The Almost One Night Stand.
Mary-Margaret smiled, she had finally done it. She had accepted a date. And as she stood staring at her reflection in the mirror she felt whole again. The emptiness that she had been feeling lately had engulfed her every waking moment. But tonight was going to be different she could feel it.
The dress HAD to be perfect. She was more than a little out of practice with the romance part of her life the only love life she had had for the last year was with her students at the school. She had chosen a crimson lace dress with an open back to try and get an extra edge. Edge? Oh jesus she sounded like it was a fight to the death. Almost felt like it as well.
She twirled around in it like she was a child again trying on a dress for the first time, letting the breeze rush up and down her until she felt light-headed and fell onto the edge of her bed. The heels she had particulary picked out were just right for the dress and as she belt down to buckle them up, a familiar buzzing sound came from behind her. Gingerly she picked it up and placed it in-between her collarbone and ear, trying desperately to balance it and failing miserably.
"Hello, Mary-Margaret. It's me. Dr Whale?" the voice on the other line says. "Just wondering if you were still on for tonight?" he questioned. Mary-Margaret chuckled sweetly to herself at the thought of going on date.
"Yes, of course. I'm just getting ready now." she said, "Will be about 5 minutes?" she conferred, she heard Whale half-grunt in anguish on the other side.
"Ok, see you at Granny's in 5 minutes. I'll be waiting." the line goes dead in one click and Mary-Margaret is left to wonder what the man on the other end had been thinking of her. Oh dear, was she too harsh? Did she offend him?! What if she was late?! SHE WAS GOING TO BE LATE! She thought of turning up just one minute late, and rushing in Granny's panting and gasping and seeing nobody. Whale having grown tired of waiting for her. No. No, not now. Not when things were just starting to feel okay again.
Fighting her anxiety, Mary-Margaret struggled relentlessly to get to her feet. She wobbled as she walked, forgetting how long it had been since she had been in heels. Her bag was just on the other side, all she had to do was to grab it and then she would be right on time. No worries.
Just a little further...one step...two steps...she lost balance a little but thankfully caught the edge of the counter before she could do any damage to herself...three steps. Her hands traced the counter, which was the only thing keeping her from falling flat on her face. Three, two, one...there. She swiftly undid her handbag and flung her mobile inside. Her heels clanking on her laminated flooring, she managed to eventually reach the door. Turn the knob and slam it shut behind her. No turning back now.
It was raining now. He could hear the clattering of the metallic roof from where he sat in the diner. Music softly themed his actions, which consisted of strumming his fingers against the wooden table, with growing impatience. Granny walked over to him, her glasses caught the light and almost blinded him.
"So are you going to order or just take up my seats?" she said sarcastically, when Whale looked up she cocked her head and gave out a forced smile. He sat staring at her for a while. Should he order? Would she mind? Was she even coming at all?
"A few more minutes if you don't mind." Granny nodded and turned her back muttering under her breath about how she wasn't running a free-house for the down and destitute. This angered Whale. He could easily take back that hip he replaced for her, she just lost the thirty dollars he was likely to have spent in the coming hours. Her loss he thought as he got up from his stall and strode for the door. The door seemed keen as well, hitting him in face just as he drew near. Shock came first before the pain. Granny's muffled laughs could be heard from behind the counter. Mary-Margaret began to panic again, rambling on and on,
"Oh my gosh...I'm so sorry...I'm so, so sorry" crouching beside him, "I'm so sorry" she repeated. She had already been panicking before she opened the door , but couldn't have imagined anything worse than hitting her date with that very door before they'd even said "hello!"
"Well hello..." he joked through his clenched teeth, masking the obvious pain he is was in. Mary-Margaret didn't see the amusing side of it.
"I thought I'd killed you!"
Whale got to his feet with the help of a Mary-Margaret and a very nice table "Well, let's be thankful you didn't, darling." this time she got the joke and it made Whale smile to see her laugh and not panic over him.
"We're you leaving?" she questioned, taking Whale by surprise that it took him a while to register what she had just said.
"Yeah. I was on my way to find you," she seated him at the nearest chair, inspecting the red mark which had appeared on his forehead, she touched it lightly making him squeal a little "But you found me first." he joked. Mary-Margaret looked at him and smiled.
"Come on, I've got a medical kit back at my house round the corner." she helped him up again.
"You do know I'm a Doctor. I could just go home and-" before he could explain she cut him off.
"I caused it, I clean it up."
It didn't take them long to reach the door, Whale half backed away in fear of it hitting him again. That door didn't like him much. The rain was still pouring but they took their time walking back. Whale offered Mary-Margaret his jacket but she refused stating that he needed it more than she did. But when he looked at her bare, pale shoulders; he knew she was just trying to be polite and gave it her against her will.
As soon as they stepped through the door, the warm air hit them. Mary-Margaret feeling right at home quickly shot to action getting everything ready to clean him up. Whale however wondered around for a little but finally settled on the couch, which was the nearest and most comfortable thing to him.
Having awkwardly positioned himself on the couch, he tried to make some small talk as to break the growing silence in the room. "So why do you have a medical kit at your apartment?" he questioned turning around to face her, she had lifted up a green case and was fumbling around in it. "You're not training to be nurse are you?"
This observation made her look up and lock eye contact with him, she held it for a little too long then went over to the sink to run some water into the kettle she had just picked up. "Nope, thankfully. I'd be useless" she paused to assess the water level, "I just always need to be prepared. Kids at my school are always scraping up somewhere."
"At your house?" Whale joked,
Mary-Margaret was taken a-back and almost spilled the water. "No! I just keep one here, just in case." she defended herself from the remark.
Whale relaxed back into the couch, placing his hands behind his head, "Oh, I see. So you just like to hit them with doors every so often" Mary-Margaret carried the supplies over to where Whale was sitting and as she did so whacked his head "You really like to hurt me don't you?!" She said nothing in return. The cotton bud stung Whale's head, the pain was really starting to kick in. "What on earth did you put on it? It kills!" he yelped, Mary-Margaret reached down to reveal a bottle of wine.
"I thought I'd torture you with it first, then we could drink the rest"
Whale took the bottle and eyed it up and down, intently reading the label. He twisted the cap and took a long sniff. It ensnared his senses. Perfection in a bottle.
"Fancy stuff. Let's not waste it." Suddenly feeling better he took a swig straight from the bottle
"Whale!" Mary-Margaret took the bottle from him and looked as if she was going to hit him with it again. Instead she shook her head and went off to fetch some glasses. When she returned Whale was lying on the couch, propped up by an elbow. His hair brushed back from his face, not a strand out of place. Mary- Margaret shoved his feet off and sat next to him, pouring the fancy wine into even fancier glasses.
They laughed and chatted for what seemed like hours. Taking sips ever so minute until together they'd consumed the entire bottle. By this time Whale had got up and asked where the toilet was. She had pointed him in the general direction. He had managed to reach the toilet, almost about to burst when he got there. As he went to walk out, he heard her. Just about. Sobbing coming from downstairs. Why was she crying? Had he done something wrong?
Soon enough he was down the stairs, she sat there. It was her. Moaning and crying uncontrollably. Whale ran down to her. He couldn't stand to see her so upset. She looked up as he approached and didn't rush to hide her tears instead completely broke down further. He slipped next to her and embraced her as gently as he could. Mary-Margaret didn't know why she was upset, there was no reason for it. She just suddenly felt that emptiness choke her again, but in this moment she felt safe in the Whale's tender undefined muscley arms.
"Shhhh, it's ok." he cupped her face in his hands, crawling up like a ball in a bid to draw closer to her. Mary-Margaret moved and got more comfortable and in the process was now looking straight into Whale's dark eyes. Before her better judgement stopped her, she pressed her lips hard against his.
Whale closed his dark eyes and pulled her closer to himself.
"Don't leave me" she moaned between kisses.
The kisses became more passionate, as if they were having a heart-to-heart talk with their tongues. Slowly but surely Whale moved Mary-Margaret onto her back. As soon as it had began it had ended. Mary-Margaret being the one to pull away her better judgement finally getting the better of her.
"I can't..." she moaned, Whale didn't want to take no for an answer though. Locking his arms around her back he pulled her up and began to kiss and nibble her neck. She subsided and allowed him to do as he please. The straps of her dress were off of her shoulders now and hung delicately.
