Looking Back

         Finnian slumps into the worn leather of his couch.  He had just gotten home and was tempted to throw his cellphone into the closest wall.  Just so that no one could call him to come in and fix something again.  He just wanted to sit back, put his feet up on the coffee table and watch mindless television before going upstairs and drifting into a dreamless sleep.

         He was doing just that, in fact, when his lovely wife, Evan, came in.  Not even acknowledging him with a simple hello she plopped herself down on the couch and laid down so her head was in his lap.  She looked up for a moment and gave him a cheeky smile before turning her hazel eyes to the flashing TV screen.

         Finnian sighed in silent resignation, he'd never had the will or the patience to fight with her about using him as a glorified pillow.  It's not like he really had a problem with it anyways.  His blue eyes stared down at her, idle fingers playing with long strands of red-brown hair; pushing it behind then pulling it out from behind her pointed left ear.  It was at that moment he remembered a time long ago when he first noticed that ear, first noticed that there was something different about Evan Decker, now Evan Wells.

         He was 17 and two months into his last year of high school when she made her first appearance into his life.  She had just transferred into his English class and, though he tried desperately to ignore her, he couldn't help but stare at her.  There was just something so strange about this new pale girl, who dressed like she was trying to decide between being a butch or a hipster.  There was something that just didn't look right.

         He found that not right about a third of the way into the class, when his eyes drifted from his page to her once again and he caught a glimpse of her flipping her hair.  It wasn't the hair flipping that was strange, no, it was the ear that the flip uncovered in the process.  Pointed and curved, it looked like the ear on the elfen mage of the RPG he was obsessed with never played.

         That was the first time Finnian noticed there was something different about Evan.

         The brunette laughed at his memory, causing his wife to raise an eyebrow though her eyes never left the screen.  Shaking his head, his fingers resumed their idle playing.  He began to drift into another memory.

         Evan had been in the school about a month now, and Finnian had yet to talk to her.  He wasn't too keen on talking to chicks, though he had had his fair share of girlfriends in the past.  No, he preferred the outrageous company of his band of misfits; most of whom could start conversations with the female population without having an awkward start.  Lucky for him he didn't have to start his first conversation with his future wife.  She did that herself.

         "You're smart, right?"

         Finnian blinked in surprise at the sound of her voice beside him.  He had been working away at the summative that was due in a week, when this creature (he was convinced she was not human) sat beside him and began to speak to him.  It was baffling to say the least.

         "That depends on what you want."  His face showed his confusion, lips turned down in a small frown.

         Evan smiled.  "I was wondering if you would be willing to partner with me for the science lab; the rest of our class are idiots, really..."

         He had almost forgot they were in the same class, and this was a perfect opportunity for him to study the creature up close!  Clearing his throat he smile back in his signature goofy way.  "Sure, but if we fail, you have to use your womanly charms to get us an A."

         Her smile widened.  "Selling a girl out to a pedophile is a sure fire way to get yourself a date, I'm sure."

         Finnian choked on his spit as she walked away.  Who said anything about a date?!

         The older man chuckled once again, causing his wife to sit up and look over at him accusingly. "What's so funny?!"

         The brunette smiled at her innocently.  "I was just thinking about our first conversation..."

         Evan smirked back at him.  "Thinking about how you choked after I said the word date, Finn?"

         Said man frowned at her teasing.  "You know, you should be nice to nerds."

         His pale wife shrugged.  "I married you didn't I?"

         From that sting on, Finnian decided he'd do his reminiscing alone.  That way his beautiful bride wouldn't be able to ruin his memories of her younger self.

         She was so much nicer back then...