Rapunzel Untangled (7 page)

They exited back into the main living area. He stopped, looking around expectantly. “So, what’s upstairs?”

“Oh,” she said, surprised he’d care about such a small room. “Just my exercise room.”

“Cool. Can’t wait to see that.”

Rapunzel shrugged and led the way up the narrow set of winding stairs to the small room barely large enough to contain the stationary bike, weight machine, a treadmill, and a very small patch of floor where she could stretch.

“This is it?”

Rapunzel shrugged again. “Yeah. It’s all I need.” Fane looked at her oddly, eyes squinted, head cocked. “What?” she finally asked.

“This tower is huge, Rapunzel. You’re telling me that out of all the space available, this is your entire living area?”

She looked around her at the stone walls that completely enclosed the exercise room excepting the open doorway. “Well . . . yes. Why?”

“There are two stories below you, and three above you. If you’re stuck inside, why not give you all of it?”

Rapunzel was stunned. She’d known there were probably two stories below, but she had no idea there was that much above.

“Well, my mother has to have somewhere to live,” she said. “If she has those floors and the space I can see outside, it’s probably not that much more than I have.”
Well, except for the three stories above me that I didn’t know about
, she thought.

Fane just stared at her mutely for long moments. Finally, he said, “You really haven’t ever been outside your room, have you?” She shook her head, now feeling embarrassed. “Rapunzel, I read your house is like, twenty or twenty-five thousand square feet I think. How big is your room? Maybe one or two thousand of that? That leaves a
lot
of extra house for just your mother.”

Rapunzel’s mouth dropped. Her home was that large? She shook her head. He had to be exaggerating.

“Haven’t you ever been curious about what’s outside your room?”

She hadn’t questioned it, really. She’d always been told her life depended on staying in her rooms and hadn’t thought about what lay outside her door, knowing only it had the potential to be fatal to her.

“Haven’t you ever peeked outside your door, even?” he asked. When she just stared at him, he swept past her, grabbing her hand as he did so and half dragging her back to the living area. He didn’t stop until they were at the door, his hand placed on the knob. She watched his hand with a thrill of fear lighting her belly. “Shall we?” he said.

Swallowing over the lump in her throat, she nodded. He twisted the knob and—

Nothing. The door was locked.

“That’s weird,” Fane murmured. He tried twisting it again. “It doesn’t make sense,” Fane said, turning to face her. “Why would you need to be locked
in
? I mean, I can see why you might want to lock others
out
to keep yourself safe, but this . . .” He glanced at the door, trying the knob once again. “This is weird.”

Rapunzel tried to make sense of it. She knew her mother used a key each time she left, but she assumed it was only to let herself out. Which of course didn’t make any sense because then it would reason that Rapunzel would need a key as well. A thought struck her.

“Maybe there’s a key here,” she said.

Fane’s face lit. He began searching around the door, running his fingers across the top of the frame. Almost immediately Rapunzel knew it was futile. She kept the place clean—sterile, actually—and knew every nook and cranny. There wasn’t any place it could be that she wouldn’t have found it.

“Fane,” she said, tugging at his arm to pull him up from the carpet. “It’s no use. If there were a key here, I’d know it.”

“Hmm,” he grumbled, stumped in his exploration. Suddenly he grinned. “Got a screwdriver?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Why would I have one of those?”

Fane shrugged, thwarted in his determination. “Okay, how about some cards? I can teach you poker and corrupt your innocence.”

Rapunzel laughed. “Cards I have.”

They moved back toward the sofa, Fane veering toward the kitchen. “May I?” he said, indicating the bowl of apples on the counter.

“Of course,” she said, walking over to the fridge to get another apple to replace the one he removed from the bowl. She found her deck of cards and handed them to Fane, who watched her strangely as he bit into the apple. “Something wrong?” she asked.

“Uh . . . no.” He gave a small laugh and took the cards from the pack, shuffling them as they sat across the coffee table from one another. After discovering she didn’t have anything that satisfied Fane as usable for what he called “poker chips,” he decided to teach her a game called “Go Fish” instead.

When he finally deemed it time for him to go home, Rapunzel felt a deep disappointment. She’d had more fun than she’d expected. It was amazing to spend time with someone besides her mother. As he swung his leg over the window ledge, she quickly said, “If you want to come back . . . sometime . . . I could make us dinner.”

“That sounds good,” he said. “How about Sunday?”

Rapunzel’s heart soared at the thought of having him here again so soon. She was slightly disappointed at having to wait two days.

As he began climbing down the trellis, he suddenly popped his head back up over the ledge.

“Hey, Rapunzel?”

“Yes?”

“I knew you were hot.” He grinned. Rapunzel laughed, and he scaled down. She hurried to the window and watched him anxiously until his feet safely touched the ground below. She waved. He returned the gesture and jogged to the corner of the house. He turned back and she saw the gleam of his teeth in the darkness again before he disappeared around the corner.

 
^.*
*

Remind me to set you up on Skype tomorrow.

Rapunzel’s brows pulled together at his message.

Skype?

C’mon, you don’t know about Skype?

Uh . . .

We can talk by video rather than by text. Since there is no longer any secret about who you are or where you live, I’d rather talk to you face-to-face—even if it is virtually.

Rapunzel felt worry gnaw at her. While she also would prefer to look at Fane while she spoke to him, she worried about possible ramifications.

I’ll think about it.

What’s to think about? Seriously, Rapunzel, after I’ve seen your hotness in person, you want me to be content NOT seeing your face?

She knew he was just baiting her. Since he discovered how much it embarrassed her when he referred to her as hot, Fane went out of his way to do it as often as possible. She knew he didn’t mean anything real by it. Still, her heart jumped with excitement each time he did.

Do you think your false flattery can convince me? It’s a sad, pathetic attempt.

It would be if it didn’t work.

Rapunzel laughed.

You must think me a silly girl to fall for such shallow trickery.

You’re the least silly girl I know, although one of the most amusing at the same time. You’re an enigma. A HOT enigma.

Okay, change of subject, please.

I have something for you.

Oh? What?

Sorry, it’s a secret. I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you.

She stared at his words. Surely he was joking, but she didn’t know what to make of them.

Oh, man, sorry again. I forget you’re a pop-culture satire virgin. It’s a saying, usually found humorous and not meant seriously at all.

Oh. Okay. Well, that’s too bad because you could probably kill me with a kiss.

As soon as Rapunzel hit the send button, her hand flew to her mouth. Why did she write such a thing?

Is that an invitation?

Her hands shook as she saw Fane’s message. After a moment, she laughed. Of course he didn’t take her words seriously, nor did he mean his words to be serious.

You wish.

You have no idea. Promise me a kiss and I might tell you what I have for you.

As tempting as your offer is, I think I can manage to restrain my curiosity until tomorrow.

Buzzkill.

As Rapunzel puzzled over yet another strange phrase, he suddenly typed

So I just got a text from my friend I was supposed to hang out with tonight. There’s been a change of plans and suddenly I’m free. If you’re going to be home (hardy-har-har) I could come by tonight. If you don’t have any plans, that is.

She stared at the screen, her face lighting with a smile.

What is “hardy-har-har”?

Just a cheesy way to say “ha-ha.”

Oh. I was planning a trip to Paris, but I might be persuaded to put it off.

Paris is overrated anyway. Late notice so I’ll bring dinner.

How do you think you’re going to bring dinner, and my surprise, and still be able to climb my tower?

I have my ways . . . Be there at six?

Rapunzel looked at the clock. It was now 4:30. It could be 5:59 and it wouldn’t matter. It wasn’t like she had anything pressing or anywhere to be.

I’ll be here.

* * *

Rapunzel stood at the window, holding Angel in her hand. The little bird had returned for more seeds and more neck massaging. She was glad not only for the companionship of her friend, but also for the excuse to stand at the window and watch for Fane. It was nearly 6:15, and she tried not to believe she’d been stood up. She couldn’t stop the single tear escaping and landing on Angel. Angel shook the wetness free from her feathers, bringing a reluctant smile to Rapunzel’s face.

Suddenly Angel took flight with a high tweet. Rapunzel watched her downward flight until she disappeared around the corner of the house. A brilliant smile lit her face as she saw Fane’s dark head peek around that same corner. He looked left and right before glancing behind him. Finally his gaze found hers, and he lifted a hand in salutation.

He ran over to the bottom of the trellis and began his precarious climb, a lumpy bag on his back. He climbed over the windowsill with a grin, which she matched.

“Hey there, hottie,” he said.

Rapunzel couldn’t stop the blush infusing her cheeks, to which he responded with a laugh. Refusing to give him any further satisfaction, she responded, “Hey there, Fab.”

“Ah,” he said teasingly, “she finally understands my true nature.”

“You really like yourself, don’t you?”

“Yes. And so do you—don’t deny it.” His eyes sparkled with humor as he shrugged the bag off his shoulders.

“Is that what you brought me?” she asked, pointedly avoiding his question. “A bag to carry on my shoulders?”

“No, Rapunzel, I didn’t bring you a backpack. It’s what’s inside the backpack that counts.”

He strode into the kitchen area, Rapunzel following curiously. He set the bag on the counter and opened it, and she moved closer. He looked at her, suddenly stopping.

“Hey,” Fane said. “You braided your hair.”

“Yes,” she said, fingering it self-consciously.

He walked next to her, touching it, lifting the heavy mass from where the tip of it barely brushed the floor. “That must take a while to do, huh?”

“It’s not so bad,” she said. “I braid it most days. It makes it much easier to maneuver.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” he said. “How heavy is your hair?”

Rapunzel gathered the bulk of it up and laid it on his arms to join the small amount he held.

“Holy crap! That’s heavy. How in the world do you lug that around all day?”

“I’m used to it, I guess.”

“Doesn’t it give you a headache?”

“Sometimes.” She shrugged.

Fane released the hair slowly, not letting it drop in one move. He placed his hands on both sides of her neck. A funny feeling zoomed its way up her spine at his touch. His hands were gentle as his fingers kneaded her neck.

“Good neck muscles, huh?” he asked, releasing her. Rapunzel couldn’t answer, deeply affected by the sensations caused by his touch. Fane seemed unfazed, moving back toward his backpack. He pulled out a flat, greasy box. “The pizza’s probably a little smooshed from being sideways, but it’ll still taste good.” He pulled out a smaller package wrapped in foil. “Garlic bread,” he announced with a grin.

Rapunzel breathed in the intoxicating smell. She’d never tasted either pizza or garlic bread, but they smelled heavenly. She pulled two plates from the cabinet and set them on the counter. Fane opened the box and maneuvered the soggy mass back into a shape that somewhat resembled a circle. He placed a piece on each plate before unwrapping the foil and placing a piece of bread on each.

Rapunzel sat next to him and took her first bite of pizza. Her eyes widened as she glanced at Fane. A smile spread across her face as she quickly took two more bites, filling her mouth.

He laughed. “Like it?”

“Mm-hm,” she mumbled around another mouthful.

“Taste the bread,” he suggested.

She reluctantly set the pizza down and picked up the bread. Once again amazement lit her face.

“Fane,” she enthused. “That’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted!”

He grinned with satisfaction as she returned to devouring her treat. When she was full, she finished yet another slice of pizza and half a piece of garlic bread until she felt a little sick. It was worth it.

“Well,” Fane said, “I’m impressed at the amount of food you managed to pack into that small body. Most girls would eat a dainty amount and leave the table still hungry to impress me.”

Rapunzel turned horrified eyes on him. “I . . . I didn’t—”

Fane laughed and held up a hand. “Please, don’t apologize. It doesn’t impress me when they do that. I much prefer to see my money well spent on a hearty appetite.”

Rapunzel smiled uncertainly.