Butterflies

Amberle lay still in bed with her eyes still closed against the late morning sunlight shining into the room. Despite his gentleness it had hurt her more than she had expected. She wasn't quite sure why sims would return to try again. But then she thought of how gentle his touches had been. The way he had kissed her it was almost like butterflies alighting gently on her cheeks and jaw. He smelled so warm, and his arms were so thick she couldn't help but feel safe between them when he had laid his weight on her so that each breath pressed his chest against hers. In that moment she had trusted him completely. It was a beautiful memory; one of the few she could rank highly. If it meant going through the process again to have such memories, she would.




Amberle halfway sat up so that her elbows sunk into the mattress. She had realized right away that she was alone. The sun was shining through the window. She had slept later than she normally would on a school day. But school was out for the summer. Sleeping in late would have to become her next project.


There was a note left on his side of the bed in a quickly scrawled script. A key ring with two keys rested on top of the note. "Sorry-- had some business to take care of that'll take me out of town. I'll be back later tonight. Please feel free to make yourself at home."

Amberle slipped back into her dress, trying to smooth out the wrinkles it had gained from laying one night crumpled on the floor. (In the back of Amberle's mind, she dreaded the ribbing she would get from Samantha who would undoubtedly be looking for her return.) It was odd to feel so at home in someone else's apartment, and she knew she could easily head back downstairs to her own, but he had said to make herself at home. So she would make herself at home.

She grabbed the key ring and took it with her downstairs to get used to the idea that she now had the key to his apartment. The tight ball of warning that had attacked her the first night she had been with him in his apartment still seemed intent on poking at her every so often.

The fridge was cleaner than any fridge she had ever seen. He had juice and milk, ketchup and mustard. No left overs though. Maybe that was part of why the fridge seemed to clean. The knot in her stomach attacked again.

On top of the fridge, there was an unopened box of cereal. It was as if he had bought it just for her.


The bowls she found were dusty. She had to rinse out one to use it. The knot kicked her. But perhaps he simply ate out? He wouldn't be the first male bachelor to order take out every night. Though she hadn't seen left overs in the fridge. And a peek into his garbage revealed no containers or much of anything.


Amberle sat down with her bowl and a newly rinsed spoon. As she ate, she glanced around. His apartment was beautifully decorated. Her eyes fell on the tapestries again.

She stood, leaving her hardly eaten cereal to turn to mush, and walked into the living room again. It hadn't changed since the first time she saw it, and yet her stomach was twisting horribly.

There was a door she had noticed the other time she had visited, but assuming it was his office, she had simply never bothered to ask. But now she was curious. She turned the handle, but it was locked.



There were two keys on the key ring he had left for her. Could it really be that simple? But Amberle remembered that his note had said to make herself at home. Amberle grabbed the key ring and tried out one of the keys in the door knob. The first key fit perfectly. The door swung open easily. Her stomach pain disappeared.

Heavy curtains blocked out most of the light from the window, but what little came in was enough.

Amberle gasped at the sight of the large, open coffin.



Quickly, Amberle shut the room, hung the keys back up, threw on her clothes and fled from the apartment.

*****************

This marks the end of Spring 2. Whew. A sim year has passed since I started this blog.

Also, I am moving! I got a new job, and it comes with an apartment, so my boyfriend and I are moving. (Okay, so it's really just down the street from where we are now, but still I hate moving.) So I think I'm going to take a week (possibly two!) off from updating (though hopefully not reading).

Next season, the things I have planned are probably going to be weird, but we'll get some back story on the land and on one of the characters, possibly two of the characters.

Here is a sneak peek.

For those of you who can't see it, sorry! But it will literally be illuminated in a few weeks.

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Samantha's Threat

"Henry? What are you doing here?" Amberle's heart leaped at the same time her stomach started doing its flips.

He smiled so calmly and spoke so smoothly. "I saw the lights on and wondered if you would like an escort home."

Amberle stood still in disbelief. How did he know where to find her? Was he stalking her or something?




Samantha broke the silence from the back of the room. "I swear to god, Amberle," she seemed to shout in the little room, "If you don't go out with him, I WILL."

Amberle lifted her hand to her warm cheek and laughed nervously with Henry's calm chuckle.

~~~~~~~~~



"We're done here. Just remember to lock up." Samantha hugged Amberle tightly. "Kate and her sister are giving me a ride home. Don't worry. But don't be out too late." The last part she whispered in Amberle's ear and then she was gone and Amberle and Henry were alone, standing in the rain.

Henry seemed oddly unfazed by the rain. "Would you like to dance?"

Amberle couldn't help her look of amazement. "In the rain?"

"Why not? Everyone should dance in the rain at least once." He swooped in the way he had last time. His warm hands held hers tightly. "I must admit that you don't strike me as the sort of sim who would worry about such things."

"I'm not. I'm more worried for you." For Amberle, the outdoors was only natural. But she was working hard to fit in with the other sims in society, and it didn't seem like standing in a rain puddle at night with water pouring down was fitting in.


"Don't be." His back faced the open doors of the small room so that a shadow covered his face.

"You certainly like dancing."

He shrugged casually as fat rain drop soaked into the shoulders of his expensive looking suit. "I think it can be a good way to get to know someone. Don't you think?" He pulled in close so that his lips were near hers and she had to resist that old urge to close the gap between them. "We should head home. It's getting late. And I have a feeling Ms. Kerr might be waiting up for us."



The doors to the small building were shut and locked. Then Amberle and Henry were on their way walking through the rain.

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The Dance

He smiled at her as he stepped forward, still keeping himself in front of her only means of escape. "You know, my dear, you do make things rather difficult."





He continued stepping forward so that Amberle had to put a hand up to warn him to stop. She knew her strength was no match for his. The strength of elves was within their magic which Amberle had never been properly taught. What little she had known she had forgotten over time.

"I think I'm going to wait downstairs." Amberle had no way to be sure that the manager was even on his way. She wished that she had called the manager herself and then left as she had first thought, but her emotions seemed to conflict with the ideas her mind believed good.



Henry looked at her with one eyebrow raised. "I do not mean you harm."

It was as if he had read her mind. She suddenly felt horribly foolish for all of the thoughts she had thought within the last few minutes.



He stepped forward, seeing his chance, with one of his ever so tiny smiles. His warm hands slipped around hers as he spun her slowly so that her back was now facing the door. "It's as if we are doing a dance, don't you think?"

The knot in her stomach tightened painfully. Amberle ignored it and instead focused on his large and warm hands which held hers. "I don't dance. I don't even know how."



"It's not hard. I could teach you." As he pulled her closer, she could feel his deep voice vibrating within his chest. All of her focus was on his warm breath on her neck so that she hardly noticed the last stab of the knot in her stomach before it dissipated.

So close to him she could smell his soft musk scent which warmed her from the inside out. She wanted to gently press her cheek against the prickly hairs on his cheek if only to dare to be so close to his soft lips. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied his partially open mouth. His lips were so close that she only had to turn her head to reach them.



At the thought, the knot reappeared, tightening again. "Oh look, the fire is dying," she said as she gently pulled herself away. For a moment, she worried that his arms would tighten around her and not let her go, but she slipped away easily to poke at the fire in the fireplace while at the same time dowsing the warmth in the rest of the room with a cold pail of water. Henry did not say a word. She would not blame him if her were perturbed with her.

Thankfully, the awkward silence was broken by the ringing of the doorbell.

"That must be him," Amberle said as the knot within her stomach was untied by a wave of relief that she was no longer alone with Henry. "Uh, well, thank you."

"My pleasure," he said softly.

"I'll see you," she said for lack of a better good bye, but silently she kicked herself for suggesting that they meet again. Would she not learn? Would this dance not end?

"I hope so." The corners of his mouth turned up once more as he silently shut the door behind her.

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The Apartment

The first thing Amberle noticed was the fire which lit of the room in a warm orange light. "You have a fireplace?"

Henry smiled as he nodded. "It is a penthouse apartment." He motioned to the stairs which Amberle assumed led up to the bedroom. "The cost is a bit more, but it is well worth it to have a balcony on which I can admire the stars."



Amberle's mind simply blanked as her stomach churned. She could think of nothing to say and the only thoughts she had revolved around the fact that she was alone with this man in his apartment. It was certainly a trap set part by her own luck and part by her own subconcious will. Now she wished that she had tried knocking on Samantha's door until she had been forced to open, but it was too late now. Henry had the phone in his hand and was already speaking with the manager who would expect Amberle to be at Henry's apartment.

Briefly, she contemplated waiting on one of the sofas outside of her own apartment, but it was so cold in the hall and so warm in Henry's apartment that the thought was a fleeting one.

"He said he would be here in half an hour." Henry motioned to the couch before the fire. "Would you like some coffee while you wait?"

Amberle's mouth felt too dry to speak, so she only nodded as she took a seat on the couch. The warmth of the fire touched her face first then seeped down to the rest of her body so that she involuntarily shivered.



Henry stood with his back to her at the coffee machine. His brown sweater accentuated his broad shoulders. He was certainly not like the wirey young male elves she had known growing up. Male sims were generally larger and wider than female sims, just one of the differences between sim and elf.

"Here you are," Henry said as he handed her a warm mug of coffee. He sat down beside her with his own cup so that there was only a few inches between his thigh and her thigh.



"Thank you." Amberle looked away from Henry as she took a small sip so that the quiet would at least appear to be less awkward. The coffee scalded her tongue as it burned its way through her throat to the pit of her stomach. She could feel it moving within her stomach like a small eddie until it became a small warm ball.

She wasn't sure what to say. Old warnings from her supposedly well meaning care takers bubbled up to the surface of her memory. "Remember that male sims can force their way with you. They aren't as civilized as our elf males." Once she had met a few male sims, she had been sure it was simply a parting trick meant to make her afraid so that she would have a difficult time adapting. But sitting next to Henry, she found herself worrying.

Amberle tried to keep her knees as close together as possible so that there would remain a distance between their two bodies, but as she attempted to take up as little room as possible, he tried to take up as much room as possible.

It seemed as if it had been more than a few minutes ago since he had last spoken a word to her. Amberle stood, placing her coffee mug on the shelf above the fireplace, so that she could study the tapestries that hung on the wall.



"How old are these tapestries? They certainly don't look like reproductions."

Henry also stood, much to Amberle's dismay, so that he was now behind her. "I am a collector of old things. It's my hobby, I suppose you would say."

Amberle stood gazing at the ancient threads so she would not have to face him. "It must have cost a lot. What is it that you do for a living?"

Henry stepped forward so that he was between herself and the door. "Mostly, I buy and sell old collectables. It's a hobby that pays for itself."

She nodded as she took a step back. It always felt like an awkward dance with his trying to put himself between her and the nearest exit and her trying to find new ways to exit. But now he had her trapped. The warm ball of coffee in her stomach burned uncomfortably.

He smiled at her as he stepped forward, still keeping his broad-shouldered self in front of her only means of escape. "You know, my dear, you do make things rather difficult."

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The Visitor

There was a knock at Amberle's door around eight in the evening. Amberle thought it was much too late to call on someone, especially one of the teachers who lived in the building since they were usually getting ready for class the next day.



But a part of Amberle almost hoped it would be Samantha. Despite the teasing, Amberle would have apreciated the company. Her skin was crawling and her mind was racing, but there was not a thing in her house that could properly distract her.

Amberle opened the door much too quickly. It opened outward, and in her surprise she stepped outside, the door closing behind her.

"Oh, uh, Henry. Hello."

Unlike most other sims, Henry's gaze was steady. His eyes focused on the miniscule movements of her lips and her eyes, never even darting away to peek at her ears. "Good evening, Amberle. I hope I didn't come at a bad time."

"Uh, well, I was doing some stuff for school tomorrow, so uh... yeah."

His lips turned up in a smile. "You seem to be quite a hard worker. Perhaps you need a break."

Amberle considered it. As she stood there staring at him staring at her, she could feel invisible strings pulling her towards him. It was hard to resist that smile or the way he focused so clearly on her as if she were the only sim that mattered.



Perhaps she stood too long in front of him staring stupidly at him because he leaned in close to her so that she unconsciously put a hand on his shoulder, as if she could prevent his body from getting too close with only a hand to stop him. His breath warmed her ear as he gently whispered, "Would you like to come to my apartment?"



Amberle did push him away then. "WHAT kind of sim do you think I am?" Her usually meek voice surprised even her with its ferocity. But he only stood before her with that knowing smile on his face.

Curses sat on the tip of her tongue as an unreasonable anger flushed her face. Before another word could escape her mouth or his, she reached for the handle to her apartment door as she securely stepped forward to seek sanctuary from his dark eyes.

Her body moved much faster than her mind so that her forhead bumped the door before she realized it was locked. In her mind's eye she could see the house keys just inside the door silently mocking her.



Amberle could feel Henry still watching her. She was sure he was trying his best not to laugh. Sheepishly, she turned to face him.

"Shall we go to my apartment and call the manager?"



For a brief moment, Amberle looked at Samantha's door. Samantha most likely stood spying through the peep hole, silently laughing at Amberle. If Amberle were to knock and ask her for help, Sam would most likely pretend she were sleeping.

Amberle decided to save herself the extra embarrassment. "Fine."

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The Talk

Amberle felt as if she had been tricked. Again.



Samantha had said that she wanted to discuss lesson plans. That was why she had invited Amberle out. But it became clear right away that Samantha had more on her mind than simply school.

"So, about Henry; what do you think?"



Amberle sighed. "Oh dear. This was a trap, wasn't it?"

Samantha laughed. "Oh, come on. Spill it. You know, he was asking me about you."



It was Amberle's own fault, really, for agreeing to go out with the teacher of high school students.

Amberle looked around the room for the nearest exit in case she found a need. Instead, Water Mellon, the restaurant owner and celebrity chef extraordinaire, caught her eye. He was walking from table to table, greeting people with a smile.

"Samantha..." Amberle said in a quiet and almost mournful tone, but Samantha was only watching Water as he moved closer to their table. Amberle did not exactly want the conversation to return to the topic of herself or of Henry, yet she still asked, "What do you think about Henry? Doesn't something seem, I dunno, weird about him?"

Samantha appeared to fight herself in order to take her gaze off of her former lover and return to the problem at hand. "Weird? Do you mean because he's the most handsome sim ever? Or do you mean because he seems to have an interest in you?"

"Both, I guess. He doesn't know me."



"Good evening ladies." Water Mellon stood at the end of their table, a small smile on his lips at seeing Samantha again. Inwardly, Amberle's heart beat hard in fear for Samantha and for Demi, Water's partner. Nothing good would come of this.

Water took Samantha's hand and kissed it in greeting. At Amberle, he made a small little bow, clearly aware that she was not going to freely offer her hand to be kissed.



"It's good to see you two. How is my daughter behaving in school?" He said to Amberle. "Amália isn't rubbing off on her, is she?"

Amberle tried to smile at the thought of Ama influencing her innocent cousin, Melanie. "Oh dear. Aren't the boys supposed to be the troublesome ones?"



Samantha smirked. "Oh they are once they're teens. Some of the things I put up with. Especially from that Gabe of yours."

Water laughed but with a flirtatious wink. "I think you two ladies deserve some dessert on the house for all the work you do with our future generations."

"Thank you," Samantha smiled up at him, the corners of her mouth curling up sensually.

Water went back to the kitchen leaving the women alone. A small time later, two large slices of chocolate mint cake were sent out to them.

Amberle glanced at Samantha. "You still like him, don't you?"



"Who wouldn't love someone who makes cake like this?" Samantha took another small bite and gently savored it before she swallowed it. "You know, they say how you eat indicates how you have sex."

Amberle swallowed her bite before she could chew it. She was sure her face turned bright red. "You're horrible!" Amberle leaned forward and whispered, "He's basically married."

Samantha shrugged. "Not technically. And not happily. He can't be. She's all wrong for him."

"Samantha..."

"Anyway, we're here to talk about you not me. Henry and you."

Amberle shoveled a large chunk of the thick chocolate cake into her mouth to give her an excuse to not answer any of Samantha's questions.



Samantha only laughed. "Wow... that was a large bite. So that's how you like it, huh? Perhaps I'll let Henry know."

Amberle gulped down her bite; her jaw dropped in surprise. She couldn't even choke out another "Horrible!" in all her embarrassment.

**************************

So I had something completely different to be posted today, but I changed my mind and posted this instead.

There are two main reasons I chose to post this now (among a few others). First off, Water has to be my most handsome sim ever (and all Maxis genes). (Just look!) The second reason I am not going to tell you now, but virtual cookies if you can guess!

I will hint that reason number two is not in the text, it's just the pictures (including the one I just linked to). Oh, that probably only muddies things up more. I'm horrible at giving hints. XD



Next week:

Someone needs to borrow a cup of sugar. Can Amberle hand over the cup without causing an accident?

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Embarrassing Amberle Pt. 2

"I must say, you are simply ravishing."



Amberle looked down at her clothes. She was wearing her worn out old weekend clothes-- an old tee shirt with jeans that had tears in them. He was definitely over doing it. "Uh.. thank you, Henry. You look quite nice too." The thought made Amberle blush again. She was never quite sure what to say, and this was the first time she had ever been completely honest.

"You are an elf I hear?"

She was quite used to being asked about her ears. And she was used to people asking if she was an actual elf. But something about the way he phrased his question made her hair stand up in warning.



Amberle put weight on the one foot closest to the stairs. "Well, yes. Technically."

He seemed to notice her weight shift as he smiled and planted himself in a position before the stairs that would be difficult to get around. "That is fascinating. I have never seen an elf."

"Well, they usually stay hidden. I'm not so great at that." Amberle smiled at him, but she felt her training from her old life coming back to her in the urge to curtsy before excusing herself. She fought it though she could see where it came from. He stood tall and graceful before her as if he were trained royalty the way Leander's mother and aunt had been. "I'm sorry, but I have class tomorrow, and I have a bit of preparation to do before bed. Please, excuse me."

She tried to move past his imposing body to the stairs hoping that she wouldn't trip so he would have an excuse to touch her. But in one swift movement, Henry stood in her path with his dark eyes staring at her in a way that she was unaccustomed to being stared at. She had heard of the word "hunger" used to refer to something other than the hunger one gets in their stomach, but she had never seen a look that made it make sense. Now it made sense. He was looking at her with a hunger.



"I was curious. I wanted to go out to eat at the restaurant down the street, but I would feel foolish going on my own. Would you care to join me?"

Amberle's body felt as if it had split in two. Her heart fluttered at his attention turned fully on her, but her stomach churned.

Her cheeks flushed with confusion at the fighting emotions, she shook her head and said, "Sorry," before she stepped around him in a move much more graceful than she had thought she was capable. "Good night."

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I just really like that last picture. I actually made an icon of it:

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Embarrassing Amberle

Amberle stepped softly down the stairs as if she were trying to sneak up on the night.

She had been in her room thinking when Samantha Kerr had called. Ama had asked her the oddest question today in school, one that Amberle hoped none of the other children had heard for fear that parents might end up calling. But class had continued on as normal with no other odd questions to be asked.

On the phone, Samantha had said in a very insistent manner, "You have to get down here! Come now."

Amberle knew it was something embarrassing. Samantha Kerr enjoyed making Amberle blush. Forcing blind dates and strange men on her was a surefire way to accomplish the mission.



But despite that, it was enough to distract Amberle from her thoughts. It also meant she would not be heading out to the near-by forest on this chilly winter night. So she had resigned herself to being embarrassed with only the hope that it was not someone that Amberle would see constantly like the landlord (again).



At the bottom of the steps, there stood Samantha talking with a man. It looked as if he had been about to go upstairs when Samantha had caught him and kept him busy while waiting for Amberle to show up.

"Ah! Amberle!" Samantha smiled at her as she came down the stairs. "Have you met Henry?"

"No..." Henry turned to face her, and she could only stand there as she took in the full beauty of the man. In the back of her head, she even thought he was more handsome than the most handsome of the elves.

He stuck out his hand to greet her, a smile slowly crept on his face as he watched her. "Hello. I'm Henry. I just moved into the top floor apartment."

His shoulder faced Samantha who took the time to make a quick exit after making a thumbs up sign at Amberle that made her blush.

"Hi." Amberle smiled like a fool, but it couldn't be helped. Something about his eyes pulled her in and almost made her feel giddy as she had never felt before.

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