Page 21 of Cuts Like an Angel: Part 2

Chapter Eleven

William

After some cleaning, some door opening, and a heck of a lot of air freshener, William thought that maybe the smell of burnt food and melted plastic had finally gone. Although, by that time he wasn’t sure if he had been smelling it, or if it was just that the acrid aroma had stained his nostrils.

“I’m really sorry, William,” Rosie said for about the hundredth time that hour.

He threw her another smile. “It’s okay. Honestly.”

“No.” She held the pan he’d thrown in the trash in front of her face, peering at him through the hole in the bottom of it. “I totally fried it. I nearly wrecked the whole house.” She pressed her face closer to the hole. Peering at him. “Did you ever see The Goonies?” she said through the hole in the pan, making her voice echo as she peeked at him with one hazel-coloured eye.

He had. He loved that damn film. “The kiddie pirate treasure film?”

“Yep,” she said.

William wrung out the cloth and launched it into the bin. There was no saving that either. But at least he had got the charred food off the hob. “I have seen it a few times. Why?” he asked, wondering where she could be going with this.

“You know Chunk? The fat kid? The one who breaks everything, so when they want something breaking they give it to him, and count to see how long it will take?”

William went to Rosie, one long stride, and he was there. He grabbed her hand, wrapping his over hers, over the pan handle. He peered down to peek at her through the hole and smiled before forcing the pan down. He was still smiling at her when he grabbed her chin in his other hand and tilted her face to his as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “You are not like Chunk.”

“Yes I am. I’m like a disaster,” she said, pouting sincerely at him, making her appeal even more alluring to him. “I come in and ruin everything.”

“You did me a favour. I didn’t like the pan, anyway.”

“Liar.”

“No. It’s true.” He took the pan from her and turned it over to examine it. “Look, it has a hole in it. What kind of pan is useful if it has a hole in it?”

She stood with her hands on her hips, lips fighting a smile as he tossed the pan onto the stove top. “It didn’t have a hole in it when I took it out of the cabinet.”

“It did.” He nodded quickly. “You just didn’t see it before. Although the food …”

“The food sucked too, I know.” Just call me Rosie the Ruiner.”

William bellowed out a laugh. He couldn’t help it. “I am not calling you Rosie the Ruiner. How about Rosie the Stunner? Rosie the Gorgeous?”

“Sure, and you can be William the Blind Bat.”

“Well I think you’re Rosie the Rrrrrrrrr.” He rolled his R at the end, winking as he did. He reached for her, grabbing her wrist.

She snatched it away, stepping back from him, her face full of seriousness. “No, wait. I know. Wreckage Rosie. Yes.” She nodded with certainty. “That’s my name. Wreckin’ Rosie.”

He shook his head. “You’re off your head, woman,” he said, laughing at her, trying to grab for her so that he could pull her close. She kept dodging him, and he snaked his arm around her waist, holding her in place.

“Off my head? You think I am crazy?” He couldn’t tell if her tone was serious, or she was teasing. He couldn’t tell because his own humour made it all feel light. “Do you?”

“No. I was kidding.”

“But you said it.”

“I was joking.” He slid his hand around the back of her neck and kissed her, but she just stared at him, not moving. His eyes locked with hers. “That’s cheating.”

He pulled up, grinning at her. “Let’s start again, okay?” He let her go a little. “Hi, my name is William, and you are?”

“William …” she said to him, scolding him.

“Do it.”

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