Ring My Bell
Disclaimer: When I wrote this in 2009, PR still belonged to Disney, now Saban owns it back.
:: This is a story I did last year but never got around to finish. One year later, I rummaged through my hard drive and found it. I remembered I had a great time writing it. Hope you enjoy.
:: AU from Turbo. DT never happened and don't look for any 'Letter Talk'.
"What do you mean I'm not allowed to come?" Kim asked a bit incredulously. "Not only I'm your maid of honor, I'm also your wedding planner, as in the person who you trust to cater your every need in your big day? Don't forget the 20 percent discount I gave you, not to mention I managed to book the church you wanted. I swear the minister had come very close to betraying his principles. I think he was tempted to hit me with a candlestick. It was quite an argument we had. After all I've done for you, now you're telling me you don't want me there just because I'm going to show up alone?"
"Yes," Aisha answered tightly. "I need you and Tommy to be there."
"Oh he will be there," Kim assured, her voice taking on a colder tone when the name was brought up. "He won't miss it for anything in the world and besides, Rocky will personally hunt him down and kill him if he doesn't come. Tommy knows that Rocky still hates him just a little for not being included in the red ranger mission."
"Rocky doesn't hate him," Aisha clarified, knowing perfectly well the reason as to why her soon to be husband had missed the ranger action. Just a week before Andros called, Rocky was in a car accident that fractured his right leg. "As devastated it was for him to miss the adrenaline rush of morphing, he regretted more that he wasn't able to join the conversation concerning the oh-fearless-leader." Aisha giggled, having already been told about the red rangers' banter after the mission.
"Give me a break." Kim scowled. Although Jason had told her that he was simply having fun, his comment still offended her.
"I'm serious though, Kim. These petty arguments you've been having with Tommy are ridiculous and have to stop soon. If I didn't know any better, I would think your mood swings were due to the have-yet-to-be-conceived-baby inside you." Aisha pointed out, mildly joking.
"Very funny," Kim growled, partly because of Aisha's comment and because of the lack of public transportation around the venue, which was a bit unusual. She just finished an appointment with her accountant and while most their interactions were usually done over the phone, she sending papers to him and he taking care of things she didn't want to think about, today was different. "Damn, I can't find a cab."
"Excuse me?"
"Sorry, 'Sha, but I have an appointment with a client in," She glanced at her watch and flinched. "In less than half an hour and I can't find a single, damn taxi. The bride-to-be has got to be one of the most difficult clients I have ever had. She's due in a few short months and desperately wants a Christmas wedding. So instead of waiting until her baby is born, she just has to make me crazy, literally." Kim realized she wasn't being fair, but being a wedding planner really gave her the opportunity to meet many kind of people with differing quirks.
"She just moved to Angel Grove 4 months ago and has already hated everything about it. The car horns blowing, the chirping mockingbird in the tree beside her bedroom and she even claimed that people in here were looking at her funny. She gave me 3 pages of irrational and unreasonable complaints, which I took in great detail obviously, being a professional and all. But seriously, she makes me wish I still had my Power Bow," Kim was more than out of breath after she finished her rant but still had the strength to add, "I mentioned no name, by the way."
"Take a deep breath and count down from ten to one," Aisha kindly suggested. "You have my deepest sympathy, but I never knew you were into violence."
"I'm not. And before you preach me with anything, that's me, Kim, the ex-chick wearing spandex, former cheerleader and Angel Grove High president speaking and not the Kimberly Ann Hart just the way it's printed in my business card."
When she decided to do a drastic career changes 2 years ago, she would have never thought that being a wedding planner would mean more hectic schedules and less sleep time. It required hard work, lots of negotiation skills, excellent networking, and creativity. And of course, there were times when she had to miss yet another episode of House just to calm the groom's father flaring temper caused by unreasonable demands from the bride's mother.
"Okay, whatever makes you happy, girlfriend."
"TAXI!" Kim hailed, waving frantically and painfully running in her four inch heels when a taxi turned around the corner. The open toe sling back was new and it honestly hurt her feet, but she wore it nonetheless, all in the name of fashion. They're cute and matched her dress, therefore she's willing to suffer as long as she had to. The saying that beauty is pain was totally not some non-sense crap. "Sorry, 'Sha, gotta hang up now. I'll call you later okay."
"Alright, but I really, really hope that you and Tommy are there, as a couple and not some old-,"
"Aisha Campbell!" Kim scolded, barely paying attention to what the former yellow ranger was saying. The cab had stopped on the side of the road.
"Oh, alright, alright. I will definitely talk to you again later." Aisha sighed with a slight defeated tone but with enough stress in her voice to let Kim know that the conversation wasn't really over.
Kim flipped the cell phone closed, threw it inside her bag and jogged to the taxi. 26 minutes away from receiving Miss Six Months endless outburst. Hopefully, the taxi driver wouldn't drive 40 kilometers per hour like an old little lady and if he by chanced possessed half of Tommy's driving skill, then bless him. As much as Tommy was not her most favorite person at the moment, he was a great driver, she had to admit that much. Not so surprising, recalling his long past ranger and non-ranger background.
She reached for the handle but another hand grabbed it two seconds faster.
Speak of the devil.
"It's my taxi," Kim breathed, one hand on her slim hip. "I saw it first."
He still hadn't relinquished his hold on the handle. If he was as surprised as she was, his calm demeanor didn't say anything about it. "Not even a hello? But oh well, the taxi is mine," He said and even had the nerve to add an additional wink. In spite of his playful attempt to break the ice, Tommy looked like a mess. His appearance gave the impression that he had gone to bed fully clothed yesterday and didn't bother to change and clean up after he woke up this morning.
"Tommy," Kim felt her patience going down the drain. "I need to be someplace as soon as possible."
"That should be my line. I'm almost late for a meeting." He explained, his lips forming a charming pout. Kim could almost crack a joke about the infamous Oliver tardiness syndrome if only she wasn't distracted by the sight of the sling supporting his right arm. Her eyes soften into a concerned gaze at the thought of him getting hurt, and she sure had bawled her eyes out when she found out about the shooting a week ago on television. They might be constantly having problems, but he's still very much an important aspect of her life.
Kim shot him a cynical look. "Look, you don't want me to hurt your other arm. Where's your car anyway?" Normally Tommy and his car were extraordinarily inseparable.
"You love me too much to do that." Was his cheeky reply. God, she couldn't believe she had missed his twisted sense of humor.
Without another word, Kim brushed passed Tommy and tapped the driver's window to get his attention. It rolled down, revealing a plump face of a Hispanic middle age guy with huge black Hercule Poirot mustache and a tilted red beret. He looked uninterested, bored even.
"Let me tell you, I'm not interested in watching more of your lovers quarrel," He said slowly, dragging his words. "El tiempo es dinero. Time is money, sweetheart."
"Who said anything about lovers? I need you to tell this man over here that you stopped for me," She demanded, cocking her head at Tommy's direction. "Tell him so he could shut up and mind his own business."
"Look, I'll be honest here," The man answered, leaning his arm over the window. "I saw him waving," Kim was ready to slap the smug smirk off Tommy's face. "But I also saw you hailing me from the rear-view mirror. Qué coincidencia. You should do a coin toss."
"Did that answer your question?"
"Come on, I'll pay you more." Kim insisted, opting to ignore Tommy's bravado smile.
"Playing dirty, aren't you, Kimberly. Too bad I didn't bring my cuffs with me." Tommy went on, the implication wasn't missed by her.
Memories of their nights together quickly invaded and nearly overcame her tender mind. It was such a dangerous territory to delve in at the moment. Wrong time, wrong place. With more willpower that she thought she had, she shook the imaginary away. "Seriously, I'm late. If you could take me to Chicken and Egg in 10 minutes, I'll give you 40 bucks."
"And where are you heading, muchacho?" The taxi driver looked at Tommy.
"The Claymore Building, Jackson Blvd?"
The taxi driver leaned back and crossed his big arms over his chest, taking a few seconds to ponder the options. For some odd reasons she couldn't explain, she was convinced that he's only putting up an act. "Yeah well, it's such a busy hour, querida, and even though I'm highly confident I could take you there within 10 minutes, 40 bucks won't be enough for the stamina and intelligence I'd be using 'cos let me tell ya, I know all the shortcuts. I also happen to know that there's a road block in 1700 South 42nd so it will take longer to reach your building. I hate traffic, you know, es muy molesto. So I might have to take this lady's offer for 80." The man finished and leered at Kim, showing a golden tooth right in the middle of the smile.
"Deal," Kim quickly agreed and grabbed the door handle, getting ready to climb in but not before flashing Tommy a smile that was too dangerously sweet to be taken seriously. "I guess I should say that it was nice meeting you, Tommy, and I truly hope you get another cab soon. Have a great day."
"I'll pay you 100 bucks." Tommy rushed out, unwilling to be outbid that easily by the short brunette standing beside him. At the proposition, the taxi driver eyed him with new interest.
"Look, I can't afford to lose this job," Kim hissed, inching her face closer to his until their noses only centimeters apart. Her shoes had effectively made her a few inches taller and she jabbed her slender fingers onto his chest to emphasize her point. "Don't you think it was enough for you to cause me so much trouble once? Or you just feel like you have to do an encore?"
His jaw tightened. "Please don't go there, not now."
"Then back off." Kim said, resolutely and ultimately.
"Kim, let's call it truce, okay? As much as you need to be somewhere right now, so do I. Let's share the cab, it's not like our destinations located in the opposite side of the town," Tommy suggested after observing the road once again. It was unusually dead. "You don't even have to acknowledge that I'm there sitting with you."
It might be the sling on his arm that made Tommy looked like a Vietnam veteran or it could easily be his imploring dark eyes, Kim wasn't quite sure, but she found herself slowly nodding. "Fine. Whatever. Get in."
Glancing at her watch for probably the umpteenth time, Kim had to hold back the heavy sigh that threatened to escape her lips. Why did time seem to move in slow motion whenever you desperately wanted something to pass by quickly? It felt like they had been moving for hours while in truth only a few minutes had passed. Somehow she even had a weird déjà vu feeling that this was the second time they drove passed the new warehouse.
Wait, no, they had been there before, Kim noticed and sat a bit straighter. She knew for sure because there was a couple sitting on a public bench, locking lips as if there would be no tomorrow, which had made her question herself either that's just a rather odd looking couple fooling around or the guy who looked around 19 suffered a pretty severe Oedipus complex. Two months ago she would simply nudge Tommy and give him a meaningful glance. But of course, two months ago they weren't in a not speaking term. As a result she decided to redirect her emotion towards the taxi driver.
"I recalled we were here 5 minutes ago," Kim said, her voice raising a notch. "Which part of 'I need to get there as soon as possible' that you didn't understand?"
"The traffic lights in Monroe Avenue acts up so there has been a change of direction." Diego nonchalantly answered, tipping his beret.
"Give him a break, Kim. It's been a long day for all of us." Tommy quietly said from his corner, finally showing signs of his presence. It surprised her that he actually lasted that long.
"And I also recalled that you said you were so late that you almost got your ass handed to you," Kim snapped, feeling hotter by the second. "If you're not as busy as you had claimed, you probably should just get out of the car and look for another ride."
"Because I have made myself comfortable, that's why." Tommy replied with ease, his eyes were glinting with mischief. Of course he knew that she knew when he's getting to her nerves.
"You're such a pathetic excuse of a man." Kim retorted back, soft brown eyes glaring at his darker ones. As expected, her harsh words only served to fuel his amusement even more.
"Why are you so rushed anyway?" Tommy asked again, making another attempt to be civil. Still, she was not in the mood to be friendly with Tommy, not there in front of a snooping and equally annoying taxi driver named Diego.
"Weren't you the one who said you're really okay with me acting as though you're not here?"
Tommy shrugged his unwounded shoulder. "I was just being polite to save my ass."
"You're so impossible."
"You're the one saying."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing."
"A word of advice from me: get out of the taxi, come to the first car that catches your eyes, show your polished, shiny, badge off and I'm sure they will be more than happy to be of assistance in helping you serving your country," Kim crossed her legs, unaware of the way the movement had made her dress ride up her thighs and Tommy's staring eyes. "That will definitely save both us of us less trouble."
"Come on, move your ass off! Tirate a un poso!"
A series of Spanish swears coming from Diego grabbed her attention and it was then did Kim realize that they had stopped moving altogether. Panic quickly gripped her heart and for a moment, being in a same car with Tommy seemed to be a little bearable. "Why are we stopping? We're not moving. Why did you stop? Did we run out of gas or-," She bit her tongue. It would be a whole lot better if that was the case. Kim scooted forward and contemplated a smack to his head. The knot in her stomach had turned into a full bowling ball. "You've got to be kidding me, you said you knew all the secret passages and shortcuts and look where you got us!"
They were trapped in the middle of a heavy traffic and everyone was honking as if that could miraculously wipe the street clean. The situation was almost chaotic, seeing how so many vehicles were sprawling all over the street. Getting out of the car was no longer an option because there wasn't enough space for someone as small as her to slip out, let alone 5'8'' Tommy Oliver.
"Man, I miss the good ole days when all there were around here were cows, farms and yet another group of cows. People nowadays are too full of themselves. Folks around here used to be eager to forge new friendships and reestablish some old ones, now my son doesn't even know who our neighbors are." Diego mumbled, more to himself than to the two people sitting in the backseat. "Crazy."
"You can miss your cows as much as you want, but there's no way I'm giving you your money, buddy." Kim vowed before sinking back in her seat. She could relate to the flush of nostalgia all too well. Such a shame, but her old small hometown had surely grown to yet another overpopulated city.
"Who the hell care? Your guy has already offered a hundred." Diego responded casually, not supplying any help at all by putting more and more oil into the fire. In spite of the hot weather outside and mildly working air conditioner, he was putting on his jacket. For a second Kim was tempted to zip his jacket all the way up. Death by suffocation would be a perfectly reasonable excuse when they found him sitting still in the abandoned taxi, alone. It would be like murder in a closed room. Too bad she had no access to the wonder of teleportation anymore.
"You really want me to do some ass kicking, don't you?"
"Geez, Kim, chill down. PMS-ing much?" That was Tommy. His long legs were stretched out and she could see a green and navy blue socks peeking from beneath his pant legs. If only the situation had been different, it would have been amusing, funny even.
Kimberly massaged the bridge of her nose, completely aware that she was overreacting yet still couldn't really shake the desire to chop both men's heads off. The terribly hot weather, the constant impatient honks, the fact that she was almost behind schedule and that she was crammed in a public transportation with someone she really didn't want to meet, had started to take a toll on her. That and her pumps were sorely killing her feet.
She looked down at her watch again, the clock seemed to be vigorously ticking faster than usual now. At last she simply sat back and leaned her head to rest on the window. Come what may. "Can we please, not talk?"
"The last time we talked I ended up being kicked out of your apartment. You're gonna kick me out of the taxi now?"
Apparently it was such a difficult task for the former multicolored ranger to let her be. And her feet still hurt. She wanted nothing more than to kick her shoes off and wiggle her toes, giving them room to breath, but she recognized the smirk on Tommy's face all too well. It was sort of a habit she had developed since high school and Tommy knew that. Normally, she would have no problems swinging her aching feet onto his lap and allowing his hands to do some magic just like she had done numerous times before, but it was definitely forbidden now.
She turned her head slightly to look at him and regretted it instantly. He still had the power to take her breath away by simply being around. As much as she missed to run her fingers through his long locks, his other assets surely generously compensated for the loss. "You had no trouble piloting humongous, massive vehicles without getting killed, yet you can't fulfill my simple request to leave me alone? That's kind of sad."
"You're a pilot?" Diego quipped, looking back through the rear-view mirror with genuine interest. "Or you're with the Air Force?"
"Actually, he's a cop," Kim kindly filled in. "So unless you want him to shoot you with his .45, please pay attention to the road."
It prompted Diego to turn around and throw Kim a dirty look. "Can you have her arrested for verbal assault?" He asked Tommy.
"Well, it will be a pleasure to put her on handcuffs and ask her to come with me," Tommy said with a chuckle and it was almost physically impossible for Kim to put on a straight face. It's hard to believe that he dared to crack a joke like that in front of Diego and furthermore, when he's not even supposed to say a single word to her. "No pun intended." He finish, his smile implying otherwise.
"That's cute, Tommy."
He shrugged and turned sideways to get a better look at her. She simply turned her head and chose to gaze out of the window. "So… how's life been treating you?"
"Well, since I don't have two men in uniforms following me around like it used to, my life has been a blast." Kim answered, glancing away when the guy in a black sedan next to the taxi caught her eyes and shot her a playful wink.
"Let's do what we should've been doing months ago."
"Which is what?"
Tommy sighed as though she just asked him something that should have been obvious to her. "Talk, Kim. Adults talk and don't keep running away from whatever bothering them," Tommy gave her a slight grin. "Or in our case, you should stop running away and avoiding me."
"Do you seriously want to talk here?" Her hand made a gesture towards the man behind the wheel. Diego had opened today's paper and looked feverishly engrossed in the sports section, but she knew his ears were on alert.
"It doesn't seem like both of us are going anywhere anytime soon, so why not?"
Kim reverted her gaze back to Tommy's brown orbs. His arm was resting on the back of the chair, his fingers were so close from grazing her bare shoulder. His warmth emanated so intensely and her body trembled. "I never said I was avoiding you. I just said we needed some time apart because I really couldn't look at you and not remember what you had done."
Tommy shook his head, a sad smile tugging at one corner of his lips. "Same old Kim. Why am I not surprised."
Kim's eyes hardened as she fought to maintain some sense of calm. "What?"
"Why can't you just answer the damn question and stop running away from it?"
"If you couldn't even tell how I felt, then we probably shouldn't have been together at the first place. Sheesh, it's not like we just met yesterday." Kim crossed her arms tightly against her chest, her lips pressing together to a thin line.
Tommy rubbed his face in frustration. "I have apologized, what else do you want me to do?"
"I told you to stop being a white knight in a shining armor, but of course, that request was so hard for the Legend to comprehend, wasn't it?"
"You know that there was actually a study about why men don't listen to what your kind says and it's simply because your voices tend to be like a melody." Diego provided, cutting in smoothly from behind the newspaper.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear you." Kim warned, keeping her eyes locked to Tommy who looked visibly pleased with the intermezzo. Perhaps she was wrong; being a taxi driver would give anyone a better chance of seeing and hearing lots of fascinating stuff, meeting people with unique traits.
"I only gave you my two cents, and trust me, that was printed in a psychology magazine a while back," Diego said, his smile hiding underneath the thick mustache. "I have no interest to meddle in."
Three months ago all of a sudden a group of guys in black uniforms brutally and viciously broke into her apartment when she was having an important meeting with a client and a sponsor. Two armed officers broke through the front door and told them to 'drop their guns and raise their hands in the air'. The whole set up was just like in the movies and cop shows, only that was worse since she'd got to be in it.
Five seconds later, the father of the bride had a heart attack relapse and in five minutes was on his way to the hospital. The future bride was so furious and it wasn't long before she started accusing Kim of being a dangerous, mentally unstable wicked witch from the West that should have had a warning label on her back. Unwilling to listen to any explanation, the woman immediately said that she would refer the situation to the Court, which fortunately never happened.
At the end it turned out that everything was simply a stupid misunderstanding, though Kim had also learnt that Detective Oliver was apparently the head of the operation. After several weeks of no contact, Tommy Oliver had made an unforgettable comeback. Not only did she lose her face and dignity in front of her clients, her antique grandfather clock was now history. It had been truly chaotic and he wasn't even *there*.
It wasn't until 36 hours later that a phone call from Tommy came, which she never picked up. Good for her and Tommy, the blunder didn't make into the paper although there was a small section about that in Wedding Magazine, effectively branding 'Kimberly Hart' as a bad omen. For the following months, Kim was left practically jobless that she had even considered taking a job at the McDonalds.
The next day, Lieutenant Brandon Cabot paid her a visit. Standing in her front door, drenching the mat she just brought from IKEA, he shamefully explained that he had taken over the case while Tommy had been hospitalized due to a ruptured appendix. The news startled her, she had no idea whatsoever about Tommy being in a hospital, but she stayed her ground.
Cabot had also said that he got it from a good source that a certain woman had been circulating a chain letter resembling the one similar with Gemini's, a serial rapist that had been cold-bloodedly wandering around, raping and murdering both female and male in several states. The victims were completely random, but the MO was the same. Gemini would make Ted Bundy one hell of a proud mentor.
Eager as a beaver, the young and new promoted lieutenant had taken immediate action without bothering to report first. If he had, Tommy would have told him that he had personally asked 'that certain woman' to deliver a copy of several letters to be examined further by another genius old friend of his, Billy Cranston. Cabot had got what he deserved, but the damage had been done and it was irreversible.
When they were seeing each other, Tommy was scheduled to be in Atlanta when the team got a new break. Kim had offered herself to be his messenger. Being as smart as he was, Billy had developed a new system that not even the 'CSI' forensics in his office could match. He had been diligently following the case since day one and with his psychology background backing him up, Tommy had thought that he could use a second opinion.
Saying that Kim was enraged would be the understatement of the century.
Adding salt into the wound, Tommy had ordered a couple of his guys to follow her around, making sure that she was unharmed. While the false ambush never reached the papers, he was still concerned that the news had somehow been spread out. If only those agents could have camouflaged themselves better, she might not have noticed.
Tommy was a sweetheart but the concern was severely misplaced. It was an insult when he refused to pull them out even after she had pick up the phone and call him. She had been a ranger first, damnit, and she was more than capable of taking care of herself. After three weeks, he finally left a message on her answering machine, saying that she wouldn't have to worry about 'the guys on steroids' anymore.
"I'm sorry." Tommy said softly.
"Apology accepted." She replied tightly, feeling grateful that he'd never even once pointed that if she hadn't forced him to give the letters to her, he wouldn't have done so. Tommy had immediately turned her offer down, unwilling to create any involvement between Kim and the case, which was indisputably dangerous. Still, she wouldn't be Kimberly Hart if she couldn't talk him to let her do it. But as everyone said, curiosity killed the cat.
"Then why you're still treating me like some sort of a criminal?" His tone was teasing now but his eyes were clouded over.
"You're forgiven, but I'm still not talking to you." She glanced sideways, watching as the car slowly crawling forward. It was nothing significant, but definitely an improvement.
"You hate me?"
"Possibly."
"That's fine. Love and hate originated from the same place, so this kind of situation does happen sometimes."
I can't undo what's been done
When the web's already spun
I got caught up in desire
No matter what I say
I can't make it go away
The trouble's just begun
Can't undo what's been done
"Very funny, Diego." Kim narrowed her eyes, glaring at the taxi driver who's clearly having the time of his life while in the same time was thinking of batting him up with her shoe. It was no hardship saying goodbye to the shoes where Diego was concerned.
"Dixie Chicks. Good song, don't you think? Oh, when I get home there will be hell to pay. I wish there was a way to ease the pain…." Having not blessed with a decent singing voice, it didn't stop him from singing along.
Rolling her eyes, Kim huddled close to the door. She didn't understand why she couldn't let go. Tommy had apologized so many times for being reckless and uninformative, and Cabot had come with a sincere apology—at least before she slammed the door right in front of his nose. She didn't have to pay a cent for the apartment renovation and the business was running well now; she was fully booked for the next 2 months. Life was good. Then why? The big W-H-Y was glaring like a neon sign. However, she was distracted out of her train of thoughts when the song ended abruptly and a new one started, instantly filling the silence.
I know somebody and they cry for you.
They lie awake at night and dream of you.
I bet you never even know they do, but somebody's crying.
I know somebody and they called your name.
A million times and still you never came.
Sitting beside her, Tommy was masking his laughter with an unsuccessful cough. It's such a shame that Tommy had left his firearm or she would have resorted to hard tactical.
"Sing along! It's Chris Isaak. He's one of the best." Diego pointed at the CD player, grinning like a little kid.
Tommy reached out his hand and held hers in a tight grip. It had been so long and as much as she wanted to lose herself in the sensation of his skin on hers… "Look, Kim, I know I messed up big time-,"
"Define messed up." She demanded yet didn't make any real efforts to pull her hand away.
"I shouldn't have used work as excuses not to keep in touch more," He began, his thumb stroking the top of her hand. "And I should have told my people about that little help you're doing for me. I had no intention for any of this to happen. I know that you'd had quite of hard time dealing with it, losing clients, their trust."
"I'm not upset that you're busy being out there and trying to bust some psycho bastards. All I need is something to assure me that you're still breathing, alive and kicking some ass with that cocky smile on your face." Kim replied softly, recalling some restless nights she had had.
There's nothing worse than not knowing, especially when your loved one seemed not to be able to let go of the heroic life and just had to satisfy his Messiah Complex by fighting the real bad guys. It's one thing to be a Power Ranger and fight evil monsters in daily basis, but dealing with people with a streak of insanity in them was another. The thought that your own kind was cruel enough to commit such atrocious crime was beyond her.
"I know you're sorry. You told me that countless times already." Perhaps she should just follow her heart instead of her head now. She had missed him, his laughter, his kisses, his arms around her, even that silly joke of his. Most of all she missed someone she could confide in anytime, anywhere. Sure, he wasn't conveniently available 24/7 and had a few times gone MIA, but he always made sure to give her a call whenever he could.
"I gave you the time you wanted, Kim. Three whole months. Don't you think it's time to face reality one more time?" His brushed his fingers on the side of her face, caressing her cheek gently and she felt her pulse quicken. She didn't even realize that he had scooted closer. "I miss you, Beautiful."
She studied his face. Tommy hadn't been taking good care of himself. He had lost a few pounds—most likely from skipping lunch and dinner when he's too absorbed with his job- and the three day old stubble on his face was enough evident for her. He looked tired and disheveled, which was hardly surprising given the circumstances, but it still broke her heart.
"I'm sorry too," Kim murmured as she gently brushed her fingers along his cast. "If I hadn't been so persistent, none of this would have happened." He was manly enough to admit his fault which wasn't entirely his to blame, it was only fair if she did the same.
"Persistent? Try stubborn." His remark was rewarded by a light smack on his chest. Without saying anything, he lifted her chin up. She could feel his warm breath fanning her face and it seemed like every cell of her body was screaming for her to grab him and kiss him. Finding no resistance in her eyes, he closed the distance and God, it felt so good.
Their lips were moving in a timeless rhythm as they indulged in a passionate kiss that was weeks overdue. Kissing Tommy had always been a blessing and as he cupped the back of her head to angle her head and kiss her deeper, Kimberly was a goner. Just like that he had swept her off her feet and she had no intention of going back to the earth. The emotional wound started to heal itself and it didn't even register in her mind that they were not exactly alone.
She broke the kiss moments later, their hot breaths still mingling. "You stole that kiss."
"We can chalk this as one of the crazy things that we Tommy Oliver and Kimberly Hart cannot escape from. Being the original power couple does have its side effects." Tommy said with his infamous lop-sided grin. "So what do you say, Beautiful?"
"Come on, Lady! Just say yes already!" Diego interrupted the moment, his patience growing thin. "What do you want him to do, huh? Buy you a freaking Eiffel Tower? You want me to play another song? Just tell me 'cos I know an exact song for women like you."
Kim leaned her forehead against Tommy's shoulder, feeling his body shake with muffled laughter. "Could you please do something about him? He's been assaulting my eardrums and privacy." She said, her whisper getting louder so Diego wouldn't miss the message.
"You're in my taxi, Chica. Don't forget about that." Diego reminded before turning his attention back to the road, looking satisfied. She wondered just what kind of dramas he had witnessed over the years he had been working as a taxi cab driver.
"Diego, make a right turn at the front and get us to Angel Bluffs Apartment." Tommy directed as he pulled her closer, tucking her to his side. After being separated for a while, he felt the need to touch her almost constantly.
"What? Tommy, I really don't have time for… for whatever you're planning." Kim said exasperatedly, knowing full well what he had in mind. His body language said it all and as much as she wanted to ravage every inch of his life, she had a job to tend to. "And didn't you say you're almost late for a meeting?"
Tommy simply gave her a sheepish smile. It didn't take long for Kim to connect the dots and her eyes went saucer as the realization dawned in. "You dupe! You don't have any meetings, you were following me, weren't you? How long exactly have you been following me?"
"Not following, just creating some distance from you," Tommy answered. "And I'm not some kind of a stalker. I just happened to see you get out of your apartment when I wanted to drop by." He shushed her from voicing anymore complaints by kissing her gently. When he let her go, he asked, "How big is this client of yours?"
"Well, big, and not just literally because she's six month pregnant," She couldn't help to say. "But she would turn my life to a living hell if I bailed out at the last minute."
"Tell her that one of the agents needs your assistance about something, an important case," Tommy suggested with a naughty grin that was difficult to miss. "And no worries, you will have an even more bigger wedding to take care of soon."
Kim blinked. Did he just insinuate…
Oh yes, he totally did.
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Song used: Desire – Dixie Chicks and Somebody's Crying by Chris Isaak.