The Perk, Tuesday morning

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

Sitting at a table close to a window, Johnny gazed out as his fingers wrapped around a hot mug of coffee. He woke up feeling pensive this morning. Like something was not right back home. Seriously, he half expected his cell to ring any moment; Sue or Reed calling him to give him bad news. There was an ominous emotion surrounding him, and his mood was certainly a reflection of such. 

He hoped the coffee and quiet he was allowing himself, worked to uncurl the tenseness in his shoulders.

It was a hope, at least.

[The perk is open for all your perky needs.]

Comments

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Hey stranger," Isabel smiled, sliding into the seat across from Johnny with her extra large mocha. "Long time no see."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"Hey gorgeous," he winked, his mouth only curving slightly in a returned smile. "You don't love me anymore." Johnny stated, his eyes dancing with amusement.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Awww, don't say that. I've just been busy," she told him. "And we don't have any classes together this semester."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"I've noticed this," he said, taking a sip from his mug. "And what have you been busy with?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Classes, work, Wyatt," Isabel grinned. "You know. The usual. And starting next week? The anxiety of waiting for college acceptances."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"...I thought you would be planning my birthday party," Johnny said with sly grin.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"When's your birthday?" she asked. Please don't let it be Saturday. "I'll have to make sure to get you a nice present."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"June 13th," he laughed, winking at her.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel crumpled up her napkin and threw it at him. "You are such a dork!"

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

He caught it and threw it back. "Hey, now, just doing my best to keep you aware and on your toes."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I'll be sure to mark my calendar when I get back to my room," she promised. "In the mean time I'll keep working on the birthday party I am planning. Wyatt's is this Saturday."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

He cocked his head. "Am I invited?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

He wasn't the only one that could tease. "No," Isabel said brightly. "Only Savannah's invited."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

Johnny gave her a look. "Curly would want me there, Isabel. I know he would. We've become like... BFF's." he said with a straight face, though he was totally just making crap up.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Really? I must have missed that memo," she laughed. "In that case, of course you are. I have to finalize a few details, but I'll send out an email tonight."

"So what's up in the world of Johnny? You looked deep in thought when I got here."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"I'll let Savannah bring the gift," he said, smirking. Johnny buying Wyatt a gift just seemed so... wrong.

"Eh, it's nothing. Just having weird thoughts of home. Haven't spoke to Sue or Reed in sometime and maybe it's just that; I expect either or to call me any time now."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"The phone works both ways," Isabel pointed out. "You could call them. I bet they'd like to hear from you."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

Johnny looked down. "Sue rides me, Isabel. I don't want to be bothered unless I need to be bothered." That wasn't exactly true but more than not, their conversation always ended in argument.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"It's what sisters do when they care about you," she said, speaking from experience. "There's always email."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

He looked up through his impossibly long lashes, grinning. "Do I look like an email sort of guy?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Probably not," Isabel admitted. "But you should try. Then if she starts to yell? You can always say the email got deleted in your spam folder."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"Sounds like you've had practice, sweetheart." It was always safe for Johnny to talk about something other than himself. In certain subjects that is because yeah, Johnny was still very much a hot head.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Me? Never." Okay, maybe once or twice back when things were still stressed between her and Max. But not lately.

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"Uh-huh, I know that look," he teased and drank his coffee, studying her as he did so. "Tell me how you and Wyatt are getting along."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, guilty. But not lately. Now things are good." Even if Max and Michael were still on their road trip of a lifetime.

"We're fine," Isabel said with a soft smile. "Things are really, really good."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

Johnny leaned back, smiling at her. "You look beautiful, you know, even more so when you talk about him."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel stuck out her tongue at him. "Flatterer."

Still, he might have a point. "It's the happy. It spills over."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

He thought of Savannah and smiled at himself. "I get happy. I get happy real well."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Well in that case," she smiled, lifting her cup and tipping it towards him. "I think we need to toast to happy."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

Johnny clicked his mug to hers. "To happy; yours and mine and those we love. Though I'm thinking this should be done with... shots or something alcoholic at least," he said grinning before he took a swallow.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, and then I'd be sloppy drunk after a single sip," Isabel laughed. "And you'll be stuck explaining why."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"Explain to who? Cause I could just lay you out on a common room couch and you know... leave you," he teased.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"You'd do that to me?" she asked, looking pitiful. "Really?"

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

The pitiful look was more than he could take or he'd so keep teasing her. "No, not really, sweetheart. I would lay you in my lap and watch you sleep it off."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Awww, now that's going above and beyond," Isabel grinned. "You could have just dumped me in my room."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"Not when I could draw on your pretty face with a magic marker," Johnny said, whistling.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Oh man, that's cruel," she replied. "Well it would be for anyone without alien-fu."