Chapter Two - Moods
The movie he couldn't keep up with; he was too preoccupied, too troubled. He hadn't had a cigarette before going in and now he was craving it. God I'm a mess, he thought as he bit in to the foot long hotdog that Rogue had bought for him and insisted he eat. Although not particularly hungry he ate the whole thing, and some of Rogue's nachos with cheese; he made sure to make her notice him eating so that she wouldn't worry about his not eating like earlier in the car. At least then, later, he could skip dinner, and not have to be in the company of everyone else in the mansion.
He wished he'd decided not to opt for the romantic comedy instead of the horror which had been the other movie showing at the cinema in downtown Bayville. The romantic comedy had nudity and romantic scenes, and he knew right away during that first kissing scene where it would lead to in Rogue's mind.
Later, there were mild – although supposedly hilarious - sexual scenes, and as they played up on the big screen, he felt Rogue's hand graze the inside of his thighs, and squeeze through his jeans. In the back row, he was sure although no one could see them in here, that there was a nightvision camera somewhere focusing on them right now, and some immature teenage boys making bets about what was going to happen next. Remy took her hand and held it, he didn't want her touching him, not now...
She looked at him curiously in the half-darkness, her eyes were questioning.
As the big screen brightened, he glanced up to the very corner of the front of the screening room, "there's a camera up there," he nodded. "No one likes an audience," he finished, his whisper very quiet so they wouldn't disturb the people two rows in front.
"I don't care," she murmured, breaking her hand free of his and curling up to him, moving her hand back to where it was, he heard her laugh a little deep in her throat and she shifted to kiss his shoulder through his thin cotton t-shirt.
No...not now, he thought miserably. He was sure if her hand travelled any further up between his thighs that she wouldn't find much to be excited about. She circled her fingertips gently in a tender massage, moving closer and closer to the centre of his jeans. She gently bit into his shoulder now, and he winced as even her gentle bites were slightly on the rough side from the strength she still wasn't completely aware of.
"Not here," he gasped in pain.
"You wanna leave?" she whispered.
"No, I wanna see the end of the movie...no rush..." he tried to make himself sound as if he cared about her touching him, as if it were something he truly wanted to wait for. In his mind, he thought of where he'd hidden the ecstasy in his room and wondered if he really was going to need them again.
This is agony. Why am I not Interested?!He demanded of himself
"Okay," she nodded, and smiled, she accepted his hand again, and he held it tight within both of his hoping that she wouldn't get any more ideas about playing around.
By the end of the movie, exhaustion was beginning to weigh him down and he had to fight it by shifting constantly in his chair so he was sitting up straight. He didn't want to sleep during the movie, he knew how sensitive Rogue was and how badly she would take a gesture such as that.
When the movie was over, they left the theatre hand in hand. Rogue talked about the movie as they walked – she having enjoyed it much more than he had, and he gave the occasional nod or comment for details he'd forced himself to try to remember about what he'd just seen, but he was finding it hard to listen to her, almost as if her voice were drifting in and out.
In the car on the way home, he tried to focus on the loud music coming from the car radio to keep him awake and by the time Rogue was parking the truck in the Mansion's large garage, he was close to falling asleep. He got out of the car, the tape from the seat of the car ripped out with him, pulling some of the padding out.
"What the fuck?!" he yelled at the chair, he slammed the car door, leaving Rogue staring at him from the other side of the truck completely startled. "You need to fix this shit," he tore the tape from the back of his leg, rolled it up and tossed it to the floor.
"I'll take care of it...geez, calm down already."
"You make enough money to buy a new car – why are you still driving this shit wagon?" he demanded, he kicked the tire although it accomplished nothing.
Rogue moved around the car slowly, "I like this truck; it's the only truck I've ever had...and why are you getting so mad?" she asked.
You're losing it, LeBeau. Calm down and apologise or she's going to know something is up.
"I don't know...I'm sorry," he rubbed his head, "I think I just...need to get some sleep..." he admitted; the exhaustion blurred his eyes so that he had to blink several times to focus.
"I could use a nap myself," Rogue admitted with a little bit of a smile, the suggestion that she would go to bed with him.
"I need to be alone right now," he said sharply, he didn't mean it to sound so flat out hurtful and yet, when he saw the look on her face he knew it had come out that way, "I mean...I just...I don't think I'll sleep if you're with me...there's too much I'd want to do..." he feigned a slightly happier tone. If she comes with me to the bed, she's going to expect more of what happened yesterday...and I can't, not right now. I'm not ready...
"You're acting really bizarrely, do you realise that?" Rogue asked quietly. "You're...all over the place..."
"I'm fine..." he took a deep breath to try and keep calm. "Sometimes it's like this."
"Is this...withdrawls?"
"Withdrawls?" he asked quickly, he thought of the ecstasy tablets...had she found out? Did she know?
"From the alcohol..." Rogue folded her arms insecurely.
"I..." he sighed, "maybe, I don't know..." when he'd stopped drinking, he'd knew there would be a need to drink, but he hadn't expected to feel irritable about it. He'd just assumed it was the ecstasy but what if it was from the alcohol? Could the withdrawls come so quickly after only a few short days of not drinking?
"You're on edge...you've been that way since last night...I thought it was just a bad mood but...maybe you're just...withdrawing from it..."
"I'll be fine. I've gotten through worse," he replied. "I've survived a laser wound, I can get through alcohol withdrawls," he promised, he softened his tone. "I'll see you later on...I'm gonna take a nap."
