sighing happily, Lee smiled broadly, overswelling in loving pride. Lee and his stepfather had tried to help, but Sora only rushed them out and closed the doors with a "You can buy the drinks, ingredients, and you can do the dishes." Awkwardly, they obliged. Now Lee saw what Sora could really do when given a kitchen and several hours. Sora rested a ladel on the stove trivet and turned to Lee. "It's almost ready," she said smugly, smiling. On impulse, Lee rushed to her and pulled her into his arms.
"That's so amazing, man," he mumbled near her ear, brushing his cheek against hers. Sora's face heated up and she clung to Lee tightly, resting her soft, black-haired head on his blonde one.
"Thanks, Lee," she replied. A tingle went up Lee's back, almsot making him shiver, as Sora's breath brushed across his neck. He kept his arms lovingly wrapped around her shoulders, holding Sora in a tight embrace. Lee was still careful, though, for he felt as though he'd break her.
Sora leaned over to Lee's face, and she gently pressed her lips against his; Lee held her closely as he kissed her back.
So soft...
Suddenly, the kitchen doors swung open and a throat cleared. Instantly, Sora and Lee jumped apart, their hands behind their backs; both their faces flushed red from the passion of the moment, and humiliation at the intruder. Lee's stocky stepfather, Nathan Edwards, stood on the threshold of the kitchen, shaking his head with a sly grin on his face.
"I guess Lee's showing his...appriciation for the wonderful food you have here," he said gruffly, eying them both up and down over the tops of his glasses, which the then took from his face, folded and stuffed into his breast coat pocket. The embarrassed couple stood silent, although Lee's face turned a deeper hue, and his face seemed extremely sheepish.
"Let's get that kid here, then," Nathan stated in a businesslike tone, sounding more like the lawyer he was than he had in years. "I hear the jerk likes motorcycles."
"Yeah....motorcycles...." Sora trailed off, scratching her hair. "I uh...I'd better check on the turkey or something...Yeah...."
As Sora busied herself with the final dinner preparations, Nathan pulled Lee aside, out of the kitchen and into the hallway, where Sora could not hear. Lee looked down at his stepfather in anticipation; although Lee was a little above average height, Nathan was still on the short side. However, he had imprinted a lasting impression on Lee that he would always be the taller one. Nathan seemed to carry in his sturdy form a tall, high presence that dominated the room, if he wished it to. Now, he stared up at Lee, expressionless, neither dominating, nor receeding; just watching, and studying.
"You wanted to talk, sir?" Lee queried. The boy felt anxious and shifted around on his bent legs stiffly. Nathan nodded, took in a breath, and let it out in a sigh--he seemed to be chosing his words. "Lee," he began, "this may not come as much of an impression to you, but..." he trailed off slightly, seeming to shrink down in portions from some hidden shame.
Nathan then looked up again at his listening stepson. "I'm proud of you for treating Sora in a respectful, loving way. I was an idiot and became an alcoholic, and hurt your mother...and you. I'm just sorry--" Nathan cut himself off, and sighed. "Pardon me," he continued, seeming resigned, and rather weary looking, "but that's probably a bunch of bullshit. Well I mean it, so you'd better take it anyway."
There was a silence. Lee blinked, letting it all soak in. He stared at the wall, trying to find his own words. It came as a bit of a shock, although Nathan had already apologized, and Lee had forgiven him. Perhaps he was apologizing for, specifically, the hurt of his mother. Suddenly, a powerful twinge of guilt and sadness welled up inside Lee, and he struggled within himself to push it away.
"I...do accept it, Dad," Lee half gasped, hoping he wouldn't hiccup in a sob, trying his best to control his facial expression. Nathan took his firm arms and hugged his stepson tightly. Although he did hug Lee once in a while, this seemed to be a rare gesture of affection at the moment.
"I loved her," Nathan half choked, surprising Lee as they embraced still. "She was beautiful," Nathan croaked out. Lee patted his stepfather's back, feeling strange. He had eventually given up the grudge against his stepdad after Nathan had stopped drinking when he was thirteen. The past four years had shown him wonderful improvement, probably from the influence of his mother, and help from their church. In reality, Lee really thought of Nathan as a second father, and so he comforted the man there in the hallway.
"Just swear," Nathan said firmly after they had seperated, "that you'll never mistreat Sora like that, or any other woman. Only a filthy, damned coward'd do that kind of shit in front of a girl."
Lee nodded and swore that he wouldn't. Ever. And he meant it.
"She's a good one," Nathan said, smiling slyly again at Lee, as though he had caught some priceless, rare fish. Lee blushed and shrugged, looking off to the side.
The sound of a motorcycle's engine burring in the driveway made both Lee and Nathan start at the gravely sound. "I guess Jay's here," Lee shrugged, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a finger. "I'll go get him," he said, and did indeed see Jayden at the door.
During all this, in the kitchen, Sora gave herself a small break and sat relaxing on a stool, leaning on the counter wearily. Idly, a list began to form in her mind. Sure, life wasn't perfect, but it was much better than it had been before. The list was of things she was thankful for; even insignificant things, like her driver's license, the weather, the mail...anything that seemed to give aid to the perpetuation of the human cycle, the routine, something that might have seemed boring to others, but was wonderful for Sora. It provided mundane tasks that she found fascinating escapes from her harsh reality, and a general uniformity when her world was falling down around her ears.
However... she was thankful for, most of all, Lee, and the things he'd brought in to her life. God, love, light, respect, the will to live...
She was thankful for Jayden, his ability to keep her on edge, his friendship, his love....
Sora was thankful for her new extended family of Lee, his brother James, his stepfather, Jayden, Mark, and even Victor.
Nothing was perfect, and times may become hard.
But Sora was thankful, for her busy schedule, for her car accident and living through it, for all those bruises and slashes she'd endured...all for this one moment, everything in her life adding up to each moment that passed.
Abruptly, the sound of a motorcycle brought Sora out of her reverie and crashing back to reality.
When Sora walked out to greet Jayden, she felt an overwhelming sense of pride at who she considered her family. The dinner had been a labor of love, and that was why she wanted to do it all herself. And she did.
But Jayden didn't have to know that.
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BeckerZ. Sorry I didn't stay up...This story took me like...three hours to write. xD I'm bushed. It's almost...1am. G'NIGHT.