Home » The Archives » Chapter 12 » Playing with Fire
| Re: Playing with Fire [message #544 is a reply to message #543] |
Mon, 23 July 2012 21:33   |
artisticrainey
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Registered: July 2012
Location: Northern Ireland
Karma:
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"Matthews snaps the ball....it's caught by Jeffery in the end zone...Touchdown, Raiders!"
Luke poked his head out of the kitchen and swore. Muttering under his breath, he turned back and checked in the oven. Nodding, he grabbed a beer out of the fridge and went out to sit on the couch. He immersed himself in the football game for a few minutes, jumping in startlement when the door chime sounded. Rommel looked up from where he was laying on the floor, and watched his master walk across the room. Luke opened the door. "John, c'mon in."
John stepped into the room. "Hi, Luke. Something smells good."
"Chicken parmigiana. Can I get you a drink? I have a nice Merlot for dinner, but there's beer, juice and water in the fridge."
"Water would be great, thanks." John sat down on the couch and Rom trotted over to him. "Hey there, big guy." The dog's tail thumped happily as John patted him.
Luke came back in and handed John a bottle of water and a glass. "Here you go."
"Thanks. What are you watching?"
"Broncos vs. Raiders. They were on Monday Night Football this week. I can't watch live with the time difference so I record it and stay away from the news until I watch." He glanced up at the TV and shook his head. "We're losing. Bloody defense has holes big enough to drive a truck through."
John caught the score. "I take it you're a Broncos fan."
Luke nodded. "Yeah. Sadly, I've been one since I was a kid. We haven't won a Superbowl since the forties." He shook his head. "My brother is a Seattle fan. He constantly rubs it in that they've won the past two years. You follow football?"
John nodded. "Only college. I'm a Harvard man."
"Good team." Luke chuckled. "Glad you're not a KC fan or this friendship would go downhill fast." John laughed as the doorbell rang. "That must be Nikki and Elise." Luke opened the door and both women walked in.
Nikki paused and looked around. "Very nice. I'll admit I didn't think you'd ever get unpacked!"
"Ha-ha," Luke replied as he shut off the television. "Want the grand tour now? There's still a few minutes before supper." He gestured around him. "Living room, complete with curtains," he swung his arm grandly at the navy drapes on the patio doors. "And couch cushions." This time John held one up and displayed it, turning it back and forth. Both women giggled. Luke chuckled. "I'll admit the tan worked well on the walls too."
"Desert Sands," both women said at the same time.
Luke rolled his eyes. "Desert Sands then. Anyway, you were right, it warmed the place up." He led them all into the bedroom.
Elise glanced around and nodded. "Well, not too bad, Luke. You aren't as hopeless as I thought."
"Gee, that's a compliment, I think," Luke replied with a smile. "Let's eat."
They sat down at the table, as Luke served the meal. Elise looked down at hers. "You cooked this? All by yourself?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," Luke shot back. "I can handle a few things. This being one of them."
She nudged Nikki. "He's not as good with breakfast."
Luke pointed his fork at her. "Watch it or no chocolate cheesecake."
John's ears perked up. "You made cheesecake too?"
To their surprise, Luke's face reddened. "Well, I took it out of the freezer. Does that count?"
They laughed and continued their meal. At one point, John glanced around the room, a puzzled expression on his face. "Are those hockey sticks?"
Luke followed his gaze. "Behind the chair? Yeah, I got them in the last mail shipment. Now if I only had a place to use them," he said wistfully.
"Hockey, what a barbaric sport," Elise stated.
Luke glared at her. "Excuse me?"
She calmly stabbed a piece of chicken and popped it into her mouth. "I don't believe I stuttered."
John chuckled under his breath and nudged Nikki. "This ought to be good."
"For your information, hockey takes skill and determination. It's not all fights and gore like they show on TV. You have to be able to concentrate on your own game as well as your teammates and opponents. At the same time, you're trying to control a three inch piece of vulcanized rubber that can potentially hit you at 100 mph!" Luke said heatedly.
"Skill? Have you ever done a double axel on those skates of yours?" Elise asked.
"Have you ever hit a slap shot from the blue line?" he countered back.
"Yeah, that's real skill. To hit a piece of plastic with a stick!"
"Do we need to separate you two?" Nikki asked with a smile.
"They sound like an old, married couple, don't they?" John added. Luke and Elise shot him such identical looks of disgust that he burst out laughing. "OK, what do you say we call a truce?"
"I will if she will," Luke said, an angry glower on his face.
"Only if he says figure skating is just as hard as hockey," Elise replied.
"You know, there is an easy way to settle this," Nikki said. "Next time we all get some leave time, let's head to the mainland. I'm sure we could find a skating rink there. Unless we can convince your father to put one in here?"
John shook his head. "Somehow I don't see that happening. Though, he did let Brains make it snow once...anyway, I think a skate-off is a great idea."
"She wears hockey skates and gear," Luke said, pointing at Elise.
Elise pointed back. "And he wears figure skates and--;"
"I am NOT wearing tights!"
John interrupted. "OK, children, before we start up again, let's agree that there will be a contest in the near future. Terms to be discussed at a later date. Deal?"
"Deal," Luke said grudgingly.
"Deal," Elise replied in the same tone.
"Great." John turned to Luke. "Now I believe you said something about cheesecake?"
  
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