Suzy and Vincent walked slowly along the path, enjoying their quiet escape through the woods near Vincent's estate. The two often took a stroll down the familiar way, talking or laughing the day away, forgetting their troubles and the monotony of life.
The autumn winds were light on the bright, sunny day, causing the leaves to skitter about like crazed mice, and the edges of Vincent's frock coat to move ever so slightly. He took a deep breath of the crisp, autumn air, looking around him at the vivid colors only fall could bring. Bright yellows, deep reds, stunning oranges, and all the colors in between; he doubted a painter could ever reproduce the sheer beauty of the landscape around him. For this reason, autumn was the more favorable of the four seasons to him...that and the fact that the chilling air gave him an excuse to don his most-adored frock coat.
He was soon jarred from his thoughts, however, by Suzy's hand on his arm, stopping him. He arched an eyebrow at her, and she pointed to a clearing not far from them, where a tiny squirrel was carrying a rather large acorn. The poor little bloke had his work cut out for him, in Vincent's opinion.
"I watch in fascination like a vampire bat," he drawled sarcastically. Suzy laughed at his comment,complete with matching sneer, as the two continued along their way.
After a brief stroll, they decided it best to head back, as dark clouds were ominously starting to cover the sky. Soon, rain was starting to fall on the pair.
Vincent, always prepared, procured a sheek, black umbrella from somewhere within his frock coat. Feeling no need to hurry, the two leisurely walked back to Vincent's manor, shedding the umbrella once they'd reached the alcoved porch. As they sat on the porch swing, taking in the sweet smell of rain, lighting struck in the distance, its tendrils spreading rapidly.
"Well, I like it when that lightning comes," Suzy thought aloud.
"Yes, I like it a lot," Vincent replied, watching as another bold moved from cloud to cloud, illuminating them and sending low rumbles of thunder to their ears. Suzy and Vincent had always shared a love of storms, watching them together for as long as they'd remembered.
Soon, however, the wind started to pick up, and the duo was forced inside by heavy rains. Vincent's butler took their coats, and brought them tea for two, as they sat on the sofa by the fireplace.
After an amicable silence while they had their tea, Vincent sat his cup down, putting his head in his hands. Suzy, too, put her down her cup, and put a comforting arm around his shoulders, waiting for him to speak.
"However much I do... it's never enough, never enough," he said morosely, looking up to meet her eyes with his own saddened ones. Suzy knew he was speaking about his strained relationship with his father, if you could call the man that. Her poor friend had no peace.
"When I see you, sky as a kite, as high as I might, I can't get that high. The how you move, the way you burst the clouds; it makes me want to try."
Wiping a single tear from his eye, Vincent straightened up, schooling his features back to a look of indifference. He couldn't allow anyone but Suzy to see him like this, and the manor was always bustling with people.
"I'll never let you slip away," Suzy whispered, then moved away from him a bit. It wouldn't do to have one of his father's friends, or even worse, the man himself, walk in on the exchange. They didn't think it was proper for a man to show emotion, or, for that matter, a woman other than his wife to touch him even in the most platonic of ways. Hugs, his father believed, were simply uncalled for.
Moments later, the butler came back to collect the empty teacups, and suggested they go out for a bit. The butler had always looked out for Vincent, especially in the sense that he would advise him to 'go out for a bit' whenever he knew that Vincent's father was in a particularly bad mood. The two collected their coats and were soon on their way to Suzy's house, via the family limo and driver.
Once safely inside Suzy's home, Vincent breathed a sigh of relief. Suzy could almost visibly see Vincent drop his emotional walls, becoming more relaxed with each passing second. He shed his frock coat, along with several other layers, until he was finally clothed in just a black button-up shirt and black trousers. He rolled the cuffs of his shirt up a bit, and a grin spread across his face, the warmth and happiness showing clearly in his eyes, as he turned to look at Suzy.
"Can I use some of your lipstick?" he asked, glancing at the offending tube, which lay mockingly on her dresser.
Suzy laughed at the man's fetish, but happily obliged. She loved it, loved Vincent's peculiar way of defying his father, in all its quirkiness. She knew if Vincent's father ever saw him wearing lipstick, the man would surely die. Suzy thought the lipstick looked rather becoming on him, anyway.
"And only you, strange as angels..." Suzy playfully teased, handing him the crimson stick and watching as he hastily applied it, uncaring if it were smudged or uneven.
"Slipping out the ordinary me, into someone else's life," Vincent shrugged, only to be reprimanded by Suzy. It wasn't his fault that his father was a controlling, snobbish, jerk, she assured him, and it was good that he could at least be himself when he was with her, away from the horrid man.
Vincent retrieved his frock coat, slipped it on, and picked up Suzy's coat. Holding it open, he slipped her arms into it in a gentlemanly gesture. He then inspected his appearance in the glass of Suzy's door, fixing a bit of hair that had become crazed.
"And the night... is always young," he said, winking at Suzy and offering her his arm. They headed out the door for a night on the town, just to walk about, scoping out future Mr. and Mrs. Rights, talking, laughing, and stocking up on Vincent's favorite shade of lipstick. Vincent would forget his troubles for that night, and if it made him happy for those few hours, Suzy thought, it was worth any trouble it caused her.
