BY AURORA ROSE DE CROSTA
After stewing over it, masticating over it in his mind silently for what he knew to be far too long into their relationship he finally struck upon it, that something about her that ticked him off, something that she did that turned him off; and he brought her this tidbit of information with the vainglorious air of a cat leaving a dead mouse on mother’s pillow.
"Are you awake dear?" He nudged her delicately sleeping form too abruptly, roughly. Always too rough, a large breed puppy forever unaware of his size and strength.
"What’s wrong?" She sat up with a start, all wide-eyed and tense.
"Nothing, nothing really. I just have…Something I need to talk to you about. Something I would appreciate if you would be a little bit more aware of, or simply not do."
"Really George? What?" she snapped, pushing her way out of the bed, struggling in the tangled mess of covers and sheets, not to mention the weight of his body, which he so heavily leaned on her with. She padded out of their bedroom and into the living room, stopping on her way to bend over and retrieve a lonely, grayish ball of sock.
"Really? How many times must I remind you that you are not a teenager, and I am not your mother?"
George flew out of the bedroom, and pounced upon the sock, silently remonishing it for ruining his moment. "Wait! I was going to tell you something about you that annoys me!"
"Well?" She popped one hip out, very nearly tapping her foot with impatience. As he stood before her turning red with frustration, she couldn’t help but think how adorable he looked—the poor dear. It wasn’t his fault he’d never been with the right sort of woman before. She would straighten him out in due time. Men were like puppies she mused on her mother’s favorite saying, with a bit of training from the right sort of mistress of course, any misbehaving tramp of a pup could be turned into the most loving and loyal best friend.
"Your toothbrush!"
"What of it?"
"I hate that you don’t rinse all the toothpaste off before putting it back in the cup! And then the cup gets all gummy, and well, you know, slimy!" he finished triumphantly before looking over at her for approval.
She stood there staring at him wide-eyed for so long that he felt his hands go clammy, realizing his mistake too late of having fecundated yet another triviality. Finally she let out a great horse whinny of a snort, rolled her large bright eyes exaggeratedly, and began to giggle uncontrollably. She spilled onto the floor in a fit of hysteric giggles, so tickled was she by this gesture of his, so transparent in meaning. She knew she ought to stop, so as to avoid hurting the man’s feelings further, but the fact that he had found this declaration worthy of rousing her from a most comfortable slumber allowed her a few giggles more, or so she reasoned.
"Oh come on. It’s not that funny."
"You’ve been trying to think of something for weeks, haven’t you?" she managed to sober up enough to say, sitting up and daintily rearranging her nightgown about her legs, covering her feet, and sitting up regally as she imagined a princess to sit, if a princess were to suddenly find herself sitting on the floor.
"No. It really is disgusting. I would appreciate if you would listen to me, and please not do it again!" He swept past her into the kitchen, and began loudly rummaging through the cupboard, though the coffee beans were right in front of him, he wanted to make as much noise as possible.
Even though you know this is ridiculous Evie, pretend that it’s not, and go over to the man you love, and smooth down his ruffled feathers. She resolved, going over to him and slipping between him and the kitchen counter. She wrapped her arms about his waist, and offered her face up to him with the most innocent sorrowful eyes she could muster. "I’m sorry darling. I won’t do it again. Promise. Now kiss me, you fool."
He tried to resist her, tried to look the other way, but was pulled into the bottomless green pools of her eyes, pulled as if by magnets to her rosy full lips, still swollen from sleep. He may have felt like less of a man at times when it was just the two of them, but outside he felt like a King amongst men, with such a fiery prize at his side. With this last thought, he put to rest his pointless insecurities, and allowed himself to fall into her lips, and relinquishing himself to her, he ceded his power to hers. She was the alpha, and he knew it.
Aurora Rose de Crosta is a mixed media artist from New York City. She is a photographer with photos published in New York Mag, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, W Mag and many more. She is excited to join Women’s Wear Daily for this season’s Fashion Week as one of their Fashion Photographers. She and her partner John Andrew Fredrickson began a production company called Velvet Snow Productions with a professional studio located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Together they specialize in Fashion, Family, and Food photography with a running style blog called @Cupofteastyle. Aurora is S.A.G. member, as well as a Costume and Set Designer and has worked for Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj on the Femme Fatale Tour and Good Morning America respectively. She is currently working on a novel and is a contributing writer for Luna Luna Magazine.