//------------------------------//
// The Date (Part 3) 
// Story: She came into my life like "ZOT!" 
// by Deleth 
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Chapter 12: The Date (Part 3)



I slammed the door closed cursing under my breath at the cold but grateful that this was the fifth and final trip I was taking between the barn and house. I had carried enough firewood in that many trips to get through the night and then some, so I locked the front door and kicked off my boots.

“Sonofa!” I hollered as I stepped on some of the ice I had tracked in, fortunately my toes were comfortably numb, but my heels weren’t.

In fact everything from the middle of my shins down was in various stages of numbness or pins and needles, so after setting the wood in my arms on the top of the pile I had built by the door, I immediately went to my room and changed into sweatpants, grabbed the comforter off my bed for good measure – I may be a manly man most the time but dang, it’s cold! – and went back out to the living room where Rarity was stacking some of the wood in the fireplace using her magic.

“W-W-What is THAT?!” She exclaimed, pointing at me. Or my legs at any rate.

“Um…sweatpants?” I ventured.

“It’s terrible – horrible! – unbearable! I just can’t – I can’t – ” She brought her hand to her forehead dramatically and faux fainted onto the sofa behind her. Her jacket that was still on poofing around her, and a couple blankets falling from the back of the couch on top of her. I stared at the scene a moment or two and shivered before finally giving in.

“Fine, I’ll get different bottoms.” I said and went back to my room.

It took almost five minutes for me to locate a suitable long sleeve t-shirt that matched the long flannel pajama bottoms that I would fight Rarity for if she didn’t like them. It was comfy and warm and most importantly, there was feeling back in my legs to my ankles because of them. Though the house was still somewhere between frigid and absolute zero. But once I walked back into the living room I found that it was empty, and it clicked in my head that the light under Rarity’s closed door was on. She was likely changing as well, so with that in mind I went about gathering a few sheets of paper from a drawer in the kitchen, crinkled them into balls and stuffed a few underneath the logs that Rarity had stacked in the fireplace. However the only lighter that I knew where it was appeared to be running out of gas, judging by the glorious bright sparks that came out the end every time I pulled the trigger, but the lacking any sort of flame that would light the paper and kindling.

But then a light blue laser shot from somewhere over my head and poof, instant fire.

“Thanks.” I smiled and turned around, seeing Rarity for the first time since she had disappeared to presumably change. And change she did. She was wearing a matching white silky loose pants and top, the latter of which buttoned in the front with plastic crystal buttons that gaudy as they were, worked on the garment. The top even had a built in business style collar of the same fabric as the shirt and a neckline that plunged just enough to confirm her own assets were indeed, perfect. She had taken off most of her makeup leaving only a little around her eyes, and her hair was completely down showing off not only how long it actually was, but the curl she had perfectly put into it earlier in the day.

In short, even in comfy clothes, she was stunning.

She was also shivering.

“Come ‘ere.” I smiled and grabbed one of the blankets from the couch, draping it over myself halfway and holding the other end open for her with my arm, where she would sit made obvious.

“Just what are you intending, Mister Merediem? I may be cold, but I am not easy.” Rarity huffed.

I laughed; face palming at the same time to cover the blush that rose to me cheeks. It worked.

“I’m intending that we both don’t freeze to death. Sharing a blanket means we share body heat and by your own shivering, I’m guessing where you come from it's a lot easier to stay warm with a coat of fur over your skin.” I observed.

“Ponies get cold too.” She said indignantly.

“Alright, there’s another blanket right there.” I thumbed behind myself and began to let my arm down.

“Oh…just…make room!” She declared and all but dived into the blanket next to me.

There was a flash of light blue as another blanket was moved onto our fronts to double the layer, and I settled into the couch cushions we had dislodged from the sofa with Rarity sitting comfortably with my arm around her. I turned on the T.V. but the blizzard had made my satellite TV all but inoperable, and I didn’t have a normal antenna so with nothing left to do, I turned it off again, leaving us in the glow of only a lamp or two, and the now roaring fire warming the house.

“You told me once that in your world your coat color is white, right?” I asked.

“Yes.” She confirmed, and I visualized in my head a unicorn with a deep violet mane and tail, blue eyes, and a coat of pure white. Though I must say that while the image was indeed beautiful, it did nothing for me.

“I bet you had stallions for miles around lining up at your door.” I remarked.

“What makes you think that?” She eyed with a sly, knowing grin.

“I’m just saying.” I shrugged innocently.

“Well, to your credit you’re mostly right, though only in a small degree. There is a stallion or two – and a dragon – whom have always had their eyes on me if you will. However, there was always reasons to not be in relationships with any of them – other than just being friends of course – and I just...don’t know why I’m talking about my personal life.” Rarity finished giving me a look that was somewhere between curious and perturbed.

“Well…” I sad carefully, lest I have a sudden meeting with the ceiling, “Sometimes you just need someone to talk to, and I can’t even imagine what it’s been like for you being stuck here. No friends that you usually have to talk to about everything and nothing, no family to drive you nuts but make you love them all at the same time. Just a dope of a redneck who can’t decide what else he was supposed to do with his life.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Asher, I’m sure you have been more than hospitable than most of your kind if I’m to take the examples I’ve seen on the documentary series ‘Jersey Shore’ as any kind of base line.” She said offhandedly and I laughed.

“What?” She asked.

“Nothing, nothing.” I chuckled, “Let’s just say that yes that is a good base line, like, close to the bottom but not quite there.”

Rarity considered this a moment before she shrugged against me.

“I still say you are selling yourself short, Asher.” She turned her head so she was smiling up at me, and I looking down at her.

I could feel some heat rise to my cheeks but not just because of the compliment, but because her face was only a few inches away from my own. In my head I could hear a voice telling me that I should lean into her just a little more, and then our lips could meet. I’ll admit, the prospect of kissing her was something that had occurred to me before in the restaurant, and when she had nursed me back to health from the wolf attack, and when she had appeared in my shower and I was standing there with nothing on but my own dignity, but for some reason I never followed through. It was at this moment though that I suddenly realized why I had never followed through on those little pricks of ideas in my mind and heart. I still loved my deceased wife. But then…part of me always would love her huh? She was a part of my life that I’ll never get back, but that shouldn’t keep me from being happy and if I were being honest with myself, I had been doing just that.

And then there was Rarity.

A pony/person out of place, in a world that wasn’t her own, with a way to get home that would only take some time to get here. A girl who literally dropped in next to me and just by her own nature, had been forcing me to see my own feelings differently. Even if I wanted to strangle her whilst she was helping me sometimes, she would still help me see that my own feelings weren’t something that I should be pushing aside. Weren’t something that I should or could ignore any longer simply because it was easy. Though this information had already clicked in my heart, my head just caught up.

And I really should kiss her right now.

“Though I admit, there was one particular Stallion that I thought the world of until I actually got to know him.” She said, turning her face away, blissfully unaware of the breath I let out that I didn’t know I was holding. I played along.

“Oh? And who was this?” I asked.

“It was during a very large event, known as the Grand Galloping Gala, a party that while I thought was a chance to get to know some nobles better including the Stallion I speak of, ended up being almost a complete disaster where ponies who already know each other simply get together for the opportunity to each of them to complement each other while ignoring anyone they do not know.” She huffed.

“But I won’t get into that particular aspect of it, or we would be up all night. The stallion I am referring to goes by the name of Blueblood. He is a Prince as somewhere back in his family tree Pricess Celestia is somehow his Aunt. I had grown up since I was a little filly all but idolizing him and his position, you see, he was always well groomed, and rubbing shoulders with the most important of Ponies in our society all of his life and when I finally had the chance to be in the same room as him, escorting him about the party…”

Rarity sighed in a romantic and dramatic fashion.

“But it was all for naught. As it turned out he was a pompous, egotistical, arrogant, slimy, helpless, half castrated mare.”

I snorted, hiding my laughter as best I could.

“And then there is you.” She said, looking up at me again with a mischievous smile about her face.

“Yes, me.” I grinned and swallowed audibly.

But she just looked up at me, our faces inches apart once again.

“You are a confusing person, Asher.” She said at length.

That took me off guard, as of all the things I was hoping she might say, that was not on the short list.

“What’cha mean?” I asked.

Rarity for her part glanced away, as if she were gathering her thoughts for a moment before she tilted her head back up at my own, my gaze locked on her blue eyes.

“You are a hard worker, loyal, kind and honest to a fault, generous with your talents and abilities to those in need, even humble. But that’s just the thing, Asher, you’re humble enough that I don’t know if you know when it is...when it is time to take the next step. When it might be time to throw caution to the wind and—”

I kissed her. I didn’t know if that was where she was going with that speech but I didn’t care anymore as we lay there, backs against the front of the couch with our bodies turned just enough into each other to count as an embrace. Our lips had joined softly at first, but quickly gained momentum as she returned the favor, and her arms slid up and around my neck. There was heat in the kiss, there was electricity, and it was frightening and wonderful all at the same time.

But at length, I broke the kiss so both of us could come up for air.

“What was I saying?” Rarity asked breathlessly.

“I don’t know.” I smiled and she grinned in return.

“Rarity…I don’t know if I’m being stupid or not when I say this but I really need to tell you…I think I might be falling in love with you.”

There. I said it. It was out there. My heart was out on my sleeve. The cat was out of the bag. The hamster had sprung the cage. The chickens had flown the coop. The lights were on. The fire was burning. The crow flies at midnight.

But there was a look in her eyes. One that told me everything I needed to know without her saying a word at all. She looked hopeful. Excited even. Maybe a little afraid.

“I think…as improbable as it sounds…I might be falling in love with you.” She whispred.

We lay there then, our bodies against each other with two layers of comforters wrapped about us. Completely warm even though the house was so cold. When I look back on it I think that heating core breaking was probably the best thing that ever could have happened for me. For us. If it weren’t for that I don’t know that I ever would have said those three magical words to Rarity before she left and I would have once again been left alone and lonely, without knowing that’s what was wrong with me.

“It’s getting late.” I said warily after an undetermined amount of time had passed, and stretched, taking my arm out from around her for the first time since we had shared our first kiss.

“You ready to sleep?” I yawned.

“I suppose.” She yawned in return then rubbed her eyes, “Goodness what time is it?”

“Ten thirtyish.” I said, glancing at the clock in the kitchen while turning off a lamp, leaving only the fire as the source of light in the living room, and returning to the makeshift bed near the heat.

“Hang on.” I said as Rarity rose from the cushions.

I then, while shivering a little, spread both comforters over the one that was acting as the ‘sheet’ for the night and methodically went around the cushions and tucked each part of the comforters in so that the resulting blankets would be tight across the occupants of the bed, before opening the end near where my head would go just enough that I could slide down into it without undoing any of the blankets, that way everything would be perfect. Perfect and comfortable. I had slept that way since I was a boy, and I wasn’t about to change now. I was also a gentleman though, and held up the part of the blankets next to me so Rarity could do the same.

And that was when she jumped on me.

The rest of the night…well…the rest of the night was lost when her lips found mine again.