Raymond pours a glass of red for Gesine and himself, while she brings homemade pasta to the kitchen table. It's their anniversary, or "date-a-versary" as she likes to call it, wanting to make it clear that this "anniversary" is not her end game. They had settled on a nice dinner and a quiet night together: watching junk television, maybe a movie, and...maybe something after that.
She loves nothing more than to spend quiet moments with him. Their early dinners, Raymond loves to tease her, make them an old married couple already. She always shoots him a look that says this is not something to joke about, but her delight at his humor still shines through.
After clearing the dishes and refilling their wine, they make their way to the living room. She grabs an afghan from a basket by the fireplace. He grabs the remote to channel surf, landing on CBS.
Choppy instrumental music fills the air, interrupted by two clangs of a cymbal. A handsome man with silver hair appears on the television. It's Barry Nolan, one of the hosts of the popular tabloid "infotainment" show, Hard Copy.
On the screen is a black and white picture of...my sister? Ha! Gesine elbows her boyfriend, "You know what this means, doncha?" She ignores his blank look and continues. "I'm kinda famous. By proxy."
He rolls his eyes.
*...We've got the exclusive pictures of Sandra and Keanu. And...The Kiss.
"Man that Speed kiss sure has some sticking power, eh? It's been...how long?"
Gesine spreads the afghan across their laps. "A year."
"A year," he chuckles. "I guess people like them together."
"Well, you know how I feel about it," she reminds him as she sinks deeply into his outstretched arm. "I'm just waiting for them to wake up and make beautiful babies, so I can be the favorite aunt."
*A couple of Hollywood's hottest stars have been spotted together, Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. They were a HIT in the movie Speed. Now, a year later, they are together again, secretly meeting for a late night rendez-vous...
As if on cue, they turn to face each other, Gesine's mouth agape. They aren't talking about the Speed kiss.
Raymond searches her eyes for a clue how to respond, but, for his part, he's a little confused. He knows Gesine wants them together and he knows Sandra likes him. But who doesn't know that? he suppresses a snort. Nate is gone, good riddance if you ask him. Beyond all this, he'd have to admit he exists in an ignorant state of bliss. He hadn't realized they'd officially...evolved. I thought she'd be a bit more excited about this.
*We've got Sandra and Keanu, Uncut, and Uncensored...
He sees his girlfriend's eyes go from big to enormous as the host of Hard Copy pumps out more insinuations. If there were a sound engineer for everyday life, he thinks to himself, now staring at the floor, this is where they'd lay the record scratch.
*This could be just another hot scene outside a Hollywood nightclub, but look closely...
"Ow!" Raymond runs his hand back and forth over his arm where his girlfriend's knuckles had just made contact.
She waves her hand toward the television to redirect his attention, where a fuzzy black and white clip begins to roll. Gesine squints her eyes almost entirely shut, trying to make sense of the figures on the clip as they move closer together.
*This isn't just anybody, it's Speed costars Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves, stealing an embrace under a blanket of darkness...
"At least they got your last name right?" he shrugs, his voice cracking as he offers a silver lining.
YOU ARE READING
The Beginning
Fanfiction"Come here," his voice is gentle again. She gives in, placing her small hand in his. Lifting the cloth, he sees her blood spill out from her palm. He inhales sharply through his teeth and presses the rag back down. They sit there like that for abo...
