Chapter Eight:
The Dinkus and Dana
The phone rang, breaking their intense stare. Brian gestured to the phone, and Dana stepped back awkwardly. She picked it up. "Hello?" she croaked.
"Dana, its mom."
"Hey mom, what's up?"
"Listen, Megan flies down tomorrow, her flight comes in at 2:30... write that down, 2:30."
Dana groaned, momentarily forgetting the kiss she'd just experienced. She'd completely forgotten that Meg was flying in the next day. Her sister was going to be staying at the apartment for a week, and then Dana would fly back with Megan and stay in St. Paul for two days.
"Dana? Sweetheart, are you there?"
"I- I'm here."
"Okay, just- oh, wait a second, Megan wants to say hi."
There was a shuffling, and Dana's little sister came on the line. "Dana?"
Dana grinned widely, and Brian caught her eye. "Hey Meggy, what's going on at home?"
"I was packing my backpack. I'm so excited to fly by myself!" Megan declared.
"I'm excited that you're coming to visit me, I miss you."
"I miss you, too. Dan, mommy wants to know if Brette is going home for Christmas," there was a pause, "And if she's left yet."
"No, tell mommy that Brette is still here, she leaves the day before Christmas."
"Okay, bye Dana."
"Bye-bye Meg. I love you."
Dana spoke to her mother for a few minutes, while Brian leafed through the Wal-Mart flyer that was on the table. She hung up, and looked at him.
"That was my sister... " Dana explained politely.
"You know, and I know, that's not the thing that you're really thinking about," Brian said gently, recognizing the bewildered expression that still remained on Dana's face.
"Point well taken," Dana admitted. She swallowed, blush creeping up her cheeks. "So what was that?"
"That was my way of saying I like you." He said it so simply, as if it was a fact of life.
Dana took another sip of the ginger-ale to sooth her aching throat. 'Well obviously,' she thought happily.
"Are you going to say something, or sit there and make me feel stupid. You're very good at doing that, by the way... "
"Good at doing what?" she avoided his eyes, and dropped into the chair next to Brian's.
Brian let her dance around the topic, and answered her question. "Making me feel stupid. Not in a bad way, but you have this quality. You can just give this look, and people will sit up and listen."
"Thanks," she whispered, unsure.
He slid her chair nearer to his, and looked straight into her eyes. "Why are you so sexy?" he asked her.
"Pardon me?" Dana wasn't sure she'd heard him right.
"Sexy," he repeated. "Why are you so sexy?"
"I, um, I dunno," Dana was becoming lost in the conversation, not sure where it was headed. "Genes?"
He chuckled quietly. "You are adorable when you're confused," he murmured, pushing a strand of dark hair away from her face.
"So are you..." she agreed weakly.
"You're unpredictable-"
Dana couldn't help but comment. "Look who's talking?!" she laughed, trying to divert attention away from herself. "This coming from the guy who kisses me out of nowhere!"
"And is really glad he did it," Brian added on to her sentence. "Know what else?"
"What?"
"You're moody, and I love it."
"What?"
"Are you having hearing problems, cause I'm having to repeat everything I say," Brian teased.
"No, I'm just not following your little train of thought." Dana twisted one of her rings around her finger.
"One minute you're lying sick in bed, the next you're laughing vivaciously, the next you're shy and embarrassed that someone finds you irresistibly sexy."
Dana felt like she was melting under Brian's sweet words.
"It's entrancing; you seem so innocent one moment, then you're a vixen the next."
She bristled. "Vixen?"
"In a good way," he said quickly. "It's a good vixen."
"Okay, just checking," Dana smiled.
"See!" Brian exclaimed.
"I don't- you just knocked me off the train of understanding again... " Dana's eyes were wide with misunderstanding.
"You just switched moods again."
"Oh," she bit her lip.
Brian swooned over the expression on Dana's face.
"Well, then, what can I say about you?" She pondered for a few minutes.
"Obviously nothing," Brian claimed finally, triumphing at Dana's lengthy silence.
"Not true... " Dana thought quickly. " I can say that you're sweet."
"Sweet?!" Brian wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Why sweet?"
"Fine, sexy," she pretended to lament, as if she was only saying sexy for Brian's benefit.
"Don't say it if you don't really think so," he pouted.
"You are sexy, though, and very-" She squeezed his biceps. "-Strong."
Brian flexed, Arnold Schwarzeneggar (sp.?) style, and grinned. "Yeah," he said with confidence, "I don have some nice pipes."
"For a dinkus," Dana teased.
"Dinkus?"
"Yes, dinkus," Dana defended her word. "You've never heard of dinkus?"
"I don't think anybody has heard of dinkus!" Brian laughed.
"I have," Dana smiled. "And I like it."
"What, might I ask, is a dinkus?" Brian couldn't wait to hear this one.
"A- a goofball," Dana was trying to sound important, but she had no idea what a dinkus was.
"Uh-huh, what else?" He knew that Dana had no idea what to say.
"It's a really silly person, someone who fools around."
He pretended to be hurt. "Are you saying I'm a goofball?"
Dana coughed, and smiled wickedly. "Maybe, what's it to ya?"
"Ooo, you are bad... "
"Maybe." She coughed again. "So tell me about Brian."
"Way to change the subject, Dana," he applauded playfully, feeling relaxed and immature.
"Thank you. So tell me about Brian," she repeated.
"What about Brian?" he referred to himself in third person, going along with the scheme of things.
She shrugged. "Musical tastes... besides Backstreet Boys, that's a given, basic history, good kid/bad kid, talk about yourself, you must be used to it by now."
He raised one eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"What's what supposed to-" Dana realized what he thought she meant. "You thought I thought that you're full of yourself!"
"Kinda sounded like that," Brian stated.
"No, I mean from interviews and stuff like that... you're not a cocky person."
"Yeah, I know."
They both laughed. It was comfortable being there, Dana was sick and too tired to try and hide herself, and Brian was relaxed because Dana was. They were both relieved to be somewhere, with someone, where they could be themselves and not be judged. And it was all the result of a caring roommate and a simple kiss.
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