James POV ~

I flopped down on the sofa, like I own the  place. Marian looks at me with big doe eyes, like she doesn't know how I got  here in the first place. Then she recollects herself quickly.

"Uhm, I'm gonna make that hot chocolate now." - she says and hurries towards the kitchen, or at least I assume that's the kitchen.

I take in the small sitting room. It's obvious this is rather a small, one bed apartment, it's perfect for her. The decoration is mixed and matched, there is a rug in the middle of the wooden floor, the sturdy wooden coffee table situated on it, probably because the rug slips on the floor. There is a television set in the corner, not very big, maybe 24" only.
The curtains are some shade of mustard yellowish, the lighting is not very good so I can't identify the colour very well. They are closed now, but I can see the streetlights faintly lighting the corner of the sitting room. There are pictures on the walls but I can't make them out, it's too dark for that, I also notice a standing bookshelf in the corner.

"I might check that out later."

I lean back comfortably and stretch my long legs out. It's great sitting in a comfortable position once in a while, and not to mention, not being on guard all the time. I sigh out loud, and try not to think of going back to the cold, garden shed of the community centre. They kept the garden tools, and other discarded items in the wooden shed at the back of the garden. When I was asked to help out with some gardening, I may or may not tinkered with the locks. Now it's easy to pick it, so at least I have  a place to lay my tired body each day. Until someone will discover me sleeping there one day and kick my sorry arse out. I hoped I will be able to stay there for a long time. So far nobody noticed it yet, and I've been sleeping there since last month. The nights are getting colder nowadays.

Suddenly a loud noise and some unintelligible cursing jolts me out of my rather dark thoughts, and I smile, because I somewhat already came to the conclusion that this very pretty girl, Marian is quite a clumsy one. I wonder, what she did this time. It's not that hard to fix up some hot chocolate, isn't it? Although, if I think of it, Marian surely is able to mess such an easy task up, isn't she? I sit up a bit and contemplating to go to the kitchen, to investigate what's going on when Marian eventually appears in the doorway, with a tray in her hand.

On the tray there are two mugs of hot chocolate, the sweet smell is wafting over to my direction and I can feel myself salivating instantly. 

I love hot chocolate. It reminds me of the days, when I used to stay with my maternal Grandma, she made me the best hot chocolate in the world, and she always served it with small cookies made with mixed spices. 

Marian hesitates, she looks at me for a split second, then take a step towards the coffee table. She doesn't realise it but her slippers get caught in the rug and I can already see the disaster unfolding in front of my eyes. Thankfully I have good reflexes and I would be awfully sad to see wasted any kind of hot chocolate so I jump to my feet and instinctively grabs onto her. 

She squeals and with joined efforts we manage to save the tray falling out of her hands. The effort was worthwhile I notice it, when I actually have a look at the steaming mugs on the tray.  They look absolutely delicious. Can't wait to dip my tongue in and taste it.

I quickly drop my hand from her waist as she steadies herself, and picks a mug up and holds it out to me.  I take it, and I glue my eyes on the melting marshmallows. I unconsciously lick my lips, and slowly recline back on the two seater.

There is no other seating but a round ottoman, and Marian crouches down and perks herself up on it, close to the coffee table. I kind of feel guilty that I take up such a big space on the sofa.

 "But she had the opportunity to sit beside me, there is still a little bit of space left on my right."- I argued in myself.  She could have sat there, right beside me. 

But she didn't.

"I hope you like the hot chocolate, you are lucky I had marshmallows too. " - she spoke up finally and started to blew the top of the hot drink. She clutches her delicate fingers around the mug, and she looked liked a cute little Tinkerbell perched upon that small ottoman. I smiled at her. 

"I'm sure it's lovely, thanks, it smells delicious already, so I know it will taste delicious too." - replied quietly as I prepared to blew on my chocolate too.

We quietly blew on our hot chocolate for a few minutes and I must say Marian's was the second best hot chocolate I have ever tasted after my Grandma's. Rich chocolate flavour, smooth, silky and thick, but not overbearingly. 

I could drink this every day. 

Marian looked at me questioningly, and I realised that the inquisition has never ceased, just being pushed forward in time. I cringed inwardly, and I was mentally trying to come up with excuses already.

"So, do you live in this area?" - she asked me again the same question that she asked previously in the corner shop. She looked suddenly tired and weary, I thought maybe I should offer her the couch after all, I wasn't that selfish.

"Would you like to sit on the couch too?" - I asked instead of replying for her question.  

She shook her head and took a big gulp of her cooling sweet drink. 

"No, thanks, I'm ok here." - she said, and her face got a bit darker, I noticed. 

"Oh, she is embarrassed to sit beside me." - I debated on it curiously in myself. I don't know why?

"Are you embarrassed to sit beside me?" - I called her out on it.

"Uhm... well, if I can fit, I'll sit beside you, I'm not embarrassed, why would I be?" - she hastily gathered herself from the ottoman, and made her way to the couch.  

The body language that she was displaying, clearly conveyed my suspicion. She was embarrassed or maybe nervous. Her face was a nice shade of pink, and the way she was fidgeting with her hand, pitting down her drink, then picking it up again, without drinking it, I could clearly see that she was nervous.

I don't understand why though, she is older than me, she should handle situations like this better than me. The one who should be nervous or embarrassed, should be really me not her. My thoughts were interrupted, when I felt her body shifting beside me, as she sat down on the sofa, her body accidentally touching mine, and I instantly felt my skin's breaking out in goosebumps. 

"Oh my fucking God.... her body is sooooo warm and soft!!!!!" - I screamed in myself in agitation.

I felt my body go stiff in an instant.

"What should I do?" - I panicked in myself. Why did I ask her to sit beside me? What a moron I am, seriously? I basically dug my own grave by challenging her. I was a boy after all, my body craved for physical touches, and for me she was so beautiful that I was barely able to hold myself back, I wanted to touch her so badly that I felt a weird pain settle in my chest.

"Shit, I hope I'm not having a heart attack or something, I'm way too young for that." - I thought and unconsciously lifted my right hand to my chest.

"Are you ok?" - she asked, maybe she felt my body stiffening beside her. Her head was turned towards me and she held her mug in both hands.

"Oh, I'm grand, thanks.... thanks for sitting beside me, you looked tired on that ottoman." - I replied and I hope with this I could steer the conversation away from myself.
Hah, I was mistaken, because she just didn't give up.

"You didn't answer earlier, do you live nearby?" - she pleaded with her eyes and I suddenly didn't want to lie to her. Therefore I allowed her to know some information about me. Not the whole truth though.

"Yeah, I live nearby, I didn't know you live in the same area as me." - I pulled my legs back, and leaned back and made myself more comfortable. I felt her doing the same, and I hoped it wasn't too awkward for her to sit so close to me. The cheap two seater wasn't that big, it was really a love seat, I guess.

"I moved here three years ago, when I graduated college." - she replies quietly. Her voice is soft, and I nearly feel it reverberating in myself. It feels so warm, and nice to be just by her side.

"What did you major in?" - I ask her, want to know more of her, and I still didn't give up on changing the subject.

"I did social studies as my major and minor in business administration and office skills.' - she takes a sip of her hot chocolate that I'm sure is gone cold by now and I feel her body relaxing beside me.

"I guess social studies and business administration go well together, I mean it's quite useful." - I'm stating the obvious and mentally facepalm that I can't even say something more sophisticated.

I want to impress her. But with what?My mind is blank right now.

I want her to like me.

I already realised it, the very moment when I set my eyes on her in the local  welfare office, I knew that I wanted to get to know her. I just didn't know how.

Now I'm sitting right beside her and I don't even know how I did get so lucky! This hot and fuzzy feeling inside me is the best feeling in the world. I have never felt this way before, and I hope I'm gonna feel this  forever. I know it sounds childish but I wish I could just sit with her here in this love seat for a very long time.

She shifts her body again, facing more towards me than before and places her empty cup on the nearby coffee table.

"What about you? - she asks again and I nearly forgot we were talking about educational stuff.

"I think I said at Bobò's that I'm taking evening classes at the community centre to sit my leaving certificate next May." - I answer, sadly I know this won't impress her but I have nothing else up in my sleeve to present her.

"Oh,yes, I remember, I think you are great not giving upon your leaving cert. You have to try to get good grades and maybe get into college if you are interested in something." - she says enthusiastically. The way she talks about it, makes me realise that the only thing I could impress her with is studying hard and getting good grades, then later secure a place in some college.

Yeah, I wish it would be this easy. I have no problem keeping up with my grades. But how the hell I'm suppose to afford going to higher education, not to mention maybe third level education? It seems impossible at the moment. I get sad about it just thinking of my poor financial situation.

"You have gone quiet. I hope I didn't sound preachy, hope I didn't   offend you." - she says sheepishly.

She raises her left hand and before I could do anything, places it on my knee and I practically melt into the sofa.

It lasts maybe a few seconds because she removed it so fast that I was hardly able to register it. We fall into an awkward silence afterwards. I was so shocked by her touch that I was nearly speechless, it took me a minute to compose myself.

"It's ok, I know I should go to college and I study hard to get good results. But going to college or uni requires a lot of money which I don't have at my disposal at the moment." - I tell her honestly.

I find it hard to fight away the tears threatening to spill out of the corner of my eyes. I never thought that it would be so hard to admit it to someone this. I hate talking about my financial difficulties. It's nobody's business but mine. Nevertheless I am able to share this very private information of me without breaking down in front of her.

I need to be strong.

My parents want me to be strong. They taught me to be strong, fight for myself in every situation and never give up on my dreams.

This is me coping with life. I'm trying my best. After losing our home to the bank, I still manage to go to evening classes and pick up odd jobs that put food into my mouth. I just don't have a place to stay.

"Oh." - she gasps and now it's very clear that she is way too embarrassed to say anything more. I really want her to stop asking me personal questions. I hope she will understand.

"I bought instant noodles at the store earlier, would you like to have some, I'm starving! I'm going to make some." - she changes the gloomy subject of our conversation.

"Sure, I can eat some noodles!" - I answer her happily, I'm so glad she changed the topic finally. Maybe she realised that it is so personal that I just can't talk about it right now.

She tries to stand up but the rather cheap and old seater is worn out, the square shaped foam block that makes up the seating area is dipped in, so instead of getting up, she eventually falls back. It's like in one of those movies, I can see it in slow motion, her gorgeous bottom is approaching and I spread both of my hands to catch her.

My palms make contact with her firm, round ass and at the same time my face is experiencing a nuclear explosion, and I go tomato red in the next moment. I get scared and pull my hands away stupidly, yeah, stupidly because pulling my hand away causing her landing in my lap.

I gasp out loudly in surprise as she is trying to get off my lap and eventually  she push herself to a standing position a but too quickly to my liking. Because no matter how nervous I was, let's admit it, I'd love to hold her more than a second.

She looks at me weirdly but says nothing first - just stares at me with her warm chocolate brown eyes intensely.

"Thanks.... I'm going to the kitchen." - she exhales slowly, then makes a rather hasty exit.

I'm on fire.

"Oh my gosh, it's so embarrassing, how could I touch her without permission?" - I scream at myself silently. I take my burning face in my trembling hands and it registers that I have the stiffest hard on I've ever had in a while.

It couldn't get any more embarrassing than this.

I sit there and try to think of gross and disgusting things,just to get rid off my painfully evident erection. I hope making noodles takes up enough time.

Thankfully Marian also decided to change her clothes, so she gave me sufficient time to deal with my throbbing problem in my pants. I sigh in relief when finally she returns and my pants is not pitching like a tent on national camp day.

She wore a dark grey yoga pants with a hot pink lose top. In her hands she is holding the same tray, balancing two bowls of steaming noodles.

She looks at me and timidly asks:

"Would you like to spend the night?"

A/N

Well, here is a new chapter for you lovelies.

Finally James and Marian in an enclosed place!!!!!!

Marian tactics is working.... food and hot chocolate for a still growing boy is the best she could offer at the moment.

What do you think of her offer at the end of the chapter?

Do you think Marian knows that James desires her? Does she have a clue?

What's gonna happen, will James accept the offer or  rathet flee?

As always, my dearest.... click vote and comment, if you have something to discuss.

Being homeless is one of the worst thing that ever could happen to a child. Being financially unstable is also devastating. Growing up too soon because of these very reasons; What do you think, how James copes with the sudden emancipation?

Your thoughts are very welcome!

Happy Reading!

LCF