Two Birds [S.Uris]

IV. Sleeping at Stan's

••••

After many nudges from Stanley and confusing looks from Fleur, they finally sit down and pass around the challah bread. "Oh, no thanks." Fleur says as a small piece is handed to her. "Just eat a small piece, we have to." Stanley whispers. The girl sighs, ripping off a small piece. "Sorry, I hate forcing this on you but at least you've got a place to stay." Stanley whispers as another blessing is said over the bread.

"And for that, I am grateful." The blonde smiles, looking into Stanley's hazel eyes. "Amen." Mrs. Uris says, regaining Stanley and Fleur's attention. "Amen." They both repeat, taking a bite of their challah.

Once the actual food is set on the table, the four of them finally sit down to eat. "So, Fleur is it?" Mrs. Uris asks, stabbing her fork into a piece of chicken. "Yes." Fleur smiles, taking a bite of her food.

"Such a beautiful name for a beautiful girl." The woman replies. The golden girl chuckles nervously, sending her an awkward smile. "So, are you and Stanley dating?" Mrs. Uris asks, a smile creeping up onto her face.

Stanley chokes on his water, coughing loudly whilst Fleur remains silent, her cheeks glowing red. "Mom!" Stanley continues coughing into his arm. "What! It's about time you get a girlfriend, Stanley! Remember when we tried setting you up with the Applebaums' daughter? Oh, what was her name?" The woman places a finger on her chin, thinking to herself.

"Ruth." Stanley replies with no emotion, rolling his eyes. "Oh, yes! Such a nice girl she was." Mr. Uris joins in, pointing his fork towards Stanley as he talks. "She was annoying." Stanley argues. "Goodness heavens, Stanley! Don't speak of her that way." Mrs. Uris says in a shocked tone, as if it weren't expected from the boy.

"Sorry, Mother. May we be excused?" He asks, making a motion between him and Fleur. "Sure, hun." The woman replies, dismissing the two. "Leave the door open." Mr. Uris adds.

"Will do." Stanley picks up his plate, motioning for Fleur to take hers as they make their way to the kitchen sink. "Sorry, there's never any girls over." Stanley sighs, gently placing the ceramic plate onto the sink. "No worries." Fleur smiles, following Stanley's actions.

As the two make their way to Stanley's room, Fleur examines all the family photos hung on the walls. The Uris family seemed like such an organized and happy family. Parents are together, a smart kid, a nice house, they've got it all.

"Alright, So.." Stanley takes a seat on his bed, awkwardly staring at the blonde girl who is looking around, tracing her fingers along the wall. Fleur realizes the sudden tension and turns around, looking directly at him. "We never got to really talk. I mean, you don't even know me and I just barged into your house." She sighs, sitting down beside him.

"Well, we can catch up." He suggests. "Sure, well I'm Fleur Blackwood, my favorite color is purple, I love to read, and I'm turning 14 on November 30th." She begins, smiling confidently.

"Stanley Uris, favorite color is green, love to bird watch, turning 13 July 13." He states. "Bird watching, really?" Fleur says in an interested tone, sending him another smile. "Yeah, I could show you some cool books I have. I've got one with a ton of information about birds. There's even some funny bird jokes." The boy seems extremely passionate about his hobby.

"Sure, I like your enthusiasm." Fleur chuckles, watching as he quickly make his way over to his book shelf, pulling out a large bird book.

Fleur pretends to be interested at first as Stanley flips the pages, pointing out interesting facts, his smile never leaving his face. It was very rare that he'd have someone to share his passion with. After a few more pages, the young girl gets more interested, wanting to hear more every time he mentions something.

"Oh, and this is the Madagascar pochard. It's the rarest bird of all time. Nearly never spotted." Stanley says, pointing to a black feathered duck.

Looking over to the blonde girl, Stanley examines her expression, which was pretty hard to read. "I'm sorry, am I boring you?" Stanley asks, gently closing the book and placing it on the shelf. "No! Not at all. I mean- I never thought birds were so cool. I always thought they were just- well- you know, birds." She chuckles.

"Yeah, there's a lot more. But it's getting late. We have the mattress set up on the floor for you." Stanley points to an air mattress, placed right beside the bed. "Thanks. I'm just gonna go brush my teeth. Gotta keep these babies white." Fleur smiles, motioning proudly towards her teeth, then walking out towards the bathroom.

As she leaves, Stanley finds himself dreaming about the girl's smile. It's like when she leaves, she's never left. She may have left the room, but she certainly hasn't left his mind.

After a few minutes, Fleur returns to the room, noticing how Stanley seemed to be in some sort of trans. "Stan, you alright?" She asks, bending down to put her face in his view. "Oh- uh- Yeah! All good. We should- um. We should get to sleep now." He says, getting under the soft blanket and pulling it over himself. "Hey, can you turn off the lamp? I'm technically not allowed to touch any electricity on Friday evening." Stanley asks, motioning towards the lamp on his dresser.

Fleur simply nods, getting up and pulling the cord, leaving the two in darkness.

"Night, Fleur."

"Night, Stan."