A/N: So, yeah, I've been gone for a while. I have school, this really isn't the highest priority of mine. My goal, however, is to finish this story, maybe there will be another 2 or 3 chapters, and that will be all.
Now on to the fun, less serious stuff. I will be the first to admit that this chapter is a bit boring, but it's necessary to bridge the gap to the more important part of the story, the climax. I am in the process of writing the follow up to this chapter, so hopefully you won't have to wait too long.
Read and review! Thanks.
-cityscapes101
Mary-Lynnette POV
The first hour or so afterwards passed better than she had previously expected.
After the mug incident, she was able to civilly speak with Ash-or at least, to some extent. Ash was, by nature, the very opposite of civil. With the warm mugs of black tea in their hands, him lying lackadaisically on the sofa and her lounging in the plush armchair adjacent to him, the environment switched from tense to relaxed at last.
He seemed to have forgotten about that moment in the kitchen, where he held her in his arms in one of the most tender embraces he had ever given her, transcending something so deep and gorgeous and luxurious that she could still feel the faint hum of the emotion of the moment on her skin, Or at least, he didn't bring it up.
They were able to converse as friends, something that Mary-Lynnette vehemently adored. It was a step, in her mind. They weren't awkward of careful or confused. They were just them, drinking tea, and chatting as if they had no worried in the world.
He wanted to know everything about her past year, from the big things, like the health of her brother and his sisters and what colleges that she had applied to, to the small things, from her favorite recent song, or the last food that she had tasted and adored.
She answered every question, wondering if he really cared that much about every facet of her recent escapades or fantasies. The questions were all surprisingly tame, which she became increasing joyous about as time trundled on. However, about an hour into his assault, he shattered the foundation of her elation with one sentence.
"I'm guessing you've moved on from me by now, haven't you?" What shocked her more than the question itself was the smile that still continued to dominate his demeanor. The irony of the statement and his resulting emotions could not possibly escape her, and she assumed that it did not escape him either.
"If you're thinking that I dated or had a relationship with any other guy, you're seriously mistaken." She placed her feet up on the armchair and she sipped her tea lightly, peering curiously at Ash from over the mug.
"Ah." Was all he said, and he drank his tea similarly. Their eyes locked, and hers flashed with annoyance over his passive, emotionless reply. He smirked at her anger. She wanted to wipe that victorious smile off of his pretty little face more than she wanted air to breathe. Her mind quickly formulated a simple idea, a test, almost. She grinned inwardly as she sipped her tea and continued their stare-down. Her idea would kill two birds with one stone-testing him, and most importantly, making that devious little smirk of his disappear as quick as love.
We'll see who's laughing, she thought.
Gently, calmly, and with zero emotion, she sat her mug down on the coffee table in front of them. Slowly, she stood, Ash's eyes following her as he did so. She sauntered over to the sofa he laid on. Sensing her approach, he sat his mug down as well, his smirk wavering slightly. Slowly and deliberately, she swung one leg over his body, effectively straddling him, her knees sinking into the sofa. By this time, his triumphant facade had quickly morphed into shock. She leaned forward, pressing her chest against his, her lips just inches away from where his awaited, his sweet breath warming them. His eyes were as wide as headlights, and she could only smile.
"Mare-"
"What?"
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing in particular."
He was silent for a few moments, and soon, he was able to reconcile his calmness. His eyes shrunk to their normal size, and his stupid little smile reappeared.
"I guess you just couldn't resist me any longer. It's okay. I understand."
She exhaled, still grinning. "You're an asshole."
She got off of him, still smiling, and began walking towards to front door.
"Mare-I'm sorry if I offended you-come back, please, sweetheart." She turned sharply on her heel and savored that morose, paled face of his that seemed to beg her to return. She considered keeping him like that, feigning anger, but she decided quickly that that would be slightly cruel.
"I'm not angry at you." She admitted. "I'm going to the car, and I was hoping that you'd follow. I'm taking you somewhere." She suddenly realized it mere moments ago. If she was going to truly figure out what they were and where their relationship was going to go, they were going to need to go back to the start.
"Oh." He ran up to her quickly. Grabbing her car keys from a little table next to the door, she opened it and walked though, taking Ash's hand as he did so. "New car." he said as they approached the white Golf in the drive. "I assumed that that would be necessary, considering what happened." She unlocked the car with a silent nod and he opened the driver's door for her. In the fading sunlight, he looked even more handsome. Thanking him, she entered the car and closed the door.
As he climbed in on the opposite side, she said, "You passed my test, by the way." He shut the door. Confused, he stared into her eyes, the muted orange sunlight glinting off of his eyes.
"What?" He scratched his head.
"I wanted to see if you'd kiss me back there." She admitted. "Obviously, you have more self-control than I thought."
"Yeah, well, I surprise myself sometimes. It's difficult, but it happens, And just for the record, you are hard to resist." Blushing, she turned the key into the ignition, backed out of the drive, and sped down the road with Ash dominating her thoughts, especially in the dulled light of the sun that they drove into.
