Writing A Wrong (Write Stuff 2)

"We'll have to work up an appetite for that," he said, winking.

I climbed from the bed under protest. Of course, it was more for show. Knowing how close we had come to no longer being a couple gave me a new appreciation for our time together. Things between us were still a bit cautious, but with every hour that passed I could feel us loosening. Today was the start of our second chance and there was no way in hell I was going to blow it again.

After getting ready and grabbing a bite to eat, we decided to take a walk around the small pond adjacent to the hotel. The air was crisp, but the bright, shining sun gave the illusion of warmth. I couldn't stop shivering initially, but I quickly warmed up as we maneuvered through the snow. The wind had blown the snow around, creating drifts that were deeper in some spots.

It took us the better part of an hour to walk around the pond, which turned out to be larger than we thought. Instead of making a snowman, we opted to sit on one of the benches surrounding the pond to rest.

Alec slung an arm across my shoulders to pull me close once I started shivering again. "The colder weather is kind of refreshing, but I think I'll enjoy going home to the low seventies," he joked, watching his breath as he spoke.

"Me too." My teeth chattered. Being stationary had allowed the cold to seep back into my bones. "I've had my fill of cold weather on this trip," I said, lacing my gloved fingers through his. "And hotels. And traveling," I threw in for good measure. "I can't wait to sleep in my own bed and to see Severus."

"That cat is spoiled. He's been sleeping on your pillow every single night."

"He's just used to being pampered. I miss him. I can't wait for these next few weeks to be over."

Alec placed his lips against my temple. "Me too. I've missed you a ton. Honestly, I think that's why I've spent so much time with Lily and Candace. You've ruined me. Before we got together I was quite satisfied being alone. Now I walk around the apartment like some lovesick bitch-boy."

"Poor baby. There's nothing wrong with being my bitch," I laughed. "Seriously though, I get it. It's the same for me. I've always loved being by myself. Not sharing my time or my bed with anyone. Now I have to stuff the other side of the bed with extra pillows at hotels so I don't feel alone."

He nodded his head, pulling me closer as another shiver made my body shake. "Just a few more weeks. It'll be over before we know it and things will go back to normal."

"I hope so," I said. My life had changed so much during the past year I had no concept of what normal was anymore. All I knew was that I wanted to get back home and continue my life with Alec. Anything else I would tackle as it came along.

We lapsed into companionable silence, staring out over the pond. Two white rabbits appeared from the line of trees, hopping along the edge of the pond. It was hard to make them out at first since their hides blended with the snow on the ground. We tried to remain quiet as their pink noses sniffed the surrounding air. They looked skittishly in our direction even though we sat like statues. The two rabbits moved forward cautiously, stopping only at the sound of creaking branches behind them. Each sound made them pause with their noses in the air, sniffing for any possible threats. I couldn't help identifying with them. Alec and I seemed that skittish at the moment, treading cautiously to avoid any threats that might pull us apart again.

Eventually the rabbits made their way across the frozen pond, disappearing into the forest on the other side. Alec and I stood up to leave without commenting. Being together seemed to be all that mattered.

When we walked back around the front entrance of the hotel, we noticed a shuttle van and found out from the manager that it was available to take us to a nearby shopping plaza that had several restaurants and a theater. Rather than spending the rest of the day watching TV and eating room service, we decided dinner and a movie would be fun.

The shopping plaza turned out to be larger than we thought. The shuttle dropped us in front of a twenty-screen mega-plex theater showing pretty much every new movie in release. Alec breathed a sigh of relief when I agreed to an action flick rather than a sappy romantic drama.

"I'm kinda thinking of waiting until dinner. You sure you want anything?" I asked as Alec stopped in front of the concession counter.

He looked at me, smiling with his eyebrows raised. I don't even know why I bothered to ask. Alec ate constantly and still managed to look shredded. He blamed it on good genetics, but working out six days a week didn't hurt either.

"Fine. I want M&M's then," I said, spotting them in the display case.

"I thought you weren't hungry?"

"Since when do you have to be hungry to eat chocolate?" As far as I was concerned, my reasoning was sound. Besides, chocolate was a food group in my world.

We walked into theater ten juggling Alec's large tub of popcorn, Diet Cokes, and my candy, which I agreed to share if he was a good boy. I tried reasoning with him to get the small popcorn, but he said it made no sense since the large was only a dollar more.

"Too bad we're not alone. We could have had some fun," Alec said, shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

I snorted, eyeing the dozen or so other couples sitting in the auditorium. Even though it was a Friday afternoon, the theater seemed relatively dead.

"You've never made out during a movie?" he whispered as the house lights went out.

I shook my head. "God no."

"You don't know what you're missing." He placed his hand on my thigh and began sliding it between my legs.

Luckily we were the only people sitting in our row, but my eyes still darted around in case we were being watched. "Be good," I whispered out of the corner of my mouth. I did allow his hand to remain on my thigh as long as he didn't move. The idea of getting it on in a theater did have a certain naughty appeal, but I was too afraid of getting caught. The walk of shame afterward would kill me.

The movie started with an intense action segment with a plethora of bullets and dead people. It was an intense scene and hard to get through without cringing slightly. An elderly couple two rows away got up and left, obviously displeased with the gore and language.

Alec offered me some popcorn, but I still wasn't ready to eat. I slouched down in my seat and rested my feet on the armrest of the empty chair in front of me. Alec set the tub down but kept his hand on my thigh, drawing small circles with h