Read Online Draw Me A Picture by Meredith Greene - Free Book Online

do come here often,” Michelle said, removing her coat; she scooted into the booth, trying to do so daintily. William slipped in next to her, secretly pleased that the small booth gave him a legitimate excuse to sit as close to Michelle as possible.
    “Yes, well… working as much as I do, dinners at home are not conducive to deadlines. This place is close and quiet.”
    “One needs some quiet,” Michelle agreed. “Even in New York.” William smiled.
    “Especially here,” he said.
    Laying his coat beside him on the seat, William turned to his date; she was glowing again in her pink dress. He especially liked her long hair; it looked touchable and soft. She wore simple jewelry and just a little makeup; she appeared to be just herself, nothing more or less. His scrutiny was not lost on Michelle; she pretended to occupy herself with folding her coat and laying it next to her on the booth seat.
    They ended up ordering clam chowder and fresh rolls. While they waited for the food, William amused Michelle with stories of his childhood in London.
    “... Yes, I was a little ripper,” he said, smiling. “The fire department came out and everything. We were only having our own little Bonfire Night… didn’t mean for the whole field to go ablaze.” Michelle giggled softly at her companion’s admission of youthful--albeit unintentional--arson.
    “I bet your mother has a bunch of stories to tell about you,” she said. William narrowed his eyes at her.
    “Don’t even joke about that; she’d go on all day,” he stated. “I don’t suppose you did anything bad as a child, eh?”
    “Well, I never set anything on fire, but I did play a few pranks...” Michelle confessed, absently re-folding the table napkin.
     Interested, William set his elbows on the table ad leaned forward a little.
    “Do tell,” he murmured; his eyes held a strange gleam.
    “Uh... alright.” William’s expression made Michelle a little uneasy but she plunged into her story regardless, hoping to amuse him. “There were a few but the best one was getting back at a group of preppy girls, after they had their jock boyfriends toss me and my friend Leah into the school dumpster a few times.” William’s eyebrows rose slightly.
    “Now, why would they do a thing like that?” he inquired. “Come on... what did you do to get them mad?”
    “It was more like what we didn’t do,” Michelle told him, giving a half-smile. “Leah and I pulled some of the best grades and were two of the few ‘girl geeks’, I guess. The ‘leader’ of the preppy girls was, ah… a girl of ill repute, so to speak. Too much time at parties and not enough actual studying.”
    “I see,” William said. “She didn’t like you and your friend?”
    “Not quite,” Michelle said, titling her head a little. “We were not in her set, so I doubt she’d ever have noticed us, until she wanted us to sell her some term papers.”
    “I gather you said ‘no’,” William said, grinning.
    “Correct,” Michelle returned, with a smile. “Apparently the problem was that since we wouldn’t sell her the papers, no one else would, either.”
    “So, the little witches had their jock boyfriends put pressure on you, eh?” William asked. Nodding, Michelle laughed inwardly at William’s pronunciation of ‘witches’; his ‘w’ sounded almost non-existent.
    “Exactly,” she answered, putting her hands in her lap.
    “What did you do about it?” William asked; he enjoyed seeing Michelle more enlivened; it was visible proof that the young woman was growing more comfortable around him. Honestly, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d so enjoyed someone’s company.
    “Well, we waited until after P.E.--when ‘the witches’ were showering--” Michelle was saying. “... and no, it’s nothing perverted, William.” She paused, looking narrowly at her companion. Wiping the knowing grin off his face, William feigned innocence.
    “Why would you assume...”
    “Well, you