good morning , tish.

[micah orsino ,]

When Micah had been traveling through Canada from Alaska to Washington, he hadn’t had it in his mind that he would be staying for long in the city of Seattle. He just wanted to get caught up with his friends that were currently living there. He thought that meant staying maybe two or three weeks at the most, and then being on his way. Where he had been planning on going from there, well, there really hadn’t been a set destination in his mind, but there never was. He had figured he would go the airport, and get on a plane at random and see where he ended up. That was how he ha done a lot of his traveling over in Europe, and it hadn’t done him wrong yet. Though, just when he thought that he could probably leave Seattle, things kept happening that made him want to stay. At first, it was his attachment that he had formed with Kade’s son, Cooper. Then, it was the fact that he had landed himself in a job at Jared’s, and would feel bad if he just upped and left so quickly when Zach and Kade needed him. Tish Martin was also another reason for Micah to stay, as was this sexy blond that had been treating him right since the first night he had arrived in the city. There wasn’t anything particularly spectacular about the city itself other than the people that were in it, and they were Micah’s reasons for sticking around. He should have known that it would be harder to leave them than it had been for him to leave any of the other places that he had visited over the last couple of years, but Micah hadn’t really thought that far ahead, and really, he didn’t mind staying in Seattle. These people were making his life that much more worth living by being a part of it, and there was nothing wrong with that as far as Micah was concerned at all.

He had been more productive in Seattle than he had been anywhere else for a long time. As mentioned, Micah was working at the bar that was co-owned by Zach and Kade. He didn’t have a lot of shifts, as there weren’t a lot to take by the time he arrived on the scene, but he had a few here and there, and he gladly covered for others when they couldn’t make it in. Then, there was the fact that he had actually started renting out an apartment. For the past two years, Micah hadn’t had a real address. When he stayed at places, they were usually either cheap motels or with people that he was traveling with, and sometimes those places didn’t even really have addresses. This apartment that he was renting was his first real home since having left his home in Fate, North Carolina. It was different, having a stable place to stay after so long of moving around, but Micah could live with it for now. He wasn’t one that embraced and enjoyed stability a lot of the time, and he was sure to get bored of just staying in one place after too long, but for now, he would take it. After all, he had all of those reasons to stick around, plus another one coming in the form of Matthew Maxen, a long time friend of his from Fate. Actually, the more that Micah looked around, the more he realized that this city was starting to greatly resemble the one that he had grown up in. The people all seemed to be migrating to the West coast for some odd reason, all ending up in this one city. Of course, he liked to joke that it was because he was there that they were all started to gravitate in the direction, but really, he had no idea what it was that they all saw out here that they needed to be a part of. He wasn’t one to question things, though. He was more of the type that just went with the flow of things and took them as they came, accepting it like it had always been that way.

Waking up every morning was like and adventure for the young man. Micah never knew what his days were going to consist of, and that was part of the reason why this city still held his interest. There were some days and things that he had planned out, like days that he got to watch Cooper, or when he had to go to work, but other than that, his life was his. He had nothing to work around, and no one to tell him where to go or what to do. Mostly, he would go out and wonder aimlessly, seeing what there was to see and meeting all kinds of different people. He didn’t talk about it opening with just anyone, but he had already picked up some new “clients” here in the city, people that were more than willing to buy what he was selling. He had also met some people that were will to traffic it all for him. Those little meetings were always interesting in themselves, seeing just how desperate the junkies were, and how greedy his workers were for their pay offs. Micah did feel kind of bad for the junkies, but there really wasn’t anything he could do about it. Besides, if there were no junkies in the world, then he wouldn’t have that small fortune he sat comfortably on. Today, however, he had no meetings with his runners or with the clients. Kade, Brit, and Cooper were all headed out somewhere to do something. Hunter had classes. Matt had classes. Tyler had classes. Anna had classes. Zach didn’t have classes to go to, but he was doing something important, Micah was sure, and therefore he didn’t bug him. Today was a free day in the life of Micah Orsino, and he didn’t really know what it was that he was supposed to do with it, but he would surely find something. If there was no one around to do something with, he would either go out and meet new people or find something that would entertain him that he could do on his own. He had no trouble taking the solitary route in life. He just really didn’t prefer to do so unless he had to.

Of course, there really weren’t a lot of people up and about at this hour, anyway. It was only six thirty a.m. when Micah stirred in his bed, to find out that it really wasn’t his bed at all. The more he looked around, the more confused that he had gotten. He had been almost sure that he had made it home to his apartment last night. How the hell had he ended up in this room? Then, he had looked down to his side, and it all made sense. He was in his apartment, but he wasn’t in his own room. He was in Tish’s room, as she still lay at her side of the bed. A small smirk formed on Micah’s lips then. He hadn’t thought that he had been that drunk when he had come home, but he must have been because he was only remembering bits and pieces of that night before. Oh well. He and Tish had been together enough times before that he could get a pretty good idea of how it had all gone down, and he was sure that there were going to be plenty of times in the future. He shook his head a little, but regretted it as a little pang of pain built in his head, surely the first signs of a hang over. Wonderful. He got out of bed, careful not to wake Tish up, and then made his way across the hall to his room to get some clean clothes before went to the bathroom for a shower. His head was starting to pound, but Micah had always found that he felt better after a shower. It did help, and he felt good in his khaki shorts he put on. He had decided to forgo the shaving ritual that morning, leaving a little bit of a scruffy look to him. No matter. He was fine with it. It was a bit chilly that morning, and him having forgotten to grab a shirt, settled with a bathrobe, shrugging it on over his shoulders as he exited the bathroom and headed for the kitchen. He noticed while he was pouring himself a glass of milk that it was Tish’s robe, but that didn’t matter either.

Micah put on a pot of coffee, and then got to cooking up a breakfast that he was sure Tish would appreciate. Even if she didn’t, Micah himself would, and there was always Levi, Brit’s Golden Retriever across the hall that would love to share in such an early breakfast. Micah would offered to share with Kade and Brit themselves, but he was sure that it was safer to let them sleep. Micah had the radio on as he cooked, dancing and singing a few lines of the songs that he knew, which turned out to be most of them. The bacon was done, as was the sausage. He had toast toasted and buttered, and hade two massive omelets cooking at once. The fried potatoes were sizzling nicely in a skillet on one of the back burners, Micah turning them as needed. Yes, he was a damn fine cook if he did say so himself. It was just that usually, he didn’t cook. It wasn’t that he didn’t like to, it was just that he rarely had the things that were needed to do so, like an oven, stove, or the food. It was just as he had put the omelets out onto plates and covered them with skillet lids to keep them warm and the cheese melting that he heard “Proud Mary” by Creedence Clearwater Revival come on the radio, and he rushed over to turn it up. CCR was, in Micah’s opinion, one of the greatest bands ever. He started bobbing his head to the beat, singing along as he knew every single word to the song. Then, he did a cruel thing and blared it, knowing that Tish was sure to hear it. ”Rollin,’ rollin,’ rollin’ on the river” he belted in the direction of Tish’s door, laughing as he did and turning back to the stove, still singing along. This was sure to be interesting.

[tish.ღ.martin]

Now here's a story, one we both know
About two people when they lost their self control

Tish Martin was a great many things, though if you asked anyone, the first thing they’d tell you is that she’s, well, a slut. Each girl had their own opinion of Ms. Martin, but they were all pretty much the same thing. One thing was certain, though, and that was that there was no middle ground when it came to this girl. You either loved her, or you hated her. Or, if you wanted to make it simpler, you could just divide it up into males and females. There probably wasn’t a girl out there that actually liked Tish, because she had more than likely done something to them at one time or another. As far as the men went, well, Tish was a gorgeous girl. One look and she could steal your heart, but you’d never actually get the thing back as a whole. Tish didn’t fall in love, and she didn’t put her heart on the line. She simply used guys for the physical aspect of a relationship, and then she left them. If a guy was lucky, then she’d let him into her bed for a second or third time. Those were only the lucky few, though, because she most certainly wasn’t going to welcome someone back for another shot if they weren’t any good. That was the way things went in Tish Martin’s life, or at least her nights. The rest of the time she simply had to find things to occupy her time.

Tish didn’t really know why she had decided to come to Seattle. She had just gotten bored with Fate. The next thing she knew she was in Seattle. Surprisingly, she wasn’t the only one. Her first night in town she managed to find Micah Orsino. That wasn’t something that she was at all upset about. Within the same hour she had bumped into Brittany Morgan and Kade Trent as well. Whoever said that this was a small world certainly knew what they were talking about. Brit and her didn’t exactly get along, which was no secret, and Tish and the Trent boys went way back. Though, her history with these people wasn’t that big of a mystery. Everyone knew that she had been with all three Trent brothers at one point or another, and that she had an ongoing thing with Micah Orsino. Tish knew that she was a whore, and she did nothing to change anyone’s opinion of that. Because of this, after a couple drinks and a small conversation with her good friend Micah, she found herself back at his place. Familiar scenario; different place. I guess some things never change after all. Tish joked with Micah now that he’d enjoyed her company so much that he just didn’t want to give it up. She was actually kind of pleased with the living arrangement. She didn’t have to do much of anything really, go wherever she pleased and do whatever she wanted. She definitely owed Micah a big one after this was all over.

Tish, though, wasn’t always as carefree as she let on. Deep down Tish had many problems and demons that no one really knew about. Not only did she have a tiny little problem with heroine, but she had an assortment of inner emotional problems that would drive anyone else insane and probably lead them to suicide. Looking at Tish, though, you’d never see it, because that is exactly what she wants. With Tish, you only see what she wanted you to see. She didn’t let people get close, and she didn’t let them stay. That was just the way she was, and if you got anywhere close, you were a lucky one indeed. The sad part was, Micah was probably the closest person to Tish, followed closely by Kade, Hunter, and Brit. The sad part of all of that: Brit didn’t even like Tish, yet she was counted among those close to the girl. You didn’t get worse than that. But did Tish ever let it bother her? Hell no. She would give herself another dose of heroine, have a couple drinks, and find her a strong and gorgeous man to take advantage of. It might not be the best way to go about things, but it kept Tish going, and so that’s what she did. Besides, no one had to know just how much of a mess she really was. Apart from her heroine addiction, Micah knew nothing about her inner demons (at least to her knowledge). They had a sweet deal going here, and until such a time as she found a way to create a source of income for herself, it looked as if she would be keeping up this whole thing.

Though, Tish didn’t mind it. She actually kind of liked the way things had turned out. Of course, she could never be too sure of how long Micah would stick around. Back it Fate, he had picked up and left before Tish truly realized what had happened. So maybe it wasn’t the best thing to rely so heavily on someone else, but it wasn’t like Tish would listen to that either. As far as she was concerned, there was always someone that would take her in. It might not have been the safest thing for her to do, or think, but hey, this was Tish that we were talking about. She didn’t really have any fears, and even if she did, she wouldn’t have let people know that she had them. She was a strong girl surprisingly, and she knew what situations were okay, and what situations weren’t. And she wasn’t worried about the future in any way. Right now she was having the time of her life doing whatever she liked, and the fact that she had a guy back at the apartment that was more than willing to be with her in the ways that she liked was a definite plus. For Tish Martin, life didn’t get much sweeter, and that had certainly been true when Micah came home that night completely wasted. That didn’t change anything for Tish, though. Sure, being with someone that was drunk when she herself wasn’t was definitely new, but it wasn’t really any different than it had been other nights. In the end, it all meant the same thing.

The situation when she had gone to bed was better than what she woke up to. All she could hear at first was Micah’s off-key singing belted throughout the apartment. Then that’s when the smell of the food hit her. She groaned, sitting up and running her fingers through her dark red hair. The dark, straight locks fell down around her face, and after she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she was able to remember the night before. Looking down at herself, she saw that she was wearing one of Micah’s shirts. She sighed, then threw the covers off of her and moved to her bedroom door, leaning out so that she could see Micah, who was still making a fool of himself out in the kitchen. “You know, I think I like it better when you’re sober.” She glared at him, her dark eyes watching him from the doorway. “At least then you don’t get up until it’s a decent hour.” Then again, when he got up later, he didn’t fix breakfast. She didn’t know which was better at the moment: sleep or food. Oh well, she was up. Tish made her way to the kitchen, leaning against the counter as she still watched him, but now a smile slid onto her lips. “Honestly, why are you up this early? It’s barely light out.” Tish still didn’t know if she should complain, though, because coming into the kitchen had made the sent coming from the food much stronger and it certainly smelled good. At that moment, food was certainly trumping sleep.

[/font][/blockquote]

[micah orsino ,]

Someone that didn’t know Micah all that well would probably think that man was on crack, or really hyped on sugar this morning. It was just around seven in the morning, and here he was with a full breakfast cooked, singing and dancing in nothing but a pair of shorts and a bathrobe that wasn’t tied shut, or his at all. It wasn’t a day when he had to be up and about doing something. Actually, he wasn’t even sure what day of the week it was, but he sure as hell knew that he didn’t have to up this early. Yet, here Micah Orsino was, at seven a.m., up and cooking like it was something that he did every day of his life and absolutely enjoyed. Micah did like to cook, but being up this early wasn’t something that he did often at all. It was on rare occasions that he was ever up before the sun. This was just one of those random Micah things that he did from time to time, surprising people that really didn’t know him, though surprising no one that had been around him long enough to know how he went. Micah being up this early was probably not going to surprise Tish one bit. If anything, Micah thought it would annoy her, but that just made it better for him. It wasn’t that he liked to cause the girl to be miserable. It was more that he liked to pick on her, just as he did anyone that he cared about, and he knew eventually he could get her smile, maybe even laugh if he was lucky. She had a good sense of humor, and she could take it well. If she were truly a bitch all the time, Micah wouldn’t have offered for her to move in with him in the first place. He was a tolerant man, yes, but he wasn’t the best when people got an attitude with him when he didn’t deserve it.

Tish and Micah went way back, though, so he had known what he was getting into when he had asked her to move into this apartment with him. They had known one another for years, and had had this little friends with benefits thing going on for a long time. He knew her personality well, and he knew exactly what kind of girl she was. Micah knew about her addiction to heroine, too. Hell, he had been the one to supply her with it from time to time. He worried about her, but he wasn’t about to tell her how to live her life and what she should and shouldn’t do. Micah stayed out of it and let her do things her way. Lord knew there were plenty of things she could start telling him about how he should pick up his life, and he hated it when people did that. They were really well suited to be living with one another, though. Micah didn’t give a damn about what Tish did or didn’t do in a day’s time, and she was the same way when it came to him. Both were partiers, so they didn’t mind when the other came home drunk because usually, they were drunk themselves and didn’t even notice. The illegal drug marketing didn’t bother Tish, as she was a user, and Micah knew he could trust her with that kind of information and didn’t care what she knew or didn’t know about what it was that he did. Then, there was the fact that they were both very much liking the friends with benefits deal that they had going. It was true that Micah had had other girls besides Tish since being in Seattle, but did she care? Not at all. And would he care if she were with other guys? Hell no. They did what they wanted to, they were both carefree, and they were living life well together. If he weren’t sleeping with her on a regular basis, he would almost think of her as a little sister. But, because he was sleeping with her, he considered Tish to be a very close friend.

A very close friend that seemed to be annoyed with him and his music this morning. Yes! He had succeeded. Micah had glanced up to see her glaring at him from her doorway, and had tried to keep a straight face but failed miserably. He laughed, but then the song picked back up again. ”Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis. Pumped a lot of pain down in New Orleans. But I never saw the good side of the city ‘til I hitched a ride on a river boat queen!” God, did he love this song. Creedence Clearwater Revival was clearly one of Micah’s favorite bands of all time, along with still being what was in his opinion the best. Well, there were a lot of good bands out there, but you just don’t get any better than “Proud Mary.” Especially when he was trying to be annoying and singing it badly on purpose. The chorus came up next, and Micah continued to go along with it as he moved the skillet with the potatoes in it off of the hot burner, and then started to use a fork to put them over onto a paper towel covered plate. That was when Micah heard Tish starting to talk, and he quickly reached up with his free hand and turned the radio down a bit so that he would be able to hear her, but still be able to listen to this great little song. He could only grin at what she said, though. Micah should have known to expect something like that, and part of him had. The other part had been too caught up in his CCR song to think that far ahead and try to have something to counter it. He was good at thinking quickly and coming with comebacks on the spot, but he was still trying not to burn himself or drop these fried potatoes, and still keeping one ear in on the song. He could let that one go without a comeback, just this once. What she had said was true, of course, so maybe it was best that he didn’t try to come up with some sort of witty comeback. He probably would have just ended up insulting himself and giving Tish something to not let him live down for a long time.

He saw Tish leave her post at her door, but then turned his attention back to the stove, making sure he had all of the burners off. The last thing that he needed, and he guessed everyone else in the building, as well, was a fire. He wasn’t even sure if there was a fire extinguisher in this apartment, and grease fires like this one would be if it got started were tricky to handle anyway. Preventing it from the get go was the best bet. Micah had a good bit of money, but he would really hate to have to pay to repair damages to this damn place. That was when Tish seemed to appear out of nowhere, leaning at the counter directly in front of Micah when he turned around. He was surprised to see her there so quickly, but it wasn’t enough to make him jump. It took a lot more than that to scare Micah. He listened to what she had to say, all the while holding a plate of friend potatoes in his hand. Why was he up this early? Usually, when one was hung over, they slept late and didn’t do well with the idea of food at all. Well, Micah didn’t take that approach to it. He had a little bit of a head ache still, yeah, but he wasn’t bad off enough to not want to eat, and his way of getting over a hang over was working his way through it with some coffee and a lot of music to get him moving again. He refused to take pain killers unless they were absolutely needed. Just the way he was. At her question, Micah shrugged. ”I don’t know why I’m up this early, honestly,” he said, turning the words of her question around, smiling his own little smile back at her before moving toward the table where the rest of the finished food was already sitting, along with the plates and forks both of them would need. He certainly had been a little worker this morning, hadn’t he?

Micah turned to face her, a little smirk now growing on his lips as his blue eyes looked her over. There was no doubting that Tish was a beautiful girl. Even in the morning when her hair was a little messed up and there was no make up on her face, Micah knew that she was still a looker. He didn’t think of her as anything more than a friend that he slept with here and there, but he would never be one to be shy about telling her how amazing she looked. ”Why, don’t you look good this morning.” Of course, this comment wasn’t only referring to her natural beauty, but he was also teasing her about the fact that she was wearing one of his shirts. Whether or not it was the one that he had been wearing last night, he couldn’t tell you because he really didn’t know if it was. All he knew was that it was his, and she was wearing it. ”Now, come child, and feast on the food I have prepared for you,” he said, pulling out a chair for Tish, and then turning to go back to the cabinets over the sink. That was where he found another mug, him already having one full of coffee with all sorts of sugar and milk added to it. He took that newly found mug over to the coffee pot and filled it up, then carried it carefully back to the table and sat it down by Tish. What she did as far as adding sugar and milk was up to her, because Micah really didn’t know, and he had waited on her enough. He took his own seat at the table and started helping himself to the fried potatoes after removing the skillet lid from his omelet. Everything looked so good. He had really done well this morning. ”So, how are you this morning?” he asked, sounding as bright and cheerful as ever. It might be a dumb question, but Micah never thought of it that way. He was simply asking a question, genuinely wanting to know.

[tish.ღ.martin]

Now here's a story, one we both know
About two people when they lost their self control

The first thing that many people first learn about Tish Martin is that she really could not care what other people think about her. She didn’t care if they saw her as a slut, a whore, or even a bitch. None of it really bothered her; that was just the way that she was and had always been. They also learned very quickly that she had no morals either. The thing is, Tish didn’t really have friends; she never really had, unless you counted Brit and Brianna when she was younger. The thing is, for Tish, no one was off limits. If there was something that she wanted, then Tish never hesitated in going after it. This often included guys, but wasn’t completely limited to them. The thing most people really learned was that you couldn’t trust Tish with your significant other, or give her even the slightest chance to move in. It wasn’t like her to let things go and be loyal. She was a selfish little bitch, and everyone knew it, so therefore no one trusted her. Okay, well, most people didn’t. The thing was, Tish wasn’t always that way. Somehow manage to work your way into her fairly cold heart, and she was more than loyal as far as being a friend went. Tish had never been in love or anything like that, and to be honest, she had never been in a committed relationship. Boyfriends didn’t exist in Tish’s world, only sex objects and places to crash. She wasn’t really all that close to anyone, and she wasn’t willing to let people in in any way at all.

There are exceptions to all things, obviously, and that is even true for Tish. If asked, Tish would have to say that above all people, Micah Orsino knew her the best of any one person. Not only did he know exactly what she liked and didn’t like in the sexual aspect, but he knew more about her past and her secret demons than anyone else. Part of that came from living with her, but a lot of the stuff he knew had been brought out into the open way before Seattle. Micah knew that her life in New York hadn’t been the best, even though he didn’t necessarily know the details. He knew, and even supplied, her heroin addiction, and above all he knew fairly well that not everything was always as good as she made it out to be. The thing about Micah, though, was that he didn’t push the issue like others did. He would listen and be there if need be, but if Tish didn’t want to touch the subject, then it just wasn’t mentioned. With most of the guys in her life, there was very little talking. There was the flirting, the teasing, the benefits, and then the leaving. She didn’t take the time to get to know people, because knowing someone just complicated things even more. Except, it seemed, with Micah. There was nothing complicated about their relationship. They were friends that were often very suggestive and flirty, and who happened to be sleeping with each other. It may not sound like it was far from complicated, but for Tish, it was simply nice to know that she had someone out there that wasn’t just with her for the sex, but simply saw it as an added benefit.

Not that it had ever really bothered Tish all that much. She had always been a strong girl, and unless you knew her pretty well, then you’d never see that occasionally there was something that got to her. Still, everyone likes to think that there’s someone out there that sees more, and even if it was a slightly delusional thought, Tish just kept on believing it. Besides, Tish had had her share of jerks in the past. You know, the ones that charm their way into your pants, and then when their done, throw your clothes at you and say “shut the door on your way out.” Tish never truly minded it openly, but somewhere deep down it had always kind of hurt. It was okay if she was the one that was leaving, but for a guy to literally throw her out was a major blow to her ego. Tish tended to stay away from those types of guys… unless she got desperate. Then she would go with what she got. But Tish almost never got desperate, and right now, things were pretty great for her. She didn’t have to settle for okay, or good enough anymore. If she just so happened to luck out, which only happened every 2 years or so, then she could just come back to the apartment to Micah. Honestly, did things get much better than that?

Well, his singing could certainly be better… and Tish knew for a fact that he was doing it to annoy her. This is where the whole friends thing came along with them. It was clear to see that they were close when they were together, and not just in the sense that they were sleeping together either. Tish and Micah were constantly bickering or teasing one another over something. Throw in the occasional suggestive or flirty comment and you pretty much had the idea of how it all went. Had she not been currently, or in the past, sleeping with him, she would have almost said it was like he was her older brother or something. They were, though, and so that thought pretty much freaked her out. ”I don’t know why I’m up this early, honestly.” She rolled her eyes, but said nothing about it. Instead, her dark eyes simply watched his exceptionally perfect form move around the kitchen. She followed his lead and moved towards the table as well, seeing that there was food and plates and what not already on the table. She looked up at him, her eyebrows raising slightly over her dark chocolate colored eyes. “Seriously, Micah, how long have you been up?” After his reply, she managed to catch the smirk growing on his lips, and she knew perfectly well what those sexy blue eyes of his were doing, though he did nothing to hide it. She smiled at him in a suggestive sort of way, but then let her eyes shift back down to the table.

”Why, don’t you look good this morning.” Oh God. She caught the meanings in his words, and they were ones that she had heard several times in her life. After all, Tish was an exceptionally good looking girl with natural good looks, though most people even questioned that, and so she was used to all variations of the comment. Tish knew what Micah was meaning though, and she couldn’t help but feel that smile widening on her face. There was a gleam in her eyes that said a great deal of things with just that simple look, things that Micah would certainly see since she was making it very obvious. Some may say it was entirely too early in the morning for that kind of thinking and what not, but this is Tish that we’re talking about. If this type of thing wasn’t on her mind this early in the morning, something would most certainly be wrong with her. “I’d have to say that you look pretty damn good yourself.” She let her eyes wander over him slightly, doing it in a very subtle manner. She stopped, though, and did a double take when she noticed what he was wearing. “Micah Orsino, is that my robe that you’re wearing?” That was certainly a new development. It was usually the girl that wore the guy’s clothes, and frankly, she was wondering how he had even managed to get into it in the first place.

”Now, come child, and feast on the food I have prepared for you.” Tish slid into the chair at the table, and she watched him as he moved to a cabinet and got another mug and coffee, bringing it to the table for her. After sitting it down, she found the sugar and the milk and put in what she found necessary. When she was satisfied with the taste, she got to work on what was placed on the table in front of her. For a girl like Tish, one would almost expect her to eat next to nothing and be practically anorexic… but she wasn’t. In fact, Tish probably ate more than a lot of people. She had a great metabolism, and she was always pretty active, if you catch my meaning. Tish didn’t have to worry about watching what she ate. She could have eaten nonstop all day and still looked as good as she did at that very moment.

”So, how are you this morning?” Wow… he was cheerful. Tish had already started eating on her omelet, which was surprisingly very good. Who ever would have known Micah had it in him? She didn’t really think on it all that much, though. “Well, let’s see, last night I hooked up with the most amazing guy, and then this morning he made me breakfast, so I’d say I’ve been pretty good so far.” She was teasing him, of course, and when she let her dark eyes glance up at him, there was a smile on her lips. She laughed softly, then took another bite of the omelet, letting her teeth slide against the metal of the fork. “So, besides your obvious cheerfulness and need to be up early, how is your morning.” Yes, I know, cheesy, right? So what? Tish had the right to do something like that every once in a while. Besides, she really had nothing else to say at the moment, and she was more focused at that point on eating than thinking of something intelligent to ask him. And also, this was Micah. She didn’t have to charm him with her wit or anything else, especially this early in the morning.

[micah orsino ,]

This really was an odd one for Micah, the more he thought about it. Honestly, he wasn’t putting much thought into it all, but Tish kept bringing it up, so it was sticking in his mind a little bit more than it ordinarily would have if it were just up to him. Hell, if a lot of things were left up to him alone, well, let’s just say that things probably wouldn’t turn out they way a lot of people would think that they should. It would still be okay, but Micah always had his own little ways of doing things. Anyway, back to the issue at hand. Micah was up rather early. As previously stated, he hardly ever got up before the sun, especially after having gotten in late, drunk, and having the kind of night with Tish that he had. It was the mornings after those kind of nights that Micah rarely saw. He would sleep in well past noon if he were left and no one came in and woke him up for some ungodly reason. Micah was a very sound sleeper, too. His mother had always joked that her boy could sleep through a hurricane, and that had been pretty well proved over the years. Not that Fate, North Carolina had ever had to face a full fledged hurricane, but some pretty wicked storms had blown their way. Micah had slept through a few of them, just getting bored with it all and lying down and going to sleep when most other people had been completely terrified. What had gotten up and out of bed so early this particular morning was a mystery to him. He usually wasn’t this hyper in the mornings, either. He was always a bright, happy person, but Micah tended to be slow in the mornings, his words sarcastic and his actions tired until he got up and got moving. This morning, he had woken up, and the energy had just been automatically there. Whatever it was that had caused this, it was frickin’ sweet as far as Micah was concerned. But, he could fully see why it was that Tish was questioning it.

How long had he been up? Micah took a second to glance at the clock, it once again telling him that it was just a little after seven in the a.m. It had only been six thirty when he had gotten out of Tish’s bed. Wow, had he really managed to do all of this, get cleaned up and cook, in such a short amount of time? That had to be some sort of new record or something. Micah had once had an obsession with getting in the record books. It didn’t matter what it was or how he ended up doing it, just as long as he did. This was one that he was going to have to check out, though he knew that it would never amount to anything. Besides, that obsession was long over with by now. ”Since six thirty,” he had answered brightly, and then had gone one with the breakfast preparations that had needed to be done before they could sit down and eat. Tish would probably be pretty well amazed with that one too, seeing how well everything had been done and placed in such a short amount of time. Micah hadn’t even realized he was doing things so quickly and efficiently, but hey, there was nothing to complain about. Tish could probably complain about him waking her up so early, but really, she was getting one damn good meal out of it. She didn’t have a lot of room to bitch at him for anything, which was a surprise because there was usually a lot for her to be bitching at him for. Not that he ever paid attention, or that she ever meant it. They just bickered and fussed in a friendly way, neither paying much attention to the other and always managing to get a good laugh out of it.

Aw. She really didn’t have to tell him just how good he looked, but it was greatly appreciated. Micah wasn’t a guy to get hung up on his looks, and he really didn’t care how people thought of him. If they liked they way he looked, then great. If not, then oh well. Though, he had come to learn over time that he had the kind of looks that the girls all loved, what with his well muscled chest, abs, arms.. Basically, the boy was made of muscle thanks to long workouts in the summer, working with the boats and just being out and active all the time. He liked to keep in shape and stay fit. The good looks that came with it were just a bonus. He wasn’t vain, and while he was good looking, he didn’t act like he knew it like some of the more arrogant guys do. Though, he didn’t read too much into what Tish said. He was looking down over his body as she noted that he was wearing her bathrobe. He had realized that he had gotten the wrong one, but this was the first time he had taken the time to see how it looked on him. Of course it was entirely too short, both in length and in the arms. The way that he was wearing it probably wasn’t helping things much. He had left it untied, his chest and abdomen exposed. One could see the rim of his boxers before the khaki colored shorts appeared, and his feet were bare. Then, there was the fact that Tish’s robe happened to be a light purple color with little pink and green flower design things on it. Yeah, this was probably a comical sight, one that Tish hadn’t been expecting. Micah’s own robe was a plain black. How he had ever grabbed the wrong one, he hadn’t a clue, but he hadn’t put a lot of thought into it that time. It didn’t bother him, though. The only thing he regretted about it was no tying it, and that was simply because the grease popping had stung on his skin a bit. Still, he hadn’t taken the time to tie it shut, and he took the pain like a man, working right through it. At Tish’s question, Micah just smiled. ”Yes, ma’am, I believe it is.” He shrugged, not letting it bother him either way, and that was the end of it.

Sitting at the table, he helped himself to a plate load of food. All throughout his childhood and growing up, Micah had always had these kind of things for breakfast, his mother never wanting her children to just settle for a piece of toast on their way out the door. He had never been a child that had to go without, his parents providing for them well. But, once Micah was out on his own, meals like this weren’t an everyday thing. Sure, he could have made them for himself, just as he had that morning, but he often opted not to. It saved money and time. Then, while he had been traveling, there were times when he would go a whole day without eating just to save on time and money. Or because he had ended up with a group of people that simply didn’t have the provisions. It hadn’t bothered him one bit, though. He had been hungry, of course, but all of those men had been. He didn’t complain, and kept working through it all. That was when he had truly seen just how much he had taken for granted in his life. This that they were eating right now was a luxury of sorts, something that they were still taking for granted. He thought back on those trips from time to time, seeing just how lucky he was to have food when those guys were still probably scrapping around for their meal. He had told Tish that story once before, and that was part of the reason why he didn’t launch into it again after asking his question to her, simply willing to dismiss it all together. The other reason was that she had an answer for him, Micah turning his bright blue eyes up to her as he listened. ”Well, let’s see, last night I hooked up the most amazing guy, and then this morning he made me breakfast, so I’d say I’ve been pretty good so far.” Again with the compliments. She was really on a roll this morning. Of course, Micah would like to point out that he was that amazing guy, and he could get used to being called amazing. He saw that smile form on her lips, and laughed a little along with her. At least she remembered last night. He was still getting bits and pieces, but never the full picture.

How is his morning? Micah stabbed a fried potato that he had totally drowned in ketchup with his fork, then brought it to his mouth and ate it as he contemplated that. It shouldn’t have been something that required a lot of thinking, but this was Micah. Of course he was going to think about it. After chewing and swallowing, he gave up thinking and just went for an answer. Again, just another Micah thing. ”I’d say it’s pretty damn good. Have a little bit of a headache because I apparently got wasted last night, so I don’t remember much about anything. But, they’re playing CCR on the radio and we are having a good breakfast. That’s proof that there is some sort of a God somewhere.” His answer came easy, and afterward he went back to helping himself to his food. More potatoes. Bacon, sausage with syrup. Toast with this awesome honey spread butter that made it taste so sweet. It wasn’t like the guy needed anymore caffeine in his system, but he was drinking his coffee and taking in all that sugar just the same. The silence that came over them wasn’t an awkward one, but one that they were both comfortable in, it seemed. They had known each other so long that trying to talk and keep the other interested in the other just wasn’t needed anymore. Neither felt the need to talk, so neither did. Though, of course it would be Micah to break the silence first. He had just finished his omelet off, taking that last bite and letting the forks slide slowly from between his teeth. The shine of it had caught his blue eyes, him always being one to be drawn to shiny objects, and then he had kind of gotten lost in a stare. ”Forks are so weird,” he mused, mostly to himself, but knowing that Tish was bound to hear. ”I wonder how they make ‘em..”