A Cheesy Romance

All right, let's talk about the mac and cheese scene. I wrote it days ago, but I haven’t really done anything interesting since then. I had zero intention of sharing it, because while it's completely innocent, it sounds like poorly written erotica. And that's how it was supposed to sound, so I don't know what my problem is.

Anyway, in a previous scene, Martin mentions his ability to make "a wicked macaroni and cheese," and there is talk about he should make it for Rachael at some point in the future. Where we're going to pick up is at the end of one scene and the beginning of another. The * * * denotes a scene change, like a chapter break for stories too short to have chapters.

“In the meantime, I think you owe me something.”

* * *

“Oh god, that’s good,” she moaned.

“You want more?” he asked from beside her on the bed.

“God, yes!”

He held the dish of macaroni closer to her so that she could take another spoonful. She took the entire dish and held it in her cross-legged lap. At the foot of the bed, some cheesy action movie from the 80’s played on basic cable.

In my mind, this is a whole mental movie, and this scene would be presented as only audio, perhaps from out in the hallway. Then it switches to the room and you realize nothing's actually going on. And by the way, I don't think the pun of the mac and cheese and the cheesy movie was intentional.

This scene immediately leads into a discussion about Buddhism, because, I don't know, these things happen. But it has some of my favorite lines in it, and I think perfectly conveys my attempt to be romantic.

“Well, they’ve got this whole thing were you should only do right and speak right, and fuck, I’m just no good at that. I don’t have that kind of self-control.”

She handed the macaroni bowl back to him. “I think you’re doing all right.”

“Well, I am making an attempt to be a gentleman. But that only goes so far. I can only say maybe three sentences without swearing. I’m a mess. A fucking weed in a garden of whatever.”

She tried to hold back a smile. “A garden?”

“Yeah. And you’re a rose… bush? I’m shit at all this.”

Honestly, I thought this whole trying to write a romantic subplot thing was going to be a mess, but I'm actually having a lot of fun with it. I am, however, concerned that now that I've broken the dam, so to speak, I'm going to put romance in everything. I'm fairly certain I don't want to do that.

What do you think, readers? Does romance ruin a perfectly good story? Or is a story only good if there's a potential for getting it on?

When we return next week, Camp NaNo will be over, but I have something in mind. A blast from the past, if you will. Stay tuned.