room 227 ; sunday night

[necroslacker]

After his uncomfortable conversation with Natalie earlier, Sam had retreated to his room and he had showered. It'd felt good, something he'd definitely needed and it did help some tension dissolve. Some, not all.

He hadn't stayed in the room long before he'd left again to get some food. He'd completely bypassed the island's offerings and gone to the mainland to find something new and vegetarian. He'd come back with a few bags and was now eating a salad at his desk. It was late so he had a set of headphones on while he played a few records to give him something to do besides think.

Thinking was just...bad. And he was already brooding so he didn't need to add to it.

[Door closed, post open of course]

Comments

[whenshewasnice]

Acknowledgement was good. It meant Natalie could make another move too.

Nothing big. Just leaning forwards a little, to kiss the top of his head.

[necroslacker]

"Hi," Sam said, deciding he could be the one to break the silence since she'd done a lot up to then. "You want some food? I got a lot."

It was vegetarian mostly but it was still good.

[whenshewasnice]

"Grabbed a snack in town," Natalie murmured, before straightening up again. "But sure. I can eat."

[necroslacker]

"If you're not hungry, you don't have to eat," he told her quietly but pulled his bag of moddable food closer to her. "I'll keep it for tomorrow."

[whenshewasnice]

"I'm not a child," she replied lightly, reaching past his shoulder for the bag. "I'm aware I don't have to eat if I don't want to."

[necroslacker]

"I wasn't implying you were a child," Sam sighed, shaking his head. "Just that you didn't have to eat if you really weren't hungry."

[whenshewasnice]

"Implying I'd do that sounds like implying I'm a child," Natalie retorted as she peered into the bag. "And you know me better than that."

She didn't do things just to please someone.

[necroslacker]

"And you know me better than to think I'd imply that," Sam responded but shook his head. "But, go ahead, think what you think. I'm not gonna be able to change your mind."

[whenshewasnice]

"No, you probably won't." She had no problem admitting that. "Why'd you say that, then?"

If not to imply she was a child. Out of politeness, was her guess.

[necroslacker]

"Doesn't matter," Sam mumbled, standing up and shaking his head. He tossed his headphones back onto his desk and rubbed his forehead. "It doesn't change your mind so it really doesn't matter why I said it, does it?"

No point, really.

[whenshewasnice]

"If you say so."

She fell into silence after that, getting herself a little something to eat from the bag.

[necroslacker]

And he did. He gave a little shrug and moved past her, heading over to the bed so he could pick up some dirty clothes and toss them into the hamper. He dropped down onto the bed before curling up on his side and staying quiet.

Again.

[whenshewasnice]

This could have gone a lot better, even Natalie could have admitted that much. As he moved away from her, she sat down in his chair to eat.

"Well isn't this stupid."

[necroslacker]

"If you say so."

At least he'd said anything? He'd gone right back into brooding after her comments about what he'd been implying and wondered if he'd just stay there the rest of the night.

[whenshewasnice]

"I do," Natalie replied, picking at the food. There wasn't annoyance in her tone but then again, there wasn't much of anything else, either. "Why are you brooding?"

[necroslacker]

"Because I'm annoyed."

That was honest, at least.

[whenshewasnice]

"Annoyed at what?"

She'd decided to take an analytical approach to this, yeah. Break it down into manageable chunks and maybe they'd get over it.

[necroslacker]

"You making up your mind about what I was saying and then asking me what I meant when we both know it doesn't matter," Sam said flatly. "I'm not gonna talk just to blow hot air. I just won't talk."

[whenshewasnice]

"Well, maybe we should break up, then," Natalie drawled. "A relationship without talking doesn't sound worth it."

... So, maybe the analytical approach hadn't survived very long. And she wasn't serious, not even remotely, and didn't really sound like it either. Mostly she was trying to jostle him out of his brood.

[necroslacker]

"I didn't even I wouldn't talk ever," Sam replied, still sounding flat. He didn't really like that joke even if he knew it was a joke. The summer was so close to being over, after all. "I meant tonight."

[whenshewasnice]

"Seems rather arbitrary."

As if brooding needed good solid reasons for how it worked.

[necroslacker]

"If you say so."

He went back to being silent because he was afraid he was going to get even more annoyed.

[whenshewasnice]

It was far too easy, wasn't it?

Natalie ate a few more bites, then put the food away – see, entirely capable of stopping once she lost her appetite! – before getting up to pad over to the bed.

She might've wondered about how welcome she was there right now, but it was her bed too.

[necroslacker]

And he hadn't doubted she was capable of that but she seemed to think the worst of him sometimes. Or think the worst of his actions. He didn't know.

Whatever it was, it was her bed too and he wasn't going to stop her or get up and leave or anything silly like that. He stayed on his side and stayed quiet.

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie flopped down on her side of the bed.

Well, flopping may have been too relaxed a word. Natalie didn't tend to move like that. It was more controlled, like lowering herself on the bed bit by bit but smoothly.

But whichever way you wanted to put it, she ended on her back, looking up at the ceiling.