Different RPs

Rana leaned against her bedroom door, trying to control the pounding in her heart. What was she going to do? She seriously had a crush on him...There was no mistaking it now.

James got home and let himself inside, closing and locking the door behind him. He took his shirt off and hung it in the closet instead of his usual throwing it on the floor. His pants joined the pile on the floor and soon he was in the shower singing softly to himself as he cleaned up. Once he was clean he dried himself and changed until he was fully ready then looked at his watch and realized he still had a good half hour. He pulled his phone and dialed his mother. "Mum?" he said when she answered.

"Son?" she replied, smiling. "Rana seems like such a nice girl!"

Rana finally moved and showered and slipped into a pretty dress, still white. "Soon," she swore. She missed wearing color.

"She's wonderful, mum." He paused. "Mum, how do you know when you love someone?"

Alana was shocked at the question. "When they are on your mind, every moment...when youd do anything just to see them smile...where you would risk everything for them, and not expect anything back...where every moment apart causes so much pain and you want to be with them...near them all the time...." Shed paused. "Son? Are you in love?" she asked carefully. James had showed her girls before, but had never asked her this question.

James sank down onto his couch mentally checking off the things she'd just said. When he got to the last one and had said yes to all of them he finally responded. "I think so, mum, but, mum, she's not ready. I couldn't tell you earlier because she was right there. Did Vince tell you about her at all?"

"Well, this is wonderful! My son has finally fallen for a girl." She paused. "No he hasn't son? Is there something wrong?

Why would she not be ready? Ready for what?"

"Her father just was killed in a car crash and her mother died when she was young. She's still in mourning. I asked Vince to give her a grant of ten thousand so she can stay in school. Would you believe the school canceled her scholarship because she went to India for her father's funeral and missed too many classes? Her grades are almost perfect. She said there's no will and that's odd. Vince investigated, mum, he doesn't think it was an accident." James felt like a load was being lifted off his shoulders, sharing this information with her.

Alanna gasped. "The poor child...no parents...does she have any family at all....they cancelled her scholarship? That is ridiculous."

She listened on. "Murdered?! Oh honey...she must be hurting so much."

"There's no one," James said in almost a whisper. "I didn't tell Vince, but the first time I saw her was by our mailboxes. She'd gotten a package and had collapsed in tears. I picked up her letters and gave them to her and she ran off. Then she was a model in art class. She was doing that for the money. Mum, I don't think I can tell her while she's in mourning. She may think I'm using her...does that make sense?"

"Just be gentle I guess and be a friend....let things develop/...thats all I can suggest for now."

"We're going to a movie in a little bit. A disney one. I think that should be alright. I just wanted to let you know what's going on and so you don't say something wrong without meaning to at dinner. She cries so easily." He stood and went to his closet touching the shirt he'd worn and that she'd fallen asleep against.

"Yes..thank you for telling me...aND YOU NEVER know...she may have feelings too..."

"Are you close to your fax machine?" James asked out of nowhere. He'd had an idea and wanted to show her. "I don't have long so if you aren't I'll send it later."

"Yes son, I am actually."

"Okay, I'll send a picture, hold on." He moved to where he kept drawings of Rana and found one of her giving a smile just after she'd been crying. It really captured how he felt Rana would be and he sent it through. "There, I've sent it. She's wonderful, mum. I need to go though. I'll see you at dinner, okay?"

"Okay...I'll see you at dinner. She got it from the fax. "She is just gorgeous, son."

James grinned. "Love you!" he hung up the phone and moved outside, locked his door and sprinted to Rana's house getting there about a minute before eleven. He knocked on the door.