4.
~ "Who was that asshole?" Arthur barked as Ariadne took him to her apartment.
It was a short walk from the campus. The Architect looking worriedly over her shoulder as they kept to the darker parts of the street. Ariadne pulling him as Arthur's blood was too hot to calm down. He was already looking for another fight.
"He's my friend's Ex." She explained. "They broke up and she doesn't want to see him anymore. He keeps looking for her. He won't take no for an answer. Imagine that." She added coldly as they reached her door.
"Well, your safe now." Arthur said as he watched her turn the key to her door.
"I was perfectly safe before, Arthur." She told him dryly. "Chad wouldn't hurt me."
"Chad." Arthur repeated with a mocking laugh.
"Yes, Chad. He's very nice when he's sober and his pride hasn't been ruffled. Like most men I know." she said swinging open her door. The light from the front hall bathing over them. The Point Man squinting and held up a hand to protect his eyes.
"Come on in. We have to dress that cut on you forehead." She told him sharply.
"What cut?" He said clumsily putting a hand to his forehead. He pulled back his hand and saw the bright red blood spotting his hand.
"That one." She said pulling him by the coat.
~ He allowed her to lead him, like a puppy on a leash, up to her apartment. Her domain was cozy and colorful. Perfectly fitting her youth and status as a student. She had exotic and fashionable poster prints on her walls, colorful embroidered pillows and even a large Moroccan lantern hanging from from the ceiling. It's colored glass casting strange and beautiful light all around them. It gave the small space a soothing, comforting atmosphere.
"This is nice." He said looking around. Typical Paris apartment style. Not a single inch of wasted space. A tiny kitchen that served as dining room. A bedroom that worked as living room. Books shelves packed full of text books, stuffed animals and framed photos, all fighting for space.
"Yes, well I wasn't expecting company." Ariadne said guiding him to a colorful, shabby chic chair.
Arthur was reward by her lovely face coming into view. He smiled as her lips were closer to his then the had been since the dream. He could smell her perfume and feel the warmth of her body.
"You smell nice." He said conversationally.
"Thank You." She said curtly looking at his cut on his head. "I need to clean this." She told him.
She retrieved a first aide kit from under the kitchen sink as he took in her apartment. It really was nice. He could easily imagine her living her. Sleeping on the full sized bed pushed against the wall so it looked more like a sofa then a bed. A sheer canopy drawn around it, giving it a more feminine look. The colored glass of the Moroccan lantern casting soft light. He suddenly wanted to be on that bed. With her. Stretched out and holding her close. He could almost see it.
"Och!" he gasped as the sudden sting of the alcohol pressed against the open cut.
"It's only rubbing alcohol." Ariadne said rolling her eyes. "For a guy who's so used to getting shot in dreams, you sure don't handle pain in the real world very well."
"You can prepare yourself for pain. That helps." he told her. "I wasn't expecting that." he told her. He kept his eyes on her as she diligently cleaned his cut and put a dressing over it.
"There. All better." She told him.
He was suddenly possessed with a wild urge to ask her to kiss her, but was proud he repressed it.
"Thank you." He said keeping his eyes on her. She sat down on her bed across form him. It's rich red bed spread bringing out the color of her cheeks.
"What are you doing here?" She asked finally.
"I... I wanted to apologize." He said feeling his face flush with embarrassment. "For my phone call. For the kiss in the dream. I was out of line. We were on a mission and I should have acted more professional. Your right. Your a Team member and not just... a girl who it there for... distraction. I'm sorry."
"Thank you." She said softly. Her voice for once, faltering and unsure. "Arthur, you look terrible." She told him.
"Yeah." He said with a mirthless laugh. "I flew coach to get here." He said running a hand over his forehead.
"You flew coach?" She laughed. "Just to apologize? I think a phone call would have been fine."
"I wanted to show you I meant it. To show you... that I'm a gentleman. That I don't have a temper." He said realizing how silly that sounded after she had just finished dressing a wound from a fight. She smiled at that.
"Yeah, well Chad had it coming. Why Vivian broke up with him. He was always starting trouble." She laughed.
"Is he why you don't like guys with a temper?" He asked. She shrugged.
"All my friends are having guy troubles. Men just complicate things." She said in a far off voice. "They think they own you. I'm just not up for all that."
"So you never want a man?" He asked soberly. "Ever?"
"Maybe the right one." She admitted sadly. "Just haven't met him yet."
"What if you already have met him and then just blew him off at an airport?" He rebounded. She smiled.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you." She told him pulling her legs up to her lotus style.
"Just my pride. Not use to being rejected." He admitted.
"I'm sure your not." She laughed.
"So... what do we do now?" He asked.