Wednesday nights were not especially exciting nights in the Lo household.? They were usually quiet affairs, with dinner at sevenish, TV watching or reading until bedtime, perhaps some marital relations after the lights were turned out.? On this particular Wednesday night, only a week after they'd returned from their bizarre trip to Japan, dinner was a simple affair - Kobe beef burgers, grilled outside, topped with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, ketchup and mustard, served with garlicky fries and ice cold Newcastles.
After dinner was done and the dishes cleared away, the lord and lady of Twin Oaks retired to the living room, where Riley curled up with a battered version of Northanger Abbey, while Finn the ungainly, ridiculously huge Kangal pup, curled up on the floor, his head on Riley's foot, eyes closed with only the occasional twitch as he chased dream rabbits.
David, meanwhile, flipped on the television to see if there was anything worth seeing.? Unsurprisingly, there wasn't much.? Eventually he settled on a cooking show, which might seem like an odd choice for him, but, hey, he liked to eat, and cooking was a necessary prelude to eating.?
Riley glanced up at the TV then over at her husband, a brow c*cked at his choice of viewing material.? It was a weird thing for him to watch, some tart dressed in an apron and cooing about braising gamecocks in wine, but hey, he might learn something.? She returned her attention to the open book in her lap and then...? Well, then something rather unusual for a Wednesday night occurred.? She glanced back up at David, eyes narrowed slightly as they studied his profile intently.? Something was different about him.? Something subtle, hardly noticeable.? "Did you get a hair cut?" she asked.
"What?"? He lifted a hand automatically to touch his head, then looked over at her.? "No...not lately.? Why?"? That was an odd and random question.? "Do I look shaggy or something?"
She shook her head.? "No, not shaggy.? But...different somehow."? She slipped a dried rose from her wedding bouquet she was using as book mark into the book and set it aside.? Leaning closer to David, she gently cupped his chin and turned his face towards her.? Her eyes moved carefully over his face, assessing him intently.
No matter the situation, he was always happy to be touched by her, and this was no exception.? The staring would have been a little weird if it was anyone else, but the level of trust and familiarity between them was more than enough that they really didn't have many uncomfortable moments anymore.? He held his head still, watching her eyes move.
Her eyes narrowed and she focused the lion's share - or Jaguar's share, in this case - on the area around his eyes.? Lifting one hand, she gently, oh-so delicately touched the skin at the corners and underneath.? Then she sat back, an utterly bemused expression on her face.? "Have you been into my skin care stuff?"
He closed his eyes at the touch near them, and one brow rose in surprise, his mouth twisting into a little smirk.? "Only if I left my balls somewhere and didn't notice.? Which is unlikely."?
She socked his arm, right on the ball of his shoulder.? "Jerk," she said without any heat behind it.? "Then why, pray tell, have all those cute little lines around your eyes disappeared?? Why is your skin softer and younger looking?? Hmm?"
His eyes popped open.? "It's what?? Seriously?"
"Seriously."? She gently shifted her foot from under the dog's head and stood up, reaching down for David's hand.? "Come.? Look in the mirror yourself."
He took her hand and stood, walked with her into the bathroom.? He flipped the light on and leaned close to the mirror, examining himself.? What the f---?? In disbelief, he lifted his hands, touched his cheeks, the edges of his lips.? It was still him in the mirror...but different.? Changed.? "Holy sh*t," he muttered.? "What the hell happened?? I look...younger.? A lot younger."? How had he missed noticing that this morning?? It was because he didn't really spend any time looking at himself in the mirror, he supposed.
"Yeah.? Years younger."? Her eyes narrowed suspiciously and she crossed her arms over her stomach.? "Where was the first place we kissed?"
A wicked little grin curved his lips.? "In the studio office at the Gardens.? Right before our first...rapport."? He knew she'd remember the conversation he was talking about.? The grin vanished when he realized why she was asking, though.? After Luo...any change in him might make her think he wasn't the real David.? He took her hand in his and held it gently.? "It's still me, la mei."
She grinned, ducked her head a little sheepishly, and reached for his hand.? "Sorry.? It's just..."? She shrugged, looked back up at him.? "First Luo, then Lao.? And now you're like...29 again.? Too much weirdness!"
Lifting her hand to his mouth, he kissed her knuckles softly.? "I get it.? After all that...I'd wonder, too.? I don't know what's going on, why I look younger, but it's all me."
After dinner was done and the dishes cleared away, the lord and lady of Twin Oaks retired to the living room, where Riley curled up with a battered version of Northanger Abbey, while Finn the ungainly, ridiculously huge Kangal pup, curled up on the floor, his head on Riley's foot, eyes closed with only the occasional twitch as he chased dream rabbits.
David, meanwhile, flipped on the television to see if there was anything worth seeing.? Unsurprisingly, there wasn't much.? Eventually he settled on a cooking show, which might seem like an odd choice for him, but, hey, he liked to eat, and cooking was a necessary prelude to eating.?
Riley glanced up at the TV then over at her husband, a brow c*cked at his choice of viewing material.? It was a weird thing for him to watch, some tart dressed in an apron and cooing about braising gamecocks in wine, but hey, he might learn something.? She returned her attention to the open book in her lap and then...? Well, then something rather unusual for a Wednesday night occurred.? She glanced back up at David, eyes narrowed slightly as they studied his profile intently.? Something was different about him.? Something subtle, hardly noticeable.? "Did you get a hair cut?" she asked.
"What?"? He lifted a hand automatically to touch his head, then looked over at her.? "No...not lately.? Why?"? That was an odd and random question.? "Do I look shaggy or something?"
She shook her head.? "No, not shaggy.? But...different somehow."? She slipped a dried rose from her wedding bouquet she was using as book mark into the book and set it aside.? Leaning closer to David, she gently cupped his chin and turned his face towards her.? Her eyes moved carefully over his face, assessing him intently.
No matter the situation, he was always happy to be touched by her, and this was no exception.? The staring would have been a little weird if it was anyone else, but the level of trust and familiarity between them was more than enough that they really didn't have many uncomfortable moments anymore.? He held his head still, watching her eyes move.
Her eyes narrowed and she focused the lion's share - or Jaguar's share, in this case - on the area around his eyes.? Lifting one hand, she gently, oh-so delicately touched the skin at the corners and underneath.? Then she sat back, an utterly bemused expression on her face.? "Have you been into my skin care stuff?"
He closed his eyes at the touch near them, and one brow rose in surprise, his mouth twisting into a little smirk.? "Only if I left my balls somewhere and didn't notice.? Which is unlikely."?
She socked his arm, right on the ball of his shoulder.? "Jerk," she said without any heat behind it.? "Then why, pray tell, have all those cute little lines around your eyes disappeared?? Why is your skin softer and younger looking?? Hmm?"
His eyes popped open.? "It's what?? Seriously?"
"Seriously."? She gently shifted her foot from under the dog's head and stood up, reaching down for David's hand.? "Come.? Look in the mirror yourself."
He took her hand and stood, walked with her into the bathroom.? He flipped the light on and leaned close to the mirror, examining himself.? What the f---?? In disbelief, he lifted his hands, touched his cheeks, the edges of his lips.? It was still him in the mirror...but different.? Changed.? "Holy sh*t," he muttered.? "What the hell happened?? I look...younger.? A lot younger."? How had he missed noticing that this morning?? It was because he didn't really spend any time looking at himself in the mirror, he supposed.
"Yeah.? Years younger."? Her eyes narrowed suspiciously and she crossed her arms over her stomach.? "Where was the first place we kissed?"
A wicked little grin curved his lips.? "In the studio office at the Gardens.? Right before our first...rapport."? He knew she'd remember the conversation he was talking about.? The grin vanished when he realized why she was asking, though.? After Luo...any change in him might make her think he wasn't the real David.? He took her hand in his and held it gently.? "It's still me, la mei."
She grinned, ducked her head a little sheepishly, and reached for his hand.? "Sorry.? It's just..."? She shrugged, looked back up at him.? "First Luo, then Lao.? And now you're like...29 again.? Too much weirdness!"
Lifting her hand to his mouth, he kissed her knuckles softly.? "I get it.? After all that...I'd wonder, too.? I don't know what's going on, why I look younger, but it's all me."