Giving In
He opened the apartment door and put the small bag on the kitchen counter. He was well pleased with himself. It had taken him a month to track down the song but now he had a copy. He prepared and ate dinner in silence, his eyes darting constantly to the package he'd bought. Then he heard it – the opening strains of the song that had been kicking around his head for the last six weeks. He finished his coffee and headed out scooping up his prize on the way.
--------------------------------------------
He watched her from the shadows of the rooftop as she finished the haunting tune. She looked too young to feel such sorrow and yet she played with such a strong passion that he was powerless to turn away. He watched her pack the instrument away before stepping forward to carry it for her. They walked in silence to her 14th floor apartment. He waited patiently as she locked the bulky case in the hall closet before they walked hand in hand to the bedroom. He smiled as he remembered his first night with her. He had panicked when she'd pushed him into the room and locked the door. He'd had just enough time to see the windows were barred and think of his gun in the nightstand at home when she'd returned in a pink cotton nightshirt with rabbits and 'make me late for work' printed on it. She'd pushed him down on the bed and then curled up next to him with her head on his chest. By the time he'd realized that was it she'd fallen fast asleep. Then, after scolding himself for being stupid enough to think she was capable of hurting him, so had he. He also remembered the look on Stella's face when he'd turned up to work the next day … unshaven, wearing the same clothes he'd worn the day before and five hours late.
She sat him on the edge of the bed and turned to leave. He caught her hand and turned her back again. She didn't pull away. He gently brushed his lips against hers. She responded immediately, increasing the intensity of his kiss while fighting to release the buttons of his shirt. This time, when he fell back onto the bed she fell with him.
He awoke slowly and looked at the bedside clock. 11A.M and he was supposed to have been at work at 8. He looked at the rumpled mess his clothes consisted of and groaned. He couldn't be bothered retrieving them off the floor and he definitely couldn't go to work as he was. He reached for the phone.
"Bonasera."
"Stella, it's Mac. I'm not coming in today."
"You not feeling well Mac?"
A small hand reached across and took the receiver out of his hand.
"There's absolutely nothing wrong with the way he feels." As she hung up he heard Stella laugh. He frowned.
"Do you know what you've just done?"
"No." she shook her head and then looked at him mischievously, "But I know what I wanna do!"