Well I am glad that I took the plunge and posted the first part it's helped me push through a difficult part of my NaNo, so I am back with the second part. I really like this chapter, Tim and I had fun together during this one ;) So please enjoy and review and know that I own nothing and mean no harm!
Leaving had been the right thing to do, the smart thing, Tim knew it. Lyla was not about to jump him while her Father was passed out in the next room. Once upon a time maybe, but not this time.
Once upon a time he would have been annoyed, but not this time.
No, things with Lyla were over.
Over.
Wow.
He hadn't thought it would be so simple. So easy to simply be done with her. It certainly hadn't been that easy the last time around. But then she wasn't a holy roller then either and maybe the thought of all the God-love was a little off-putting.
The night was young, his karma glowing, doing a good deed certainly had its benefits, and he was in no way ready to call it a night.
Tonight the truck had a mind of its own, cruising back and forth across town, thumb tapping idly on the steering wheel, Huey Lewis' heart was still beating on the radio, the squeal of rubber on asphalt startled him.
His reaction had been all instinct.
"FUCK!"
In the glare of the truck's headlights he could make out a figure, a slim blond figure that had come out of exactly no where, directly in front of his truck. Good reflexes had saved the day, God help him if he had been drinking, jerking the truck into park he hopped from the truck body humming with adrenaline. Whomever it was, they were about to get a piece of his buzzed, but irritated mind.
"Did ya think to watch where the hell you were going?!"
If he had had a thought as to who it might have been walking out so late on the rather dark street the Coach's daughter would never have crossed his mind. And it really should have, wasn't it just last Friday that they had been in almost the exact situation, well without the near death experience.
But there she was, pale, well paler than normal, eyes huge and glistening with tears. Tim groaned, not out loud of course, but he groaned just the same. Well there went his night. Vehicular manslaughter narrowly averted notwithstanding, he didn't think the Coach would take to kindly to hearing his, always his, Fullback having almost killed his baby girl.
"Are you alright?"
Deciding on a much calmer tone was apparently the right decision.
The watery smile was a definite improvement over watery eyes.
"Yeah. I'm so sorry. I was...I was just lost there for a sec."
Maybe it was the fact he had nearly killed her, or the flashing yellow light that set the scene in a surreal haze, but Tim found himself looking at the Coach's daughter, really looking at her for the first time.
And good goddamn when exactly had she grown in all those places. He had had an inkling in the truck, only seven days ago, that shirt had revealed much more than he had remembered there being, but nothing like tonight.
Clearing his thoughts, and raising his eyes, he caught the blush and the responding smirk was automatic.
"Um, yeah. I'm sorry."
He made her nervous. The chew on your fingernail nervous which on anyone else would look kinda pathetic, but on her, kinda cute.
"You said that. And hey, no damage done."
He knew he shouldn't have done it. This was Saracen's girl, the Coach's daughter, and that particular grin had the oddest effect on women, but he couldn't help himself, and it seemed neither could she.
Little Julie Taylor was blushing fiercely, staring openly, and he found himself liking it. A lot. Too much. And damn he was so gonna get his ass kicked for this.
"You were heading somewhere in particular?"
She chewed on her lip, apparently the tiny bit of skin held the answer. Not noticing would have been much better for sure, but how was he not suposed to notice the nibbling; nibbling for fuck's sake. So, oh yeah he was going to hell.
"Just away. From the party. There were so many people there. And they were gonna be asking questions. And Lois was gone. God, school is gonna suck on Monday."
He had followed the rant. Couldn't say he understood it. The frown had appeared automatically.
"What happened at school?"
If anything she looked embarrassed. Frightened by what she was about to reveal or not given the hesitation in her answer.
"Not at school. Tonight. I broke up with Matt."
Wow. She dumped the star quarterback. He wasn't sure whether to applaud or step away. There was something disturbing and awe-inspiring in that.
"Well."
Smooth, one, real smooth.
"Yeah."
Seemed she understood his confusion better than he did.
"You need a ride?"
This was familiar, if one time was familiar, and this was better than thinking about that.
"OK"
Quick as a lick he walked her to the passenger door, no real reason for the stupid grin on his face, other than the fact that she hadn't hesitated to accept. Not even a little bit.
"Home?"
There was that lip again.
"No."
Interesting, she didn't want to go home, but didn't mind sitting there with him. A guy gets ideas out of that. Guys that weren't him of course with girls that weren't her. Well they couldn't stay there. Dillon was a small town, deserted at this time of night, but someone was liable to notice his truck sitting in the middle of the street.
"Alright."
He knew a place, hell he knew all the places, but he couldn't exactly take her to any of them. So he drove. The silence was not as uncomfortable as it had been before, and for that he was relieved.
"You must think I'm crazy."
Had the cab not been deathly silent he would not have heard her. He wasn't even sure the words were meant for him as they were directed at her hands, but he took a chance.
"I don't think anything."
It had somehow sounded better in his head, but if she thought he was an idiot she didn't show it, he clarified.
"You did what you had to do, what was right for you, and that's not crazy."
She did look at him then and try as he might he couldn't tear his eyes from the road, couldn't turn his head just for a glimpse of what was on her face. Christ the girl was an open book, everything was on her face, and he didn't want to see, couldn't know what was there.
"Sure doesn't sound like you don't think anything."
Dangerous territory. There were warning signs and caution lights blazing but he was never one to back down, but then he wasn't sure what he was stepping up for, so he stepped to the side instead.
"We're here."
Here was nowhere, a cliff, a bluff, a piece of land that had called to him at one time or another and he had stopped. Probably drunk, it was likely that most of the cans that lay at their feet had been in his hand at one time or another, it was amazing the amount of alcohol he could consume when he put his mind to it. But he wasn't drunk now, not even a little bit, and he was here, and she was there a little further to his right than most girls would be if they were in her place, but close enough that her hair continually whipped across his face and chest.
"He's great you know. Never did anything wrong. He was sweet and supportive and God I just suck."
Apparently she had no idea that she wasn't supposed to be saying this to him. That her ex wasn't Matt to him, he was Saracen and as such he wasn't supposed to know that the guy was out there nursing a broken heart he hadn't earned. In all his life he had earned every stomp, almost every stomp, to his heart and the thought that someone, a 'sweet' and 'supportive' guy could get his heart stomped on just as easily without provocation really blew his mind. When you hardly ever play the good guy it never occurs to you that they might get hurt just as easily.
"He doesn't deserve this."
Maybe he did maybe he didn't, but then he wouldn't be the first person to get hurt that didn't deserve it. Tim knew about that first hand thank you very much.
"He'll survive."
And that was the truth of it. No matter how much it hurt it would heal. It had to, it was just the way of things.
"You think?"
She was closer now. He was almost completely lost in her hair, the soft scent of apples and vanilla filled him, but he didn't step away.
"I know."
If she wasn't as close as she was, as close as she shouldn't be, the words would have been lost in the wind, but she was and she had and thankfully she only nodded. He didn't think he could talk just yet, whether it was his turn or not, tonight was not turning out like he had planned, and he was entirely unprepared for the ache in his chest. Not quite sure what to do with his hands or himself, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and kept himself still and quiet.
How had he ended up here, with her of all people, staring out over the dark Texas earth. He should be drunk, laughing, getting laid, not outside half blown to bits, a painful ache in his chest, and oddly more content than he had been in, ever.
Thank God for Buddy Garrity.